Wise County, like a lot of other rural Texas counties, has a lot of challenges. There's the threat of the National Animal Identification System, the Trans Texas Corridor land grab, injection wells endangering the quality of ground water, and the unregulated thirst of the gas and oil industry sucking the water table dry. This means a unique opportunity and a desperate necessity for Wise County Democrats to reach out to their neighbors and unite to make government responsive to them.
Sadly, that is an opportunity that is being ignored in the place of the kind of political hardball that Texas Democrats have been playing intramurally instead of against the Republican opposition.
When contacted for this article, Wise County Democratic Chair Brenda Rankin made a special point of hoping that I as a blogger would be polite, and that she believes that it is important above all things for Democrats to do no harm to each other.
I generally agree with that, but Ms. Rankin's admonition would be more on point if she hadn't already gone so far as to lie to the local press about the "radical environmentalists" trying to take over the local party, refusing to share precinct chair lists, and eventually supplying a list that included not only folks who didn't know they were appointed as precinct chairs, but one who was actually a Republican, and poisoning some Democratic activists against other activists). TK's own TXSharon feels the lost opportunity very keenly. "The most unfortunate thing is that when she could be a uniter she uses Republican tactics-swiftboating and marginalizing people instead of working them."
Now Ms. Rankin seems to be focused specifically on keeping Tracy Smith from filling the Greenwood precinct chair. This even though Ms. Smith is a fifteen year resident with strong ties to the community and the position's been vacant for some time. She's been working the phones with her existing precinct chairs and Ms. Smith's been informed by many that there is no way they will support her appointment because she is a "troublemaker". Where was that "do no harm philosophy" during those conversations, Chairwoman Rankin?
The next County Executive meeting is tonight at 6:30. While Ms. Rankin confirmed that filling the Greenwood vacancy is on the agenda, when asked if Ms. Smith was facing a contest to fill that seat, she refused comment. TDP State Chair Boyd Richie, whom Ms. Rankin refers to as a long time friend, will also be in attendance at tonight's meeting. It will be very informative who it is that fills that position at the end of the meeting.
County Chairs, like all other party positions, are filled by volunteers. It's a challenging job without a doubt. However, it's more than an administrative position. It is a leadership position
Ms. Rankin took the position in August of 2005 when the previous chair moved out of the county. According to the Wise County Messenger "As far as goals for the party, she (Ms. Rankin) said the county faithful will participate in training to 'build a strong local and national base.'" Additionally, her first newsletter as county Chair she promised "'With your help, I will do my best. My focus will be on the election process and encouraging voter participation.'"
Somehow, that message of inclusion has been eroded to the point that in the last couple of months, Ms. Rankin has been telling those who didn't vote in the last primary that they had no right to have a voice in internal party matters. (Shocking as this is and much as I'm sure Ms. Rankin would like to dispute it, I have seen the emails myself.)
What part of rebuilding and strengthening the national base did that fit into, I wonder.
One of Chair Rankin's pet peeves appears to be talking out of turn. She has a particular habit of emailing links to TX Sharon's blogging with accompanying comments of "look what she's doing NOW". (If you are reading this article after following such a link, allow me to welcome you to the barbarian blogging enclave. If you'd like to join the discussion you can sign up for an account here and add your comments below)
Ms. Rankin reported to me that in 2006 the straight ticket voting had increased markedly as a result of the work done by the volunteers of the Wise County Democrats. Among that work was community outreach and registration efforts at the County Sesquicentennial, and in Newark at an event called (I think) Cruising Day.
She was unable to give me the figures for how large an increase it was. She's also proud of the 4 county officials that are Democratic Party members, as well she should be, though two of those were unopposed.
To be an effective leader requires more than a Machiavellian gift for turning people against each other-though this problem is hardly limited to a rural county in Texas.
At the Greenwood fundraiser last fall that Tracy Smith helped organize, Ms. Smith and others were mortified to find that guests they'd invited were being vetted on Ms. Rankin's instructions for ties to "radical environmental groups". If they didn't pass muster, they would not be sold a ticket until after everyone else had been fed. Ms. Rankin disputed this strongly with me as well, insisting that no one had actually been turned away and that the questioning was simply in service of building the voter database. There are multiple sources reporting that they were made to feel mighty unwelcome, however. I am inclined to believe it for a very specific reason.
When Ms. Rankin returned my call for this article, she understandably asked me to identify myself. I made sure she knew I blogged at Texas Kaos, and my pseudonym there so she could see what I'd written. At the time, I had simply asked for public information like the agenda for the county executive meeting and the number of vacancies in the precinct chair positions for the county.
Then she asked me where I lived. As soon as she knew I was from Travis County, she wanted to know if I'd be in attendance at the meeting. The implication from the ensuing conversation was that us big city liberals don't understand rural conservative Texas.
I do live in the city. However, I come from a long line of country folk. I understand that combination of independence and fierce protectionism from urban encroachment that marks rural politics. I also am alarmed about the infringement on small farmers and ranchers represented by NAIS and TTC and water issues and I love taking time and sitting on the porch with a lemonade talking to folks like Ms. Rankin and learning the local history of a justifiably proud rural community.
But none of that was Ms. Rankin's concern. She just wanted to know my zip code.
Way to impress the neighbors, if you want to impress them with how welcoming Republicans are by comparison.
Yet all that would be embarrassing water under the bridge if the people like Tracy Smith who are showing up to volunteer for the frontline position of precinct chair-a job she unofficially performed in the 2006 cycle anyway-would be welcomed and incorporated into the existing leadership instead of being told that an email application to be considered for the position wasn't good enough-but that she needed to apply in person or by mail.
Ms. Smith has been a Democrat since 2004. Her knowledge of environmental issues and concern about the Bush-Cheney record got her into political activism-her intro to the Wise County Democratic organization was when the Chair invited her to speak about the injection well issue.
In 2006 she organized and canvassed in addition to helping out on the Greenwood fundraiser. Seems like we could use more "troublemakers" like her.
Ms. Smith explains her perseverance despite all the obstacles being placed in her way by saying "the only way we are going to fix our state and the country is through the democratic process-but you have to be willing to work."
Her priorities for 2008 are to build on the groundwork done in 2006. In particular, she wants to recruit a strong candidate for county commissioner- there were too many races that didn't have a Democratic candidate. (Chairman Richie acknowledged in speaking to bloggers in January that is an item he wants to see improved all over Texas.) Wise County has a lot of unincorporated land, so the commissioners' court is critical to protecting the health and welfare of Wise County's residents. "There's an attitude here that you can't get elected in Wise County as a Democrat," Ms. Smith contends. "I want to change that."
The Democratic Party is supposed to be a big tent. Seems like there ought to be room under the canvas for old school Democrats like Brenda Rankin, firebrands like TXSharon, and a passionate and energetic precinct chair like Tracy Smith.
Such women are the treasure of Wise County. Time they treated each other that way.
Crossposted at Texas Kaos
Update: Ms. Rankin has indicated that an official response to this article will be forthcoming from the Wise County Executive Committee.
Regrettably, she has also threatened me with legal action of some kind, though it's unclear what basis she feels she has for that.
Update II: Tracy is having trouble posting, so she asked me to share the speech she'd like to give in support of her appointment to precinct chair. If she were allowed to speak to the CEC. I've edited it slightly to make it easier to read.
I feel that a precinct chair is the most important elected official in the Democratic Party.
An active, effective precinct chair will make an enormous difference in the success of the Party and our candidates.
If appointed, I pledge to work towards the 2008 elections with all the tenacity that I am known for. Being a precinct chair doesn’t mean that I am the lone Ranger. I realize the need for good leadership from somebody who knows the precinct.
I have been a resident of Greenwood for 15 + years. I am a property owner. I am an active member of the community through the school districts social organizations as well as being an advocate for environmental injustices in and around our state.
I was also a planning member of the last Greenwood Fundraiser and part of the Van Os Steering Committee in 2006. I follow legislation as it was intended, a backbone to social standards. I feel it is important to bridge the gap between our voters and elected officials all while influencing a democratic agenda.
If appointed, the very next day I will implement my plan to find first and foremost a qualified candidate to run in the 2008 primary and general elections. It is also my intention to involve the community in the election process by helping me make decisions that will benefit our area at every County Executive Committee hearing. It is vital that we are represented.
I also plan to promote our candidates to the best of my ability by canvassing and leading volunteers to phone bank. As a united group, I will reinterate my views that WILL be the views of the majority in my precinct.
I have been labeled as a troublemaker in the past but I assure you that I am a sidestepper, but when put upon I don’t have a problem fighting for the beliefs of the Democratic Party. As I remind you, "Troublemakers" such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr, JFK, and recent tenacious folks like Al Gore and Chris Bell, with out whom we would be still dealing with Tom Delay, have changed the world.
Whether I am fighting for a Fair GCD, against an Injection Well, The Monstrous TTC or the Republican Agenda, I will be passionate in the pursuit to educate my precinct on how to be difference makers.
Can I do all of this? I don’t know for sure, but I ‘m going to give it one heck of a try and I think my plan is good. I’ve been known to fight for the underdog because I sure don’t like bullies and isn’t that what we have been dealing with in the current Republican Regime?
As a final promise, I will stand behind the issues, Not hide behind them.
She then outlines the specifics of her plan to organize her precinct.
Lord, send me a thousand such troublemakers. I got work for them to do...