Suzi talks to Nick Bowlin about his important new piece, "Joke’s on Them: The Democratic Party Meets Rural America" in The Drift. Nick looks at America’s rural class structure, the political attitudes of rural residents, and the Democratic Party's inability to appeal to them. It’s a crucial issue that is poorly understood—and in most accounts treated all too superficially. Both parties put on cowboy hats and wear the equivalent of flannel shirts when campaigning in rural America, as if posturing authenticity is all that’s required. It works better for Republicans than Democrats, and much of Nick’s article looks at the historical, political, economic and cultural complexities that help explain why.
