One Country Project's Hot Dish

Heidi Heitkamp [00:00:04]:
Welcome to the Hot Dish Comfort, food for middle America. I'm Heidi Heitkamp.

Joel Heitkamp [00:00:08]:
And I'm Joel Heitkamp. We're gonna give out some good advice today, aren't we, Heidi?

Heidi Heitkamp [00:00:13]:
Well, I don't know if it's good, but it's the kind of advice that we give, which is you're mad about something, you're concerned about something, there's always something you can do.

Joel Heitkamp [00:00:22]:
Actually, I thought it was good advice because we never agree on anything. That way, they can hear both sides of it. Heidi. That's what I was thinking.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:00:28]:
Well, you know, we've kind of planned this episode around, 'What can you do?' Because so many people are saying, I'm upset, I want to know where the biggest impact could be for my engagement and my involvement. And then over the weekend, guess what happened? Millions of people turned out for the Hands Off rally. Joel, talk a little bit about what you saw in North Dakota, because, I mean, North Dakota is a ruby, ruby Red state.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:00:56]:
But yet people came out.

Joel Heitkamp [00:00:57]:
Yeah, thousands of people came out. The signs were unbelievable. The energy was wild. To me, it reminded me a lot of what I saw during Trump 1. But the truth of the matter is, it was a different crowd, Heidi. It really was. It was a different crowd in that it brought a more bipartisan group of people together. And of course, in a ruby Red state like this, you have to. To have thousands of people turn out. But everybody had somewhat different reasons. But everybody had some reasons that they completely agreed upon.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:01:32]:
Yeah, think about that. Like before, when you saw the Women's March right after the inaugural, that was all about reproductive rights. He now has made even more people mad. And the people that he's made mad are people who haven't traditionally gone out with a sign. And I think that sign something to be said. And in fact, there's a very conservative commentator in North Dakota who drove by it in Bismarck and said, if y'all are thinking, you could ignore this, meaning the Congressional Delegation, maybe you need to recalibrate. Because he said, this feels to me like the Tea Party movement of the early 2000s.

Joel Heitkamp [00:02:11]:
And I know who you're talking about. I work with him on the radio all the time. But what I would add is obviously the part that got your attention, too, the second part of that, which is you. You know, it's up to people like you and I and others on the other side of the aisle of the majority to harness that. You know, what are we gonna do with that energy? Or are we just gonna celebrate it?

Heidi Heitkamp [00:02:29]:
Yeah. Well, I think that's right. And that's. That's why we're getting lots of emails asking what they can do to fight back. So, Joel, this is your turn to give a little advice.

Joel Heitkamp [00:02:40]:
That's right, and we're gonna answer that question for you. We're gonna focus on that question more in future episodes. But today we have some specific feedback from previous guests on our show, and they've been giving us a lot of great ideas. Now, here's what we've been hearing about where you should concentrate your efforts. Number one, focus on your local community. This is where you can make the most significant impact. Number two, listen to others concerns without arguing, try to understand what their concerns are rather than focusing on their opinions.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:03:13]:
Yeah, I just have to ask, Joel, is that usually what you do?

Joel Heitkamp [00:03:17]:
Well, I get paid to do the opposite, you know, Heidi, and quite frankly, I don't get paid that much. I should really be taking that advice. I should do it. Number three, pick one or two key issues to focus on, like healthcare, education, or the environment. Focusing on one or two issues will keep you from getting distracted or overwhelmed. And that is something I do.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:03:40]:
Yeah, it is. But I think that when you get to the last one, you know, focus on those things that really affect your life. So you can speak with a lot of clarity and a lot of legitimacy and authenticity as you're kind of focusing on these problems in America.

Joel Heitkamp [00:03:58]:
The other thing I would add is that you don't have to agree with the message as well as what you could learn from the messenger. Let me give you an example. Sports metaphor, right? Everyone knows that the Green Bay Packers are evil. But if they're. If they're.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:04:15]:
We have listeners in Wisconsin.

Joel Heitkamp [00:04:17]:
Heidi's a Packers fan, and I'm a Vikings fan. But the truth is, if the Green Bay Packers are playing better than you, what are they doing better than you?

Heidi Heitkamp [00:04:25]:
Right.

Joel Heitkamp [00:04:25]:
And I think the Democrats haven't learned very well what you just talked about and how good the Trump administration is at that. Don't look at what's happening in this hand over here. We want you to look at this hand over there. And Democrats need to be able to filter through that.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:04:41]:
Yeah. But what I would say to that is that in many ways, his taking on Greenland and Canada and wanting to run the Kennedy center taking over Smithsonian, that may be too much flooding. And so I think that we don't want to be like, responding to everything. But we also know that with him, this chaos message that people are delivering that I just can't keep up, it seems chaotic. It doesn't seem very directed. And a lot of this stuff doesn't affect me that that's resonating, I think with a lot of people out there. And I saw that in the interviews with the protesters when they said give one word to describe the administration. Chaos, undisconnected, you know, random was frequently messaged.

Joel Heitkamp [00:05:31]:
And my message that I was getting at, Heidi, was that don't fall for looking at the other hand. And I don't think America did when it came to this economic issue. When it came to their 401ks. They didn't care about any conversation about JD Vance going to Greenland. They cared about their 401k.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:05:50]:
Like I said, those things that are most directly affecting you, whether it is a child who's disabled whose Title One is being threatened, those are stories that you should let other people know because they're critical for people to understand the impact of what DOGE has done. And so those are points on kind of where you find your voice. But you also have an opportunity to find your pocketbook and yes, contribute locally. There's tons of organizations. The more people who show up and talk to the other volunteers and get them engaged in advocating for these programs is critical. So volunteering and donating money to local libraries, schools, 4H programs, or the Boy Scouts or Meals on Wheels, pretty critical. Plus you're going to meet people who care about the same thing you care about. If you're out volunteering, support local news media. And I can't say this enough.

Joel Heitkamp [00:06:45]:
Hello! Hello!

Heidi Heitkamp [00:06:48]:
That should have been yours! But maybe it was too much of conflict of interest. If you want to know what's going on in your community, there's such a big movement right now, Joel, to bring independent media, non-biased media back. But if you're interested in finding out what's going on in your community, tune in. Tune in to local television, tune into local radio, support those programs. And you know, Joel, you run a text club. People can talk to you almost instantaneous. And it gets you a better sense of what's going on. But we know that congressional folks listen to your show because they want to be able to respond if you say something they don't like. Right? So don't think that you're not talking to people in power when you call in to talk radio, when you write a Letter to the Editor.

Joel Heitkamp [00:07:40]:
There's a lot of truth to that. And I would also add that the easiest way possible, that you can communicate is the best way possible. Heidi, you were a Tax Commissioner. You were Attorney General. You were a United States Senator. I served in the State Senate for a long, long time. The truth is, we got back to people. And if they don't get back to you, then it's on you to keep up. But the truth is, most politicians will get back to people. I know you did.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:08:06]:
Talking to your local officials, that gets back. And those numbers, people always say, what about calling into your Congressional Delegation? And I always say, look, you're not gonna get an adequate response if you're mad. Cause they'll just "blah, blah, blah." But what will happen is they will keep a count. I kept a tally. You know, how many people called today, who did this? And so, it matters. It matters that you're reaching out. Go to your local school board meeting. There's just a lot of issues. And you can find a place where you can talk about it in the public square. And finally, you know, get politically engaged. We know that the more we can see organization and resources for organization and volunteers for organizations, it brings back hope. And that really kind of dovetails into your conversation with Jess Piper. I mean, she has been out there, Joel, doing everything that she can to kind of remind the Democratic Party that we matter, too. How did that go?

Joel Heitkamp [00:09:05]:
Oh, it was amazing. She is one of those people that, to use a phrase that I use often, I would give my car keys to in a tough bar. You know, she's a fighter, and she is someone that isn't afraid to take on someone when she knows they're wrong. I could have talked to her all day.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:09:25]:
Yeah. And at great risk to herself and worrying about her kids and the safety of her kids. So I can't wait to hear that conversation, Joel. And one thing. Listen to the Hot Dish. We're going to talk more about this. We're going to bring more organizers to the Hot Dish, talking about what they're doing. But, you know, right now, things are moving organically. I mean, to me, all of the handmade signs that tells you that this is organic. I mean, there wasn't somebody out there telling you what to write. And some of the signs were pretty darn funny, Joel.

Joel Heitkamp [00:09:59]:
That's a gross, gross understatement.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:10:02]:
And people are so darn clever, aren't they?

Joel Heitkamp [00:10:05]:
Oh, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Those are some of the things I- I was mad I didn't think of as a talk show host. I'm like, why didn't I think of that?

Heidi Heitkamp [00:10:13]:
Oh, you know. You know what they always say. Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. So let's listen to Jess and then come back on the other end. Joel.

Joel Heitkamp [00:10:23]:
You bet.

Joel Heitkamp [00:10:28]:
This is a real treat for me. I've heard a lot about Jess Pifer. Jess is. Well, she's from a small farm on the Missouri Iowa border, so she knows what rural is all about. She's a teacher. She majored in English, which scares the heck out of me because obviously I'm the one whose English isn't all that strong. University of Arkansas. So she knows what it's like to cheer for a winning team here and there. But after the 2016 election of Donald Trump, she got active. That's right. She became politically active. In fact, even ran in 2022. And just because she lost didn't mean she stopped. She went about working with and now basically runs blue Missouri, which a little bit jealous of, has raised over 350k for those legislative races where they can elect more blue candidates. Jess, that's a long introduction. I get it. But I've been looking forward to meeting you. I wanted people to know more about you. So thanks for joining us on the Hot Dish.

Jess Piper [00:11:28]:
Absolutely. Thanks for having me, Joel. This is going to be a lot of fun.

Joel Heitkamp [00:11:32]:
Okay, so you decided that you're diving in the third end of the pool. I mean, what made you get so politically active?

Jess Piper [00:11:40]:
Well, after, you know, Trump was elected, because I had kind of been, you know, just surfing through life. Obama was president and it was okay. And then I was shell-shocked after Trump was elected. Even in my rural space where I saw, you know, all the Trump banners and the, the signs and the flags and everything else. But in 2018, Missouri passed an abortion ban, no exemptions for rape or incest. And so that really woke me up. But as a teacher in Missouri, you can't run for office and also be a teacher. So I still didn't run until 2020. I voted. I went down to my local polling place to vote for Joe Biden, and there was no one down ballot, no Democrat for me to vote for. And I, I'd had it. I thought, it's enough. If nobody else is going to run, I'm going to run. I did. I got taken to the woodshed. It was, it was a tough race. I lost big time. But, you know, I learned a lot in the process.

Joel Heitkamp [00:12:36]:
You know, that isn't a bad thing, though, because in the end, that loss got us you. You know, so I, I know it had to hurt, get out, getting out of teaching, but, you know, that had to be a big decision. You know, your passion, your, your degree, your everything was based upon teaching. I mean, that had to be a real big step for you, Jess.

Jess Piper [00:12:59]:
Yeah, it was kind of a gut punch. I had worked at rural schools all my life and I finally landed my dream job where I was teaching American literature, which was my favorite. The kids were great and I had to walk away from it. But like you said, I, I still feel like I'm teaching. It's just a whole different method and a, a different classroom.

Joel Heitkamp [00:13:19]:
Well, tell me about Blue Missouri, because that was the next step. I mean, what, what is Blue Missouri? What, why is it out there?

Jess Piper [00:13:27]:
So we have this umbrella organization. It's called Every State Blue. And underneath that umbrella we have Blue Missouri, Blue Ohio, and Blue Tennessee. And the founders reached out to me after I lost because they were like, you know, we're mostly supporting rural candidates and we'd like for you to be the voice. And it was, it was completely aligned with everything I was doing. I don't know if your listeners know this, but just because you run as a Democrat doesn't mean that you get funding from the Democrats. And I received exactly zero cents from my state party or from obviously from the DNC. But I ended up raising more than any race in the entire state for State ledge. I raised $275,000 in a district that hasn't elected a Democrat in 32 years. So people are like, what is going on? And the Republicans started noticing. And of course I was being attacked here and there, but I mean, nothing could hurt me. I was a, I was a middle school teacher for eight years. You can't hurt my feelings. But I raised this money and realized that other people should be able to do that as well. And so Blue Missouri crowdfunds money for down ballot Democrats in the reddest, the roughest, the toughest districts, people who never get a cent from anybody. We were funding people, we were sending checks of, you know, $5,000, $6,000 to people who had raised $500 or $600. And so this was life changing money for these small campaigns.

Joel Heitkamp [00:14:56]:
Has it paid off? Are you seeing some wins with that?

Jess Piper [00:14:59]:
We didn't flip any seats, but what we did do was see that our abortion ban was overturned. And I have all the faith in the world that we were driving out voters in places that hadn't been, you know, talked to in decades. We supported a woman down in the 8th congressional district, the reddest place in Missouri. She got 15% of the vote. But I was like, they haven't had a candidate since 2012. The problem is Democrats are teaching other Democrats to vote for Republicans because no one's on the ballot. And so if you go a decade, if you go two decades without having a Democrat to vote for, you assume, one, Democrats don't care about you, or two, there are no Democrats in your area. And that's what we've been dealing with in, in states like Missouri for a long time.

Joel Heitkamp [00:15:47]:
So do you think it's an, I mean $275k? I mean there's a reason they attacked you. You got people's attention. And so was that because of a single issue or was that because finally we had a Democrat to vote for?

Jess Piper [00:16:02]:
Finally we had a Democrat to vote for. And finally someone sang the truth. I'm a progressive in a town of 480 people in a ruby Red district. I mean, they've taken away bodily autonomy, the shoulders off of our roads. You meet a combine, you're going to be in trouble. Right? There's nowhere to go. Our schools are four days a week, our hospitals are closing, we have a brain-drain because they are emptying out our small little towns. And so it wasn't one issue, it's that someone is saying something about the issues. And I'm not scared to talk about things that are going on in the Democratic Party either. I'm not scared to say that we should have been standing up for rural people a long time ago. And that because you looked at rural places and you put your hands up and said it's too red. Well, friend, that's a self fulfilling prophecy. Now look, we don't have one Democrat elected statewide in Missouri. So I know the plan for the last two decades has been we send money to flippable or winnable races. How's that worked out? It has been the worst policy, the worst strategy we could have ever imagined. Walking away from working class people and rural people has been detrimental to our state. But now look to the entire country.

Joel Heitkamp [00:17:12]:
Well, before we get into the issues, the reason that somebody like you ran, somebody like me ran, those type of things, I want to talk to you about the price you pay for what you did because you mentioned the size of your town. It isn't that much different than the town I live in. Did they know that you were a progressive before you put your name on that ballot?

Jess Piper [00:17:32]:
Yeah, there were indications in 2018, my representative, who I knew wrote to the local paper and talked about, you know, signing that abortion ban with no exemptions and because I couldn't get a hold of him, because I, I texted him, I called him, I emailed him, I wrote him a real letter with a stamp. And then I started posting about him. And this man still would not contact me. And I tell this story often, but it's unbelievable. After a few weeks of him not contacting me, I'm sitting on the couch with my husband. I turned to my husband and I said, hey, call Allen and ask him, you know, what's going on with him signing this abortion ban. Twenty minutes later, my husband got a call from my representative after I'd been trying to contact him for weeks. My husband says, give Jess a call. She's the one who wants to talk to you. And as soon as he called, I lit into him. You know, I was mad. And he told me two things: Jess, I don't have to talk to you. And I'm calling you out of a favor to your husband. I didn't know what to do with myself. I, like. I think I blacked out. I don't know what happened, but I was so angry that he would treat me like that. So. So because of that, I wrote a letter into the Maryville Forum, our local paper, and outed myself as someone who believes in bodily autonomy for women. So that was tough. You can imagine how well that went over in tiny little schools. Right? But I truly believe that. And so, yes, people did know.

Joel Heitkamp [00:18:56]:
You know, I've got five sisters, a wife, and two daughters that are all progressives, and they're where you're at. I would not have wanted to be him if he would have said that to them. So, Jess, I want to go back to the small town, though, because one of my goals here on the Hot Dish is to convince people in rural areas to run, to realize you can win, the same type of thing you're doing as a profession. So. But I think we need to be honest with them. I think we need to have the people listening know what goes on in a small town and others that are listening, that aren't from rural America, aren't from small towns to understand what we're up against. My community is mostly Catholic, and they preach politics from the pulpit. They do. Right now, they're issuing out political statements in regards to making sure that public money can be used for private school, all type of issues like that. I'm Catholic. I'm not as welcome as I used to be. I want to know if you went through some of that.

Jess Piper [00:20:02]:
Well, they're Evangelicals in my space. I was born and raised a Southern Baptist, no longer practicing. I lost friends. MAGA already took several of my family members. I lost my dad. We didn't speak until right before he died. He was on his deathbed apologizing for a Facebook post. And that's why this movement makes me so angry. I protested in 2020 with NEA, which there's no unions out in rural spaces. I was the only NEA member in my school, but I went down to Kansas City and protested. And I was a tenured teacher, but my husband taught in the same school, and he was not tenured. Well, guess what? They fired him.

Joel Heitkamp [00:20:40]:
Oh, you kidding?

Jess Piper [00:20:41]:
They called him three days later and they fired him. So this is what, when you talk about what people lose, they lose a lot when they run. But you put someone like me in a corner, you've already taken everything away from me. The only thing left I've got to do is to fight. And so that's what I'm doing. But people should know they're likely to lose, and other people should know they should fund people who are likely to lose, because that's how we build a bench. And it is so immoral to ask someone to run, especially in a rural place, ask them to stick their neck out and then not give them a dime. I can't stand it. And that. That's why I do Blue Missouri. And I hope I work myself out of a job. I don't want to be a political strategist. This isn't what I wanted to do with my life. I want to hang out with my donkeys and my chickens and my grandkids. Right? But we have to build back the Democratic Party by investing in rural places, in races we know will absolutely not flip. And I know that turns everything on its head. But look at what the Republicans did. Look how successful they have been by starting at the grassroots level. They have SCOTUS. They have the presidency, the House and the Senate. And this all happened with small grassroots people starting in places. I don't love the Republicans, but I can look at what they did and see that maybe we should emulate some of the things that they've done.

Joel Heitkamp [00:22:02]:
I get asked all the time why some of the areas in North Dakota, we used to have both senators, congressmen. We actually had the state Senate. When I first got into the State Senate, we were only in the minority by one seat. We won on Medicare, Medicaid. We won on federal crop insurance. We won on family leave. We won on health insurance. We won on so many issues to the point where, to some degree, they didn't need us anymore. Then they went with, you know, gays, guns, and God, you know, and that became their, their big issue. And I'm curious if, if that's your experience on that border.

Jess Piper [00:22:40]:
In the year I ran in 2022, 40% of the house races were uncontested. And that just drives me insane because people will turn around and look at people like you and I and say, you get what you voted for. Right? They'll rub our nose in it. Well, friends, who'd I have to vote for? There was no one on my ballot, which is what, you know, actually drove me to run. But beyond not having people on the ballot, the Democrats have looked at our spaces and said, it doesn't matter. We don't need to talk to these people because we can win in urban places, in suburban places, and we don't need rural America. But we found out that's not true. That's very untrue. 33% of my state is rural. How in God's name can you change anything if you don't talk to 33% of the people? That's just rural people. That's not working people. So the fact that we have decided we don't have to talk to a certain subset, and when we do, sometimes we look down our nose at them, then that's problematic for the Democratic Party. We need to come back. There's no way. There is no strategy. There is, there's no plan to get out of the mess we're in without getting rural and working class people in, you know, back into the process. And I'll tell you this, there was a study by New Hampshire Institute and it said that if we just turn out 3% more rural people for Democrats, we will impact every national election from now on. 3%! That's the lowest hanging fruit, all you got to do is come out and talk to people. And the fact that we haven't done that is maddening. But I know that you know this, I know this. I'm seeing people finally, you know, waking up and thinking, we're going to have to do better, we're going to have to talk to rural and working class people.

Joel Heitkamp [00:24:21]:
Well, I want to ask you about this because, you know, going back to what I said, which is the rural area has had it, quite frankly, pretty good policy wise. That's changing. You and I both know that's changing. You've got the Trump administration who are putting tariffs on, which are hurting our ag producers, hurting the equipment they buy, doing all of those type of things that are hurting them in the pocketbook, with the answer being we'll just subsidize You, I don't think ag producers want to be subsidized as much as what they want to have a good free market for their product. And so do you see an opening, do you see an opportunity here with the Trump administration itself kind of taking advantage of and just assuming they have the rural area?

Jess Piper [00:25:07]:
I'm seeing cracks in the facade everywhere. And so rural people are looking around and you know, I knock doors and you may have done this, too. And I would talk to people who have been under a GOP super majority for 20 years, and these folks would blame Joe Biden. And I'm like, friend, Joe Biden has no idea where Burlington Junction is, but your Representative does. And he's the one who's been voting for you. And by the way, he supports Trump and Trump is the one who is putting these tariffs on everybody. And I also need to remind people, and I know, you know this, Joel, about in Missouri, about only 12% of our rural population is farmers. Most of the people out here are just poor folks who are gathered in the place that they've always been. And so when I asked for plans from Democrats on their, you know, their plan, their strategy, what they want to do for rural people, they hand me ag policy. And I'm like, I mean, that's fantastic for 12% of the population, but what are you doing for the people who need a school and a road and a library and a hospital and the things that everyone needs? And that's where we don't have a plan. We don't.

Joel Heitkamp [00:26:10]:
Has your efforts connected with the people powerful enough? And quite frankly, with the money you're raising, I'm not so sure that you aren't one of those people now. But connected with the people I see on TV any day, Claire McCaskill, does she understand and is she trying to make a connection and use the power that she has to have people on a national scale say, no, we've got something going on here in the rural area.

Jess Piper [00:26:39]:
I worked with in the last few weeks of the Harris campaign, I worked with the people who were on her campaign for rural Americans. And the sad thing is, they didn't roll out a rural program until eight weeks before the campaign was over. And Joel, that's what they do all the time. That's what they do every single election cycle. They send people out six or eight weeks before an election, try to knock a couple doors. Nobody know out here knows who these people are. They don't know who they're talking to. They're not going to open the door they don't know you. And so nationally, I think that people are starting to think we've got to have a different strategy. Obviously this isn't working. And I did have a couple chances to talk with the people at, who were working with the Harris campaign. And that's what we have said over and over again. It's not going to work. You can't send people out six weeks before an election. Think you're going to change their mind when you don't change their mind, rub their nose in the dirt and tell them it's their own fault and they're a bunch of racists because that's what happens every single cycle. Well, you just must be racist if you won't vote for us. It's like it's, I mean, there are racists out here, but there's racists in the middle of the city too. It's way deeper than racism.

Joel Heitkamp [00:27:48]:
So tough question, one that's going to make you go, what the heck are you talking about here, Joel? But do you get pressure from friends that are progressives, that might be more middle-of-the-road Democrats, but they're progressives deep down in their heart. They're Farmers Union Democrats. Do you get pressure from them to form a third party? It's a weird question, I get it. But they think the brand of the Democratic Party in the rural area is so bad that they say, look, we've got to start a new party. I'm curious if you get those same messages.

Jess Piper [00:28:22]:
I hear it all the time. And if I, I mean, if I thought that it was viable that that we could do something different, then maybe I would talk about it. It is not viable at this point. There is no way I would ever vote for a third party candidate because it's just, you're asking to lose and maybe help the Republicans in the meantime. Now what I do hear people saying is a lot of people will think that rural people are conservative Democrats and in general, they're not. You know as well as I do, if the competition was between Bernie or Trump, a lot of rural folks are going to vote for Bernie. This progressive, this spitfire, this populist message of, you know, Down with the Oligarchy. That works really well even with rural Republicans because they are sick of being taken advantage of. They see the inequality. The problem right now is they're blaming the wrong people. They're blaming Democrats even in states where Democrats haven't been in power for decades.

Joel Heitkamp [00:29:20]:
Do you think those of us that are Democrats in the rural area do a good enough job of pointing out what the facts are. And by that, let me give you an example. Medicaid is a huge funder of keeping our rural nursing homes going, period. If it wasn't for Medicaid, we wouldn't have it. And yet, when you talk about Medicaid, the perception people have of Medicaid is completely separate than from what it does. And so should those of us that need to support Medicaid, need to support our elderly, do a better job of explaining who's on Medicaid and what it does in the rural area?

Jess Piper [00:29:59]:
I think we definitely need to do a better job of that. There, I have a friend who actually owns a couple of nursing homes, and she's a progressive, and she talks about the fact that most of the people in the nursing home are using Medicaid funds. So we need people like that that we know to say, hey, this isn't just whatever you think it is. And by the way, 40% of the births in Missouri are, are funded by Medicaid. So we're supposed to be Pro Life, but we're pulling the rug out from underneath pregnant women in this state. And obviously children, I think over 30% of the kids in my state are covered under Medicaid. So it is worth talking about and it is worth saying over and over again, you won't have access to assisted living or a nursing home for your family member if we unravel Medicaid.

Joel Heitkamp [00:30:50]:
So if you were sitting down with one of those candidates that you've raised money for that's going to run Blue in one of those Red rural areas, and he or she said, all right, Jess, if I do this, how do I explain certain issues? I'm not asking about the abortion issue because I think that 60-65% of rural America actually believes in a woman's right to choose. What I'm asking about is guns. I want to know what your advice would be to that candidate to answer to somebody when they say, Democrats want to take away your guns. What would you tell them to say?

Jess Piper [00:31:24]:
Well, what I always said is, my entire inheritance was guns. Every rural Democrat I know is a gun owner. And that's why it's so funny when people call us "gun grabbers." I'm like, what? I have no idea what you're talking about. It's never been true for us in rural areas. And that's why Republicans, especially those that are supposed to be rural Republicans, have such a hard time with rural Democrats because we are like them, because we were raised the same, because we were born with the same values and the same morals and how can you fight back against me? What they think about us causes, you know, cognitive dissonance when I knock on their door because I didn't show up looking like I'm supposed to look. I look like their next door neighbor. I taught their kids, I'm in the community, my kids played football, you know me. And that's why we have to have candidates everywhere knocking doors. Because eventually people who told me they can't vote for me because I'm a Christian, if I come back in two years, and they're like, well, you know, my Representative voted again to defund the schools, right? And I'm like, well, here I am. I wouldn't do it. So we're not going to change people's mind and cycle. It's going to take several cycles. But when they see us out and about in the community, they know we're a Democrat. I mean, we show up at the local Democratic Party, we show up at the pound and walk the dogs, feed the dogs. We do regular things, we do trash pickup, we do the stuff that we're supposed to do. And people can look at us and go, well, I thought they were supposed to be, you know, nasty baby eaters. And it looks like they're regular people.

Joel Heitkamp [00:33:01]:
Exactly. What you just said is so important. But I think it's vitally important that people on a national scale understand what we live with and how important it is in the rural area. I also think, Jess, at times, I mean, you're looking at a Harley rider. I mean, I'm constantly on my motorcycle, I'm constantly in my old Jeep running around on the back roads. I don't think they in the rural area ever perceive a Democrat doing those type of things. I don't think they, they think of Democrats when it comes to personal freedoms and hell raising every now and then, for lack of a better way of putting it. And I don't know how we convince the urban people to understand us culturally that way.

Jess Piper [00:33:46]:
I think talking about it a lot and quite honestly, I have had my eyes opened. I was on Twitter for a decade. It was my drug of choice. I loved that place. And then it just turned into Nazis R Us. And I finally, after the election, you know, I got off. I couldn't take it anymore. But I did join Bluesky. And so I found all of my people there. And what I realized was there are a lot of Democrats that hate rural people. And I was surprised by that fact because even though we say, "I'm a Democrat," they're like, "Your part of the country is the reason we elected Trump. Your part of the country is the way it is." And this is what I say, Joel. Rural people make up 20% of the population. How in God's name could we elect a president? It could not, even if every damn one of us voted for Trump, we couldn't have elected him. So, by God, there must be some people in the, in the towns and in the suburbs that are voting for Trump. So that's the first thing to get across to these people, is that we have to, we have to get along. Urban, rural, suburban. You know, we have to all get along if we're going to keep rowing in the right direction. But also, tell the truth. Tell the truth until the cows come home. Even if it's something that Democrats don't want to hear, we have to say it. When Chuck Schumer decided that he was going to capitulate and nine other Senators decided they were going to vote for that budget, I was mad. But I didn't know if it was just me, so I ended up speaking a couple days, I had several speaking events afterwards, and I would ask the people. They were mad because they want someone to fight for them. If we can't beat them right now, then we stand up, we draw a line in the sand and say, you won't go this far. We're not going to let you. And that's what people need to hear. Fighters. They want people to fight.

Joel Heitkamp [00:35:33]:
Same thing here. I was mad. I was mad as hell. I mean, I was like, we're in a fight here. And we backed out. So I understood Jeffries and the rest of the people in the House. But my big fear is, you've already proven that you can do something about it. I mean, you have, I've got 350,000 reasons I trust you to point out you're doing something. My big fear is that Ken Martin isn't going to pull you into a meeting and put you up in front of people and let you be heard in front of a group of urban progressives so they understand your passion. And, you know, you say you've had some speaking engagements. I want you speaking in New York City. You know, are you going to get that opportunity? Do you think so?

Jess Piper [00:36:21]:
I have been able to speak in some pretty big places. I just came back from Phoenix, but I was talking to teachers. And the funny thing is, they weren't all Democrats. They were joined about public school, and it was nonpartisan. So I had to be a little less bold than I normally am. But I just, I swung for the fences. I thought, if you're going to give me this stage, I'm going to go for it, right? And there were people afterwards that are like, oh, my God. And it's so funny, because this is who I am. This is where I came from. My grandparents and my great grandparents were farmers and miners, and they were FDR Democrats, and they had a picture of him over the fireplace because that man knew what to do to bring them out of a depression. And he did it. And now this administration is unrolling all of it. So as, as I go across the Heartland, I always remind people where they are. So, I mean, a lot of this has to do with education as well, but reminding people where they came from. You are rural, and you need someone to stand up and fight for you. The reason we're out here, and you could probably agree with this, too, I don't want to be part of an HOA. I don't want someone telling me what to do. If I, If I've got to burn something, I'm going to burn it in the backyard. Right? This is what we're about. We're as much about freedom as a rural Republican. So it's time that we talk to our neighbors and tell them how much we have in common.

Joel Heitkamp [00:37:36]:
By the way, come up here and guest host my radio show sometime. But I drove down the main highway going into Sisseton, South Dakota, and outside there by a mile on the east side, there was a beautiful farmstead. You know, beautiful. You would have looked at it and said, hey, they're doing well in life. They keep up the yard, they keep up the land. I mean, draw that image in your head. On the flagpole, where the school bus went by every day, every school bus went by, was an "F. U. Joe Biden." This is one of my biggest wins because, you know, I have that broad area of range. But I kept on it. I kept on it. I kept on it. Finally, a Democrat insisted and called me and said, "He took it down, Joel. You can quit saying the name of our town." And apparently he got a lot of heat. But my point is, I picked a fight and we won the fight. And he didn't change, but at least he took down that flag.

Jess Piper [00:38:32]:
I have to tell you, I have a very similar story in that a neighbor that I can see, he, after the election, I had Biden signs up, which is, you know, pretty dramatic out in my area. And, and my neighbor put up a sign that said, "F Biden and FU for voting for him." And it was pointed right at my house. And as you said, the school bus drove by there. They dropped kids off right in front of that sign. My other neighbor across the street, who is a Republican, now he's not a Trump voter, but he's a Republican, and he's in his 80s, he walked himself across the street and told him, you take it down or I'm taking it down for you. And he did. And I couldn't believe it.

Joel Heitkamp [00:39:14]:
Well, I'm going to tell you this, Jess, I would give you my keys in a tough bar. You come up and I'd love to meet you in person. Thanks for coming on the Hot Dish.

Jess Piper [00:39:22]:
I appreciate you so much. This was so much fun. Thank you.

Joel Heitkamp [00:39:25]:
It really was.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:39:31]:
Jess Piper is such an amazing example of how we can work harder to fight back and fight for our democracy and just have the chutzpah to do it. People will get pushed to the point or bullied to the point where they will push back. And one of the things that happened last week was this amazing lawyer. They tried to bully her not to testify in front of Congress. And she just said, "If not me, then who?" And I think we all need to ask ourselves that question.

Joel Heitkamp [00:39:56]:
Yeah, well, Heid, it's your profession. I mean, it's what you went to school for. I've got a daughter that's an attorney as well. I'm glad that you've got some attorneys that will go in front of Congress. I'm not gonna lie to you. I was really disappointed in some of the high profile law firms that cut deals with the president saying, you know, we'll bend knee here, we're afraid of you. That drove me nuts. But they're not like Jess just was. I mean, could you possibly imagine her being threatened and saying, 'okay, okay, I'm sorry, I guess.' I mean, that isn't who she is, period.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:40:34]:
And she was threatened!

Joel Heitkamp [00:40:36]:
Oh, yeah.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:40:37]:
I mean, you know, yeah, yeah. Her husband's job, had the whole nine yards and it just made her more determined. So let's learn to be respectful. You know, it takes all of us.

Joel Heitkamp [00:40:49]:
And the thing to keep in mind, we know now after hearing her, that she's doing amazing work. The question is, does it motivate you? Are you doing hard work in your local community? Do you have any suggestions on how to fight back? You need to let us know.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:41:05]:
Email us your thoughts. Our email address is podcast@onecountryproject.org. That's podcast@onecountryproject.org.

Joel Heitkamp [00:41:17]:
You know, and you can also reach us on Bluesky and Substack.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:41:20]:
Yeah. Our Substack is gaining a lot of attention and we're proud of it. It's a great place to kind of enter the discussion and the dialogue.

Joel Heitkamp [00:41:28]:
Exactly. The key is to interact, and that includes with us. Podcast@onecountryproject.org is a great place to start.

Heidi Heitkamp [00:41:37]:
Yeah. So thanks for joining us today on the Hot Dish, which is brought to you by One Country Project, making sure the voices of the rest of America are heard in Washington. Learn more at ocountryproject.org.

Joel Heitkamp [00:41:52]:
We'll be back in two weeks with more Hot Dish comfort food for middle America.