The word "ruralism" follows the pattern of "racism" or "sexism" -- it is a prejudice against people in rural areas. I love DailyKos and read it every day, but this site, like progressives in general, have a marked tendency to exhibit ruralism and to write off people in rural areas as unintelligent, racist Republicans. This is not only a stereotypical attitude, but it is one that is working against progressives.
What people who live in rural areas get from the Republicans is the promise of "less government." This is understandable if you have followed at all the way that federal agricultural policy has decimated the rural population, allowed the area to be dominated by agribusiness, and destroyed the small family farm. If the Democrats could get their heads around this, and begin making agricultural policy that helped the small farmer, they would quickly move into the Democratic column.
But as long as we want to play City Slicker vs Country Bumpkin, we will get none of those votes.