How to change Red to Blue --Please read and respond

As I was driving through the backwoods of WV today on the way to work I had an epiphany. Because of a book I am reading on poverty and because I have lived in a red state for the past two years I had an epiphany. The evangelical church is so successful in red America because it is basically form of cheap entertainment, which is a staple in the poverty culture. The piety of the person really doesn't matter it is more of a community social club. If the Dem's, grass roots or not, were to sponsor such things( in a not so visible way ie., "Blue Bull Rodeo", "Blue Steel Tool and Gun Show") as: four wheeler/dirt bike racing, rodeo, fishing/hunting contests, gun and tools shows, concerts, swap meets, democrat evangelical retreats, beer tents at college football games, etc. It would give us a platform to speak to the red staters. It is not as pushy or as much of a turn off as liberal radio or angry protesters. We have to stop pushing against red America and pull it toward us. Only then can we begin to change the minds of the brainwashed. A lot of ex Dem red staters say that they didn't leave the party, the party left them-it will help us to lose the "blue state elitist wall" between us - so let's go back to them on their terms and show them that "liberal" is not a dirty word and democrat liberals come in all shapes and forms. That we are the party of workers rights and health care for all, that we truly care about out fellow man and that the wing nuts are corporate whores who use distraction and manipulation to get people to vote against their own interests. Also, I am sure that there are plenty of devout Christian Dem's out there, we could have them at these events to show people that there is an alternative to repub corporate/political gain religion, let's actually care for the poor and the sick. It will give us a chance to get past the Blue state elitist liberal " sticker shock" and explain ourselves and what we stand for, it will give us a chance to get back voters who have turned to the dark side. At least it will give us a puncher's chance in the states that we lost in 2004. Also, we need to start ASAP with this or in '06 and '08 meeting them on their terms will again be a picture of Kerry or whoever duck hunting in $1000 camo. Which pushed more away than it brought in, it was so obviously political. The Dem's need to "keep it real" in the red states or we will never have any credibility again. It will be too little, too late! Let me know what you think.

The examples you suggest can too easily be framed as sinful by the theocrats, especially the beer tents.

if you give other options besides the whole evangelical thing then you could at least have some sway. Any other ideas out there?

That we have to stop fighting the red states and stop ignoring them. I live in a red state and see how things have gotten worse and all that. I like what Mr. Dean is doing and that's showing up and talking to people and showing how the republicans are hijacked and there are now neocons out there and you can't trust them until you know every neocon is gone frmom the republican party. The republicans also have to someday wake up and realize their party is no longer the party of Lincoln. That Bush and his administration is NOT one of them.

They attack beer and look foolish. We win.

i have seen no bush stickers. i live on a high income street, in amarillo texas.

4 kerry stickers

i put my back on, they never took theirs off. i dont see a lot around town, but i see them

wasnt as red as numbers showed

there are quite a good mixture. I do see a Kerry sticker here and there but we have paper ballots here so it matches up pretty well with what I've seen. Around the election I did see quite a good mixture of Kerry signs and bumper stickers with Bush. I just don't believe he ever won either times.

kick

"kick" is just to keep the reply count up so your post floats to the top.

Unions, ethnic associations, and farmers co-ops may have played a similar role in the past. Most rural employment is now non-union, so we need some way of building a progressive community there.

I was at a bitter hearing once over preserving part of the Mojave desert. One very clever thing that the conservationists did was have a booth with small reptiles, illustrating desert wildlife. Of course the small boys loved it - especially the ones whose parents came to oppose the desert preservation. Let them know we weren't all terrible urban tree huggers.

kick

Yes! Yes! This is the thinking outside the box that the DNC needs. Hook em with a bribe and then do the soft sell of the policies.

I think you see this concept in play with MoveOn and thier house parties.

The person to person poltical outreach is proven to be much more effective then any other type of outreach.

And the rise of the megachurch further underlines your theory about evangelics providing cheap entertainment.