I have an idea, and I want to run it by everyone. It’s vague right now. I am interested in reactions to the notion.
Think of three things: The fact that there almost certainly going to be a backlash against Trump when he fails to deliver (or he does deliver, and it ends up screwing people), the sea of red between the island of blue on the electoral map and the (related) idea put forward by Obama the other day that the dems got whacked because they abandoned (physically and politically) rural areas of the heartland (though he said it more politely).
The latter two speak to a wall between rural heartland dems and other (mostly coastal) dems. The first speaks to an opportunity.
The idea is to break this wall: An initiative wherein folks from those blue islands reach out, over time, to democratic folks in the red areas. Put more simple: We all get to know each other a bit before the election cycle heats up.
This sounds a bit naive, but please read on.
This can be done electronically. It also could be partially or wholly crowdfunded.
For instance, this initiative could create ties between democratic organizations—say a group of urban/suburban blue state dems (affiliated or not with the official democratic outfit) with local or regional democratic organizations in rural areas of swing and red states.
It could take the form of monthly or bimonthly cyber town halls, Google hangouts or even Skype relationships between members with similar political or cultural interests. There could joint websites (essentially free), newsletters, etc.
Some of the content would be overtly political and some just to get to know each other.
Some possible questions to be discussed over time:
--What is the biggest issue in your region?
--How is the economy in your region?
--Is Washington helping you?
--Is the democratic party helping you?
The most contact many people have with rural dems is phone banking every four years. In the big picture, it seems like a model that is about exhausted: Pay no attention to these people for 3.5 years, then start calling them incessantly because, suddenly, they have something we want (their vote). They rightly were annoyed: Where were you two years ago? I phone bank out of a sense of duty, but down deep feel that I am wasting my time.
Remember, the democrats don’t have to win the rural parts of rural states to win the state. We just have to not be clobbered. That is what BO said the other day, and this could be one strategy for doing that.
I am very interested in feedback. Thanks.