Rural Republicans are scared of rural Democrats, and they don’t like folks like me poking my head into rural places. They want rural progressives to feel alienated and disengaged. They want them to feel hopeless. I am chasing away the boogeyman at each stop. open.substack.com/pub/jesspipe...
Well, it is fucking hopeless. These people are deplorable. The boogeyman is in the house, and he's welcome. You will never fucking awaken these asshole. They thrive on hatred.
Jess is one of the few people connecting with MAGAmerica. People in poor rural towns across the US have been suffering in poverty for years and they're pissed. MAGA has been used to divert their attention from the billionaires who caused this to the left that wants those billionaires to pay taxes.
Thank you for shining your light for us to see Jess Love, #Iowa
Wsszzszszzsz
tinatraster.substack.com/p/is-epstein...
Thank You!
I extensively travelled the rural US in the late 80s for a job I was doing then. There concerns were great and yet they would cling to "Reagan will fix it all" - he plus George H. Bush did NO SUCH THING What Republicans have been good at is striking fear at why you don't vote for the left.
Meant “their”. Damn auto correct
Fantastic, thanks for sharing! 💪💜
Keep up the great work Jess.👍
Your GOP/King article was so good. I’ve been reading him for a long time but haven’t read the book you discussed. King lives about 12 miles from me in Bangor. Thank you Jess Piper.
A punctuation FYI, a comma always follows the the names of states when writing place names.
You are courageous and necessary and brilliant. I want to help.
Is non-stop Fox Entertainment a part of it?
Look like the Reform Boomers in the UK. A care home outing.
Glad to know you are a Lonesome Dove fan. Love love love this book.
I think the correct term is cousin marriers, racists, xenophobes and ex plantation owners are scared of rural democrats
To sort of piggy back off what Jess is saying here; my central committee for Butler County met this afternoon. We talked about how we are coalescing with other county democrat groups to protest like Good Trouble on Thursday.
A big tell to our group is that my state district rep and state senator are going to appear at a luncheon to tout their record next month. No one knew the last time they came here, let alone have a public luncheon. As our chairwoman said succinctly, "They're scared". As Jess says, this is the way.
What good and important work... there are people who can think clearly and care about others, everywhere.. and it's easy to feel isolated as one of them if 'rural', as they say...❤️
Please keep it up!  💙
Continue making #GoodTrouble!
How are they going to feel when they lose their Medicaid Healthcare Coverage
I get stared at like I'm some kind of mass murderer every time I go in the store with my mask on. You'd swear these moonbugs had never seen one before. Honestly. How can a covering over my mouth & nose cause so much distress? They aren't the ones trying to breathe through it in godawful hotness.
I have not picked up a book to read in eons, but I too was a King fan but at an older age. I haven't read The Gunslinger though, but sometimes I feel like I'm living in one of his novels.....like maybe we are moving towards The Stand......I admire your work for our country, especially the "middle"!
100%!
My favorite! The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Time for you to read the next installment - Drawing of the Three. Let us know how you like that one.
"Go then. There are other worlds than these." - J Continue your journey and continue the journey to the Dark Tower. Both are worth it!
You are doing good! One group at a time. Pebbles rippling the waters. Thank you.
Come to my deep-red town, where the Trumpers far outnumber regular people, and are intimidating enough to keep this old queer -- who used to make lots of good trouble -- quiet and hesitant to go to any event where I might get assaulted or shot. P.S. I spell it bogeyman.
Bravo Jess Piper.
Rural Indiana here!
Few and far? So it’s hard to say don’t take my word for it look it up? Not to shame them though they are hurting themselves! Knowing things ahead of time is helpful before getting hit with it.
American Democracy has been all but defeated by the tools White Supremacists have been wielding for over 30 years. Until the crisis of media and technology are addressed, this madness will continue. The massive cultural shift has led to 2 America's knowing completely opposing realities.
Her words are true! Rural Republicans, Blackburn and Hagerty, specifically, ARE fearful of rural democrats! I live in a rural area of tn. And have written to BOTH of them dozens of times requesting a town meeting in THIS AREA, but all I get, EVERY TIME, is their auto response replies..BULL- SHT!
This rural lefty wrote to Vince Fong about DOGE, and got a boilerplate blow-off -- two months later.
'Boilerplate blowoff'?
Impersonal, meaningless, most likely pre-written, designed to get rid of an annoying constituent.
I just sent another email to Blackburn, and feel pretty confident I'll get a legitimate response.. I'm sure she's NOTgoing to like what I've said. I kept a copy of the message, JUST IN CASE, because I know how these corrupt politicians can get if insulted or hear anything negative about themselves
Go, Jess, Go!!!
You picked one heck of a time to pursue the Dark Tower, but I reckon you've been building ka-tets all over Mid-World, so you'll be in familiar territory. I say thankee for all your hard work over the years. Long days and pleasant nights to ya. 🤠
I'm so envious that you are just now discovering the Dark Tower series. I've listened to each book so many times I can often quote the next line before it's said. The western aspect is low key, and only enhances the story. Enjoy!
💙 you, Jess! 🙏🏼💙
Please keep it up.
As a rural democrat in a very red district, I get it. Three years ago our small town club had 40 members. Today, closing in on 250. The magas say there's no dems here. I beg to differ. They ask me what a "rural democrat" is...I tell them, a democrat that hunts. 550 showed up for the no kings day. 😛
I may be a failed French scholar and teacher (and am currently failing my way through a nascent art career), but I am not afraid to speak the truth, defend the truth, defend my kids, wife and Dad, and stand (sometimes stupidly, sometimes strategically) in the way of evil men. ::respect::, Jess!
Yeah. These areas need Dems willing to run. There’s pushback power in saying “yes yes, that radical leftist that I am who just wants a school and a hospital. So radical.” It wilts the word salad of the right.
Don't stop poking!
From another English Major - I have read ”The Gunslinger” and “The Dark Tower” series of books at least 5 times. The only book(s) I have read more would be “The Lord of the Rings”.
I don’t know how political machines work, but they have one and we don’t, apparently. And it seems to me that this new practice of speaking democratically in republican districts is frequently surprisingly successful and might be the place to start building.
Thank you for everything you are doing, I always appreciate your insights. Competing in rural communities is the only way Democrats are going to be able to win back and hold the Senate, as well as gain some ground back in state legislatures.
I read your essay that you excerpted here... brilliant! The writing is brilliant! The work you do is brilliant! I'm so glad I found you. And thank you for digging in and standing up against the critics and the hatred of empathy. Hang tough! I'm a west coaster, but I care about them fly-over people!
THANK YOU!
My rural Republican neighbors hate how vocal I am about my disdain. However, I only know this because they talk shit and it gets back to me. And their jeers. Never has a single MAGA supporter confronted me in person, ever. Most want exactly what I want but we're sold bullshit. The rest are racists 🤷🏼♀️
Jess; Your Courage to Stand Up for Democracy is Phenomenal; Especially in Rural Areas where the message is not clear. Keep up the Great work and always remember that your Journey will always remain Strong for You.
exactly why alford exist in the political spectrum today
🎵 Boogerman, burning out his fuse up here alone 😎 Great essay. I feel it.
Can confirm. Growing up in a 1950’s 99% republican village, anyone even suspected of being a “demorat” was slapped with high property taxes to try to run them out.
Still hoping you can reach out to central lower Michigan, specifically, Adrian and surrounding area. (Tim Walberg has a Jackson and an Adrian office). This area has voted against its own interests for years. (His signs are bigger at election times).
Why won’t Tim Walberg release the Epstein files? Is Walberg on the Epstein list? What is Walberg covering up?
They don’t want us in their towns. They need our money but don’t want us overstaying past high season. I bought a weekend property in rural NY and I still feel unsettled. I feel like I stick out.
I have found it useful to ask pointed questions when coming in contact with the narcissist. 'Are you for the inhumane treatment of humanity?' This usually shakes something awake in the narcissist and shuts them down. Thanks for fighting the good fight with the 'Good Ole Boys Club.'
Thank you and you are speaking truth to power.
I wish there was someone like you going around rural Tennessee.
I don't know if you've heard about the Minoqua Brewing Company in Northern Wisconsin, but they are enduring a lot of harassment from the good ol' boys up there. It's really disheartening.
How about we redstate Midwest dems get together and have a hootenanny (sounds more fun than a conference)?
You're doing great work! 👏👏👏
👍
Good for you and thank you!!
Thank you!
It never works. I was raised to be a nosy loud mouthed thorn in the side.
I’m a rural Dem. I will stand. Period.
🙌🏽
Keep going!
We live in Trump Country, PA. Some of our neighbors have taken down their huge MAGA and TRUMP flags that they had displayed for several years even between elections. I hope that's a good sign,
Interesting… I keep thinking back to the night of the election and the sinking feeling I had when I turned off the tv. I wish this was just a bad dream or a scary movie or Steven King novel. I want to wake up and find it’s not real, but instead we must find our way out of this all too real mess!
I hope Jess posts again after finishing the novel!
Rural republicans are now the parasite class.
Never tire.
I was just in Harlan earlier this summer. Great place! I didn’t eat at Milk & Honey but at MiCasa, about a block east. The Tacos al Carbón were great.
Democratic Party needs to pay more attention to their rural base. We’re here in PA, we’re fighting, but it’s like treading water.
If you have any tips that have worked for you regarding campaigning and getting the message out, please share. I’m going on the trail to help fellow Dems and am open to all helpful strategies.
Public service takes many forms. Thank you.
It really is a struggle at times in rural red America... 😮💨😖 The largest city in my county is 1,500, and there are no red lights anywhere in the entire county. There's been no progress here in 50 years, and they apparently like it that way. So the young ones move off and nothing changes.
I grew up in a place like that. The thing is that young folk move off and the town dies. So things do change for the worse.
🙏🙏🙏👏👏👏💙💙💙
The thing that scares us the most is ourselves.
I glad to read you are using the word Fascist. Because that is where we are now -- fighting Fascism. Turning the tide involves making people recognize this is Fascism now and we all need to shout it down. It's something we never imagined would come to the US. All the best with your town events.
Thank you Jess!
Take this with you. bsky.app/profile/thec...
“They want rural progressives to feel alienated and disengaged. They want them to feel hopeless.” This is so true! I was with my elderly father at the county fair and he was both embarrassed and shocked by me wanting to visit the Democratic party tent.
And what about the repugs make your father so loyal to them? What good does he think they have done? And is there any way to convince him otherwise? Seriously asking.
He’s a farmer and has been reading farming-related publications for years that are put out by the Heritage foundation and others. I think he has been brainwashed by all the fiction he reads that poses as truth.
He also identifies as conservative Republican and I believe deep down he believes he is better than non-Republicans or people who live in the city, because he believes that “they don’t know any better” and because their priorities & values are different.
He also has benefited from republican farming subsidies. I suspect that the farming literature he reads probably does not even allude to the farming subsidies provided by democratic leadership.
My sister and I have tried to talk with him, but we have not been successful. For example, when I asked him if I could give him some other things to read, he flat out, said “no,” and that he wouldn’t read it.
☹️ Sad for you. My family & former friends are equally resistant. They believe all the lies TACO has put out & believe the "main stream" media is lying. am only glad my parents are not living because I believe my Mother, a fan of his casinos would support him.
The one thing all my family & former friends have in common is they live in a very insular world. They have lived in the place they were born or less than an hour from it. And their circle of associates are small & ones they have had for a life time. They have not traveled, except to see family.
Bubble worlds.
Rural Progressive here in red, red Indiana.
Thank you for all you do especially here in Missouri. It feels like an uphill battle sometimes in this red state. Your hard work and speaking the truth is really appreciated.
We appreciate your bravery. I know that's not easy.
Good luck! Hope you succeed. Just wish it had been during the last election.
You are a godsend Jess! Thank you for all your hard work!!
POLITICAL Media Monitoring- Capture EVERY interview and EVERY commercial spot for ANY candidate. Hear what's really being said. 👀 🔗Media Deck: tinyurl.com/NA-Media-Dec...
"Paving roads and funding schools and saving Medicaid and keeping hospitals open and making sure kids are fed." Radical. And it's true; you try to talk to MAGA about something like this and their heads start to spin around. It's unbelievable.
This is the way
Jess. We should be speaking in churches. There has been a big push to sell the right wing agenda in churches. Not to support people more righteous people in power, but to support their political agenda and save taxes. Disgusting but true. More and more liberals are leaving the church because of it.
"There has been a big push to sell the right wing agenda in churches" yeah thats kind of the point of all of Christianity for the past 2000 years
Thanks so much — please keep up your good work!
You need to read the entire Dark Tower series - King really draws you in. And thank you wonderful substack 🩷
I plan to! I have avoided it long enough.
You HAVE to! You want even have to wait 6yrs between book releases like the rest of us had to! The whole series is so good!!
*wont (why doesn't bluesky have an edit feature yet?)
I read the entire series, even waited 6yrs for Wizard and Glass to come out after The Wastelands, its all just so good!
Feeding people - what a far-left, radical idea! 🙄
Please Go to Cedar County and ask them how they’re going to feel having to go all the way to Springfield to hospital when Nevada & El Dorado Springs both close due to majority Medicaid funding being lost.
Thank you!!
Thank you Jess for doing the work.
Keep up the good work Jess, I'm in the UK, it's follow you and admire all the hard work you do 🫠
The DNC is failing Democrats by allowing Republicans to run unopposed
Keep going Girl! We need so many more like you!
Go Jess!
Get it, Jess!!!
WELL, WELL, WELL: Rich Logis, founder of Leaving MAGA (and former Florida Co-Chair of Republicans for Harris), explains MAGA community in light of Jeffrey Epstein to Nicole Wallace, MSNBC. 'There is going to be a cannibalization of itself' share.google/66K9YpysM65D...
It’s one of the reasons I have never ran for office. That and I also can’t fake nice for any of them. |￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣| | TRUMP | | IS ON | | THE 𝗘𝗣𝗦𝗧𝗘𝗜𝗡 | | LIST! | | ＿＿ ＿＿＿＿＿| (\__/) || (•ㅅ•) || / づ #epstein #EpsteinFiles #TrumpNotLikeUs
This rural Dem thanks you. While I live in a Blue state, the area I live in is agricultural and is quite red. It's time to stand up and be counted, not let our MAGA neighbors keep their narrative alive.
Bless you
I’m privileged to know a few like you in the rural Shenandoah Valley.
Gd I 🫶you. I really fucking do.
