J.D. SCHOLTEN: Democrats still need rural voters to defeat Trump

[brooklynite]

The Hill

Rural Iowa is confronting its harshest challenges since the ‘80s farm crisis. Our small town communities have been hit by five consecutive years of poor commodity prices, child care and nursing homes closing, school districts consolidating and rural hospitals facings bankruptcy. Democrats cannot afford to ignore these areas if we hope to win back the White House. Despite the pessimism of folks like New York Times columnist Paul Krugman who believe nothing can be done to help rural America, I am heartened that the first real “cattle call” with multiple 2020 Democratic presidential contenders belies that mindset.

These are gut-wrenching times for Iowa farmers. The recent historic “bomb cyclone” floods couldn’t have come at a worst time. Suicide rates are now higher than they were during the ‘80s. Farm hotlines are overwhelmed by the amount of folks seeking assistance.

To win back the White House, Democrats can’t just rely on “Whole Foods” districts of educated, affluent suburbanites. Democrats can do well in “Dollar General” districts if they show up and address the issues. No one gave me much of a chance when I ran against Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), but I only lost by 3 points in a district President Trump won by 27 points. Often overlooked in the discussion about how Democrats can recreate the “Obama Coalition” of minorities, young folks and educated suburbanites is that he took 41 percent of the rural vote in 2008. Hillary Clinton only received 29 percent in 2016. Democrats may not win in rural America, but they surely cannot get blown out.

Democrats should focus on how corporate consolidation and lack of antitrust enforcement was squeezing farmers on both the input side and output side, issues central to my own campaign. Seed prices have tripled in the last 20 years as our government, under both parties, allowed three big seed companies to control the market, with Bayer taking over Monsanto and DuPont merging with Dow Chemical. Meanwhile, four companies control 85 percent of the meat industry, two of which are foreign-owned by Brazil and China.

J.D. Scholten is a former Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District. He lost to Republican incumbent Rep. Steve King by 3 points.

The Ohio Democratic Party Chair pointed out that Hillary Clinton improved on Barack Obama's margins in liberal areas like Cleveland, but massively underperformed in the rural Red counties.

[roamer65]

1. He's right.

[gratuitous]

10. Yes he is

And the thing is, we don't need to flip conservative rural districts, turning a 75-25 split around. If we make it 70-30 or so, Democrats would win some of these districts, and force Republicans to play defense, spending money on "safe" districts that they won't have for more competitive districts. The national party's current strategy of ignoring these districts hasn't made much of a dent in them.

[LonePirate]

2. If rural whites still support 45 after his tariffs and health care attacks, Dems cannot win them.

If people still support the candidate who takes away their livelihoods and their lives, they are a lost cause as nothing else will change their minds. Dems should focus on turning out people who support them instead of the racist, nihilistic masochists known as rural white voters.

[msongs]

3. one wonders why a crowd that receives so much socialist welfare would vote for trump who

claims to oppose such welfare. and this guy displays his right winger tendencies when he uses Whole Foods as a class defining perjorative

[htuttle]

4. You mean the voters who got stuck with silos full of rotting soybeans due to tariffs?

[Me.]

5. They Need All vOters

Especially ones they can count on

[Wellstone ruled]

6. Rural Grass Roots Campaigns

take tons of bodies on the ground. It is not just one single today type campaign. Placing a Political Party Worker and sustaining them for a period of time takes dollars and a hard working Party Organizer. And that Organizer better have a damn tough skin. Oh BTW,this is what the Rethugs did ten twelve years ago and while we Dems worried about a 13 state strategy the Competition ate our lunch.

Yes we need to get people out in those Areas that are devastated by this round of flooding. And they need to be armed with real time solutions and not promises. I have been down that road of be wiped out by a Spring Flood,and know first hand the Fakes and False Claim peddlers who showed up as soon as there was a dry spot for them to set up shop. BTW,within ninety days they have moved on to greener pastures .

[Trenzalore]

7. We actually don't

It would be great if they come along but we don't.

Rendell won PA twice by turning out Pittsburgh and Philadelphia with Scranton and the Lehigh Valley.

Hillary underpreformed with people of color. Registering and turning out the base would be more productive than trying to sell democratic policies to people watching Fox News.

[exboyfil]

8. And Rush Limbaugh on in the cab of the tractor

or combine.

[uponit7771]

9. +1, love facts