When the Cows Left, the Party Did Too
There was a time when if you saw a Vote for a Democratic Candidate sign stuck on a fence post, odds were good there was a milk barn somewhere down that dirt road.
Rural Politics
From Jim Crow to “Right to Work”: Virginia’s Long War Against Organized Labor
You hear the phrase “right to work” in Virginia politics and it sounds harmless enough. Almost patriotic. Like something Norman Rockwell might’ve painted on the side of a feed store in 1952. Down South, though, politics has always had a talent for dressing hard truths up in pretty language.
From Bringing Home the Bacon... to Misplacing the Grocery List
Older residents say there was once a different kind of Congressman roaming these hills. A fella by the name of Rick Boucher.
The Great Rural Grift & Why So Many Rural Virginia Democratic Candidates Are Angry
Out here in the hills and countryside, we know a grift when we see one. It is when somebody swears they came to help you fix the tractor, but the tractor never moves and somehow they leave with your gas money. Country definition, but it holds up in court.
And
Mama’s Drive to Corry, PA: A Lesson in Political Salesmanship 101
Mama loves the drive to Corry, PA. A native Mississippian, she is unused to Pennsylvania’s protracted autumns. Back home, September is still summertime—but with SEC football and zero fall colors. So, Mama loves Pennsylvania in September with its autumn yellows and luminous reds. She also feels at home
Why I Don’t Vote
I will tell you right from the start, I think voting is the most American thing a person can do. I never miss an election. Big race, small race, even if dogcatcher is on the ballot, I show up. But this time I wanted to step outside my own habits
The ROMEO Club Ain’t What It Used to Be
The ROMEO Club Ain’t What It Used to Be
If you're from an urban or suburban upbringing, you might ask, “What is a ROMEO Club?”
Out here in rural America, every small town has one. They might not call it a club, and it’s not official