Rural America United – July 25, 2025

What Is In This Newsletter?

• Is Compassion a Failed Narrative for Democrats
• 13,510 Newly Registered Voters Reached
• An Unsustainable Future: Why the Democratic Establishment Must Invest in New Leadership
• Medicaid Symposium Yakima July 30th.
• Expanding Our Advisory Board

Fox News has been the most-watched TV channel for 96 consecutive quarters.

Consistently holding the attention of the premium 24 to 55 year old viewer.

Source: Adweek – First Quarter 2025 Cable News Ratings

Why compassion is a failed narrative for Democrats

Firstly, please note that this writer is a supporter of Democratic values, which are not necessarily the bastion of Democrats. They are the foundation on which this great nation stands through good and bad times. They are indelible and inalienable. I am also not writing that compassion should be abandoned. Definitely not. What I am writing is that the narrative of compassion does not impact the voter base, especially the far right, as the Democrats expect. They have been pounding this drum of morality and compassion for so very long, and it continues to have a lesser and lesser effect on voter behavior.

Does this mean that we should also give up on compassion and outrage over the injustices that surround us? Absolutely not. But we must stop just listening and start hearing what registers with people.

We live in a country where the majority of people who voted did so for a felon, sexual molester, corrupt politician, corrupt businessperson, and textbook megalomaniac, and still they cry for more. In fact, the majority of Americans prefer an authoritarian government to a democracy. (USNews)

Why is it that compassion and morality are no longer the emotional levers they once were? I do not know. We live in a world that is a constant bombardment of negative emotions, and it may be nothing more than a self protective defense mechanism. Or more likely, part of a much more complex environment of the evil that men do, the constant threat of violence, being led by a corrupt government, and fed a steady diet of lies. All of this could fall under the heading of surviving rather than thriving and may be driving a very “me right now” sense of protectionism. We also know that the far right has for decades been successful in vilifying the poor and underprivileged to the point that it is an accepted truth among several generations of voters.

Regardless, it is real, and we must learn to speak to it. Imagine how foreign the MAGA cries sound to you. That is how our voices sound to them. There is no room for dialogue when ideologies are so far apart.

What would our messaging sound like if we steered away from the heart on our sleeves emotional victim tone that is all too often the voice of Democrats, and started sounding like MAGA, but with our own message?

I did a test using ChatGPT and asked it to write a message using both Democratic and Republican tones and this is what it produced.

Democratic:

Seventeen million Americans are about to lose their health care. Working families, children, and seniors will be left with nothing. Call your representative now and demand they protect our health, not take it away.

Republican:

Seventeen million more people on government health care? That is the plan the left is pushing. Higher taxes, longer wait times, and less freedom. Call your representative and tell them to stop this socialist takeover of your health care.

The Democrat’s message is about others. The Republican message is very much about the individual. It is personal. Very personal. There are other contrasts, but this one specifically is important, because in the words of Kevin Sorbo, B actor who played Hercules and MAGA mouthpiece, “Is your freedom more important than my safety? I do not know you. My lunch is more important to me than you are.”

Sad as it might be, appealing to one’s sense of empathy for others is not working across a wide range of critical voters. Information is skewed, fear is high, and the instinct to protect oneself and family is much greater than empathy for others. This is not bad, because we know that when people feel safe, they open up more to others. It is our responsibility to make that happen. Even if it means that for right now, we must pander to a selfish narrative.

Instead of seventeen million strangers losing Medicaid, it might be about higher local taxes and greater threats of violence in their communities. It is not clear what will work, but we know what has been done. And when the most powerful man in the world can flaunt his corruption as a badge of honor, we know it is not working.

13,510 New Voters. One Chance to Reach Them.

This July, Rural Americans United connected with 13,510 newly registered voters—people who have never been part of the democratic conversation before.

These voters are the future of our democracy, but without immediate follow-up, they may be swept up in the fear and falsehoods of the far right.

We will not let that happen.

To fully engage and mobilize these voters before it is too late, we need to raise $75,000 now. Newly registered voters are the most vulnerable and the most promising demographic to reach.

Your donation today keeps our promise to these voters—and to all of us who believe in inclusion, truth, and democracy.

Please give now. Every dollar counts.

Guest Editorial – Allison Murphy Dabler

It is long past time to normalize discussion of, and to put pressure on the DNC and our Democratic Party leadership over its status quo, establishment failures. It has become clear that it is crucial to critique the current Democrats and shed light on how they are hurting the very people they claim to serve by not investing in the younger generation of leaders, and stepping back when they are risking the welfare of this country.

Life expectancy in this country is 79 years of age. When the Big Billionaire Bailout bill was recently passed in the House, sending it to the president’s desk, it passed by a 215-214 vote. However, three Democrats were missing. Rep Gerry Connolly (75), had just passed away from cancer the day before. In the few months before that, both representatives Sylvester Turner (70) and Raul Grijalva (77) had passed away and their positions had not yet been filled.

A report from Axios has found that more than half of House Democrats who are 75 and older plan to seek re-election next year, including Rep. Maxine Waters (86), Rep. John Garamendi (80), and Rep. Rosa DeLauro (82).

This is an unsustainable and irresponsible model for Democratic success and the future of this country.

Last December, when the DNC was forced to choose who to chair the powerful Oversight Committee, they chose the then 74 year old afore-mentioned Connolly, who had announced his cancer diagnosis just weeks before, over 35 year old Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Just this past June, the motivated and hard working David Hogg was pushed out of the DNC, potentially losing Democrats the energized and active youth needed to win

elections in the first place.

I’m not one to be ageist, or even call for term limits, but something has to give here. If establishment Democrats refuse to prioritize the recruitment, mentorship, and support of the next generation of leadership, they risk losing the good faith assumption that they can be leaders that will do what is right for the American people, even if it means stepping back.

“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence, and making sure that impact lasts in your absence.” — Sheryl Sandberg

In Solidarity,

Allison Murphy Dabler has held key leadership roles in the Democratic Party, including chairing the Benton County Democrats and co-chairing the State Democratic Platform Committee. She has organized campaigns, boosted voter engagement, and helped build progressive infrastructure across the Tri Cities. In 2025, she was honored with the Norm and Shirley Miller Leadership Award for her service and impact.

Rural Americans United is proud to sponsor the upcoming forum:

“Medicaid Cuts Affect Us All”

in partnership with Between the Ridges: Alliance for the Common Good.
As threats to Medicaid put rural communities at risk, this event offers a vital space to hear from local experts and explore what we can do next.
Join us on Wednesday, July 30 in Yakima. Details in the flyers below.

Expanding Our Advisory Board

Rural Americans United