September 2006
A little over 6 months ago, we pulled together to publicize the little-known Thurston County Conservation district election, ultimately reelecting Doug Rushton, the qualified incumbent over his Farm Bureau – building industry allied challenger, Tom Crowson.*
It’s time once again for us to pull together and get out the vote to defeat similar interests, but this time on a larger scale – the State of Washington is now at stake, not just the cities in our county’s conservation district! As former Supreme Court Justice and State Senator Phil Talmadge notes and our Treasurer Jane Johnson further details below, wealthy special interests hope to buy some new justices for our nationally renowned State Supreme Court. You may rest assured their shopping spree is not intended to ensure a fair, equitable justice system accessible to all citizens, regardless of income!
Be sure to vote in this primary (by September 19th) and remind all your friends, family and neighbors to do so, too. Compare the qualifications and judicial experience of the incumbent judges we support (Chief Justice Alexander and Justices Chambers and Owens) and follow the money that’s behind their challengers. The choices are clear and critical to the future of our State!
Looking forward to the general election, we also need to educate ourselves and others about and ultimately defeat Initiative 933, funded and pushed by the Farm Bureau and patterned after the onerous “Measure 37,” with which Oregon is now suffering. For the absurd extremes to which this has gone see The Oregonian’s June 27 article “Owner seeks to build in Newberry Crater”, describing James Miller’s claim for $200 million against Deschutes County because it won’t allow him to build and mine in the Newberry Crater National Monument.
Join the “No on 933” kick off on September 9th and make sure to attend our October 19th forum to consider ways in which growth and development may be managed with minimal adverse environmental impacts.
*Mr. Crowson appears to be the Republican’s candidate of all trades, master of none, having previously run against Congressman Baird and most recently filed against County Assessor Patricia Costello.
July 2006
Each day it is increasingly apparent what a critical election year 2006 is at all levels – from the “top of the ticket” on down. If we are to effect any policy change nationally, we must ensure Democrats gain control of Congress! Until we do, each committee remains under Republican control and with it the agenda – what work gets done (little), when it gets done (rarely) and how it gets done (secretly). I’m sure we all agree with long time Thurston County Democrat, Herb Legg, that the economic policies of the current regime desperately need changing. We can talk about investigating all the administration’s lies and incompetence, impeachment, ending our occupation of Iraq, sustainable energy, open government, a balanced budget, relieving poverty, health care, etc. until we’re blue in the face, but it will only be talk until we gain control and, with it, the ability to actually do something.
One of the first things on the agenda needs to be returning our civil liberties. In follow up to our featured guest piece on the NSA activities in our last quarterly newsletter, Tom Engelhardt was kind enough to allow us to reprint below his recent “Thirty Flew into the Cuckoo’s Nest” essay on our convoluted web of spy agencies. (If you’re not already subscribed to Tom’s insightful “dispatches,” I’d highly recommend you do so at his website www.tomdispatch.com.)
Be assured, the most recent revelation about the government’s monitoring of our financial transactions is not the end. We have not yet learned the full extent of the loss of our liberties for the sake of power hungry control since 9/11. In late June a previously sealed document in the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s lawsuit against AT&T was released which outlines how the NSA may be using secret AT&T installations to capture all Internet traffic – email, web sites accessed and voice – for surveillance. And, to make matters worse, when the Bush administration is questioned or challenged in legal proceedings, it increasingly invokes the “state secrets” cloak of secrecy.
We will not begin to know how widespread and invasive this spying activity is until Democrats control some Congressional committee assignments, and they won’t control them until they’re the majority party. And, as for court review of the Bushies increasing “state secrets” claims, it’s much more likely to happen with judges who are not partisan “strict constructionist” judges approved by a Republican Senate.
Which leads me to emphasize again the importance of the Washington State Supreme Court races this year. The efforts of well-funded and organized right wing partisans to unseat judges nationally renowned for the quality of their decisions is unprecedented. Please pay attention to these races, talk to your friends and neighbors about them and make sure they vote in the September primary as that may be where they’re decided!
If you’re like me, you too are disgusted at how money has come to dominate elections. Fortunately, we can change this! But we first have to get candidates elected who share our democratic values and belief that citizens are better represented if their lawmakers and government managers can focus more on public policy and less on fundraising. Like it or not, we’ll have to help those candidates raise funds now to get elected in order for the change we desire to have a chance of fruition.
We have two grass roots candidates running for the State legislature this year who share these values and desperately need our help: Kyle Taylor Lucas running for State Senate in the 35th Legislative District and Mike Rechner running for State Representative in the 20th Legislative District. In contrast to their opponents, neither of them have funding from large insurance, pharmaceutical or tobacco companies. Look at the PDC filings, and note the differences. You’ll see they haven’t raised close to the funds of their opponents. They need our help now – potential funding organizations are watching their fundraising success to determine whether or not to help, so please visit their websites and arrange to contribute. We’ve long needed Democratic representation in both these seats, they’ve stepped forward to run, so let’s help them get elected!
We have many fine candidates running at the county level, but I want to focus on one particular race that is the most critical: Bob Macleod’s effort to maintain his seat as Thurston County Commissioner for District 3. His challenger, this time running as a Republican, is the guy he beat four years ago, Kevin O’Sullivan, who has the big bucks of the BIAW and Farm Bureau backing him. Similar to the Supreme Court races, and Kyle’s and Mike’s races, Bob doesn’t have moneyed interests behind him. Our County Commissioners set policy at the county level and we don’t want big moneyed, outside interests determining that policy. Please contribute to Bob’s campaign!
June 2006
As the Bush administration and Republican Congress continues their descent into the many quagmires they’ve created, there’s increasing attention in the media to the opportunities Democrats have this year to gain one or both houses of Congress. We intend to continue doing our part to further this momentum by uniting to maintain the Congressional seats we now have and take more, such as the nearby 8th Congressional District.
While doing so, we can’t forget our local races, which all need our support. Most critical may be that of Commissioner Bob Macleod, who is targeted by the Building Industry Association of Washington, Farm Bureau and other outside interests in their efforts to unseat Macleod. We cannot allow these interests to buy our county! Let’s work together to reelect Bob Macleod.
May 2006
A hearty thank you to all the delegates and alternates who made our recent county convention such a resounding success! Sure we had our differences of opinion about platform planks and what the resulting platform ought to include and about some competing candidates, but there was a palpable spirit of respect, cooperation and unity that seemed to pervade. Most everyone seemed to feel it was a productive day.
I think this bodes well for the unique opportunity we have this year. Locally, we’re developing a great slate of candidates for county and legislative district offices. Even our former PCO Kyle Taylor Lucas stepped up to challenge the DINO (Democrat in Name Only) Senator Tim Sheldon in the 35th LD. This demonstrates the significant energy and passion that surrounds this year’s effort to promote our values at all levels of government.
This spirit of working together to achieve common goals is also apparent in the Congressional races. Although the 8th Congressional District (CD) does not touch Thurston County, many of us have taken a great interest in helping Darcy Burner defeat Dave Reichert because we know Democrats MUST gain control of Congress if we are to have any hope of changing the agenda, direction and demeanor of our country. Indeed, this interestis so great that the Thurston County Democrats voted April 24th to donate funds to Darcy’s race, an act that State Party Chair Dwight Pelz deemed an unprecedented commitment to unity.
The 8th CD is one of 15 House seats the Democrats must pick up in order to gain control of the House. If we can maintain each of the Senate seats we now hold and gain 6 additional, the Democrats can regain control of the Senate. More candidates are stepping up daily. Just this afternoon, James Webb, a former Republican and Navy assistant secretary and decorated Vietnam veteran, announced he’s running as an anti-war, pro-education Democrat in Virginia to counter the culture of corruption fostered by his former party in Washington.
The administration’s poll numbers are, shall we say, in the toilet. (And, yes, it is time to flush!) The only other 2nd term President in U.S. history to be similarly unpopular was Richard Nixon just before his resignation. If we stand up for our values and unite to regain Congress, we can begin to move toward a foreign policy based on diplomacy instead of unilateral, infinite war, sustainable energy, a clean environment, affordable health care and education for all, living wage jobs, and a secure future.
The Democratic National Committee will kick off its grass-roots organizing effort April 29 based upon the following elements:
- Honest and open government
- Security Energy independence
- Economic prosperity and educational excellence
- Expanded health care
- Retirement security
Maybe these aren’t perfect, but they seem like a good start to me. Let’s keep up the spirit we established at our April 8th convention and continue to work together to elect Democrats who will give us a chance to effect the change we all seek!
April 2006
Just as we were preparing this newsletter for final edit, we were informed that Evalyn Poff, one of our favorite Democrats and community members, died following a several month battle with cancer. We will miss Evalyn, such a wonderful woman who gave so much to her community and the local party throughout the years.
Coincidentally, we had prepared an article about what Evalyn meant to her many friends which we had hoped she would see before her death. This article, which appears below, will now serve as one of many tributes to her warm and positive spirit which we were so fortunate to experience during her years with us.
This is our third quarterly “tabloid format” newsletter (print edition) and, from everything we’ve heard, it’s being well received in the local community. We are very grateful to all who contributed content as well as to Christi and Lenore, and the other dedicated volunteers, who work so hard to get that content generated on time, and then edit, format and have the newsletter printed and distributed. In an effort to share perspectives about current events that may not be widely heard in the community, we’re beginning to offer a guest feature article and are delighted former federal prosecutor Elizabeth de la Vega has given us permission to print her latest piece, originally posted March 16 at TomDispatch.com, on the Bush administration’s warrantless surveillance program.
Thank you to all who turned out for the pre-caucus issue forums and the precinct caucuses this year! We had some lively discussions of a wide range of issues and the ideas recorded are currently being considered by those working on drafting a proposed county platform for consideration at the upcoming county convention. We will also be developing some community forums to learn more about some of these issues, such as health care and land use, and will have more information about these in subsequent newsletters.
And a special thanks to the Democrats in the State House and Senate and Governor Gregoire for their collective leadership in accomplishing so much in so little time during the recent legislative session. Our outstanding 22nd LD Senator Karen Fraser and Representatives Sam Hunt and Brendan Williams provide more detail and perspectives below. Suffice it to say we continue to be very proud of the job they are doing for the citizens of the district and the state. Now let’s ensure Sam and Brendan get reelected this year and let’s help make the other districts as solid as the 22nd.
As I note in the article below, the continuing effort to reinstitute discrimination by the right wing, anti-government, Biblical fundamentalist “coalition” in our state, we must speak our voice to uphold the equal rights that were finally achieved this year. There’s no need to waste the citizens’ hard earned tax dollars to vote on something that’s already been decided by our duly elected representatives, after many, many years of debate and deliberation. Let’s work to keep Referendum 65 and any related initiatives that Mr. Eyman may conjure up off the ballot.
Another initiative has just hit the streets that bears mentioning. This is the Farm Bureau’s anti-regulatory, “property-rights” Initiative 933, a cousin of Oregon’s Measure 37 which passed in 2004. We’ll be learning more about the land use issues this initiative purports to address in subsequent Thurston County Democrat meetings or local forums, but it certainly does not look like an effective method of crafting land use policy. Stay tuned for more about this in future issues of this newsletter.
Meanwhile, we’re all concerned about what’s going on in that other Washington. Among our concerns are why the warrantless surveillance of American citizens is not receiving more serious attention. See our guest feature this month by former federal prosecutor, Elizabeth de la Vega, for some thoughtful comment on this subject.
As always, feel free to contact me (johncusick@thurstondemocrats.org) with any comments regarding this newsletter.
March 2006
Most of you probably remember the precinct caucuses two years ago. Nearly 5,000 active Democrats came together with their neighbors that sunny Saturday February morning to talk about issues that concerned them and to express their support for one of the 7 candidates vying for the nomination to move forward as the Democrat’s candidate for president. It was a heady experience, reaffirming everyone’s belief in grass roots politics.
Well, it’s that time of every even numbered year again and we look forward to seeing you at your neighborhood caucus next Saturday. While we’re likely to have fewer participants this year, given the lack of a presidential race, there is clearly a palpable energy in the air around helping articulate what we Democrats believe and those shared community values upon which our beliefs are based.
In an effort to further some of that energy, we’ve conducted a series of “pre-caucus issue forums” throughout the county over the past week. Emmett O’Connell, who now chairs our education and forums committee, will report in more detail about these forums next month, but they’ve been a great way to build the party and bring new folks into the discussion that will eventually result in the 2006 Thurston County Democrats Platform at the county convention April 8th.
So, come to your precinct caucus next Saturday, discuss what you’d like to see in our platform, volunteer to work on the platform committee, become a dues paying member if you haven’t already, order one of our kick ass donkey t-shirts and get involved with the many activities we have planned for the remainder of the year.
I cannot overemphasize the value of our participation in setting the direction of the Democrats in this all important mid-term election year. We’ve got the momentum, the values, the ethics and the competence. Now, let’s wrest control of the public policy from the fundamentalist miscreants who are trashing our neighborhoods, our Constitution, our nation and our world!
February 2006
A Call for Membership
I’ve had conversations lately with several PCOs about why we have so many events and activities, during each of which we’re asking for money – usually, from the same, limited number of dedicated supporters. This leads to the question: Wouldn’t we attract more potential supporters if we spent more time educating about issues, strategizing and organizing, rather than asking admission fees for one event after the other, often at prohibitive prices for families struggling to pay for necessary food and shelter in our increasingly impoverished economy?
Believe me, along with many fellow executive committee members, I share this concern. We believe we could more successfully grow our local party, and promote Democrats in general, if we focus more on learning about and discussing issues and candidates, and organizing and strategizing around them. Unfortunately, there are significant expenses involved with doing all of this, so we’ll still have to raise funds. Wouldn’t it make sense to spread that opportunity among more supporters, so we don’t ask so few for so much?
Take a look at the draft budget summary our Treasurer, Jane Johnson, has provided below and you’ll note most of our revenue to support organizing efforts, forums, caucuses, communications and candidate support is still derived from traditional events and activities, such as the Burger Booth, Champagne Brunch and JJ Dinner/Auction. As many know, these are all very labor and cost intensive activities! Yet, although there are nearly 7,000 active Democrats receiving our quarterly newsletters, we estimate less than 1% of them will pay their annual membership dues of $20. If just 20% of our active Democrats would pay their $20 dues, we’d net more than we expect to net from these labor, cost intensive activities.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably a committed Democrat who wants to promote the values we share and elect folks who will help craft and implement public policy promoting those values locally, statewide and nationally for the benefit of all people, not just the privileged few. If you haven’t yet paid your membership dues for 2006, please consider doing so to help us make this vision a success.
January 2006
I cannot overemphasize the importance of the 2006 elections at all levels. While we’re expediting the exit of members of Congress who support the destructive policies of the Bush administration and building further momentum for the 2008 elections, we need to continue to implement the Democrat platform closer to home.
We must continue to build upon the work begun last year by affirming the responsible budget Governor Gregoire proposed to clean up Puget Sound, work toward energy independence, improve education programs at all levels, improve health care, prepare for emergencies, and reduce the unfunded liabilities of pension systems; developing a responsible medical malpractice policy and passing the anti-discrimination legislation that failed by one vote last session; continuing to work for responsible growth management and control of our communities; and electing more Democrats to county offices.
The agenda is large and ambitious but we all know it’s necessary. Now more than ever, we need YOU involved to help affect it and make it a reality.
- Plan to attend the issue oriented pre-caucus forums throughout the county this February and the precinct caucuses on March 4th.
- Consider running for a delegate or alternate to the County Convention in April and help on one of the committees.
- Apply to become a Precinct Committee Officer (PCO) or Proxy (see www.thurstondemocrats.org/PCOlist), or volunteer to help your PCO on a precinct committee.
- Attend our events, such as the upcoming Champagne Brunch, and get to know the candidates.
- Volunteer to help on a campaign or at an event.
- Help us “Walk the Talk” by volunteering at the Food Bank (and be sure to purchase one of our new t-shirts).
And, if you haven’t already renewed or established your 2006 membership, please do so now. For little more than $0.05 a day, and a chance to get a substantial discount on one of those great t-shirts, you can help us promote issues forums, organize, recruit, train and elect strong Democrats who will represent the values we all hold dear!
November 2005
I’m not sure it’s what folks like Pat Robertson or Jerry Falwell envisioned, but it does seem the winds of change swept ashore along with Katrina and Rita this year. The catalyst may have been Cindy Sheehan’s oh-so-inconvenient disruption of President Bush’s lengthy August “brush cutting” photo-op vacation and, for the administration, it’s been downhill ever since. Scooter’s been indicted and there may be more to come, some Republicans are remembering they’re supposed to do something to represent citizens, not just special interests, most Americans now recognize the long trail of deceit starting at the White House, and, hey, I hear Michael Brown, the former FEMA chief who was given a lucrative contract after leaving his job actually lost his contract!
The recent election results continued the trend, with Democrats picking up a couple of gubernatorial seats, as well as many local offices, including 7 by “our” recently endorsed candidates. Notably, candidates supporting progressive values fared well as did pro-choice women. 66% of Progressive Majority’s candidates in Arizona, Colorado and Washington were elected and Emily’s List had a record number of its candidates elected in an off-year election (see http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20051110/something_to_cheer_about.php).
As Representatives Adam Smith and Brian Baird both note in their columns below, Democrats have the opportunity to continue this success into next year’s critical mid-term elections. Doing so will require both crafting and communicating a compelling, citizen-based alternative policy platform and unity among all of us on “the left”. If we work together, we will ensure Democrats nationally regain control of the Congress. Locally, we need to continue the success we enjoyed with the non-partisan races this year and further the influence of our progressive, people oriented, values at the county level.
We will start early next year with issues forums and precinct caucuses where the many issues about which we are so passionate will be discussed and continue with a county convention and legislative district caucuses. Watch for our next newsletter in early January for more details. In the meantime, please take a moment to share your appreciation with the great candidates we helped elect to local offices this year and take time to enjoy the holiday season with those you love.
October 2005
As renowned former US House Speaker “Tip” O’Neill once noted, “All politics are local.” And, as evidenced by the content of this “election special” newsletter, I think you’ll agree we can feel pretty good about the state of our local democracy. We have some great candidates running in local races this year, and I commend each and every one of them for their commitment to be active and the many personal sacrifices involved in doing so. Please check our candidate insert and offer them your help.
We can also take pride in our active membership and all in which they’re involved, from helping those less fortunate or TCD fund raising and working to improve our local democracy and the livability of our local community to uniting nationally to speak out against the illegal and unjust war in which our nation is now engaged.
We must now sustain our local involvement and success and carry it to the national level, and we need YOUR help to do it! 2006 offers an opportunity for the Democrats to turn the tide. Not only are most Americans now aware that invading Iraq only jeopardized our security, Hurricanes Katrina and Rita have stripped the façade of “economic well being” touted by the Republicans promoting tax cuts and furthering corporate cronyism. Americans are crying out for leadership that offers them a viable opportunity to the massive transfer of assets to a select few and a return to caring for and protecting our citizens and resources.
Next year, we will elect candidates to county, state and national offices. Let’s stand up for what we believe by ensuring we elect or reelect county, state and national Democrats who commit to promote policies providing economic opportunity and security, health care, education, energy efficiency and conservation of resources, the return of our civil liberties, and peace for all citizens.
If you haven’t yet gotten around to becoming a dues-paying member, please consider doing so now. Funds are necessary to sustain and further grassroots organizing, communicating, including widely distributed newsletters such as this, developing coalitions within our local communities and helping elect solid candidates who represent our values. Please also peruse the list of precincts and, if your precinct is without a Precinct Committee Officer, let us know if you’re willing to become one, and be prepared to volunteer for one or more of the many TCD activities you’ll be hearing about over the next year.
September 2005
“Hurricane Katrina” - Will this be the disaster that ultimately undoes the ongoing disaster of the Bush administration and right-wing hijacking of Congress? It is tragic that so many of our citizens in Louisiana and Mississippi have now lost their lives or become refugees in this, the most prosperous and powerful nation on earth, because of our government’s failure to prepare for, and act following, this disaster. Without the massive diversion of funds and resources to Bush’s contrived and illegal invasion of Iraq, these deaths and displacements, along with the deaths of nearly 2,000 US military and the death and displacement of many more Iraqi citizens, may well have been prevented and we would all certainly be more secure in our “homeland.” My hope is that our national Democratic leadership are now emboldened to aggressively pursue an orderly end to the war in Iraq and the beginning of a competently managed national government that actually promotes the security and well-being of its citizens!
Locally, we have a very busy month ahead. If you wish to speak out about the war, please note the events Debby Pattin describes below.
If you’re a PCO or Proxy whose precinct is in the 9th Congressional District, be sure to attend your meeting with Congressman Adam Smith next Saturday, Sept 10 (see calendar below).
All are welcome to attend both our quarterly LD 22 meeting at 6:00pm Sept. 26 to strategize with Rep. Brendan Williams about how to ensure the defeat of I-912, the “anti gas tax initiative” which would strip needed transportation funding, and the TCDCC forum on the competing medical malpractice reform initiatives, I-330 and I-336 at 7 pm that same evening. All TCD members are encouraged to then attend the monthly TCDCC meeting, which will follow, beginning no later than 8:00pm.
August 2005
Those warm, summer days are finally with us and things are heating up! Nationally, the Bush administration is finally beginning to feel the long deserved heat of investigations into who outed Valerie Plame in an obvious effort to silence truth among knowledgeable government officials, the “Downing Street Memo” and its failed pre-emptive invasion of a nation whose citizens once posed no threat to our security.
Locally, despite the fact it’s on “off year,” campaign activities to ready for next year’s critical partisan races, as well as this year’s local non-partisan elections are heating up. We are making a concerted effort to keep you informed about pertinent campaign and election events, some of which are listed in the calendar section below. Please check www.thurstondemocrats.org regularly for updates, and for announcements about informative and educational events, such as:
- Former State Senator and Supreme Court Justice Phil Talmadge speaking on the new Talmadge Leadership Fund at the TCD annual picnic, August 18, 5:00-8:00pm.
- Competing Medical Malpractice Reform Initiatives Forum at the TCD Central Committee meeting, September, 26, 7:00pm
- “On-line” voter file training for PCOs at the TCD Central Committee meeting, October 24, 7:00pm
July 2005
With half the year now behind us, it’s helpful to pause and reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going. Among our many successes and accomplishments thus far are helping the State party ensure the gubernatorial election process was affirmed and Governor Gregoire remains in the office to which she was duly elected, supporting our fine LD 22 legislators and their colleagues in implementing one of the most progressive agendas in years, adopted and forwarded a resolution demanding an exit strategy from Iraq, implemented an attractive and informative electronic newsletter, upgraded our web site, reassessed and began to revise our campaign services offerings, held a well attended and profitable JJ Dinner and auction, began to establish a healthy campaign services fund to assist local candidates, trained PCOs in organizing precinct committees and framing issues, collaborated with local unions to begin long overdue repairs on the burger booth, and increased our involvement with local community groups and organizations, such as the Thurston County Food Bank and the Thurston County Progressive Network. We have much to be proud of and I am humbled and grateful for the cooperation, participation and hard work of so many in achieving so much.
With the elections of 2006 rapidly approaching, there’s still a lot to do! We’re increasingly concerned that “A majority of Americans think the country is on the wrong track, with the war in Iraq the most frequently cited cause for concern. But that discontent has not translated into gains for the Democratic Party...”
(see http://www.csmonitor.com/2005/0629/p02s01-usmb.html). While we Democrats seem able to distinguish ourselves and offer an alternative vision at the State and local levels, we still fail to see a comprehensive, consistent alternative vision at the national level. We can find hope in the fact we’re not alone. Other local and state party organizations are similarly implementing progressive agendas and working to affect similar change nationally.
We must continue to grow our party locally in preparation for 2006 and beyond. We have a great start, but we need to reach out further to our friends, neighbors and community organizations, sharing our human values and beliefs in what democracy can and should be at all levels. We need to identify more PCOs for all those vacant precincts, recruit more dues paying members, secure more subscribers to our newsletters and get more supporters involved and committed to change. As more community members get involved, we’re more likely to affect the change we know is needed.
June 2005
As summer approaches, the TCD continues to move full speed ahead in its party building activities. Thanks to the efforts of Linda Lombard, Helen Carlstrom and all the other volunteers, auction donors and participants, our annual Jefferson-Jackson celebration was a tremendous success, helping us raise over $9,000 for our organizing and campaign coffers. Governor Gregoire’s speech was inspirational and we're all glad to hear she intends to continue doing what’s right for the State’s citizens regardless of the political risks, Jim Smucker’s poem was a hit, and the evening was topped off by dancing to the driving democratic sounds of the Mud Bay Blues Band. We’re planning now to make next year’s event even better!
A newly revitalized “burger booth” is almost ready for action this summer season beginning with “Super Saturday” June 11th. More on this next month, but we again owe a hearty thanks to Jerry Muchmore, our 2004 Democrat of the Year, for coordinating all the maintenance activities with the very generous efforts of Mike and Paul Pelela of the Pipefitters' and Plumbers' Union.
And, perhaps most important of all, our members continue to build our community relationships, not only with our “walk the talk” efforts helping and contributing to the Thurston County Food Bank and annual Crop Walk, but also increasing our involvement with other local progressive groups, such as TCPro-Net, Veterans for Peace, etc.
Some may ask “Why all this other activity?” The reason is to elect Democrats and those non-partisans who support the party’s principles by building strong and credible relationships with others in the community. The research indicates strangers do not positively influence voter behavior and “networks are better formed when they are not immediately necessary.” (For more on this, I highly recommend reading Valdis Krebs in “It’s the Conversations, Stupid!” available at our website www.thurstondemocrats.org/newdocs/PoliticalConversations.pdf).
May 2005
What Killed House Bill 1515?
For the past 29 years, legislation has been introduced into our State Legislature to prohibit discrimination based upon sexual orientation. Many were recently surprised when, despite the Democrat control of both houses, efforts to pass HB 1515 failed when 25 members of the Senate voted against it. While two “Democrats” voted against the bill, it would have passed had Bill Finkbeiner, Republican Minority Leader from Kirkland voted for it, as he had done for similar bills in previous years.
We may never know what was behind Finkbeiner’s shift in perspective on prohibiting discrimination, but clearly the strong, grass roots organization opposition to HB 1515 was significant.
Finkbeiner is well connected with the management of Microsoft, having formerly worked there as a contract employee, and now representing a district that includes the company. Microsoft, a previous proponent of anti-discrimination legislation, suffered a change of heart this year after Ken Hutcherson, an Evangelical Christian pastor of “a suburban megachurch” met with Microsoft officials and threatened a national boycott of Microsoft products if it didn’t withdraw support for the bill. Hutcherson, whose church has 3,500 members, organized state and national “Mayday for Marriage” rallies last year attended respectively by 20,000 and 140,000 conservative Christians. (For details see http://thestranger.com/2005-04-21/feature.html and http://thestranger.com/current/city.html).
The provisions of HB 1515 would now be law had this strong, grass roots organization not leveraged its opposition to it. While we Democrats do not necessarily need to adopt the tactics of threatened boycotts or strategies of private sector corporate influence on the passage of legislation, we must become well organized this year if we want to ensure anti-discrimination legislation rightfully passes in the 30th attempt next year!
April 2005
We often better understand ourselves by taking a step back and seeing how others see us. In Europe, for example, Thomas Frank’s What’s the Matter with Kansas? is titled What’s the Matter with America? Same book but broader meaning, implying what happened in Kansas may indeed happen elsewhere. While Washington State and Thurston County may be “blue,” we cannot sit back on our laurels and assume efforts are not underway to turn us “red”!
(On a related note, take a look at Luntz’s “New American Lexicon,” the Republicans’ “playbook” for the 2006 elections here.(1.5mb file))
If you’ve read Frank’s book you know how the fundamentalist right methodically gained control of the Republican party precinct by precinct. This demonstrates the effectiveness of organizing at the local level and knowing who our supporters are. We all know this. We simply need to act upon it, following the examples of:
- Evalyn Poff, PCO Olympia 23 and former TCD Treasurer, recently recognized in a special resolution of the House of Representatives, regularly works her precinct to keep members informed;
- Olinda Corin, PCO Delridge, our featured PCO, is now actively organizing her precinct; or
- Sam Cagle, PCO Mullen, has been actively helping recruit PCOs in the 20th LD.
If you’re a PCO, proxy, or someone who simply wants to help, please attend the training scheduled for the April 25th Central Committee meeting. We must organize now to ensure our success next year and beyond.
March 2005
First, I want to extend a hearty welcome to Jeanne Passarelli and Jerry Muchmore, the two “at-large” members elected February 28th to complete our executive committee. We’re glad they’re finally here and look forward to their ideas, suggestions, and contributions.
Second, I want to thank everyone who’s been helping us fill positions, organize the precincts, identify candidates, reach out to the community, plan events and serve on the many committees. There’s much to do and we welcome everyone’s help.
We now have the opportunity to get effectively organized and ready for the November 2006 elections, which will be here before we know it. While we continue to recruit new PCOs for vacant precincts and identify and support candidates for the many local races this year, we must continue identifying and recruiting members in all precincts. The roots of our success electing strong Democrats next year lie with our supporters in our neighborhoods and communities. The outreach and organizing we do now will pay measurable dividends later this year, next year, in 2008 and beyond.
Speaking of dividends, we’re working hard now to raise funds to help elect candidates who will be strong supporters of Democratic values. If you haven’t already done so, please consider becoming a dues paying member and electing to receive our monthly newsletter via email.
January 2005
As the newly elected Chair of the Thurston County Democrats (TCD), I want to thank our past Chair, Jackie Barrett-Sharar, and all the others who helped guide us through a successful local campaign season with unprecedented numbers of new supporters.
I am excited to now have the opportunity to work collectively with a dynamic and competent team of fellow elected officers and an enthusiastic and determined cadre of recently elected precinct committee officers to further participation at the grass roots level and build a strong, effective community organization.
We have several initiatives in mind to improve timely communication and expand community involvement, including a provision in our new bylaws for electing two “at-large” members of our executive committee from among a dues paying membership. You’ll be hearing more specifics about this in our next newsletter, but mark you calendars now for the elections at the February 28 Central Committee meeting.
I look forward to working with all of you during the next couple years to make the TCD achieve a new level of excellence for our sister organizations in other counties to emulate!
