media narrative that Dems lost 'working class whites' is BS. the split was the ol' rural vs urban

[Bill USA]

I kept hearing M$M talking heads saying that the Dems lost the working class whites - Hillary's fault - but the split was the same old rural vs urban voters. It's the same old story we've seen for decades. Rural people swallow GOP Bullshit, Hillary demonization and xenophobia, while urban voters are sophisticated enough to laugh at GOP propaganda. IT's been this way for decades .. as long as I can remember.


Sorry, this was meant to go in 2016 Postmortem. Please see there: http://www.democraticunderground.com/12512661734

[WhiteTara]

1. Hey, Bill

This really should stay in PostMortmen. We need to have a place for general discussion too.

[Bill USA]

4. will fix momentarily

[WhiteTara]

5. Thank You!

[FarCenter]

2. 2010 Census - 249 million urban; 59 million rural population

https://www.census.gov/geo/reference/ua/urban-rural-2010.html

So urban versus rural isn't even close to the actual split.

[Hortensis]

3. Exactly. That critical geographic division is growing, also.

Conservatives are increasingly moving to smaller towns and rural areas, and liberals there are finding them increasingly...not home.

You know, I read The Atlantic free on line, but I just decided I'm going to buy a subscription for our local ER waiting room. Courtesy of the Resistance, but here in Georgia I won't have them put that on the mailing label.

Thanks, Bill.

[gwheezie]

6. Rural people don't really want jobs

I live in a rural county that never had manufacturing jobs & would be all up in arms if someone wanted to build a plant here. This is farming, fishing & logging. So when they say rural voters I think they mean small town.
Bless their hearts but my neighbors don't want anything to change. They don't want to build anything or pay for anything. They won't do anything to support businesses because it might raise taxes. The services suck, the education system sucks, law enforcement sucks but they like it this way. I don't know why they're so angry but I have my suspicions. They sure don't want to attract anyone with any money to come out here.
Years back there was a call to a meeting by the tea party because they wanted to form a defense in case there was a disaster in the city & hordes of city folks attempted to enter the county & try to find food & shelter. The plan was to stand at the bridge inspired I quess by the slaughter on nola. Anyway, seriously people are going to come from 60 miles away & come to a county with no supermarkets, motel mass transit to what milk a cow and choke some chickens & sleep in a shed? Yet & still the salt of the earth Christians thought the best way to handle a civil crisis would be to arm themselves against fellow citizens.
Now as racist as some of these folks are they wouldn't hesitate to help any black farmer out here because we do all have to ask each other for help. So while nigger is still considered an acceptable word in some circles, it's urban that disturbs my neighbors more than color. And urban color just sends them into abject terror.
What do I love about where I live? The peace quiet & beauty of my little paradise. And I admit to being like most of my neighbors in that I don't want things to change for me. I'm just not angry.

[Bill USA]

7. "fishing & logging"... sometimes conflicting activities. Logging can mess up streams as fisheries

and while people may think they can remove themselves from the problems of the world, it's not as easy as it might sound.


The effects of global warming on temperature, precipitation levels, and soil moisture are turning many of our forests into kindling during wildfire season. - Union of Concerned Scientists

As the climate warms, moisture and precipitation levels are changing, with wet areas becoming wetter and dry areas becoming drier.

Higher spring and summer temperatures and earlier spring snow-melt typically cause soils to be drier for longer, increasing the likelihood of drought and a longer wildfire season, particularly in the western United States.

These hot, dry conditions also increase the likelihood that, once wildfires are started by lightning strikes or human error, they will be more intense and long-burning.

The costs of wildfires, in terms of risks to human life and health, property damage, and state and federal dollars, are devastating, and they are only likely to increase unless we better address the risks of wildfires and reduce our activities that lead to further climate change.
(more)

[gwheezie]

8. Yes the rural way of life

They don't want regulations. They want to clear cut forest, spread chemicals on the fields and have the run off wind up in the rivers & bay.
My neighbor across the road has been beating her head against a wall. She farms using scientifically sound methods to minimize environmental impact. She's hosted educational events at her place put on by the county ag agent but like I said people don't want to change.