What would happen if we paid as much attention to rural schools and hospitals as we have to the so-called "border crisis?"

A map like the one above of the 2020 presidential election is perhaps the best way to capture the political divide between urban and rural America. It is so deep that Republicans have beaten Democrats in rural counties by a margin of about 47 points. Hence, we see endless articles on the left about how the party can improve that performance.

I recently wrote about how impressed I've been with Jessica Piper, who ran as a "dirt road Democrat" in rural Missouri. As a teacher, she has focused on how efforts in Missouri to use taxpayer dollars to fund private schools are decimating rural public schools.  Take a listen.

School vouchers harm rural kids in particular. We have already defunded rural MO schools with 1/3 on a 4 day school week. Now Missouri lawmakers will pull even more funding from public schools. It’s a scam, friends. pic.twitter.com/xCTj6NKP0t

— Piper for Missouri (@piper4missouri) January 15, 2023

One of the main reasons so many rural public schools in Missouri have gone to a 4-day week is because of a teacher shortage due to the fact that the state ranks last in the nation for average starting teacher salary. Now Republicans in the state are considering legislation that would pull even more money out of public schools. As Piper points out, rural Missourians don't have access to the private schools the state is funding. As she says, there are no private or religious schools within 60 miles of where she lives in northwest Missouri. 

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds and her Republican colleagues in the state legislature also want to take money from public schools to fund so-called "school choice." J.D. Scholten outlined how that will affect the rural areas of his state.

If you live in rural or small town Iowa you need to pay attention with what’s happening at the Capitol!

Gov. Reynolds controversial School Vouchers bill will hurt rural and small town Iowa communities. pic.twitter.com/j7huMR98ig

— J.D. Scholten (@JDScholten) January 14, 2023

Scholten notes that 75% of the school districts in Iowa don't have a private school. So the Republican voucher program will only benefit students in 25% of the state's school districts - which are obviously concentrated in urban/metro areas. 

While it's true that Republicans are nationally working on policies to defund schools, it is likely that their success will be felt first and foremost in rural areas where public schools are already feeling the pinch financially. On the ground, Democrats like Piper and Scholten are sounding the alarm. The rest of the party should be supporting their efforts. 

The other issue that could be important for rural Democrats is the continuing collapse of rural hospitals. 

Since 2010, 120 rural hospitals have closed, according to University of North Carolina researchers. And today, 453 of the 1,844 rural hospitals still operating across the country should be considered vulnerable for closure.

The factors affecting this crisis are multiple. But it is clear that the states where the situation is most dire are those that have refused the expansion of Medicaid that was included in Obamacare. According to a report from the Chartis Center for Rural Health, "being in a Medicaid expansion state decreases by 62 percent the likelihood of a rural hospital closing. Conversely, being in a non-expansion state makes it more likely a rural hospital will close."

When I think of these two issues facing rural Americans, I am reminded that Republicans and right wing media have managed to convince us all that there is an immigrant crisis at our Southern border. Those claims are a bit specious. But I have to wonder what would happen if Democrats and mainstream media were to give the same kind of attention to collapsing public schools and hospitals in rural communities all over the country. It would sure be nice to find out.