RICE LAKE, WISCONSIN--September 6, 2008. Every couple of years my local party roasts a pig or two, invites some speakers, and throws a party to elect Democrats. We always have a terrific turnout, take names, rake in the cash, distribute lawn signs and otherwise do our biennial business. It's a lot of fun, and I thought I'd show you a glimpse of what went on today, in a 50/50 county in a 50/50 state.
Make the jump, listen to the stemwinders, look at the pictures and have a hot sandwich and a bar while you're at it, while Mrs. Bergh plays "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" on her accordion.
The Republican Stench
Fresh on the heels of the snarling RNC convention, which was, of course, rank as the St. Paul stockyards, speakers today hit hard on on the differences between Democratic values and the shopworn divisiveness offered by the Republicans--let alone their obscene record of malfeasance. Speaker after speaker hammered home what it is to be a community organizer, and speaker after speaker urged the audience to get out there and communicate with neighbors about Obama-Biden.
The environs
Coming in, you see Burley the papier maché donkey atop our local party's float. His first incarnation burned up in a party member's pole shed fire, but volunteers raised him from the dead. We've had Burley in every possible parade this summer, while volunteers trotted along and handed out leaflets. No candy, though. (What is it with the barrage of candy at parades nowadays, anyhow? It flies at you like shrapnel.)
Sometimes we have a piece of plywood with candidate signs on it. Sometimes just a little dogcart with a bale of hay and signs stuck in it. A neighboring county has the most wonderful Democratic float built to look like a house and garden, advertising all manner of Democratic values. Whether elaborate or simple, we do not let a summer go by without being very visible.
The Republicans this year have had nothing, not even a booth at the fair.
We had some visitors at the rally who exercised their free speech.
Someone with a lot of time on his hands and a whole lot of axes to grind showed up and parked himself across from the entrance to our rally. Something makes me think that the fellow pictured here has emerged on the far shores of conservatism--Republicans are probably not nearly pure enough for him.
A quick-thinking party member (foreground) grabbed some Obama signs and waved at passers by. Just about everyone waved back.
Another fetusmobile passed my 5-year-old son and me on US 53 as we were going to the rally. His van was papered with 5-foot images of dead, dismembered fetuses and the caption, "I am a person, too." (And an exploited person, at that!) It was difficult to distract my son from noticing too much.
So, two worlds collided on the fairgrounds today, but I'm pretty sure they were a net plus, reminding people who cared what we stand to lose with extremists like McCain-Palin.
Hey--it's not smart speech; it's just free.
The Eats
We had roasted pig, and it was good! When we are a little more on the dietetic ball, we offer vegetarian selections, but not this year. I felt so strange handing pig roast leaflets out this summer to Somalian immigrants, who are Muslim. They were happy about Obama and said so, but I'm pretty darn sure the menu held no appeal. Next time, we should roast some goat, too! Cabrito--mmm!
We had the usual picnic staples as well as a glut of bars. (Do people have "bars" outside the Midwest?) Here you see the county D. A., Angela Holmstrom, in white apron,dishing up sandwiches for rallygoers.
And here you see our brand new Sheriff Fitzgerald doing the same. The little boy serving up buns is my son. I was so proud--he worked for well over an hour opening buns and putting them on a plate for the sheriff. Who said Democrats are lazy welfare cheats? We work!
The Red Meat
No one screeched, sneered or chanted "Drill here, drill now!" but we were reminded over and over of what was at stake. Speakers kept up a constant reinforcement of Democratic substance and values. The tone was one of economic populism.
Jason Rae
Our rally emcee was Jason Rae, a hometown boy who, at 17, got himself elected to the DNC in 2004--the youngest member ever. He's been active enough to merit his own Wikipedia entry. Assemblywoman Mary Hubler told the crowd that she used to give him rides to local party meetings because he had been too young to have a driver's license. At home, we know him as a pillar of the party; nationwide he is recognized as one of the younger DNC members, recently as one of its declared gay members, a superdelegate who adopted Obama early, right after his district went for Obama in February, and whose vote had been courted by the likes of Bill and Chelsea Clinton last spring.
Rae introduced two young members of the newly minted Rice Lake High School chapter of the Young Democrats, shown at right with their advisor Martha Potts (whose shirt reads "Barack my World").
Rice Lake is located in a very purple county, and has always had a young Republicans organization, but no Young Democrats in recent years. I think it is telling about the energy levels this year that they have formed and number quite a few high school students.
The crowd, of course, adored them.
Mary Hubler, of the 75th Assembly District, swung a machete at the myth of McCain's being a "maverick," reminding her audience that McCain had been in power for 26 years and had voted with President Bush 90% of the time. "That's not change I can believe in, or trust to make a difference in our lives."
Hubler remarked that she had watched both the DNC and RNC conventions on C-SPAN so that she could decide for herself what was being said, and she had heard nothing of solutions from the Republicans. She praised Obama's energy platform and other plans, and recommended that people visit Obama's web site.
Bob Jauch
Senator Bob Jauch (left) of the 25th Senate District drew lots of applause reminding Democrats "never to be ashamed of being a community organizer." He hammered McCain for his inability to say how many homes he owned, juxtaposing it with a constituent who had called Jauch when her husband's cancer caused them to lose their only home. He called McCain out of touch. "Why not ask your neighbor for their definition of a rich person?" Jauch suggested, and then ask them what they think of McCain's.
Jauch commended Barack Obama for wanting to extend Wisconsin's vanguard SeniorCare prescription drug program beyond 2009--be cause it was cheaper and better for the people of Wisconsin than what Jauch calls "Medicare Part Dumb." He compared Obama's affirmation of SeniorCare with McCain's response: "I'm not sure."
"You and I know why he is not sure," Jauch continued. McCain, he said, was being "buffaloed" by the big pharmaceutical interests, who gain very little from sensible programs like SeniorCare.
The crowd went nuts for Jauch's economic populism.
And he was just getting started. On energy, Jauch said, the RNC simply ignores its own responsibility for our current energy crisis. He found the "ferocious" chants of "Drill, baby, drill!" at the convention among the most frightening oratory, since it was obviously promoted by the oil groups. "They are not like the average American citizen," Jauch said, and proceeded to enumerate the reasons why.
Jauch earned himself a standing ovation. As I stood there taking notes, a woman edged up to me and asked, "Who is that guy? He's good!"
Pat Kreitlow
At right 23rd District State Senator Pat Kreitlow talks to a young rallygoer. Kreitlow, a former WEAU news anchor, took out the very colorful, popular and kooky Dave Zien in 2006. It was an exciting campaign, Kreitlow was a good candidate, and I think most people were grateful to be rid of an 18-year senate veteran known mainly for grandstanding on God, guns and gays rather than substantive legislation. Kreitlow, on the other hand is an active author of legislation, according to his colleague, Bob Jauch.
Kreitlow recapped his calling to politics. It was election night, 2004, and he told his wife, "I can't believe this. I can't stand this." and got involved because "the Democrats have got to stop playing defense."
He talked about local races, including the case of ex-Republican Jeff Woods (67th Assembly District), who realized that his fellow Republicans stood only for the lobbies, not his ideals. While he became an independent rather than a Democrat, Woods votes will frequently help the Democrats, who stand to take over the Assembly this year anyhow.
Echoing what others said about Sarah Palin's potshot at community organizers, Kreitlow talked about community organizers. Crediting an e-mail correspondent, he said, "Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor. Martin Luther King was a community organizer. George Wallace was a governor. And Barack Obama was a community organizer. George W. Bush was a governor."
"Snide sarcasm read off a TelePrompTer is easy," Kreitlow added.
He exhorted the crowd to get out make history, not just witness it, because they were in a good position to help the Obama-Biden ticket. "You're freaks," he said to laughter. "You're not like the rest who tune out politics. Things trickle through to them. You will need to get engaged with them and talk." Democrats need to refute the rumors with fact and, borrowing a line from Clinton, "Make sure you tell people to vote your hopes, not your fears."
The crowd stood for Kreitlow, too.
Linda Honold
Linda Honold, at left, was Chair of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin when I first joined the party. She was always a source of encouragement and useful information as Chair (look at this, written in the wake of the 2004 rout), and she took that expertise into activism after Joe Wineke took over her post. She is president of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, a quarter-century-old thorn in the side of conservatives.
Today she decried Governor Palin's "disturbing arrogance" toward community organizing, and spoke about health care reform in th works. her group will be pushing for an advisory referendum this fall asking legislators to provide universal health care equal to that provided for the legislators themselves. While Healthy Wisconsin did not pass, it worked to raise awareness of the need for reform. Honold added that we have been trying since the Truman administration to get health care reform, yet we still lag behind all other industrialized nations. "It's time."
Obama-Biden goodness
Those were the major speakers. An Obama campaign representative spoke, volunteers (incluso yo) circulated with clipboards, signing up more OB08 volunteers.
Above left: The ex-mayor of a town comparable to Wasilla (but much, much better-run) and our former party chair sell Obama signs for $5 donations, calling out, "Moose hunters for Obamaaaa!!"
Above right: Several of us pose against the cool Obamamobile (so much prettier than the hellfire on the Operation Rescue guy's truck!). State Senator Jauch at far right. The overfed woman next to him is yours truly. Not sure about the rest.
So ends my account of our successful rally. Several hundred people stopped by, our coffers are full again, we signed up a lot of volunteers, dispersed a lot of Obama goodies. We canvassed after the rally--oh, and we had a lot of fun.