If you were to take a drive through Fayette County at this time of year, you would see incredible hues of fall foliage slowly drifting from the trees and still many Trump flags hanging from the fronts of houses. Being in “Trump country,” you may not realize that this area of southwest Pennsylvania was once one of the most Democratic strongholds in America. When most of the nation went red for Reagan with his massive 489 electoral vote victory, Fayette County was dark blue— not only for Jimmy Carter in 1980 but again for Walter Mondale in the following election. One of my uncles who was a coal miner, moonshiner, and VFW Veteran once traveled to an away Steelers game with a sign on the back of his pickup truck that said “We used to travel by air or bus but this is what Reagan done to us,” referencing the rise in poverty, inequality, and unemployment as a result of Reagan’s hefty tax cuts.
Yet, the children and grandchildren of the people who would sooner jump off the Brownsville Bridge than root for the Browns or elect a Republican, the same people who voted for Obama, are the ones who either sat home or voted for Donald Trump even after he, ironically, gave an even heftier tax cut than Reagan and increased the national debt by 40%.
This sudden shift in political ideology is quickly explained away by pundits. Talking heads and political junkies from cities all over the country like to speak for us rural folks, interpreting our votes without hearing or even listening for our voices. They do intellectual acrobatics to describe Republicans’ gains in blue collar regions, offering their opinions on these issues which will surely influence both policy and strategy. I am a moderate Democrat in rural America, penning this letter and establishing this publication for all who realized after the November 2021 election that our votes— and our voices— matter.
First and foremost, what commentators and party officials do not fully appreciate is that Democrats out here do not feel like the fringe of the party, but the very pole on which our large umbrella sits. Our grandparents established the labor unions, founded the local Democratic groups, and built the middle class itself from the sweat of their brows and, for some, the loss of their lives. I know that it is because of those sacrifices that I am a college educated woman. I also happened to grow up on the top of a mountain eating deer jerky that one of my uncles hunted for sport. I have had the privilege of walking on four continents, but I never got used to sleeping to the sound of sirens, rather than bullfrogs, at night. I can see not only from both sides, but the real-life consequences of the actions of our elected officials— and their inaction. I take abuse every day from those on the right for being “elite” and supporting the “welfare state,” but also from some on the left for not being “woke” or “humane” enough to champion a universal minimum wage of $15 per hour that would shutter the small businesses of my friends and family— businesses that give back more to our community than any of the chain stores or restaurants waiting in the wings to replace them. Those of us who do not subscribe to one echo chamber or the other are utterly exhausted from shouting into the abyss that is the Facebook comments section.
On most issues, voters feel that we are not being heard and many say that they have been “left behind,” but what does that really mean? You may have heard the term “mansplaining,” which describes when a man explains something to a woman on a matter in which she is familiar or may even have greater knowledge. As women, we might let out an uncomfortable laugh, then as we walk away, we roll our eyes and think to ourselves “what a prick,” without further engaging.
It is the same reaction from rural voters to the highly educated kids that are relocated to our neck of the woods to organize, rally, and speak to our voters. As a woman, I can say that the same feeling of incredulousness as when male legislators write bills on womens’ health is what we feel watching the resources of the Democratic Party, other related groups, and national campaigns spent on hires who do not know the people or the vernacular, rather than trusting and recruiting the expertise of qualified locals on local issues and strategy. These individuals come to our events to speak to volunteers who have already spent weeks canvassing, making phone calls, or will be working the polls. They take up a large percentage of the allotted speaking time with long-winded speeches full of confusing references that I can only assume they believe resonate with us rural folk. They preach to us about how all politics is local and grassroots is the path to success, perhaps never even hearing the irony in their own words.
The same is practiced in colleges with campaigns expending funds to transplant students from some (read “better”) schools to other campuses to get out the vote, rather than turning to the student organizations that are already in existence to recruit interns. If this slight against the most dedicated and loyalist Democrats causes them to feel alienated from the Democratic Party, imagine the impact on the morale of the average voter. The party would benefit more from investing in a local community relations manager, helping to purchase yard signs and materials for public interest projects, or hosting a professionally broadcast and well publicized town hall to help reconnect with constituents.
Many are quick to point the finger at rural Democrats themselves for losing ground over the years. Admittedly, failures of local government and missteps within campaign strategy are plentiful. Improvements do need to be made at the local level and certain party heads should step aside to make room for new leadership, but the glaring truth is that many of our small town newspapers have closed and trusted, long-time news anchors are retiring. We no longer have the luxury of sitting down to an uninterrupted half-hour of relevant news every evening. Americans now dominantly consume the latest national headlines and commentary. This nationalization of information meant that there was little that could have been done for the November General Election. What we saw was not an isolated or even regional phenomenon; it was a macro level trend intended to punish Democrats down the ballot, not only by the Republicans who showed up to vote but by the Democrats who did not. Even the most qualified candidates and best campaigns lost, just by smaller margins.
Talk has intensively focused on the Virginia and New Jersey gubernatorial races in the run up and last few days post-election, but for those of us here in southwest Pennsylvania, the consequences will be felt within the local offices that were just thrust into disarray. In Westmoreland County, Ken Bacha, a twenty-year experienced Coroner, was unseated by a caterer whose qualification was an “R” that appeared next to his name. #CoronerNotCaterer became #CateringCoroner overnight— a reality that should be unfathomable to any sane individual. A man in Fayette County who goes by “the Hillbilly” and was unsure when asked which office he was running for will now in fact be running the county’s Recorder of Deeds office. The highly qualified and ever positive Maria McLaughlin lost PA Supreme Court Judge in the state that Biden carried just a year ago.
The vote count shows that we care about appearances as much as results. We wanted to celebrate Democrats’ victories as they carried from 2020 into this year, not be inundated with critical headlines on promises made that are now being abandoned with the highlight of a cursor to satisfy some Congressman who has far too much power. The Democratic Party is playing a short-term, reactionary game with real-world consequences.
We hear from almost every source that we simply did not define the Republican Party or how bad they are quite well enough; in the future, we need to draw a better caricature of “them.” Yet, just in time for Halloween, Democrats' prevailing strategy was to tell tales of the big, orange boogeyman, Donald Trump, and his minions coming to steal our democracy. Because Democrats have sounded the alarm at every issue, no matter how meaningful or inconsequential over the years, most voters became desensitized when confronted with the threat of a real-life authoritarian demagogue. Worse, this form of fear-mongering is the same tactic employed by the GOP that Democrats have been vilifying for years. Trump was not on the ballot in this election for those swing voters who went for Biden in hopes of returning to a normal life and once again focusing on the bread and butter issues facing Americans. We were competing for a seat at the table. Democrats’ focus should have been in telling everyone what covered dishes we would bring, not ranting about which ones the Republicans were going to eat.
Which brings me to my final point for this letter. Democrats in Congress had an obligation to come to a compromise and deliver legislation prior to the election on these issues which have already been discussed profusely. Republican turnout in this election still would have been elevated, but Democratic malaise and distaste would not have eroded support to such brutal levels.
Following the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, spirits were noticeably lifted and I believe that Democratic approval ratings will begin to rebound. However, progressives holding the BIF hostage may have cost us the 2022 midterms in areas that we were slowly clawing back support. Congress refusing to pass an economic package was short-sighted when those outside of the DC metro area don’t care if a bill is Manchin’s or Jayapal’s. Most people don’t really even care about the specifics of the bill, the price tag, or how moderate or progressive the details are so long as it delivers desperately needed relief for our crumbling or nonexistent infrastructure or infuses cash into an economy sickened by rising costs, empty shelves, and Covid-19.
Skeptics are critical of this view that Congressional infighting caused national backlash and even more so that passing a bill will repair the damage that was done prior to the election, but after the shellacking at the polls this fall, to deny this reality is to double down on an inaccurate fact after being told “you’re wrong.” Republicans who will soon begin their transition to their new offices should remember to send a thank you card directly to each member of Congress who refused to pass any bill prior to the election.
Despite the alarming results, it is my hope that this election will be a wake up call in time for the midterms. It is time to start listening not just to high-society Representatives from big cities like the Bronx or centrists toeing the Mason-Dixon line of re-election but to the opinions of rubes like me out here in the sticks, fighting what feels like an ever-losing battle.