The "Heartland" Vote

Democrats have been trying for a long time to take the "heartland" vote away from the GOP. But what exactly is the "heartland" vote? Is it anything more than just code for the racist vote, the xenophobic vote, the Islamophobic vote, the homophobic vote, the sexist vote, in short: the stupid vote? The GOP keeps winning that fight. Why wouldn't they? The stupid vote is their natural constituency. How about if we drop that fight and go hard 180 degrees away from it? Go openly and honestly for the anti-stupid vote: the anti-racist, anti-sexist, gay-friendly, xenophile, one-world, well-educated, eco, vegan, anti-conspiracy-theory vote -- in short: the anti-stupid vote? We could even call it that. Or we could call it something like, for example: Warren/Booker 2020.

Call the deplorables deplorable. Why are we trying to hide? Every single poll for 2 1/2 years, Trump's unfavorable rating has been over 50%. In other words: the anti-stupid vote is most of the people in the US. Go right straight for it. No more BS. And as for the dumb-asses, they'll benefit from rational policy just like everyone else, and some of them might actually learn things.

And how about if we stop making these drastic geographical over-simplifications such as speaking about "the heartland" as if it as if it were entirely Republican and urban America were entirely Democratic? Neither assertion is true. Geography might influence political orientation, but it doesn't determine it. People are free to be who they are. How about some respect for Democrats in places which have been mostly red lately? Oh, that's right: the Electoral College, that proud 18th-century institution. We have to deal with Trump first, then we can deal with other things like modernizing the Constitution, and in the meantime, Democrats in places like Wyoming, where it takes a bit more guts to be a Democrat than it does in NYC or LA, will continue to be unfairly boned in terms of national recognition. It's not fair at all. Oh well. Wyoming Democrats: hang in there. Not all of us have forgotten you!

And as for Joe Biden, the great "heartland vote" candidate: how about if we let him just join the GOP, toward which he's been drifting for over 40 years? He could be the new Joe Lieberman -- or is he already the new Joe Lieberman?