A two party system works when there is opposition.  In the Idaho Statesman – http://www.idahostatesman.com/newsupdates/story/523979.html, Cecil Andrus and Phil Batt were interviewed by Dan Popkey.  It is with no surprise that these two politicians were named as the top politicians in the state of Idaho.  Both were known for their non-partisan ideas, and their ability to make a decision and get things done, which is something that they both recognized has been missing from politics today.

After a very long year full of national humiliation and outlandish antics from our national and local elected officials, I have taken the opportunity to engage in the political process to ensure that my voice is heard and my ideals are represented.  As I have walked door-to-door, I have been surprised by the lack of engagement in the political process.  I have spoken with too many people who vote solely based on party.  My request is simple, if you choose to vote, ensure that you have researched the candidates to ensure that they represent you.  I have come to believe if the D and the R were removed from our ballots, and people in Idaho were forced to research the candidates there would be a very different outcome in our elections.

In the past, I have voted Republican.  After much research, I have found that the positions of Democratic candidates like Barack Obama and Walt Minnick are more in alignment with my views.  I will leave you with one final thought.  With the disproportionate number of Republicans in the Idaho State Legislature, they could vote to support Bill Sali’s outlandish legislation, and to suspend the law of gravity if they wished.  Invest the time to research the candidates and their past voting record before you cast your ballot.

I won in many other areas.  I was part of the process in electing Richard Stallings as one of our super delegates.  For the first time, I was part of the process for electing the people who will be our representatives in the Electoral College.   I was able to engage with the media to highlight excitement of the Democratic State Convention – the link to the Statesman is below.  I was also on Channel 6 and my husband was interviewed on Channel 2. 

This has been an amazing journey.  Some of my friends asked if I am done now that I am not a delegate.  My response is to hold on – I am only getting started!

It was great to see the number of attendees at the convention.  I was very curious to listen to the dialog associated with developing the Democratic Platform.  Microphones were set-up on each side of the room, and everyone had an opportunity to provide input into the platform.  Planks to the platform were submitted orally and then in writing.  The team tonight then reviews and presents the an updated version of the platform tomorrow.  I was impressed by the geniune interest and sincere recommendations that were made the platform.  Discussions were held for every section of the platform.  I will be curious to see how the decisions are made tomorrow.

I can’t thank the team enough.

I would like to recognize one individual from this group – Venita Hawkins-Bird.  A true friend who stepped in with only two days notice, and provided some amazing images for me in the midst of launching her own business.  Venita is an extremely talented and award winning artist.  Her work can be viewed at http://www.venitahawkins.com.

By all stereotypical accounts, you would think her the least likely supporter of Barack Obama – why?

• As a 34-year-old married white female, who is a member of the Mormon Church, she represents an often overlooked populace who is embracing Obama’s message.  
• She was formerly a registered Republican and comes from a long line of Republicans who have actively participated in the Idaho State House of Representatives. 
• She is the proud mother of three children, has a college degree and has a successful career with a Fortune 100 company here in Idaho.  Also, not a stereotype associated with a Mormon woman in Idaho. 

Have you heard of Brenda Hunter?   Brenda resides in District 1 with her family and embodies the change that Barack Obama has made his message.  Why does Brenda want to represent Idaho at the Democratic National Convention in August?  Here’s what she has to say.

“Much like Barack Obama when he began his race for the Presidency, I am a political outsider by traditional accounts.  Historically, I have  passively watched from the sidelines as laws and policies are passed that impact me on a daily basis.  I have been inspired by the message and events of Barack Obama’s Campaign – It’s time for me get in the game.  I will confidently and collaboratively bring ideas, energy and votes for Obama to the table in support of his election in November.”    

“Beyond the Campaign itself, there are other considerations that have propelled me to action.  From my view, No Child Left Behind leaves every child behind as we develop a generation of brilliant test-takers v.s. brilliant thinkers.  Secondly, our country’s veterans are one of our greatest national treasures.  By in large, we have not followed through on our promises to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed everything for our national safety.   Lastly, we are losing our competitive edge in science and research, both areas that have contributed to the standard of excellence of our great nation.  These are the areas where I see Barack Obama influencing key change that means something to me and means something to the people of Idaho.”

Brenda has a long and proud political Idaho family history.  Her Great-Grandfather, Christian Anderson, served four consecutive terms in the Idaho House of Representatives.  Known as “Old Reliable” he served as the Chairman of the Committee on Revenue and Taxation.   In an article written after winning his third term, it read “For the third successive time, Bingham County has sent to the legislature Chris Anderson, and each time he has been recognized as one to the dependable pillars of the Southeast, of agriculture, and of the Republican party in the House of Representatives.” As Brenda recalls, “They used to hold my Great-Grandfathers vote until the end, because everyone trusted his integrity and would follow his vote. “ 

Between June 12^th and June 14^th, more than 400 state delegates will meet at the Doubletree Riverside to vote for over 50 candidates running for a few National Delegate positions.  The  competition is fierce.  Many of the candidates have made extraordinary efforts in support of Barack Obama, that in the past would have guaranteed them a position as a National Delegate.  “I’m am ever optimistic in my pursuit. As a National Delegate candidate for Idaho and Barack Obama, I represent the face of the new Democrat, the disfranchised Republican leaving the party to ensure that my children have a future to look forward to.”     

You can support Brenda Hunter in her pursuit to become one of Idaho’s representatives at the National Democratic Convention. Post your comments of support on her blog at http://women4obama.wordpress.com/

Action to date:

1.    Surprised neighbors with Democratic signs in yard – a first for our neighborhood.  Many neighbors have not commented, but a few have quietly thanked me for taking a stand.

2.    My blog – that people are reading.

3.    Pledge Fund contributor.

4.    Volunteered to be a Neighborhood leader.

5.    Volunteered with several local candidates.  Influenced others to volunteer as well.

I received my packet for the state convention, and have just completed my form to run.  A few things I learned from the packet that may be of interest.  For $25, observers can attend the State Convention.   There are three types of National Delegates – District Level Delegates – 12 will be elected; Party Leaders and Elected Officials – 2 delegates; at large delegates – 4 will be elected at the convention.  If you are not a state delegate, you can still be elected as a delegate at large.  Forms are available at www.idaho-democrats.org.

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.

If she could do it, I decided I could do it too.  It was now 11 pm, my mind raced as I developed a speech to ensure my election.  As the time got closer, my enthusiasm began to fade into nervousness.  By attending one rally and the caucus, had I earned the right to be a state delegate?  I felt confident that my speech was convincing, but wasn’t certain whether I should continue.  A kind friend we had met that evening could see that I was becoming a little more anxious.  He turned to my daughter, Hannah, and said say a little prayer for your Mom, if this is meant to be she will win.   With his words and the faith of my daughter I moved on.

The overall process was interestingly complex.  After the final count of the votes at the caucus, it was determined that all 56 of the state delegates from my congressional district would be from the Obama supporters.    It was a self-nomination process, I basically filled-out a questionnaire with my name and telephone number.  Each candidate and any people still left at the caucus were handed a ballot.  The rules were explained that we needed to fill-in all 56 names, and any ballot that contained a duplicate name would be thrown away.    Immediately, I began working the crowd.  I knew I had two votes, mine and my husband’s but I would need more to win.  There were 56 seats and 89 candidates.  Odds were good, but not guaranteed.  I convinced the first row to write my name on the ballot, and then moved to the second and third rows.  Based on the time, it was determined that we would not be allowed to give speeches.  The row hopping was stopped.  Each candidate was asked to stand-up as their name was read, and votes were written down.

It was late and the names were read quickly.  I wasn’t even certain  if my ballot contained 56 individual names – imagine receiving 0 votes, but I figured anything was possible.  It was clear that the ballots would not be tallied that evening.  We finally left about midnight.  Everyday, I called the Democratic office, and everyday I was told it would be one more day before the delegates were announced.  It took almost a week, but I made it – my name was finally posted on the Ada County Democrats web site – http://www.adademocrats.org/ht/display/ArticleDetails/i/1136141 – I was listed as Idaho state delegate number 23.

This entire process has made quite an impact on Hannah.  Each night at bed time she requests a reenactment of the caucus – she is even willing to let me play the role of Bethine Church.  I will admit a large portion of her goal is to try to stay-up until 12:30, but it is also her way to ensure that her voice is also heard during the process.

We look forward to a very important vote today – GO OBAMA!!!!  Make certain that you go out and support your local event.

Some states hold primaries, some states hold caucuses, some states like Texas hold both.  The Democrats in the state of Idaho hold caucuses.

With my new found desire to ensure Obama was elected, I soon realized that every vote and every delegate won or lost would impact whether he would become the candidate for president.    Gaining delegates was a huge hurdle, and I was hopeful he would exit the first Super Tuesday as the clear winner for the Democratic Party.  At Obama’s rally, quite a few volunteers asked if we were going to attend the caucus on Super Tuesday.  They noticed our children, and described the event as a “family affair”, “a carnival type atmosphere welcome and accommodating to families”.  Still uncertain of whether we should take two six-year olds and a four year-old, we called the Democratic Office.  They highly recommended their attendance.

I had no idea what to expect at a caucus, so we packed-up the ladies and arrived at the Qwest arena ready to support Obama.  Two congressional districts were holding their caucus at the same location.  The line for the caucus literally wrapped around the block, and there was a fair amount of confusion around which line was the correct line for each congressional district.  Rachel, 6, and Malia, 4, immediately backed-out.  We took them to the babysitter.  Hannah stalwart to the end decided that she would stay with us.  I will have to admit that having a child at the caucus was a benefit.  After about 10 minutes in an unmoving line, Hannah announced that she urgently needed a restroom.  After a short negotiation, we were allowed to enter.  Once we were inside the arena, we were handed a ballot.  We voted, and then found a seat in a very packed arena.  My husband was not so fortunate.  At 7 pm, volunteers were sent outside to close-off the line.  They were handed a ballot, and were told that they would have to vote outside.  Ballots were collected, and they were told they could depart.  Only a few additional people were allowed inside the caucus, and my husband became one of them.

With Dave by my side and Hannah on my lap, the caucus began.  Carnival is not exactly the description I would give to the caucus – zoo or maybe circus would have been more appropriate.  The arena was packed and noisy as people chanted for their chosen candidate.  With around 14,000 votes, I believe that there were more people in attendance at the Ada County caucus than every caucus in the state of Idaho for the previous presidential election.  The numbers were unplanned.  It is not easy to be a Democrat in Idaho.  I have clear memories in second grade of voting for the President – Carter vs. Reagan.  There was only one vote for Carter.  Instinctively, we all knew it was Adam who was shunned on the play ground for weeks to follow.  At first, I felt as if I were trespassing on a hallowed ground.  You could feel pride and see a sense of relief in many people’s eyes as the chanted “I’m a Democrat” knowing that no one was there to judge them.  For many it was a hard fought victory.

Each candidate had a representative speak on their behalf.  While I am not supporting Hillary Clinton, I appreciated the comments from Bethine Church, the wife of Frank Church a Democratic legend from Idaho who protected Idaho land and even ran for president.  We heard from Dave Bieter who supported Obama, and did an excellent job.  After the speeches, we waited for the vote to be announced.  Every 15 or 20 minutes they would tell us only a few more minutes.  Finally at around 8:45, they announced the numbers.  In the state of Idaho, a candidate has to have 15% of the vote to receive a delegate to the state convention.  It was clear from the numbers if every undecided and every Edwards vote changed to Hillary, she would receive ZERO – absolutely no delegates from our congressional districts.  The crowds went wild.

At that point, many people chose to leave the convention – Obama decimated Hillary, there was no comeback for her.  We sat to watch the rest of the proceedings, and were really interested to determine how the candidates were selected to attend the state and eventually the national convention.  They allowed 30 minutes for people to change their votes, and then went through the process of counting the votes.  During this time, my daughter played on the stairs.  Dave and I started visiting with some of the people around us.  New acquaintances seemed like old friends after visiting for the next two hours.  Finally the vote was in – no big surprise Obama had all of the delegates from our caucus.

Join my next post for a dialog on the selection of delegates for the Idaho state convention. 

By all stereotypical accounts, I should be the least likely supporter of Barack Obama.  I live in the reddest state in the nation. I am 34 year-old female with three young children. I am a Mormon who supports traditional family values.   I have a college degree, and work for a Fortune 100 company.   I am a registered republican, partly because there aren’t democrats on the ballot for many offices.  I come from a long line of Republicans who have participated in the Idaho State Senate.  In the Senate, they used to hold my Great-Grandfathers vote until the end, because everyone trusted his integrity and would follow his vote.  I volunteer – I have been the den mother to help organize a struggling group of Scouts even though I only have daughters, I have helped children with disabilities, been the soccer Mom, and the Science Mom at school.  My intent with this blog is twofold.  The first is to educate you as I educate myself on the presidential process from the state of Idaho which will vary by state.  I encourage others to share the process from their states.  The second is tell the story of how a white woman reached the conclusion that Obama is the only candidate for president, and to encourage you to let your voice be heard in support of Obama. 

After the chad incident in the 2000 election, I vowed to spend time better understanding the election process in preparation for the next election.  2004 slipped by and I made the same goal for the 2008 election.  This time, I felt a greater urgency for my voice to be heard by our candidates, but really had no idea how that could happen.  The goal became like a New Year’s Resolution, something I knew I needed to do, but really didn’t want to spend the time to engage.  At first, I tried to ignore the debates and the chaos of the candidates.  As I slowly began to listen, I became concerned in the dialog that was occurring.  I found myself listening more intently to the candidates, and even attending a few presidential rallies. 

I attended my first presidential rally on the 4^th of July.  Mitt Romney made a brief appearance in Idaho Falls, ID to garner support.  We happened to be in Idaho Falls, and decided to go.  His speech was earlier than planned, so we missed the 15 minutes he spoke.  We watched him say his last few words, and drive away with his entourage.  We took some pictures with a card board Mitt.  Unfortunately during the debates, it appeared that there were not a lot of differences between the cardboard Mitt and the real Mitt.  I believe Mitt was potentially one of the only candidates with the experience to help drive changes in the economy.  Unfortunately, with the winner take all delegates strategy for majority of the Republican primaries, the writing was on the wall when Mitt lost Florida, and I began looking for another candidate to support.

John McCain would have been a likely 2^nd choice.  I was impressed by McCain in 2000, but he has steadily lost my trust and respect as the years have progressed.  McCain is hot tempered.  In the debates, his smirk doesn’t really cover-up his desire to yell.  He appears to be vindictive, unable to resolve or let go of past issues.  As a President, we need someone who can be diplomatic and calm.  The US can not afford to have a president lose his temper and yell obscenities at leaders of foreign nations who may not easily follow the irrational demands of a hot tempered president.   McCain lost my support when his temper got the best of him, and he loudly expressed to the press that he was a leader.  He didn’t understand the economy, and he would bring people under him to take care of the details.  I think we have experienced that for the past 8 years with Bush.  History does not need to repeat itself.

My six year-old daughters announced that they were supporting Hillary Clinton.  When I asked Rachel to support her decision, she said it was because she was a girl.  I would like to support a strong female candidate.  Many women tear down Hillary on things that don’t really matter like the color of her suits.  My reasons for not selecting Hillary are simple.  Integrity has never been a word synonymous or even close to how the Clintons operate.  Their actions have demonstrated their belief that they are above the law, and so far in many instances they have walked away free, but not untarnished.  In the February 4^th edition of Newsweek, an article “Here an F.O.B, There an F.O.B.” was published.  This article should be mandatory reading for anyone considering a vote for Hillary.  An F.O.B. is defined as a Friend of Bill.   The article highlights many of Bill’s shady business partners.  It highlighted the fact that he is beginning to break ties with some of the less appropriate contacts – for example people who are under investigation for selling retired peoples’ names to scam artists.  This is unacceptable in all instances, but especially for someone being entrusted to lead our country. 

My children who have been persistent in the pursuit of understanding and participating in the election, were beside themselves with glee when Obama announced that he would be holding a rally in Boise, ID.  I found myself in line early on a Saturday morning with my husband and three children.  I was skeptical of what I would hear, and greatly underestimated the number of people who would attend the rally.  Having never really been to a Democratic event, I anticipated the worst – crazy liberals.  I appreciated the Obama volunteers who warned us of the protesters with graphic abortion posters, and was concerned that this might be how the entire event would proceed.  After walking to every floor in the stadium, we ended-up on the floor standing less than 50 feet from Obama.  As I looked around the crowd, I was relieved to find a beautiful tapestry of people who became woven together to hear the candidate of hope.

The event started late, as volunteers scrambled to set-up speakers for the crowds who could not fit into the stadium.  From the moment Obama started my children were drawn to his message.  They sat quietly and listened attentively to the message – a message that was simple, a message that gave hope, a message that inspired, a message that resonated for each of us – even their Mom who was not anticipating becoming an Obama supporter. 

“Change we believe in” the message on a simple blue placard we waved at the event; now prominently displayed in the front window of our home.  This is a message I believe and a message I am willing to support.  I do not agree with all policies and issues that Obama supports.  I know that he has the most liberal voting history in the Senate.  I expect that during the next few months, there will be many skeletons that come out of his closet.  I am prepared to hear them – so far I have found them amusing like the claim on plagiarism.  I am supporting Obama because I am tired of the politics in Washington.  I support his desire to decrease our dependence on foreign oil, and to move to alternative energy sources.  I support decreasing the rising cost of education so everyone can attend college without loans equivalent to a mortgage.  While challenging to implement, I support his idea to provide $4000 to college students in return for volunteer work at Veteran’s hospital and other organizations.