10-4 NWR Rural Politics

The USDA is trying to do more to court the backing of more voters in rural America. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack spoke at a Washington post event and touched on a wide variety of topics ranging from the nations opioid abuse to his tenure as Secretary where he is the only remaining original Obama Cabinet member. While rural America has traditionally been a Republican stronghold, Vilsack says there are votes there for the taking. "I think the Democratic party has to look inward a little bit and has to begin to understand that rural voters are still up for grabs. I don't think you can assume that they are monolithic in terms of their political persuasion. I think what happens in rural areas, there are a lot of folks who are Democrats but if they live in a predominantly rural Republican area, may not be very vocal. But if you have a candidate who speaks to rural voters, that empowers individuals at the local level to become active." Issues related to poverty are typically thought to be relegated to urban centers but Vilsack said that is not the case. "You have folks who live in small towns who are not necessarily related to agriculture who want to know, how my going to afford childcare, how my going to pay for my kids college education. How do I get a minimum wage that will actually support my family?

An invasion appears to have begun in Puget Sound with European green crabs infiltrating the mudflats and settling in among native shore crabs. These crabs are an invasive species that crowd out other wildlife.