Candid Conversation with Democratic Party Leaders Jane Fleming Kleeb, Chris Jones, Will Westmoreland and Russ Carnahan

Guests:

• President of the Association of State Democratic Committees Jane Kleeb
• DNC People's Cabinet Member and Co-chair of Dirt Road Dems Chris Jones
• DNC People's Cabinet Member and rural policy expert Will Westmoreland
• DNC Midwestern Regional Chair and Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party Russ Carnahan

In this Rural Impact special, "Candid Conversations" episode, host Michelle Rathman delves into the real-world and real-time consequences of the Trump Administration's and the 119th Congress' policy decisions on rural America with a panel of guests from the Democratic National Committee (DNC). In this wide-ranging conversation, Michelle and guests explore how the Democratic Party is working to reengage and earn the trust of the over 60 million rural Americans whose voices are often overlooked and discuss plans for how Democrats are working to reach the estimated 63% of rural voters who cast their vote for a Trump second term.

Panel guests include President of the Association of State Democratic Committees Jane Kleeb, DNC People's Cabinet Member and Co-chair of Dirt Road Dems Chris Jones, DNC People's Cabinet Member and rural policy expert Will Westmoreland, and DNC Midwestern Regional Chair and Chair of the Missouri Democratic Party Russ Carnahan.  

The conversation begins with Russ Carnahan exploring the challenges and opportunities in engaging rural voters with an emphasis on bridging the rural-urban divide. Next, Jane Kleeb addresses the adverse impacts of climate policies on rural communities. Following opening remarks by Jane, Chris Jones highlights the importance and relevance of diversity, equity, and inclusion, as well as the harms that eliminating such programs and funding would have. Closing out the first part of the conversation, Will Westmoreland shares the economic struggles faced by farmers and the implications of Medicaid cuts on rural health.

Michelle then invites the entire panel to discuss several critical issues facing rural communities, including cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program budget and significant reductions to Medicaid; they also examine the impact of misinformation on rural voters, the erosion of public education, and the privatization of essential services such as the United States Postal Service.

The episode concludes by emphasizing the importance of personal stories and building trust within communities to effectively advocate for policies that benefit rural families, as well as the importance of clear communication, building relationships, and the role of education in combating misinformation and promoting community engagement.