Tuesday, March 11, 2008

More than mere candidates

By Faith Chatham - DFWRCC - March 11, 2008
Crossposted on Texas Kaos

Once in a lifetime a candidate comes along who embodies the hopes and dreams of a gender or race. That's happened on both counts in this election year.
It's too bad that one or the other couldn't have waited to run another time, because each means so much to the voters who believe in them. Neither should be sacrificed to the other; when one of them loses, as one must, it will be like a death in the family.

Politics has moved from the realm of casual interest among voters to a visceral feeling that it's now or never. How did we get this way? It's simple: a backlash against the horrible situation into which George W. Bush has put this country, like a bad case of food poisoning.

Not just any candidate would do, either. They had to stir the hearts of voters. Hillary Clinton represents all that women ever hoped to achieve, and Barack Obama represents the equality of African-Americans.
There will be sadness in the country when the dust has settled in the Democratic Party - not just because of voter fraud and disenfranchisement, and not because someone had to win and someone had to lose, but because the hopes and dreams of what the loser represented will be gone.

- Shirley Bumbalough, Watauga


Shirley's letter was published in the Fort Worth Star Telegram and shared with friends. I think it expresses realities which we, as Democrats, need to remember as we face off with our friends and neighbors in Senatorial and State Conventions and discuss politics in our homes and workplaces.

I was amazed at my reaction this election cycle. I have never voted for or against a candidate because of race or gender. This year, I found myself thinking that when the woman is more qualified or as qualified, shouldn't she get the job! I was honored to be a Jesse Jackson delegate to State Convention when he ran for U.S. President. This year I shared with my precinct that this is the first time I've had the opportunity to be a delegate for a qualified woman for president.

I don't think we should vote for or against a candidate based on race or gender, yet this year, many people are voting that way. This year it is much more personal for many than ever before. As Americans, many of us seem to be seeking a "rite of passage", an untettering from the discrimination and marginalization of our childhood and years in the community and work place.

I believe that we need to be more respectful of our neighbors who support "the other candidate" this year than in years past. For most folks, it is truly, as Shirley so eloquently expressed, more than merely politics.

Saturday, March 8, 2008

Northern Dallas suburbs overwhelmed by Democratic turnout

Longtime Republican bastion breached by huge Democratic turnout during primary

By THEODORE KIM - The Dallas Morning News - Saturday, March 8, 2008
PLANO – Dallas' northern suburbs have long been Republican fortresses. But Tuesday, for the first time in nearly a quarter-century, Democrats showed muscle.

Democrats Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton received more than 72,000 votes in Collin County's presidential primary – the most outside of Texas' major urban centers and 20,000 more than the Republican candidates combined despite record GOP turnout.

The numbers were as dramatic in neighboring Denton County, where the overwhelming edge went to Democrats even though both parties set turnout records.

The enthusiasm was hardly limited to those two counties. Overall, about 2.9 million Texans cast votes in this year's Democratic primary, up from about 840,000 in 2004.

Still, the results are startling in this part of the state, which before the GOP dominance was once the base of operations for powerful Democratic U.S. House Speaker Sam Rayburn.

Democrats say the results offer hope for a party that has been all but irrelevant here. They say the political complexion of Dallas' suburbs is changing, a trend evidenced by the numbers.

National experts say the statistics point to a broader Democratic energy and GOP malaise evidenced in vote totals, fundraising and attendance at political rallies.

Republican observers disagree. They say the up-for-grabs Democratic primary helped fuel artificially high vote totals, drawing independent and Republican voters who saw their own primary clinched by John McCain.

"Tuesday's race had nothing to do with the general elections as far as our turnout and Democrat turnout," said Kathy Ward, chairwoman of the Collin County Republican Party. "People were just energized that Texas was even on the [primary] map."

Long lines

No Democrats hold partisan elected offices in Collin and Denton counties, and party leaders often struggle to find viable candidates.

Meanwhile, Republican Mike Huckabee, who ran as the standard-bearer for diehard evangelical conservatives, did well in Collin County and almost beat Mr. McCain in Denton County – a sign of evangelical conservative strength here.

But Democratic leaders say they saw a surge Tuesday.

In Collin County, voters seeking to cast Democratic ballots formed long lines at many precincts, creating a shortage of voting machines in places, said Dan Dodd, the county's Democratic chairman.

In fact, more Collin residents voted in Tuesday's Democratic primary than the 69,000 who voted for Democrat John Kerry in the 2004 general election. The total is staggering given that primaries typically draw far fewer voters than general elections. About 6,500 people voted in the party's primary four years ago.

"People were at the polls [Tuesday] looking around and saying, 'I'm not the only Democrat here,' " Mr. Dodd said.

Denton County also showed signs of Democratic momentum. Precincts across the county, even those in staunch Republican areas, witnessed high Democratic turnout, said Neil Durrance, the county's Democratic Party chairman. Nearly 55,000 people voted Democratic versus almost 39,000 in the GOP races.

Some national analysts say the high turnout is a reflection of a general shift.

"The numbers of people identifying themselves as Republican are down," said Charlie Cook, publisher of the Cook Political Report. "The public preference for the GOP holding the White House has dropped, and GOP enthusiasm is down. Primary turnout is a reflection of all of these things."


Battleground

The battleground for that shift is in affluent, brisk-growing suburbs like Collin and Denton counties, experts say.

Since 1990, the combined population of the two counties has more than doubled to 1.3 million. While the counties have skewed Republican for years, growth has brought diversity and more diverse politics.

"The conventional wisdom has been: 'If you move to Collin County and you drink the water, then you become a Republican," said Michael McConachie, a political science professor at Collin College in Plano. "I don't think that's necessarily true anymore."

The numbers seen here mirrored the Democratic turnout in suburbs across Texas, such as Williamson County near Austin, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties near Houston and Comal County near San Antonio, said Democratic strategist Matt Angle.

Similar shifts have occurred recently in GOP-leaning suburban communities elsewhere, such as in parts of North Carolina and the Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C., Mr. Angle said.

"These are people who are raising families, making mortgage payments and paying utility bills," he said. "They quickly relate challenges of their own life to the political leadership. We're finding out these are households that are willing to look at the two parties."

GOP leaders dismiss the notion that the political terrain is changing. On the whole, they say Dallas' northern suburbs remain overwhelmingly Republican and will stay that way for years to come.

President Bush, for instance, captured nearly 175,000 votes in the 2004 general election in Collin County – more than double the total that Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton received in the primary combined.

Longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Sam Johnson, who is running for re-election in the 3rd Congressional District, said he expected Collin County to vote heavily Republican in the general election.

He believed many Republicans had voted in the Democratic primary and would switch back in November. He pointed out that a large number of people who voted for Mr. Obama or Mrs. Clinton in Collin County did not continue down the ballot to vote in the local races – evidence that voters crossed party lines.

"I think you'll see the same result in the general [election] that you saw last time," Mr. Johnson said. "People will support John McCain."

Democratic organizers disagree, saying the high turnout is a sign of successes to come.

Mr. Durrance noted the Republican Party in Denton and Collin counties and many other places saw record primary turnouts just as the Democratic Party did. If many Republicans voted in the opposite primary, GOP turnout probably would have dipped, he said.

"This is a definite rising Democratic tide," he said. "What we're seeing is a shift in the public electorate."

Larry Sabato, director of the Center for Politics at the University of Virginia, said the general election in November would make clear whether the Democratic turnout is a blip in history or evidence of a trend.

"Will it last until November and beyond?" he asked. "As we all know, human enthusiasm can wane rather quickly."

Compared with recent primaries, Collin and Denton county voter turnout in Tuesday's election skyrocketed, particularly among Democrats:

Collin County
2000
Democrats 3,735
Republicans 31,835

2004
Democrats 6,493
Republicans 16,374

2008
Democrats 72,543
Republicans 51,768

Denton County
2000
Democrats 3,532
Republicans 26,538

2004
Democrats 4,679
Republicans 14,922

2008
Democrats 54,674
Republicans 38,491

Read more in the Dallas Morning News

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Hillary packed'em in by the thousands at the Stockyard

By Faith Chatham - March 2, 2008 Crossposted on Texas Kaos
Tarrant County was Clinton Country Saturday when Senator Hillary Clinton arrived at the Fort Worth Stockyard. The crowd has been estimated between 10,000 to 14,000.
Photobucket
Photo used by permission. Copyright Lydia Foster 2008

Young, old, healthy, frail, all races stood in line for hours to be screened and admitted to the rally area on Exchange Avenue near the Stockyard's Hotel. Secret Service and the Fort Worth Police Department controlled access. Swat team snipers were positioned on all the roof tops. Attendees, including the handicapped, entered behind Billy Bob's, through the cattle walks and allies before they were screened to enter the rally grounds. Organizers grossly underestimated the size of the crowd. Most attendees never got close enough to see Senator Clinton, yet the enthusiasm was not dampened by the long wait.

Accompanied by Henry Ciscernos and the Mayor of Los Angeles, with former Speaker Jim Wright in attendence, Senator Clinton charmed the crowd with her warmth, straight talking and deep comprehension of what truly challenges us. She speaks straight to the people. Her stump speech is not littered with slogans or platitudes. She doesn't place herself on some loftier plane than the people. She has poise and confidence which comes from years of hard work and preparation and service.

Photobucket
Photo used by permission. Copyright Lydia Foster 2008

She has a dry wit and does not try to capture the audience with humor, yet her warmth is infectious. Her style is different from Ann Richards, yet I found myself thinking of Governor Richards frequently during Senator Clinton's stump speech. Ann Richards made middle of the night unannounced visits to nursing homes to protect the weak, frail and vulnerable. Hillary Clinton possesses the same passion for people that Governor Richards possessed.

When Senator Clinton shook my hand I told her: "I'll be as honored to call you Madam President as I was to call Ann Richards' Governor." She shot me a smile which told me that she understood that she was receiving one of the highest compliments I could give.

Photobucket
Photo used by permission. Copyright Lydia Foster 2008

The Obama campaign spends weeks preparing and promoting large rallies. Most of Senator Clinton's rallies are planned and promoted only 24 to 48 hours before the event. This rally was the first one in North Texas where the Clinton campaign gvae citizens 5 days advance notice. Saturday, at the Fort Worth Stockyards, it was proven that given a little notice, Texans will come by the thousands to see, hear, meet Hillary Clinton.

Photobucket
Tuesday we'll learn how many of the thousands of people who are voting Democrat are choosing Obama or Hillary.

To find a pre-precinct convention caucus meeting near you go to www.hillaryclinton.com
Click on TAKE ACTION and choose FIND PARTY/EVENT.