A lot of politics is about values.
In
general, people who work for themselves or work for small family
businesses tend to put more trust in themselves and those around them to
direct resources.
Reliance on those close to you and not the government is line with the conservative political philosophy.
Further,
if you live in a small town such as Hahira, Arlington, Reidsville, or Baxley, you are more likely to know the people
around you. You are more likely to have trust and faith in your local
community. This enhances the feeling of self-reliance, and lessens the
perceived need to put faith in government.
If you live in a large
city like Macon, Albany, Augusta, Atlanta everything is much more interconnected. Government becomes much
more important. You see yourself as one of a large mass of people. You
are more likely to be working for a large corporation. Because
you see yourself as more interconnected, you're more likely to align
with the political philosophy that is more about putting trust in a
large institution to help mediate all these different ways in which this
large group of people is interconnected. You're thus more likely to be
inclined to vote with Democratic Party because it sees government as a
mediator in this respect.
There is a perception by those in rural
areas like for instance, say Ellaville that welfare and government spending that favors the poor happens
in big cities and so does not benefit them. There is a perception in
the rural community that Democrats do not value hard work and favor
handouts. Democrats would counter that social safety nets are necessary.
Regardless, in rural communities like Fitzgerald, Taliaferro, Lexington, issues like homelessness and the
daily interaction with the effects of social safety nets are less
visible.
In terms of smaller issues, rural Georgia (and America) is where
coal, oil and gas can be found, and people near those resources depend
on those industries for employment and so tend to have a different take
on environmentalism and natural resources.
Beyond that people are
more likely to hunt in rural areas and favor gun rights. They are also
more likely to be religious and thus more likely to be pro-life.
Another
point is that if you're LGBT, you probably won't find too many others
who are LGBT in your small rural town, so you're more likely to move a
big city. If you're LGBT, you're likely to care a lot about LGBT rights,
and that may lead you to vote Democrat, all else being equal. This
movement leaves those remaining in rural areas more conservative as they
have lost members of their community that would otherwise be more
liberal.
Some cities have a greater percentage of African
American residents than the rest of the state does, an ethnic group
that tends to vote Democrat. In rural areas, the percentages are often
reversed, which increases the likelihood that a given rural area is more
conservative.
Beyond a sense of interconnectedness, cities also
have more people living in extreme poverty who are dependent on
government services, a group that tends to vote Democrat. Because people
in this predicament are less likely to be found in rural areas, they
are comparably more conservative.
Further, young people often
move to big cities after growing up in a small town or rural area. It
can be a natural progression — especially if they go to college. Younger
people tend to vote Democrat. The result is that rural areas can have
fewer younger people who would otherwise vote Democrat and can be more
conservative as a result of that. In turn, rural areas are much older, conservative and less diverse than a major metropolitan area.
Tuesday, November 22, 2016
Sunday, March 20, 2016
Georgia Democrats Need A More "FOCUSED" Message To Draw Rural Voters.
Another election is upon us and just like previous years, Democratic recruitment was abysmal in both the State House and State Senate seats.
Georgia Democrats (mostly based around Metro Atlanta) know they must do better in rural areas. They know that, but so far they have failed to come up with a answer to solve ins woes in a region they once had a significant presence. Minority Leader Stacey Abrams doesn't have a clue because she is too tied up with her own personal and political ambitions at the expense of House Democrats who appear satisfied with being in the minority for the next 10, 15 years. The only people who know the pulse of rural Georgia are State Reps. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City), Virgil Fludd (D-Fayetteville), Scott Holcomb (D-Tucker). Even with Dubose Porter who is a product of rural Georgia and a former disciple of former Senator Sam Nunn it seems doesn't have the answer of he in fact does have the answer, but is outnumbered by progressive liberals who know control the DPG and othe Democratic groups.
The bottom line is progressive Democrats based in metro Atlanta still don’t quite get what’s working at the grassroots down here. It’s not soft messaging about rural development. What’s working is a clear “Which side are you on?” message when it comes to defending rural schools and services, and the teachers and public employees who provide them, against a Republican austerity message that shifts even more of the burden from the wealthy to working families making less that $50,000 a year.
Schools and services are what keep small towns strong. If the fight is between Democrats who want to defend public schools, public services, and Republicans who want to sacrifice them in order to give tax breaks to the rich, that’s when you’ll see rural voters (White Working Class Voters) shifting back to the Democrats. The problem is how to break then from
the trance of Republicanism since the Reagan Era.
Reaching rural voters will take a strong message from Democrats here in Georgia. Republicans offer a simple message of cutting taxes. When in power, their party is more unified. For Democrats to compete, they must have an economic message that also appeals to poor and middle class families.
Metro Atlanta Democrats like Minority Stacey Abrams may not want to hear it, but the temptation for those Midtown liberals is to shake their heads over those down state, godforsaken white-working-class voters who are voting against their own interests. But this reaction misses the complexity of the political dynamic that’s taken hold in this state. It misdiagnoses the Democratic Party’s growing conundrum with working-class white voters. And it also keeps them from fully grasping what’s going on in communities like Hahira, Eastman, Vidalia where conditions have deteriorated. If the Democrats are to avoid going the way of the dinosaur, they have to solve the rural riddle here in the Peach State!
Georgia Democrats (mostly based around Metro Atlanta) know they must do better in rural areas. They know that, but so far they have failed to come up with a answer to solve ins woes in a region they once had a significant presence. Minority Leader Stacey Abrams doesn't have a clue because she is too tied up with her own personal and political ambitions at the expense of House Democrats who appear satisfied with being in the minority for the next 10, 15 years. The only people who know the pulse of rural Georgia are State Reps. Debbie Buckner (D-Junction City), Virgil Fludd (D-Fayetteville), Scott Holcomb (D-Tucker). Even with Dubose Porter who is a product of rural Georgia and a former disciple of former Senator Sam Nunn it seems doesn't have the answer of he in fact does have the answer, but is outnumbered by progressive liberals who know control the DPG and othe Democratic groups.
The bottom line is progressive Democrats based in metro Atlanta still don’t quite get what’s working at the grassroots down here. It’s not soft messaging about rural development. What’s working is a clear “Which side are you on?” message when it comes to defending rural schools and services, and the teachers and public employees who provide them, against a Republican austerity message that shifts even more of the burden from the wealthy to working families making less that $50,000 a year.
Schools and services are what keep small towns strong. If the fight is between Democrats who want to defend public schools, public services, and Republicans who want to sacrifice them in order to give tax breaks to the rich, that’s when you’ll see rural voters (White Working Class Voters) shifting back to the Democrats. The problem is how to break then from
Candidate Chris Irvin Agriculture Commissioner 2010 in Vidalia |
Reaching rural voters will take a strong message from Democrats here in Georgia. Republicans offer a simple message of cutting taxes. When in power, their party is more unified. For Democrats to compete, they must have an economic message that also appeals to poor and middle class families.
Metro Atlanta Democrats like Minority Stacey Abrams may not want to hear it, but the temptation for those Midtown liberals is to shake their heads over those down state, godforsaken white-working-class voters who are voting against their own interests. But this reaction misses the complexity of the political dynamic that’s taken hold in this state. It misdiagnoses the Democratic Party’s growing conundrum with working-class white voters. And it also keeps them from fully grasping what’s going on in communities like Hahira, Eastman, Vidalia where conditions have deteriorated. If the Democrats are to avoid going the way of the dinosaur, they have to solve the rural riddle here in the Peach State!
Three Vying to Succeed Retiring Macon County Sheriff
On May 24, Macon County will elect a new sheriff for the first time since 1976 as longtime sheriff Charles M. Cannon Sr,
69, will not seek re-election to the office he has held for 40 years.
Three candidates have qualified to become the next sheriff for Macon County. All three are running in the Democratic Primary, but Cannon & Kanazawa are Republicans running as Democrats
Matthew "Matt" Woodard
Oglethorpe
Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Reynolds
Charles M. Cannon, Jr
Montezuma
Assistant Police Chief for the City of Montezuma
Terry Kanazawa (R)
Montezuma
Retired (Perrenial Candidate)
Former Deputy
Matthew Woodard |
Matthew "Matt" Woodard
Oglethorpe
Assistant Chief of Police for the City of Reynolds
Charles M. Cannon, Jr
Montezuma
Assistant Police Chief for the City of Montezuma
Terry Kanazawa (R)
Montezuma
Retired (Perrenial Candidate)
Former Deputy
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