It's the poor country mouse vs the slick city mouse story. They don't want to understand you. They want their lives to seem better than yours. Whether it is or not. "Yeah maybe I live in a double wide, but it's mine, on my property and I can go outside and pee off the porch and no one can stop me. Try that in your fancy city apartment you don't own!" And that resentment has led to a rise in Trump's popularity. Now it's gone on to "I'd rather die than get the jab because this country is going to hell and Jesus is coming any day!"
The problems in our state can be laid at the feet of the GQP. How do we get people to stop voting for them? If we don't understand why they do, then we can't help them or ourselves.
Right now there is a very strong Republican push to solidify their hold on the small rural counties. Day before yesterday Sheriff Arpaio was in Medina County. That's Hondo and Castroville. They have had dozens of these events in the past 3-4 months all over Texas.
They know that the voting power of the state resides in the bigger population centers. And they know that if the rural counties could turn out more democratic votes, then they are sunk. So these events are being held to bolster the red vote and intimidate the blue vote to stay home. Plain and simple.
If we continue to discount or ignore the rural vote, then we do so at our own peril. The republicans aren't, they are filling that void, pretending to be the voice of blue collar.
And that void is there because there is no message or support coming into these counties from the Texas Dems.