Open thread for night owls: Will rural America's young people problem hurt Dems? (Plus primary poll)
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Karen Rothmyer at The Nation writes—Rural America Has a Young People Problem. Democratic politics will lose all remaining connection with rural areas of the country if young people leave home and never come back: Rob Handel, who lives just up the road frOpen thread for night owls: Will rural America's young people problem hurt Dems? (Plus primary poll)
Karen Rothmyer at The Nation writes—Rural America Has a Young People Problem. Democratic politics will lose all remaining connection with rural areas of the country if young people leave home and never come back: Rob Handel, who lives just up the road from me, is that rarest of rural residents: a bright, educated young person who has actively chosen to live in the small Catskill Mountain town where he grew up. He’s also openly gay and a Democrat. [...] I first met Rob two or three years ago when he came to a town board meeting to protest what he regarded as the high-handed running of a local museum. Of medium height, a bit on the stocky side, and with an impish face framed by a dark beard, he argued his points with notable clarity. Since then, I’ve come to know him as an outstanding chef—he works at a farm-to-table restaurant a few miles from here—and as a budding entrepreneur with a growing catering business If rural areas like mine are to have an economically viable future, they need people like Rob who not only can find ways to make a decent living here, but who also bring energy, enthusiasm, and fresh ideas to their communities. But whether he is a harbinger of the future—part of the wave of organic farmers, artisans, and others who are helping to revive towns including Catskill, our county seat—or whether he is an anomaly and will remain so, is open to debate. From 1990 to 2010, according to US Census data, the number of people in our town between the ages of 25 and 34—in other words, young adults who have put down roots—declined from 14 percent of the population to 7 percent. And those who left are likely to have been among the best and the brightest: According to Rob, almost all his high school acquaintances who were in advanced placement classes went off to college and never returned. [...] Such facts have implications for politics, not just economics. [...] TOP COMMENTS • HIGH IMPACT STORIES QUOTATION “The longer I live, the more uninformed I feel. Only the young have an explanation for everything.” ~~Isabel Allende, City of the Beasts, (2004) TWEET OF THE DAY xZuckerberg is an *active collaborator* w/ right wing factions spreading disinformation via Facebook.He's not doing anything to stop it b/c he's sympathetic toward the fascists, hence having secret dinners w/ Trump. He also wants their $$, obviously.— Bree Newsome Bass (@BreeNewsome) December 2, 2019 BLAST FROM THE PAST At Daily Kos on this date in 2002—The Bush Administration is out of control: Bush is enraged that -- get this -- UN weapons inspectors are not finding any hidden weapons. The lack of a confrontation thus far between Iraq and inspectors has the White House worried that the Iraqi president might be winning the early public relations battle by creating an impression that he is complying. Aides said those fears prompted the president and Vice President Dick Cheney to deliver separate speeches Monday casting doubt on Saddam's intentions. How about this—if the Bush Administration has proof that Iraq is hidding weapons of mass destruction, then release this evidence! Otherwise, shut up. It's telling that the best the Bushies can do is whine: A regime that fires upon American and British pilots is not taking the path of compliance. A regime that sends letters filled with protests and falsehoods is not taking the path of compliance," Bush said. He was referring to Iraqi letters to the U.N. protesting terms of the resolution. Oh no! Saddam is complaining about the terms of the resolution! What is Bush waiting for? Nuke the bastard? Is Iraq impeding the inspectors? No. But they complained about them! The horror! The humanity!!!! Jesus. The US is not just losing the PR war. It is being unmercifully slaughtered. On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Greg Dworkin helps get us back on our feet after the Thanksgiving break. It turns out there's still a Dem primary going on. But impeachment returns to the spotlight this week, too. Speaking of which, will politics even be possible any more without it? x Embedded Content RadioPublic|LibSyn|YouTube|Patreon|Square Cash (Share code: Send $5, get $5!) LINK TO DAILY KOS STORE Read more