# myruralamerica.org **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [November 3, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909 "2008-11-03T19:29:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/1 "2008-11-03T19:29:50Z")
Just heard a very obviously left-leaning radio ad voiced by two good-ol-boy sounding men. They were discussing how Bush and McCain sold out America by not adequately funding the troops. Then they pointed you to [http://myruralamerica.org](http://myruralamerica.org) Now look at [http://barackobama.com](http://barackobama.com) Do the sites look similar? Bet it’s not a coincidence. This is the next best thing to the American Hunters and Shooters Association (which is founded by anti-gun people) endorsing Obama. I understand that Democrats need to appeal to rural conservatives, but this is a very underhanded way to do it. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/2 "2008-11-03T19:37:58Z")
Huh? You mean no one in rural America could possibly support Obama? I see nothing underhanded about it at all. So some group wants to form that represents liberal voices in rural America. Sounds pretty…American to me. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/3 "2008-11-03T19:40:21Z")
It’s a very obviously left-leaning website, acting like it represents rural voters, when all the red areas on a US Republican/Democrat map will show otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/4 "2008-11-03T19:45:15Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It’s a very obviously left-leaning website, acting like it represents rural voters, when all the red areas on a US Republican/Democrat map will show otherwise. You mean like [this map](http://www-personal.umich.edu/~mejn/election/countymaplinearlarge.png)? Get a clue…showing a state as “red” (or blue) in no way supports the notion that everyone in that state is distinctly republican (or liberal). Just that a majority of them vote that way. There is absolutely no reason at all why a minority (not race) group cannot organize to advocate for their positions. Happens all the time. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/5 "2008-11-03T19:48:13Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It’s a very obviously left-leaning website, acting like it represents rural voters, when all the red areas on a US Republican/Democrat map will show otherwise. So is your argument that there are no liberals in rural America, or that rural American conservatives are too stupid to recognize a left-leaning website as such? ---
**Author:** ![Gaudere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e495f1/32.png) [@Gaudere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gaudere)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/6 "2008-11-03T19:49:46Z")
I would wager that it was done by someone attempting to mimic the Obama site, not actually done by the same people who did the Obama site. The fonts are wrong and the gradients lack sophistication. Also, in general it’s clearly not as professionally done, the navbar’s hosed, padding is too tight, icons are poor, etc. It’s not surprising that people would try to mimic a popular, well done website. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/7 "2008-11-03T19:51:27Z")
By and large, rural areas are Republican, urban areas area Democratic. My argument is the site comes off as fake to me, like Vanilla Ice trying to represent himself as a hard-core rapper. Hopefully the rural American conservatives will figure it out, but not sure they have the same web-fu and Google-fu as me. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/8 "2008-11-03T19:52:39Z")
OMFG! Chicago has a [GOP website](http://www.chicagogop.com/)! Look at ANY election map! Chicago is totally blue!!! What a scam! :rolleyes: ETA: Looks a LOT like the [GOP](http://www.gop.com/) website too! ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/9 "2008-11-03T19:53:53Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > OMFG! Chicago has a [GOP website](http://www.chicagogop.com/)! Look at ANY election map! Chicago is totally blue!!! What a scam! :rolleyes: What an apt user name. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/10 "2008-11-03T20:00:52Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > I understand that Democrats need to appeal to rural conservatives . . . Not really. That’s not where the numbers are. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/11 "2008-11-03T20:02:52Z")
[I’m](http://www.sfgop.org/) [missing](http://berkeleygop.com/) [something](http://www.santacruzrepublicans.org/). ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/12 "2008-11-03T20:03:19Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It’s a very obviously left-leaning website, acting like it represents rural voters, when all the red areas on a US Republican/Democrat map will show otherwise. Well, sure. If you look at the Board of Directors, you’ll see they sort of lean left: [http://myruralamerica.org/aboutus/leadership.php](http://myruralamerica.org/aboutus/leadership.php) [http://www.myruralamerica.org/mra.ourleadership.asp](http://www.myruralamerica.org/mra.ourleadership.asp) And if you look at their press release: [http://www.myruralamerica.org/mra.media.asp](http://www.myruralamerica.org/mra.media.asp) > [@](#): > > My Rural America, which will work for policies that benefit rural Americans, is dedicated to improving the quality of life in rural communities, co-founders Barbara Leach and Debra Kozikowski said today. > > Citing the populist views of the late William Jennings Bryan, Barbara M. Leach, president, and Kozikowski, vice president, said, “We share his view that people who work hard and contribute to our nation’s wealth deserve the right to share in its prosperity. It’s important to know how elected representatives in Washington vote when it comes to serving the unique interests of the nearly 60 million people who live in rural America .”. . . It’s not like they’re particularly hiding their viewpoint. ---
**Author:** ![Whack-a-Mole](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/whack-a-mole/32/141_2.png) [@Whack-a-Mole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Whack-a-Mole)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/13 "2008-11-03T20:04:33Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > What an apt user name. Yep…I keep coming back. It’s too fun jumping on an absurd position. If [myruralamerica.com](http://myruralamerica.com) is somehow disingenuous because rural America is all red then why isn’t [ChicagoGOP.com](http://ChicagoGOP.com) equally disingenuous by having a website in clearly blue Chicago? For my part I do not have a problem with either of them. Not sure why you are bent out of shape about it. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/14 "2008-11-03T20:13:54Z")
It just comes across as a very fake site to me. YMMV. Actually what really bugs me is the radio ad. I’ll see if I can find it on YouTube. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/15 "2008-11-03T20:20:14Z")
But how? Why? I’m not snarking, I’m asking. There is \*nothing \*on that site that misrepresents the mission of that site. Are you actually suggesting that simply using the word “rural” is somehow disingenuous? Do you really believe that “rural” and “republican” are entirely synonymous? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/16 "2008-11-03T20:20:33Z")
> [@Whack-a-Mole](#): > > If [myruralamerica.com](http://myruralamerica.com) is somehow disingenuous because rural America is all red then why isn’t [ChicagoGOP.com](http://ChicagoGOP.com) equally disingenuous by having a website in clearly blue Chicago? I don’t really know what you’re arguing. How would [ChicagoGOP.com](http://ChicagoGOP.com) be deceptive? If anything that’s a counter-example to my example. You can clearly see the loyalties of the group just by the domain name, you don’t even need to go to the site. It is very clear. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/17 "2008-11-03T20:23:22Z")
“myruralamerica” isn’t clearly liberal or conservative. It is not clearly _anything_. Except rural. Which means that one can be reasonably assured that it won’t cover, say, that new hotspot downtown. And that’s about it. “myruralamerica” is apolitical, as a title. Are you complaining about _that_? Because while it might be mildly inconvenient, in that you’d have to actually visit the site to see what it’s about, it’s hardly theoldbaitandswitch. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/18 "2008-11-03T20:30:04Z")
> [@control-z](#): > > It just comes across as a very fake site to me. YMMV I don’t get it. That [myruralamerica.org](http://myruralamerica.org) website isn’t misrepresenting itself or its views in any way, AFAICT. They’re explicit about their policy objectives, and explicit about the backgrounds and activities of their leadership. What seems to be chapping your hide is the mere fact that a liberal organization is presenting itself as “rural”. It seems that according to you, liberal activists concerned about agricultural policy or other non-urban issues, or attempting to reach out to non-urban voters, are not allowed to identify themselves as “rural”. Because “rural” is somehow a trademark of the Republican/conservative brand, and only Republicans/conservatives are allowed to use it. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: And I suppose by your logic, it’s “fake” when wealthy McCain supporters hold a high-priced black-tie fundraising dinner for their candidate in Manhattan? Because that’s East Coast elite territory, goshdarnit! McCain supporters in tuxedos and diamonds in a fancy New York eatery just come across as very fake! Did I mention :rolleyes: ? ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/19 "2008-11-03T20:45:12Z")
> [@DianaG](#): > > “myruralamerica” isn’t clearly liberal or conservative. It is not clearly _anything_. It’s clearly liberal. And look at the board members, all the ones I checked are all Democratic candidate contributors. If I had a link to the radio commercial my objections might make more sense… ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [November 3, 2008, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909/20 "2008-11-03T20:46:58Z")
I mean that the website \*name \*isn’t clearly anything. The website itself \*\*is \*\*clearly liberal, which is exactly why you don’t have a leg to stand on in terms of it being “underhanded”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/myruralamerica-org/470909.md?page=2)