Republicans Lose Ground in Rural America

The backlash is coming. Russell Strunk, the deceased head of the IBEW here in Springfield, used to tell me to "vote your pocketbook."
He was talking about blue collar workers who voted for Republicans, not for money values, but for value values (abortion, gun control, gay marriage). Russell's assertion was that these issues had nothing to do with governance but played on people's fears and religious beliefs, often courting their religious leaders (ie Jerry Falwell, James Dobson)while secretly mocking them.
We now know that the Rove and his cohorts used these relationships to further their own causes. Remember David Kuo's book?
A recent poll commissioned by The Center for Rural Strategies shows the Republicans are losing ground in rural America.
This poll is interesting to us here in rural Missouri and the 2008 governor's race.
Senator Claire McCaskill focused on rural Missouri in her campaign against Former Senator Jim Talent. There is clout here in the Ozark hills.