Aired on August 23, 2026

• Bottom Up Economics, NAFTA, Working Class

What if America’s current political malaise lies in something other than a disconnect between voters on the left and right, or the experiences of men and women, or is more than racially based? What if the problems are also between urban and rural voters? Anthony Flaccavento posits that thirty to forty years of growing anger from rural voters who feel diminished by Democratic messaging that largely favors and supports the traditionally educated knowledge economy in urban areas over a labor economy has, in part, brought America to where we are now. His work at the Rural-Urban Bridge Institute is working to mitigate this chasm.
Listen in and meet our guest:

Anthony Flaccavento is a farmer and rural development consultant from Abingdon, Virginia in the heart of the Appalachian region. The Democratic Candidate for Congress in Virginia’s 9th in 2018, Anthony co-founded the Rural-Urban Bridge Initiative (RUBI) in 2021. RUBI works to help progressives, liberals and Democrats understand the underlying causes of the rural-urban divide and take concrete steps to win back rural and working-class people. Anthony is the author of “Building a Healthy Economy from the Bottom Up: Harnessing Real World Experience for Transformative Change” (UK Press, 2016) along with scores of articles and op-eds. He has a BS in Agriculture and a Masters in Rural Development.

“On The Porch” is hosted by Randolph ”Randy” Voller. He is also the publisher of Chatham County Line. Randy welcomes guests to the show who are from the communities of art, academia, business, and politics for friendly and informative conversations. “On The Porch” airs every Sunday at 6 and 11am, then 6 and 9pm on WCHL-FM 97.9. The show also streams on ChapelBoro.com. Current and previous shows of “On The Porch” are posted as podcasts on Spotify and Apple Podcasts
To be a guest on the show or send us a comment, email: ontheporch@wchl.com