"I see a lot of Democrats out there ... and ... a lot of wannabe Democrats!"
With those words, early in her victory speech last night, Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius summed up why last night's election results in the Sunflower State were so meaningful.
Out here in the West -- in Kansas, Montana, Idaho, Colorado and more -- the Republican Party is losing the mainstream voter. It is increasingly becoming identified as the party of extremists, religious zealots, gay-haters and immigrant-loathing xenophobes. People who want government to do the things it is supposed to do -- pave highways, educate kids, maintain public safety -- but otherwise stay out of people's lives -- particularly their bedrooms and their doctors' offices -- are steadily realizing that the Democratic Party is the only party that shares their values.
This is not a top-down phenomenon. I was a "runner" for a state legislative candidate yesterday, Cindy Neighbor, one of the celebrated former Republicans running as a Democrat in Kansas. We had poll watchers in every polling place in her district with lists of voters who had been identified in polls as Cindy's supporters. The poll watchers would cross off the names of voters as they came in. Through the day, the runners would go from polling place to polling place, collect the sheets and bring them to GOTV phone banks so we could call and remind people to get out before the polls closed.
Let me repeat that: In Kansas, we had Democratic poll watchers in every polling place in the district.
And as I went from polling place to polling place, the most telling observation was this: all of the Democratic poll watchers were alone. There were no Republican poll watchers at any of the polling places. After so many years of complacency as the "only real political party in the state," they had gotten fat and happy and lazy, and had forgotten how to run an election day operation.
(And oh, by the way, WE WON, so join me in saluting newly elected Kan. State Rep. Cindy Neighbor!)
This is why the 50-state strategy is so important. We have real opportunities for real growth out here in the West. The Republicans have dragged their party so far to the right that reasonable, moderate, middle of the road people are looking for a new home. We need to stay on the offensive and make sure they know that home is here with us.