Evidence of a Hidden Rural Democrats

Red America doesn't exist. Just because you pass the city limits sign or go to another jursidiction, it doesn't mean suddenly everybody is a Republican. Chazy, NY or Fulton, NY has a higher precentage of Republicans then certainly Albany, NY or Poughkeepsie, NY, but that doesn't mean that everybody is a Republican or that we can't win elections in Rural America.

The most Republican town in New York is rougly 78% Republican to 22% Democratic, ignoring those not registered in either party. It's a pretty small town in the Adirondacks with roughly 200 registered voters. That might sound like a real Republican stronghold, but still 1 in 5 are Democrats. There are similar election districts in New York City that are the reverse. Those numbers suggest Democrats can't win in such towns. Certianly a Democratic victory would be a struggle, but it's not impossible as shown in certain local races.

Those are extreme cases. The vast majority of Red America towns are closer to 51% Republican to 49% Democratic. That means that while Republicans may dominate local government and national elections in such areas, it might not be totally caused by Republican dominance but the lack of effective competition by the Democrats. In too much of Rural New York, the Democratic Party is either non-existant or not as organized as it should be.

Blame it On Party Organization

The lack of party organization is why Democrats do so badly in such elections. When you look at the Bernie Bassett and Chris Ortloff race for the New York Assembly you see that the lack of a strong party in Essex County doomed Bassett's chances. He did great in Clinton County, winning there, but losing in Clinton County. Essex County is only slightly Republican and Clinton County about 50-50, yet without a successful force of locals on the street it was a lost battle.

So Essex County may be red, but it's not impossible to win in there. Cases like this happen across the nation. The reality is not only are 49% of Red America made up of Democrats, most of our loss is caused by a like of a party organization. Getting people involved is difficult particularly if their is a fear from punishment from the Republican majority. Many people are apathetic or do not believe that they can fight against an entrouched Republican Organization that always has dominated.

If we had ward leaders in the country like we had ward leaders in our big cities, things would be a lot different. We can do this, we just need to do more to reach out to rural people who share common values, and get them to lead.

Tolerance is a Democratic Value

Rural New Yorkers and those from other states live a different life then those in big cities. Farming is different from living in the big city and working in a cubicle in an office tower. Life is harder out here, but many of the same values that exist in our cities exist in the country.

The relationship to the environment is different in Rural America then it is in the big cities. There is a lot fewer people out here, so the impact of one individual is a lot different then that of thousands of people. People in Rural America either work out in the environment, or everyday experience the harshness of the natural world. They have a different experience on the environment then people from the city.

Religion and traditional values also is important in Rural America. Some people are truly evangal, but many of us just attend church every Sunday, and do our part to be respectful of god and all of gods creatures. This basic respect is a common value that all should embrace, be it in the city or elsewhere.

Democrats need to tolerate the difference between city people's beliefs and those in the country. While tolerance is not the main issue our party loses in rural America (organization is), we are unneccessarly alienating too many voters by pushing big city government over rural people. Keep our of my backyard, and I'll keep our of yours. That's should the be attitude of the Democratic party.