50 State Strategy and Wyoming
If WyomingBlueDog doesn't comment on this post, I'll take as a personal insult.
A good example of how the DNC's 50 State Strategy meshes with the Western Democratic Strategy (from Roll Call). The article is subscription only, but here are the good parts about the West:
In 2004, Mike Gierau and other Wyoming Democratic leaders wanted to boost the Kerry-Edwards ticket's local profile by securing some bumper stickers. But helping local Democrats in a state that the ticket was certain to lose in a landslide was not exactly the first priority of either the national party or the presidential campaign. So Gierau, now the state party chairman, was reduced to ordering the items from an online store.What a difference two years - and a new Democratic National Committee chairman, Howard Dean - can make.
As part of Dean's strategy to build up the Democratic Party infrastructure in all 50 states, the DNC has committed $120,000 to Wyoming over two years - enough to hire a field director and a communications director, rather than just an executive director, as in the past.
The DNC also donated $5,000 to jump-start the party's grass-roots organization, said party executive director Kyle DeBeer. The party plans to have teams of 25 volunteers deployed in 57 key precincts on Election Day.
"I don't see that as too much money to create a presence and rattle the boat and win some more seats" in the Republican-dominated Legislature, said Democratic state Rep. Pete Jorgensen, who also serves as a Democratic national committeeman. Jorgensen argued that House challenger Gary Trauner might be able to knock off Rep. Barbara Cubin (R) this fall and that Democrats may be able to defeat some of the weaker Republican legislators. If so, he said, "that would be money well spent."
The idea behind Dean's 50-state strategy is to rebuild the Democratic Party, even in long-forsaken areas, from the ground up. Fundamentally, it is a long-term plan for Democratic revival.
...
If the Dean strategy is unpopular in the District, it's being received with excitement by Democrats here and in such neighboring states as Idaho and Montana . At long last, they say, the national Democratic Party is recognizing that red-state Democrats exist - and that gains can be made in a region where the party slowly is improving its position after being routed in election after election during the 1990s.
In 2004 and 2002, for instance, Democrats Brian Schweitzer and Dave Freudenthal won the governorships of Montana and Wyoming , respectively, and the party won control of the Montana House and Senate two years ago. This year, Sen Conrad Burns (R-Mont.) is in a fight for his political life, and Democratic House candidates have at least outside chances of flipping Republican seats in Idaho and Wyoming.
To many party insiders, such developments suggest that the Mountain West could be one of the most important growth areas for Democrats in the coming years.
This is how Western Democrats and the DNC's 50 State Strategy mesh. If we just look at recent election results and see that big sea of Red between Chicago and California, we'd be convinced that it doesn't get any redder than the Interior West. If we were smart, we'd forget about those folks and hedge our bets in places where our kind fits. But, forgetting about the rest of the country, especially a place so ripe for Democratic types, is backwards.
The 50 State Strategy lets local political folks call their own shots and develop an even deeper cadre of guys like Schweitzer and Frudenthal who can win in the West. They aren't going to be Democrats like the ones they have back East, but they are going to be Democrats that win. And, the DNC is now giving the state party the resources to do the job their way.
Emmett O'Connell | July 18, 2006 | Comment on This Post (7 so far) |
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Hello,
I think this post is right on target. The intent is to build a state party over the long term, not just for the upcoming elections.
I believe that Cubin will be defeated, and when that happens, the DNC will support the Wyoming Democratic Party with more funds.
Here in Wyoming, there is growth for a candidate who actually stands for something. Here, both Republicans and Democrats look and sound the same.
Wyoming citizens and voters are smart like every where else in this country. We need candidates and a party that will not characterize us all as backward, ranchers, gun toting, cowboy boot wearing, meat eaters.
Posted by: Daniel Cardenas | Jul 18, 2006 9:49:12 PM
Are you sure you want me to comment?
: )
Well since it appears so, here goes.
Holistically, this is great. I applaud Screamin' Dean's 50 state strategy in regards to actually caring about the Democratic Party, well, in all 50 states.
As I've always said about Howard Dean, my biggest problem with him (outside of his horrid campaign persona in 2004), was HOW, as DNC Chair, he raises money. McAuliffe finessed and cajoled millionaires and billionaires from around the country, thus creating a steady stream of a LOT of money, that McAuliffe and the Dems could count on pouring in continuously and steadily. It paid off, when Kerry actually raised more money than Bush in 2004. Dean's strategy for raising money reflects his 04 pres campaign in that, he's mailing all of these middle class grassroots Dems around the country, regular folks like me, who are likely happy to give the first time they get an envelope from the DNC... but not as much so, the fouth time they get an envelope. And the amount is a miniscule fraction of what McAuliffe's well-to-do Dems were able to funnel in. So that's my problem with Dean. Just wanted to clarify.
In regards to our US House contest....
Trauner is horrible. Go back to his website and look up where he stands on abortion, flag burning, gay marriage, and the death penalty.
Give up looking? That's because they're not there. He's got the views of an east coast liberal running in bright red Wyoming, in regards to social issues. He's not winning, and I'm not voting for him. So am I voting for Cubin? God no. Unfortunately, for the 2nd election in a row, I have to write someone in because the (D) and (R) choices for our house seat are on either extreme. I'm leaning toward frmr. Gov. Mike Sullivan or former Sec. of State Kathy K.
Sure Schweitzer and Freudenthal are successes. And I hope Tester whups Burns (I'm doubtful). But they did so by rebuking much of what the national Democratic Party stands for. Which is fine with me, since I'm more of a Herseth/Lieberman/Salazar/Freudenthal Democrat anyway.
But if my fellow Democrats see these two fine governors and others like them as the future, then they must understand what they bring to the table with them: a love of guns, support of the death penalty, restrictions on abortion (or outright opposition such as Senator E. Ben Nelson of NE), opposition to gay marriage, very little environmentalism, opposition to affirmative action, and a renegade attitude. Again which is fine with me, but others may take umbrage.
Posted by: WyoBlueDog | Jul 19, 2006 2:55:44 PM
Very little environmentalism, or just environmentalism from a different point of view?
Posted by: Emmett O'Connell | Jul 19, 2006 3:09:27 PM
Hello,
I think the environmentalism issue is important, and so do most Wyomingites.
We have the cleanest air of any state in the Union, and I think we want to keep it that way.
Its not the same environmentalism on the West Coast, but still it is environmentalism.
We want to hunt and fish and enjoy our outdoors and public lands. It would be more towards sustainable development, rather than strict envoronmentalism.
Again, if its Republican lite, then we are not Democrats, maybe liberal republicans.
Posted by: Daniel Cardenas | Jul 19, 2006 3:21:30 PM
A different kind of environmentalism is what it is, you're right Emmett. Which is ironic, since I may come across as a pessimistic pragmatist most of the time..... but am actually a raging tree hugger. I loved Al Gore's movie, and believe it is dead-on accurate, am adamantly against drilling up the Arctic Nat'l Wildlife Refuge, and believe we should create more national parks, monuments, seashores, and grasslands. And while I adore Gov Dave, I hate his pandering to a few ignorant ranchers in regards to wolves: a few environmental groups like Defenders.org and the NRDC will actually compensate a rancher for every cent lost on livestock killed by a wolf. So being "anti-wolf" is just fucking stupid.
I hate the term Republican lite, especially coming from an unelected official like you, Daniel. And I mean no disrespect too. But Dave Freudenthal was a DEMOCRAT elected in WYOMING. Who are YOU to judge HIM? If anything, he should be the one defining what a Democrat is! But I believe in the "Big Tent," like most Democrats USED to, so I'm for conservatives to centrists to libertarians to liberals to everything in between, calling themselves a "Democrat."
Posted by: WyoBlueDog | Jul 20, 2006 10:30:13 AM
I was in full agreement with the post until this last part:
"The 50 State Strategy lets local political folks call their own shots and develop an even deeper cadre of guys like Schweitzer and Frudenthal who can win in the West. They aren't going to be Democrats like the ones they have back East, but they are going to be Democrats that win."
Not like the ones they have back East? What does that mean, maybe a referral to old-style liberalism? Does that mean that Western Democrats are more likely to waste their time thinking about flag burning, prayer in schools, homosexual marriage, and a bunch of other “social issues” that are absolutely unrelated to getting us any closer to erasing poverty, ending brutal job environments in farming, services, and other low-wage sectors, or securing universal education so we can get back to the business of being the smartest country on the planet?
If that’s what an East Coast Democrat will do, then I want them (although show me one back East that stands up and makes those points in either house of Congress). I don’t want to elect a social conservative simply because they possess a D by their names on the ballot. The West used to be full of progressives, and I’m waiting for them to make a comeback. I’ll be waiting even longer for folks in our part of the country to turn their attention from things that usually do not involve them personally and focus on the issues that really matter.
Thanks for reading.
-Douglas
Reno, NV
Posted by: Douglas | Jul 21, 2006 10:14:11 PM
Douglas.... I'd suggest taking a bit more to look around this site. No one, NO ONE, is suggesting that we just become more conservative. Governor Brian Schweitzer, for example, has governed as a progressive - maybe the most progressive governor in the country over the last 18 months. And he's stunningly popular in a state Bush won with 58%.
Start by readin the op-ed that started it all (link upper left) and then dig in around Montana. Stay a while, you'll like it.
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jul 21, 2006 11:16:25 PM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
