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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

As Democratic candidates descend on Iowa, op-ed tells them what they need to know to succeed in rural precincts

Rural Americans came out in unprecedented numbers to vote for Donald Trump in 2016, continuing a decades-long decline for Democrats in rural areas. Many Democratic contenders for the nomination to challenge Trump have already made a point of talking about rural issues while campaigning in Iowa, but several seem "clueless," Robert Leonard and Matt Russell write for The New York Times. Leonard is the news director for the Iowa radio stations KNIA and KRLS. Russell is a farmer and the executive director of Iowa Interfaith Power and Light, an ecumenical group.

"A strong Democratic platform with realistic plans for rural America would focus on four themes: demography, infrastructure, farm sustainability and environmental practices that can help combat climate change," Leonard and Russell write in a wide-ranging op-ed.

In Iowa, agriculture and trade problems are big. Up to 30 percent of the state's economy depends on agriculture such as soybeans, corn and hogs -- all affected by the trade war with China, Leonard and Russell write. They say young people are leaving agriculture because of uncertain money, which means a lot of small towns are dying.

"Don’t demonize 'Big Ag' and factory farms," they also advise. "It’s just liberal white noise to most involved in agriculture. Most of our farms are family-owned, not big agricultural corporations, even if they are integrated into the larger systems to one degree or another. Most need that integration to survive."

The Green New Deal is a flawed but decent bit of legislation that could help revive rural Iowa, since it is a national leader in solar and wind power, and farmers could be interested in fighting climate change if candidates show how they can do it through farming practices like carbon sequestration, Leonard and Russell write.

Housing and development are also big issues to discuss, they write: "Rural hubs will survive with investment. Communities that want to invest in themselves, develop creative strategies for growth, and partner with regional development efforts should be supported."

Democratic candidates could also connect with voters on faith. Many Christians in rural Iowa dislike the way that evangelical Christianity has been yoked to the Republican Party and used to deny help to those who need it, Leonard and Russell write.

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