I thought I was prepared for the long haul. Often we are perceived to have a short attention span, and I will admit the past month has been trying. I don’t
need to rehash the events in the media, because it has been impossible to tune-out. Instead, I would like to take a few minutes to comment on some of my concerns. I hate to point out the obvious – Obama still leads in delegate count and in the popular vote. Amazingly, his vote is being carried by young voters. He has been able to rally a generation that could carry the Democrats for years to come. If you look at the polls, in large, this audience has not chosen to support Hillary. Without their vote, Democrats will lose this election and could lose for years to come. Hillary claims that she will be able to rally the party, but how will she be able to rally a disenfranchised generation who has been supporting the other candidate? They will not understand how the winner of the popular vote, the winner in delegate count, and their choice for President could not win the nomination. If Hillary uses underhanded tactics to claim the nomination at the National Convention, I do not believe there will be a rally of support for her – at this time Hillary is solely focused on herself and her desire for power – she will lose the election for the Democrats.
I am also concerned about the impact of her decision to state elections. Typically the national party will provide dollars to help support state and local elections. With the presidential candidate undecided, there are no dollars flowing to the state and local levels. Also, donations are being provided for Obama and Hillary, impacting donations at the state and
local levels. This will have a great impact on the elections – giving the Republicans a HUGE advantage. Their candidate has been selected, and they are
providing dollars at the state and local level.
There are a number of activities to the Democrats. First, provide a donation to the Idaho Pledge Fund – http://www.idahodemocrats.org/ht/d/sp/i/1127793/pid/1127793. It is simple to initiate. Dollars can be provided as a single contribution or on a monthly basis. A second opportunity is to support the grass roots efforts to strengthen the Democratic party in Idaho. They have launched a neighborhood party and are asking for people to visit with 25 neighbors, have signs on your lawn, participate in phone banks, etc. Registration or these activities can be completed at http://www.idaho-democrats.org/ht/d/Join/pid/1128257. My family has taken the first step. In the almost 10 years I have lived in my subdivision, I do not remember seeing a campaign poster for a Democratic candidate. In our window, we have a placard for Obama, and a sign that says “This home votes Democratic”. We are hoping to lead the way for others to have the courage to show their voting preference.
