Demopalooza in Boise

By Joan McCarter, 3-04-08

Following on the heels of Boise’s record breaking Democratic caucus, Saturday’s Frank Church Banquet was a sold-out success, and so sold-out that an overflow room had to be set up to meet the demand. Chatting with a young couple after the event, it was encouraging to hear that the excitement of the massive Obama rally (well, massive by Idaho standards) on February 3rd, then the crush of the caucus on February 5th, nudged them to actually declare themselves Democrats and pony up $75 for the ticket. These twenty-somethings might also have been curious to see what blogger Markos Moulitsas could have to say about Idaho.

A group that might have been there to hear about the Internet revolution in politics were disappointed. “And you thought I was going to talk about computers, didn’t you?” Moulitsas told the crowd. “I want to talk about you instead. It’s more exciting. You’re rebuilding Idaho’s Democratic Party from the ground up.”

The rebuilding part is indeed what’s interesting, particularly after surveying the packed ballroom and seeing an awful lot of gray heads. Idaho’s Democratic party is still in the hands of the old guard, and the old guard is is dwindling. That core group needs to now figure out how to take the infusion of energy, and new blood, from the caucuses and harness it for building the party back, almost from scratch.

That’s what Frank Church weekend in Boise was actually about. The banquet was certainly the centerpiece, but the real work happened earlier Saturday, with workshops on candidate recruitment and grassroots organizing. Because while Idaho is definitely in the grips of “change” fever, that change will only come through a lot of hard work. It seems that in a lot of deep red Idaho districts, doing the hardest work--running for office--is still too daunting a prospect.

But that, too, is subject to change, if one Idaho county is to judge. The best conversation I had during the weekend was with the new Twin Falls County chair Deborah Silver. She followed up our conversation with an e-mail to me, expanding on her story of coming out of the political closet in the Magic Valley.

You said you would be interested in what was happening in Twin Falls county.... I would like you to know that what is happening in Twin Falls is a direct result of the online life of three people who barely knew each other 2 years ago.

My husband and I have a little dance group that meets once a week in the Episcopal church. There are three couples that have met continuously for three and a half years, and other people cycle in and out. A local surgeon and his wife started coming, and the conversation turned to liberal causes.  Joy of joys, they were liberal.  A nurse and his wife started dancing with us, and they are adamant anti war activists.  We were all hooked into move-on; and they hosted a house party, then I hosted a party, then a movie night. Next, we began inviting people to our homes from a shared group of people. We found Drinking Liberally online and started a regular group. My husband and I heard about the local Dems and went to a couple meetings....

I have never been in any kind of political group prior to this; but at the May meeting of the Democrats, I was elected chair.... I began writing a monthly newsletter for the Dems.  As the new chair, the first person to contact me was Larry LaRocco. What I love about Larry is this, Larry didn’t tell me what to do, he told me he would help me in any way he could....

For the local Democrats, a very beaten down group of about twelve had held on for years.  Many of them are burnt out.  About half have remained as precinct captains.  In the last election, Twin Falls county had two elected precinct captains.  I have 18 petitions now. We have over 30 neighborhood leaders.  Will we have a candidate for the legislature?  We are talking to some people now, it could happen.  If it doesn’t, we will continue to rally around Larry LaRocco and against the war....

I have voted as a Democrat for the last thirty years, but grew up in a family that is Independent in a Republican way. You know Idaho, so you know that it was best to keep your head down here as a liberal; especially when we first moved back here 25 years ago....  Move on; VoteVets, and Brave New Films gave me ways to feel productive and then I began to feel secure enough to go into the community with it.

I could not be more public with it since the caucus.  Our previous caucus record was 148--we had 763 signed petitions this time. Our caucus spread into two buildings, and we essentially held 4 mini-caucuses.... It is happening here in Twin Falls; just as it is all over Idaho.  We just have to figure out how to ride this wave.

I don’t know how many of the 650 some people in the ballroom on Saturday night were just like Deborah, people who had been keeping their heads down and their ballots secret for years and years, and who finally felt the safety of the numbers they found through online organizing, through bringing up the forbidden political topics in casual conversation and finding a political soulmate, or through just deciding to see what a caucus was all about. Or even how many of them used to call themselves Republican but came around to the idea that one-party rule just isn’t particularly healthy for small “d” democracy. But I’m guessing there were more than a few.

It’s only good news for Idaho Democrats. Not that they’re celebrating just yet. They’re too busy figuring out, just like Deborah Silver, how they’re going to ride this wave.

Editor’s note: Joan McCarter’s weekly blogs are part of NewWest.Net/Politics’ “Diary of a Mad Voter” feature, a group blog, published in partnership with the Denver Post’s Politics West intended give a glimpse into the hearts and minds of several independent-minded voters and thinkers in the Rocky Mountain West in the ‘08 election cycle. For more columns check in with www.newwest.net/madvoter. And for more information on each of the bloggers, click here.