Reply #23: Excellent post [View All]

[Lydia Leftcoast]

Yes, I think that liberals and progressives could take two steps toward neutralizing hate radio. (Of course, some people are so consumed by hatred that they're unreachable, but many are just part-time listeners and herd followers.)

1) Stop dissing "rednecks" and "yokels." Working class people and farmers SHOULD be major allies of liberals and progressives, and indeed, at one time they were. But there are far so many disdainful remarks about about working class people's tastes in food, music, clothing, and other aspects of their daily lives, both on the Internet and in real life, that it's no wonder that the Republicanites have been able to make the "liberal elite" label stick.

2) Democratic groups should participate visibly in their communities as good citizens. (This is TygrBright's idea, and a damned good one, too). The county Democratic group should adopt highways, visibly make donations to the fund for the kid who needs chemotherapy (with a plug for single-payer health care), have a booth at Crazy Days, send out sandbagging crews when the river rises, and in other ways prove that they are not some remote elites but vital parts of the community.