That's great Jess. I live in a district with a Republican US Representative and one that has been in office for a long time. The district is gerrymandered so our residence in a split portion of the district also stretches into rural Franklin County. I write to her regularly and get back canned responses. Never holds an open meeting with her constituents. So I contributed to a Democrat running in our former district.
Thank you for having been a presence in the state House overwhelmed by Ag-businessmen and MAGAs.
I now live in Chicago, but grew up in a small Illinois town of 5000, but my grandparents lived 9 miles away in Decker, Indiana, a town then of 200. My Granny was a Democrat through and through. She hung a picture of JFK in her dinning room. I hope you run again. To quote Pat Schroeder, “ You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time”. She spent her political career working for the common good, focusing on women’s rights . She passed away a year ago today. She is missed.
Thanks so much for this perspective. I live in the little blue bubble of Kansas City MO and have a tendency to paint all rural areas with the same red brush. Good to be reminded otherwise.
Golly, your post brought this Californian almost to tears. Goosebumps for sure. Seems amazing that I, on the West coast since I was seven (now 77), feel that we're alone in our progressive political positions, alienated from our country. The reds straining at the bit to take the country in a different direction, and us blues trying to maintain those democratic principles of voting, giving everyone their civil rights, saving the environment, regulating business and incomes and educating a majority. Thank you for standing up in rural America, for fairness and activism.
I'm old enough to remember when we didn't have to whisper because the ruling Republicans would do us harm if they know what our political beliefs really were. But I think this is the state we're in right now.
I subscribed to your blog because of what you posted today. There's no point in crowing about freedom if we don't know what it's like to live in the red states. And OMG, how these hoodwinked fools may lead us into fascism. Hiding your opinions only helps these MAGA morons to take over our country.
Greetings from Rochester NY ( home to Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas). I am sending so much love and good energy to my progressive patriots in the south. I admire you all. Thank you, Jess for all you do!
At 71 and retired, I've stopped being quiet and polite here in the bright red flyover land of Ohio. I worked for change as a college student and later as a social worker, and was devastated in 2016. It took me a minute to push through the discouragement, but here I am, with no f*cks to give. Democracy is a wonderful experiment for which to fight with all our hearts and minds! Carry on Jess!
So grateful to hear your voice. My big city friends reveal their own « provincialism « by stereotyping residents of rural areas. This makes me crazy ! Your voice is very important
I'm a lot more comfortable thinking about driving my Prius with bumper stickers through Kansas and Missouri on my way back East this spring. I've done this trip since the mid-90s, and have had NO incidents. It is so easy for us human being folk to make up incidents in our mind.
I'm going to practice the practice of giving up "make believe"
Excellent, Jess. Thank you. You’re a model of hope for my own belief that at least some of the MAGA people are there because they’ve been harmed by health care costs and employers who slice and chop jobs to remove benefits and cut hours. Of course they’re angry. They’re victimized and frightened. I hope we can reach them.
That is so true and nobody needs to hear it more than the Tennessee Democratic Party and the National Democratic Party as well. Our Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2022 was left high and dry and barely even able to run a very tiny handful of TV ads because the party couldn’t be bothered to treat the race like a real race. So of course he got completely steamrolled and we are stuck with Bill Lee again. Our 2024 Senate candidate Gloria Johnson is working hard to fundraise on her own but I’ll bet the DSC and the state party just throw up their hands and decide she has no chance, even though I don’t know anyone who has ever said they actually like Marsha Blackburn. Tennessee has been written off when we need help the most. Our Republicans aren’t just conservative, they are antidemocratic and oppressive.
Thanks so much. Until very recently, we lived in the country north of Columbia — part of a red sea surrounding much more progressive Columbia. During the 2020 election, my husband and I decided to put up campaign signs for every national, state, and local Democratic candidate along the front of our property. We wanted people to know there WERE Democrats in that part of the world!
Jess, I’m so happy to have just discovered your Substack! I was born and raised in south St.Joe so I’m familiar with your location. DeKalb was where my maternal grandparents lived. When I was growing up, things were not as ‘red’ as they are now. I am constantly asked why I don’t move back but two reasons: I don’t care for snow and I like being in a more progressive state.
I don’t make frequent trips back to MO like I used to. Miss some of my friends I grew up with and cousins, but I can no longer hold my tongue when they talk like bigots and such.
Thank you. I live in one of the reddest regions of Northern California mostly I keep my thoughts to my self. Not any more. You give me courage.
I’m going to save this post and return to it whenever I feel down because this is how we’re going to get our country back.
That's great Jess. I live in a district with a Republican US Representative and one that has been in office for a long time. The district is gerrymandered so our residence in a split portion of the district also stretches into rural Franklin County. I write to her regularly and get back canned responses. Never holds an open meeting with her constituents. So I contributed to a Democrat running in our former district.
Thank you for having been a presence in the state House overwhelmed by Ag-businessmen and MAGAs.
I now live in Chicago, but grew up in a small Illinois town of 5000, but my grandparents lived 9 miles away in Decker, Indiana, a town then of 200. My Granny was a Democrat through and through. She hung a picture of JFK in her dinning room. I hope you run again. To quote Pat Schroeder, “ You can’t wring your hands and roll up your sleeves at the same time”. She spent her political career working for the common good, focusing on women’s rights . She passed away a year ago today. She is missed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Schroeder
Thanks so much for this perspective. I live in the little blue bubble of Kansas City MO and have a tendency to paint all rural areas with the same red brush. Good to be reminded otherwise.
Golly, your post brought this Californian almost to tears. Goosebumps for sure. Seems amazing that I, on the West coast since I was seven (now 77), feel that we're alone in our progressive political positions, alienated from our country. The reds straining at the bit to take the country in a different direction, and us blues trying to maintain those democratic principles of voting, giving everyone their civil rights, saving the environment, regulating business and incomes and educating a majority. Thank you for standing up in rural America, for fairness and activism.
I'm old enough to remember when we didn't have to whisper because the ruling Republicans would do us harm if they know what our political beliefs really were. But I think this is the state we're in right now.
I subscribed to your blog because of what you posted today. There's no point in crowing about freedom if we don't know what it's like to live in the red states. And OMG, how these hoodwinked fools may lead us into fascism. Hiding your opinions only helps these MAGA morons to take over our country.
Greetings from Rochester NY ( home to Susan B Anthony and Frederick Douglas). I am sending so much love and good energy to my progressive patriots in the south. I admire you all. Thank you, Jess for all you do!
At 71 and retired, I've stopped being quiet and polite here in the bright red flyover land of Ohio. I worked for change as a college student and later as a social worker, and was devastated in 2016. It took me a minute to push through the discouragement, but here I am, with no f*cks to give. Democracy is a wonderful experiment for which to fight with all our hearts and minds! Carry on Jess!
So grateful to hear your voice. My big city friends reveal their own « provincialism « by stereotyping residents of rural areas. This makes me crazy ! Your voice is very important
Those of us in our 70s came of age as Flower Children. Hallelujah, some of us are still unreconstructed.
I'm a lot more comfortable thinking about driving my Prius with bumper stickers through Kansas and Missouri on my way back East this spring. I've done this trip since the mid-90s, and have had NO incidents. It is so easy for us human being folk to make up incidents in our mind.
I'm going to practice the practice of giving up "make believe"
Excellent, Jess. Thank you. You’re a model of hope for my own belief that at least some of the MAGA people are there because they’ve been harmed by health care costs and employers who slice and chop jobs to remove benefits and cut hours. Of course they’re angry. They’re victimized and frightened. I hope we can reach them.
That is so true and nobody needs to hear it more than the Tennessee Democratic Party and the National Democratic Party as well. Our Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 2022 was left high and dry and barely even able to run a very tiny handful of TV ads because the party couldn’t be bothered to treat the race like a real race. So of course he got completely steamrolled and we are stuck with Bill Lee again. Our 2024 Senate candidate Gloria Johnson is working hard to fundraise on her own but I’ll bet the DSC and the state party just throw up their hands and decide she has no chance, even though I don’t know anyone who has ever said they actually like Marsha Blackburn. Tennessee has been written off when we need help the most. Our Republicans aren’t just conservative, they are antidemocratic and oppressive.
Thanks so much. Until very recently, we lived in the country north of Columbia — part of a red sea surrounding much more progressive Columbia. During the 2020 election, my husband and I decided to put up campaign signs for every national, state, and local Democratic candidate along the front of our property. We wanted people to know there WERE Democrats in that part of the world!
Jess, I’m so happy to have just discovered your Substack! I was born and raised in south St.Joe so I’m familiar with your location. DeKalb was where my maternal grandparents lived. When I was growing up, things were not as ‘red’ as they are now. I am constantly asked why I don’t move back but two reasons: I don’t care for snow and I like being in a more progressive state.
I don’t make frequent trips back to MO like I used to. Miss some of my friends I grew up with and cousins, but I can no longer hold my tongue when they talk like bigots and such.