On the subject of Middle America:
I pointed out to Jim Penton years ago that the Dixie Chicks comments abroad would likely alienate their Middle America fan base and got basically the same response
To be fair, there is a segment of liberals, mostly on the coasts, who view the inhabitants of Texas, Arizona, etc. to be a bunch of uneducated podunks.
Believe it or not, JWN was very liberal 12 to 15 years ago and comments like that were made more than a few times