Rural strategy?

[sandnsea]

Did the Democratic Party organization have a rural strategy in Ohio? I'm in rural Oregon which is why I'm interested.

[cmd]

1. Yes, we did

Our office covered four rural counties in Eastern Ohio. We worked those counties every day since mid-July. We increased the number of voters and got them out to the polls. Unfortunately, we were out done by the religious right. The Amish vote in my county killed us.

[sandnsea]

2. Cooperation?

Did you get all the help you needed from your state central office? Did you get small business info and a strategy? Did you have help in bridging values issues, press releases to explain health care, for example in a way that appeals to rural voters? When your NCLB numbers came out, did anybody explain that failing schools eventually have to be closed?

I'm not attacking, I'm asking because I think our rural strategy in Oregon sucked. We pulled it out for Kerry because we're a little more green than Ohio I think.

[cmd]

5. We were blindsided by the values issue

Before coming to the Kerry campaign I had heard from one of the 527's that the values thing was only going to be an issue with 2% of the voters. We focused on jobs, economy and health care. These were the issues that we identified as the main concern. Our NCLB number were good. We have always had effective schools in our area. Give the Republicans credit. They outsmarted us.

[sandnsea]

6. Oh for pete's sake

Gay marriage? An issue with only 2% of voters? Wow, it's unbelievable anybody would think that. We have excellent schools in my town too, but the entire district is considered failing under NCLB. Because we only tested 94% instead of 95%. I think there's going to be alot of shocked people in a year or two and I think we did an awful job on the consequences of NCLB too.

The Republicans outsmarted us? That's kind of why I'm writing this, they shouldn't have. If we couldn't pull it out when everything we believe in is on the line, then we've got some very serious problems.

[cmd]

7. You have to be from an area that has been decimated by job loss

Ohio's economy has tanked. When we talked to the voters they told us the jobs, the economy, health care and social security were their number one concerns. As I stated, abortion and gay marriage came up only 2% of the time. Given numbers like that in an area where unemployment rages, where would you have put your priorities?

I'm a former teacher and understand all too well the impact that NCLB will have. The goals are impossible to reach. The better your schools are, the faster they will fail. It is too difficult to get the public to understand the impact NCLB will have. Ohio schools are underfunded and overly dependent of property taxes. We are continually running levy campaigns because our laws do not allow for increases in property values. The whole thing will fall apart very soon, I'm afraid.

[sandnsea]

8. Oregon?

Our economy has been in the crapper for a long time. Our unemployment rates are the highest in the country. I don't want to fight with you, but people shouldn't have to SAY gay marriage is an issue for the Democratic Party to understand IT IS.

"It is too difficult to get the public to understand the impact NCLB will have."

That sentence right there just about says it all. That's why we're losing, over and over again. The Republican Party gives them information, even if it's lies. We say we're going to give a big program and trust us and it's not going to cost you anything. People are just not that stupid.

[AngryOldDem]

3. How have the Amish voted in the past?

Just curious, and admittedly ignorant about this part of Ohio.

[cmd]

4. The Amish do not usually vote

We heard about the courting of the Amish vote in Pa. It was done covertly here. Our county is not as heavily Amish as the neighboring one, but the voters that came out here definitely made a difference. Our office did not cover Holmes county which has a huge Amish population. It has always been a Republican county, but not many Amish voted there either. I do believe that their vote this year made a big impact.

[Kolesar]

9. The pacifist Amish voted for a war monger ... eom

[AngryOldDem]

10. That's what I thought -- they usually don't vote

I did see in the paper that Holmes County had a large turnout.

Another possibly dumb question: How did you court them? I think they would be resistant no matter what the party.

[kitchen girl]

11. I recall an article in The Columbus Dispatch...

a few months ago that addressed the topic of Amish and voting. It said that while they usually do not vote, many were planning to vote for Bush this year because...and it's really hard for me to say this...they thought he was a good, plain-spoken, common person, just like them. There. I said it. Ick. Bleh.

[barb162]

12. astounding, mind-boggling; so many people trust that sociopathic

liar. It proves again: never, NEVER!!! underestimate the stupidity of the American voter

[cmd]

13. We didn't court them

We knew the Republicans were doing it in Pa. There was no mention of it in Ohio. We stayed out of it. Our mistake. Our next protest against the war should be in Amish country.