Love their interviews! No Democrats even exist on our local ballots. Everyone that runs is running as a Republican. I am just like Jess nobody to vote for. As for healthcare, there’s a swath of Native Americans in the southwest part of Alabama that runs into Mississippi a little ways and these people rely on Medicaid for healthcare. There’s a doctor in that part of the state that treats these patients from both states at one particular hospital for a rare genetic disease that occurs in this population of Native Americans. I am very concerned about people in situations like this losing access to healthcare.
Arkansas actually has a former farmer (Hallie Shoffner) running for the US Senate against Tom Cotton. Hallie is a 6th generation farmer and she is challenging Cotton because he voted against the farm bill twice and, basically, he is voting against anything that would make Arkansans life better.
I hope the national and state Democratic parties support Hallie with money and know-how, which is something they have not done in Arkansas in many years. Shame on them and more power to Hallie!
I Forgot to mention that I have already sent a donation to her and I would appreciate it very much if anyone else could donate to her. In my mind, Cotton is one of the worst senators right now and he needs to be defeated at all costs, not just for the sake of Arkansans.
Here is the link to a speech Hallie made to the "French Hill town hall," to which he didn't show up, of course, on March 18, 2025::
Thank you Jen and Jess! Very inspiring for those of us in deep red areas to keep plugging away at recruiting candidates and having someone run for every position. And the importance of talking with our neighbors.
Hear hear, Catharine! I second that, sister. I too live in a red, mainly rural district (in Southern California) and Jess’s inspirational words gave me hope for 2026. Things are looking up here! We already have four enthusiastic Dems lined up to challenge our useless Republican congressman next year. By golly, we WILL deny him a fourth term! Feeling quite hopeful for my district … but I do fret about the future of our small community hospital.
Thanks for your kind thoughts and all your work, Punkette!
We have already had some of our community hospitals close in NH. Several others are barely hanging on. The cuts to Medicaid will be a literal killer as we have a trigger law with our Medicaid expansion that goes into effect as soon as the federal portion drops below 90%!
We are very fortunate with Democratic Reps and Senators we have in Washington, but are suffering at the State level with extreme Gerrymandering.
Oh no, Catharine. I am so sorry for NH. The Medicaid cuts will be devastating for America. Republicans are upping their gerrymandering everywhere to cling to power. They can only win by cheating. We are facing bad times ahead. Please take care and thank you for all you do. P.S. I have fond memories of visiting beautiful NH as a child, when we lived in Mass.
Yes, I thought so too, but I did a little digging and found this: 😤
“ Mid-decade redistricting refers to the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries between the decennial censuses, typically for political advantage. While redistricting usually occurs every ten years after the census, some states may choose to do it earlier, often in response to population changes or political strategies.”
Case in point, Texas (good article from Houston Public Media):
Texas Legislature begins mid-decade redistricting under pressure from Trump, Abbott
President Donald Trump is seeking to pick up at least four, potentially five, Texas congressional seats for Republicans in a midterm election cycle that ordinarily would favor the Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott has obliged Trump by adding redistricting to a crowded special session that also includes disaster recovery and preparedness.
The Texas State Legislature's special session opens at noon Monday (July 28). While disaster recovery and preparedness are at the top of many Texans' minds, a rare mid-decade round of congressional redistricting will take up much of lawmakers' attention over the next month.
Jess Piper is a fantastic go-getter who is acquiring national attention for the work she does. I used to live in very red and rural Cass County, Missouri. It was a given that Republicans would win almost all the elections. Jess is a great role model for those who want to make changes. Give ‘em hell Harry now becomes give ‘em bloody hell Jess.
Although I live in the large state of Texas--so red--I see the similarities of what Jess Piper brought up. Rural areas surround us. And we are hurricane prone by the Gulf. I keep voting for Democrats and support some as I can with campaign donations. And I keep hoping more Democrats will be put into office. Even put up candidate signs. It is very sad that hardly any win. So far we have mostly overcome the book banners that got on the library board. So I agree that our votes may help on some levels of government.
Great discussion and kudos to Jess for her phenomenal work! Personalizing the impact and drawing the lines between the impacts and the reasons they're happening seems like a great approach.
Having lived in very rural areas and worked among diverse stakeholders, I think it's wise to coalesce around common concerns like decreased or dried-up funding for USDA personnel, programs and projects. Maybe, when taken together with the reality of increased health insurance costs and rural hospitals shutting down, the writing on the wall will be crystal-clear for those voters who were conned to see, and we can work together to salvage democracy.
Thanks for amplifying Jess' important voice. You are right that she needs to be cloned! I heard a recent interview with Ken Martin, talking about the need to run for everything everywhere, and saying that the national party is sending a lot more money to the states, including red states. I hope this is a real step in the right direction, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is voices like Jess Piper's that are helping this happen.
The novel follows the life of Damon "Demon" Fields, born into southern poverty, as he navigates the challenges of a life marked by addiction, foster care, and the opioid crisis. It's a fictionalized account (mirroring Dickens' David Copperfield). And it uses fiction to show us how the game in red states is rigged.
Love their interviews! No Democrats even exist on our local ballots. Everyone that runs is running as a Republican. I am just like Jess nobody to vote for. As for healthcare, there’s a swath of Native Americans in the southwest part of Alabama that runs into Mississippi a little ways and these people rely on Medicaid for healthcare. There’s a doctor in that part of the state that treats these patients from both states at one particular hospital for a rare genetic disease that occurs in this population of Native Americans. I am very concerned about people in situations like this losing access to healthcare.
Arkansas actually has a former farmer (Hallie Shoffner) running for the US Senate against Tom Cotton. Hallie is a 6th generation farmer and she is challenging Cotton because he voted against the farm bill twice and, basically, he is voting against anything that would make Arkansans life better.
I hope the national and state Democratic parties support Hallie with money and know-how, which is something they have not done in Arkansas in many years. Shame on them and more power to Hallie!
I Forgot to mention that I have already sent a donation to her and I would appreciate it very much if anyone else could donate to her. In my mind, Cotton is one of the worst senators right now and he needs to be defeated at all costs, not just for the sake of Arkansans.
Here is the link to a speech Hallie made to the "French Hill town hall," to which he didn't show up, of course, on March 18, 2025::
https://arstrong.org/six-generations-lost-farmer-speaks-out-on-the-struggles-facing-rural-arkansas/
Thank you Jen and Jess! Very inspiring for those of us in deep red areas to keep plugging away at recruiting candidates and having someone run for every position. And the importance of talking with our neighbors.
Hear hear, Catharine! I second that, sister. I too live in a red, mainly rural district (in Southern California) and Jess’s inspirational words gave me hope for 2026. Things are looking up here! We already have four enthusiastic Dems lined up to challenge our useless Republican congressman next year. By golly, we WILL deny him a fourth term! Feeling quite hopeful for my district … but I do fret about the future of our small community hospital.
Thanks for your kind thoughts and all your work, Punkette!
We have already had some of our community hospitals close in NH. Several others are barely hanging on. The cuts to Medicaid will be a literal killer as we have a trigger law with our Medicaid expansion that goes into effect as soon as the federal portion drops below 90%!
We are very fortunate with Democratic Reps and Senators we have in Washington, but are suffering at the State level with extreme Gerrymandering.
Oh no, Catharine. I am so sorry for NH. The Medicaid cuts will be devastating for America. Republicans are upping their gerrymandering everywhere to cling to power. They can only win by cheating. We are facing bad times ahead. Please take care and thank you for all you do. P.S. I have fond memories of visiting beautiful NH as a child, when we lived in Mass.
Thanks, Punkette!
I thought redistricting could only happen after each Census?
Hang in there! 💙🌊
Yes, I thought so too, but I did a little digging and found this: 😤
“ Mid-decade redistricting refers to the process of redrawing electoral district boundaries between the decennial censuses, typically for political advantage. While redistricting usually occurs every ten years after the census, some states may choose to do it earlier, often in response to population changes or political strategies.”
Case in point, Texas (good article from Houston Public Media):
Texas Legislature begins mid-decade redistricting under pressure from Trump, Abbott
President Donald Trump is seeking to pick up at least four, potentially five, Texas congressional seats for Republicans in a midterm election cycle that ordinarily would favor the Democrats. Gov. Greg Abbott has obliged Trump by adding redistricting to a crowded special session that also includes disaster recovery and preparedness.
The Texas State Legislature's special session opens at noon Monday (July 28). While disaster recovery and preparedness are at the top of many Texans' minds, a rare mid-decade round of congressional redistricting will take up much of lawmakers' attention over the next month.
https://www.houstonpublicmedia.org/articles/news/politics/2025/07/21/526668/texas-legislature-begins-mid-decade-redistricting-under-pressure-from-trump-and-abbott/
Thanks!
Did not know that....
🤬
Jess Piper is a fantastic go-getter who is acquiring national attention for the work she does. I used to live in very red and rural Cass County, Missouri. It was a given that Republicans would win almost all the elections. Jess is a great role model for those who want to make changes. Give ‘em hell Harry now becomes give ‘em bloody hell Jess.
Although I live in the large state of Texas--so red--I see the similarities of what Jess Piper brought up. Rural areas surround us. And we are hurricane prone by the Gulf. I keep voting for Democrats and support some as I can with campaign donations. And I keep hoping more Democrats will be put into office. Even put up candidate signs. It is very sad that hardly any win. So far we have mostly overcome the book banners that got on the library board. So I agree that our votes may help on some levels of government.
Great discussion and kudos to Jess for her phenomenal work! Personalizing the impact and drawing the lines between the impacts and the reasons they're happening seems like a great approach.
Having lived in very rural areas and worked among diverse stakeholders, I think it's wise to coalesce around common concerns like decreased or dried-up funding for USDA personnel, programs and projects. Maybe, when taken together with the reality of increased health insurance costs and rural hospitals shutting down, the writing on the wall will be crystal-clear for those voters who were conned to see, and we can work together to salvage democracy.
Always love hearing from Jess Piper ... always smart, well thought out points that she shares.
Thanks for amplifying Jess' important voice. You are right that she needs to be cloned! I heard a recent interview with Ken Martin, talking about the need to run for everything everywhere, and saying that the national party is sending a lot more money to the states, including red states. I hope this is a real step in the right direction, and I wouldn't be surprised if it is voices like Jess Piper's that are helping this happen.
Yes, clone her! We need many more like her!
Rural America is worth CONVERTING. And the truth will do it. Start by reading this book. It will change your entire perspective! https://www.alibris.com/search/books/isbn/9780063251922?invid=18475874887&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=NMPi&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=20858904609&gbraid=0AAAAAC92pG6snN8wgl7IqMJM3PD3hPIX0&gclid=Cj0KCQjwkILEBhDeARIsAL--pjzQAXQyUYSd_xAavo7b7bmrppGP1mO6W3EYfJWiT8WwMvVz4-mvo94aAsFTEALw_wcB
Demon Copperhead?
The novel follows the life of Damon "Demon" Fields, born into southern poverty, as he navigates the challenges of a life marked by addiction, foster care, and the opioid crisis. It's a fictionalized account (mirroring Dickens' David Copperfield). And it uses fiction to show us how the game in red states is rigged.
Very interesting! I'll check it out. Thanks!
💙🌊