Erica Etelson

Erica Etelson is a cofounder of the Rural Urban Bridge Initiative and the author of Beyond Contempt: How Liberals Can Communicate Across the Great Divide.

A close up shot of VP candidate JD Vance mid-speech.

Democrats Dismiss JD Vance at Their Peril Democrats Dismiss JD Vance at Their Peril

Calling the Ohio senator "weird" may feel satisfying. Pundits have dismissed him as a drag on the ticket. But the smarter play would still be to steal his thunder.

Sep 6, 2024 / Column / Erica Etelson and Anthony Flaccavento

Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate?

Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate? Whom Should Kamala Harris Choose as Her Running Mate?

Nation writers make their cases for who the next Democratic vice presidential candidate should be.

Jul 31, 2024 / Jeet Heer, Alexis Grenell, Sasha Abramsky, Erica Etelson, Anthony Flaccavento, Elie Mystal, Joan Walsh, John Nichols, and Katha Pollitt

Workers digging a hole to install a cable

Working-Class Americans Prefer a “Hand Up” to a “Handout” Working-Class Americans Prefer a “Hand Up” to a “Handout”

Working- and middle-class Americans take pride in their work. If Democrats want to win their votes, they need to acknowledge and appeal to that pride, not dismiss or patronize it....

Jul 23, 2024 / Column / Erica Etelson

Nathaniel Blankenship, a crew member in a job program with Coalfield Development Corporation, works to remodel a 1920s-era warehouse into office space in Williamson, West Virginia.

Paul Krugman May Not Know How to Reverse the Decline of Rural America. But We Do. Paul Krugman May Not Know How to Reverse the Decline of Rural America. But We Do.

The countryside has been neglected for decades. A Rural New Deal would reverse that with capital and creative solutions writen by and for rural Americans.

Jun 12, 2024 / Erica Etelson and Anthony Flaccavento

Bruce, after arriving in the middle of the night, waits to enter a Remote Area Medical (RAM) mobile dental and medical clinic on October 7, 2023, in Grundy, Virginia.

It’s Not Too Late for Democrats to Win Back Rural Voters It’s Not Too Late for Democrats to Win Back Rural Voters

Putting together a Democratic majority in 2024 requires winning back some portion of the rural working class. The good news is that it can be done. Here’s how.

May 17, 2024 / Column / Erica Etelson and Anthony Flaccavento

A voter prepares to cast their ballot in the Democratic Primary as they walk in to the Cordesville Rural Fire Department on February 03, 2024 in Cordesville, South Carolina.

The Only Thing Worse Than Taking Rural Voters for Granted The Only Thing Worse Than Taking Rural Voters for Granted

… is dismissing them as out of reach for Democrats.

Apr 15, 2024 / Erica Etelson and Anthony Flaccavento

photo of oliver anthony singing, holding guitar

If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will If the Left Doesn’t Channel Populist Resentment, We Know Who Will

What tone-deaf liberals can’t hear in Rich Men North of Richmond.

Aug 24, 2023 / Erica Etelson

Democrats Must Do Better in Rural America

Democrats Must Do Better in Rural America Democrats Must Do Better in Rural America

If this midterm was a success for Democrats, it is a retreat from what they ought to expect.

Nov 17, 2022 / Anthony Flaccavento, Erica Etelson, and Cody Lonning

Bette Midler

Bette Midler’s Contempt Fuels Right-Wing Populism Bette Midler’s Contempt Fuels Right-Wing Populism

With Trump and his enablers ready to weaponize every condescending word, liberals need to stop giving them ammunition.

Dec 30, 2021 / Anthony Flaccavento and Erica Etelson

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