Thread by @JasonKander

Given that there's been some discussion today about how the news cycle is digested by voters here in what's sometimes referred to as "#flyover country" . . . I have a few thoughts to share. (1/x)

I'm not here to weigh in on any of what @nytdavidbrooks said in his column, but rather to give my own unique perspective. (2/x)

I'm 38 years old. Other than 3 years of college, 3 years of law school, and a few stints of Army service, I've lived my life in the Kansas City area. My son, in fact, is a 6th generation Missourian.

I've spent ample time with voters in each of Missouri's 114 counties. (3/x)

But I also have family in LA and NY. My great uncle, a Broadway composer, literally wrote the song, "New York, New York." I've done politics at the national level, raised money or given speeches in 46 states, and I have plenty of friends in "the media." (4/x)

I'll tell you what matters most to folks in my town.

It's not trade or national security or immigration or corruption or climate change or any other issue you might list in a poll.

It's this: We want our families to be happy, healthy, safe, and nearby. (5/x)

So it's every issue, but we don't think about them as issues. We think about them as how they affect the likelihood that our kids will be able to live near us when they grow up and have their own kids.

Will they first have to move away to pursue opportunity? (6/x)

But this doesn't mean my neighbors don't care about trade or climate or guns or any other issue.

It means when you talk about trade, emphasize your plan to create good jobs for our kids here in our town.

Talk about how climate change is a danger in our town already. (7/x)

Because we don't want to move away for good jobs or higher ground. This is our home and home matters.

Gun violence is a danger to our kids and our grandkids. It makes our families less safe. Say so. (8/x)

And yes, the Trump scandals matter too, because they reveal something: He doesn't care about anyone, including people in my part of the world. That's why he's only fighting for himself. All the time. No matter what. At the expense of everyone else.
(9/x)

Again, every single progressive argument should be about how we help you keep your family happy, healthy, safe, and NEARBY. (10/x)

And now, to wrap this up, let me get to the crux of this debate, because everyone wants to act like we have a choice to make between going after swing voters or motivating the base.

THAT IS A FALSE CHOICE. (11/x)

Nothing about what I'm saying is exclusively true for voters of one demographic or another.

Unless you live in a few select pockets of a few select cities, you're worried about the same stuff.

Progressive values are about keeping families together. Home matters. (12/x)

True for everyone in this country, regardless of race, gender, or citizenship status.

The days of piecing together a coalition by saying one thing to one group and another thing to another group are over. Don't pander, just keep it real. (13/x)

We have to go out there and make our argument about basic fairness for everyone. Progressive policies can make everyone in this country happier, healthier, safer, and less likely to have to move away from home. That's where we should take EVERY conversation on EVERY issue.(14/x)

And please don't say "flyover." We don't call it that. We call it "home."

(15/15)