rural development

In the 1920s, conservatives were suspicious of-- and hysterical about-- rural electrification proposals... you know, "Socialism!!!" So President Franklin Roosevelt had to get the ball rolling with an executive order (May 11, 1935). At the time, just 3% of farms and ranches were electrified.

You know what's bipartisan in DC? Agricultural policy-- and it sucks, for farmers, for rural communities and for consumers. Jeff Hauser and Eleanor Eagan, reporting for Washington Monthly, have no doubt that the Trump Regime is up to no good when it comes to family farms, but they point out that it isn't just Trump and the Republicans. "The administration is letting agribusiness run amok, they wrote.

The Chosen One by Nancy OhanianWhen I was growing up, California was a swing state (as was Utah). New York, Illinois and New Jersey leaned Democratic... but not dependably so. The two bluest states in the country were West Virginia and Arkansas, sensibly so since they were two of the poorest states. Things have changed, drastically.

Trump doesn't own a dog; he doesn't understand that relationship. In fact, he hates animals. And he laughs at farmers-- even if was, after all, rural counties that made him president.

Last year, over 40 red House seats were flipped. But, despite all the self-congratulations from the DCCC, that was not a result of anything the DCCC did nor the result of the imaginary blue wave they persuaded a lazy and largely foolish media to propagate for them.

Do you think I've been a little harsh on the Blue Dogs (and New Dems) this week/month/year/decade? Glad you noticed... no reason to stop now either. A couple of Blue Dogs celebrators at Agri-Pulse, seems to think a stronger Blue Dog Coalition gives rural America clout. It doesn't-- unless by rural America you mean corporate agri-business.

Blue America endorsed Michigan gubernatorial candidate Abdul El-Sayed for many reasons and he reconfirmed our faith in him this week with a stunning and common-sense new policy proposal to create a state-level public internet service provider for Michigan, similar to the proposal sta

While more Republican incumbents assess their party's-- and their own-- electoral prospects next year and respond by announcing early retirements, a flood of qualified Democrats are rushing to announce their candidacies across the country.

Virginia's first congressional district is one of those bizarre gerrymanders that makes no sense for anyone but Republican career politicians. It's an odd concotion that stretches through 22 counties from the DC exurbs in Prince William, Fauquier and Stafford counties down through Fredericksburg south to the suburbs north of Norfolk in Middlesex, Mathews and Newport News counties. In 2012 Romney beat Obama 56.2% to 43.8%.