Flawed approach by Democratic Party

[pop goes the weasel]

There sure is a rush to blame the South and Midwest for Tuesday's debacle. I'd like to remind everyone that the DNC made a decision to not spend time or money in most states of the South and Midwest, virtually handing their 56% of the vote gift-wrapped to the Republicans. (check the last couple of charts at http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2004/pages/results/states/US/P/00/epolls.0.html to see where I get the figure from)

Big City Bicoastals, judging from posts here over the past few years, really do seem to think that they can dismiss the "Heartland," that looking down their noses and calling them all ignorant and hateful is going to be a winning strategy. If it was just DUers who show that attitude so often, it wouldn't be a problem, but the DNC has the same weakness.

So, now, what are you people who don't live in the fly-over zone going to do about it? The South and the Midwest must be brought back to the Democratic Party. It's time you get religion, and I mean of the secular kind, and start doing some missionary work. We who are already here have been starved of support for a long time. We need art shows, plays, alternative movie houses, book stores, and meeting places that encourage progressive values, and we need them in the suburbs and small towns. Believe me, Austin does not need another coffee house or art venue. We need Unitarians and Quakers and liberal Christians of all persuasions. We need to establish a lecture circuit that will bring ideas contrary to those being expounded by the religious right every Sunday into the VFW halls that dot the countryside. Oh, laugh at that if you wish, but the VFW will rent out their hall. Try getting the Baptists to do that.

People, we need boots on the ground. And we need them to stay. So I'm begging you: move to the country, have a lot of children, raise corn and raise hell.