Only grassroots activism will keep Washoe County blue in 2010 Alfred Walking Bull Washoe County will be strategic territory in the 2010 elections. On June 28, the WCDP hosted a successful Jefferson Jackson Brunch, receiving a lot of attention from presumptive gubernatorial candidates. At the national level, according to a May 25 New York Times article, the Republican Party is nationally targeting Sen. Harry Reid’s re-election campaign. But what do we, as the Washoe County Democratic Party, have to offer these candidates in terms of foot soldiers for their respective battles? While the Democratic presidential primary and general election of 2008 created a great deal of excitement and activism, it’s easy to fall into the lull of the summer season. Yet our local party needs to maintain our stewardship of the hundreds of activists and volunteers here in northern Nevada who dedicated their mornings, afternoons, nights, weekdays and weekends to elect Barack Obama as president. Whether that stewardship takes the form of voter registration, candidate development or asking voters about health care, it’s important work that we can’t let fall through the cracks. Local Dem activists with Organizing for America here in Reno-Sparks are maintaining that momentum. Tomorrow, their efforts to support President Obama’s public option health care plan, along with those of MoveOn.org, will be presented to the offices of Sens. Reid and Ensign and that of Rep. Dean Heller. Activists like Alise Moss Vetica, Donna Clontz and Ellie Hays collected over 2,000 signatures of people who support the president’s plan. While it’s tempting to be a general and strategist, it’s “foot soldiers” like these who are our shining examples of people who put shoe leather on the ground. Given these dedicated and measurable results, the argument that we’re experiencing a natural lull loses credibility. Moreover, a handful of volunteers can’t do it alone. This is the reputation that the newest generation of Democrats fought for and earned for our cause, the party of activism, the party that stands up when everyone else sits down, the party of the working class and the party of change. And change is never easy; to switch from living in a heavily Republican terrain to a pro-Democrat one is a shock for us all. But that’s where we pick up where the national election left off. It’s tempting to confine ourselves to familiar faces and leave the hard work -- the tasks that require us to have discussions with our not-so-Democratic friends and neighbors -- to others. But in order to maintain a cohesive effort to keep Washoe County blue, we need to put our shoes on the ground for the cause we all love and the party we believe in. |
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Putting Shoe Leather to the Groundposted Jul 8, 2009 12:51 PM by Amy Curtis-Webber |