Last week I was on a podcast called Dirt Road Democrat with Jessica Piper, when she asked: Michele, what’s it like living in a red state?
It’s a good question. And I’ve heard from plenty of folks living in other parts of the country, who have found my descriptions of life in a now-solidly-red state as helpful perspective.
So here goes.
I live in Missouri.
Through the 1990s and into the early 2000s, it was a blue/purple state. I went to undergraduate and law school in Missouri during that time. It was a reasonable place, where reasonable people disagreed. Reasonably.
The trains, by and large, ran on time.
Since 2003, the Republican Party has held both the Missouri House and Senate. Since 2012, it’s had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.
Let me break down for you what has happened since.
In 30% of the school districts in our state, kids are down to four day school weeks because there isn’t enough money for busing, even after they’ve consolidated rural school districts. The state legislature has cut their budget to the bone – enabling drastic cuts by redefining what it means to “fully fund” education, while giving tax breaks to corporations. We’re last in the country in teacher pay.
Smaller hospitals have closed all over the state, leaving rural Missourians without accessible healthcare. Roads are literally crumbling away – nearly 80% of Missourians rate their roads as fair or poor.
Meanwhile, the state is sitting on billions – yes, billions with a B – in surplus. So of course Republican state legislators are talking about more tax cuts.
The legislature consistently violates the will of the voters. Voters passed a ballot initiative restricting puppy mills only to have the state legislature work around it. (Really! Puppy Mills!) Voters rejected Right to Work, only to have the state legislature continue to bring Right to Work legislation in every session. Voters passed comprehensive election reforms, only to have the state legislature draft its own confusing “election integrity” ballot initiative to overturn the most important of them.
Our state legislature screams “local control!” … but then rips that “local control” away whenever it suits them. When public health departments got in the way of CAFOs (concentrated animal farming operations – mega pig farms that pollute air, ground and water), the state restricted local health departments from regulating them.
When our governor refused to issue a mask mandate (really, we never had one statewide) local health departments had to step up and do it themselves. The backlash was swift and strong – and they passed legislation that now restricts what public health departments can regulate.
It’s not just public health departments that they push around, either. They’ve preempted gun reform, minimum wage increases (which both St. Louis and Kansas City passed – only to have them clawed back with preemption laws), local laws on paid or unpaid sick days, sick leave, vacation, health or retirement benefits, pesticides, ride sharing, municipal broadband, fire sprinklers….
It’s endless.
That is how the “coastal” cites of Kansas City and St. Louis are tethered – against their will – to the failed policies of the “own the libs” Republican supermajority.
I’ll stop there, but I’ve left a lot out, partly due to space, and partly because it makes me depressed to relive it all.
Maybe after reading this you can see how this state incubated and launched Josh Hawley to stardom.
And again – it took just a few political cycles to get to this place.
Less than a decade, really.
So, after all that … what is it like living in a state like what I’ve just described?
It’s exhausting. Emotionally, mentally, even physically … exhausting.
Imagine being offended, angry, and terrified constantly. To have the overwhelming feeling of relief when each legislative session is over because they didn’t have time to pass [insert terrible awful thing].
Every success (which is only possible in the blue cities) is sweet indeed … until it is met with a slap back from the Republican legislature. Every progressive ballot initiative that’s passed is met the following year with some strategy that will undo it.
It’s like you’re treading water on a choppy day. Every time you catch a breath, a wave slaps you in the face.
There are smart, dedicated, thoughtful, brave, experienced people who have tried to tackle this state. The problems we have are not simple, or easy to fix. There’s not a one-cycle strategy to overcome the challenges we face.
With dedicated long-term investment, we could make more progress. But we aren’t a “swing state” like Michigan or Wisconsin. We’re not Iowa, where early caucuses get attention. We’re not Ohio with gobs of electors.
We’re just … red Missouri.
And for every segment I see about Missouri on Rachel Maddow, or article in The Washington Post, it feels more and more like the rest of the states have given up on this one.
And that’s exhausting in a different way.
Missouri isn’t the only state in this situation, of course.
It’s just the one I live in, so I can speak from personal, lived experience.
So for the other folks living in red states, or red regions, know that I see where you are, I know where you’re coming from. I know it’s hard, and often under appreciated. I want you to know that I appreciate what you’re doing. I do think there’s a path forward in red states, but I only believe that’s true because of people like you.
And for those of you living in blue states, and blue regions, don’t write us off. There are dedicated people who are working their fingers to the bone trying to make things better in every state. Amplify their work. Help their causes.
When you share that Rachel Maddow segment or that WaPo article about Missouri, or Kansas, or Arkansas, or Tennessee, or Mississippi – follow it up with a suggestion for how your friends can pitch in.
(Here in Missouri, we’ve got a tremendous grassroots community headed up by Jessica Piper that’s making sure that every Democratic nominee for state legislature has funding – and you can join that effort for just a few dollars a month at https://contribute.bluemissouri. So when you share that NYT article about Missouri, please also ask that folks help support the brave Democrats who are challenging the GOP supermajority. Trust me – they need the help. You can do the same in Ohio, here: https://contribute.blueohio.org/join_ohio)
And the next time someone asks why anyone should care about Missouri, or Kansas, or Arkansas, or Tennessee … I hope you’ll send them here.
Because what I’d say to them is pretty simple.
If we are the party of the people, then we must BE the party of the people. The blue state AND the red state people. That means extending a hand to help people working in the states and districts where Trump won by 20. Not because that district is essential for electoral success in the short term…. but because it’s the right thing to do.
And then I’d point to the map of Missouri from 2003, or note that Barack Obama lost Missouri by a piddly 3,000 votes in 2008, and I’d remind them that not so very long ago Missouri was a different place. Other states could make a similar transformation if we don’t learn from Missouri, and help turn the tide.
It’s tough living in a state like this one. But I’m reminded of Michele Obama’s words – that life won’t always be comfortable, but “don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have. Because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own.”
Indeed, friends. Especially when we all work together.
Let’s get to work.
Actions for the Week of August 29, 2023
Thursday: Join Jess Piper & Olivia Julianna to Talk Rural + Gen Z Organizing!
Join two powerhouse ladies – Jessica Piper and Olivia Julianna, both of whom live in red states – for a rousing conversation about organizing and Gen Z. RSVP here: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0pdO2hpjstH93YzDGwBlAwBfo3o-5V9zDF
Send Letters to Young Voters in Ohio With Swing Left Peninsula and The Civics Center!
H/T Jessica Craven!
This November, Ohio will vote on a critical abortion ballot measure that would enshrine reproductive freedom in the state constitution. Earlier this month, Ohio voters squashed the GOP’s attempt to increase the threshold those measures need to pass from a majority to 60%. Those GOP efforts were intended to make it much, much harder for the November abortion ballot measure to pass.
So, the good news is that the abortion ballot initiative in Ohio will pass if a majority of Ohioans vote for it. Now we just need to ensure voters are registered, and that they turn out.
Enter this amazing concept and pilot project from Swing Left Peninsula & The Civics Center. They are piloting a nonpartisan program in August and September to encourage young people to register to vote using scannable QR codes.
Here’s how it works: You’ll request a set of addresses, download and print a number of pre-written letters, add a short handwritten note, then enclose a handful of QR code voter registration stickers (which are sent to you once you sign up). Then hand-write addresses on your envelopes, stamp and mail!
This is an excellent pilot project, and I’m keen on learning more about their results. Again, because they’re doing this now – a full year before the 2024 elections – we’ll have a little time to assess the success of the program.
It’s a big win for democracy and political science!
Join SuperMajority Wednesday
Join us on August 30th to learn about the impact of gun violence on young people, and get new poll results from Everytown for Gun Safety that map the path forward for young people advocating for gun violence prevention.
Get out the vote on September 6th with co-hosts Colleen Kennedy and Chief Impact Officer Jara Butler. We’ll be taking a deep dive into the critical races happening in Pennsylvania and Virginia.
RSVP to get Zoom registration details: https://www.mobilize.us/mobilize/event/547542/
DID YOU KNOW YOU’RE A ROCK STAR? I DID. SUPER PROUD OF YOU!
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My deepest gratitude in advance.
P.S.: Why don’t you make someone’s day and send this pep talk to a friend or two? I bet they need it.
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Thank you for reading. Thank you for writing. We’re in this together. Don’t you forget it.
Small Deeds Done 