The Douglas Democrats celebrated the Obama victory with an election night party at the Carson Valley Inn (above). From left are Dotty Dennis, Melanie Mehan-Crossley, Chuck Vickrey, Gim Hollister, and Lynda Ratcliff.
Douglas County Democratic Chair Gim Hollister and Douglas Obama Campaign Chair Debbie Chappell make a champagne toast in honor of the next U.S. President, Barack Obama, at the DC Dems’ Victory Party at the Carson Valley Inn on election night.
Politically the election of Obama promotes liberal reform not radical transformation, but culturally the election of Obama is radically transformational. The electorate endorsed very high degrees of inclusiveness, intellectualism, and decency.
Now one can now have the following qualities and still be a viable candidate for the Presidency or Vice Presidency: (1) an African father, (2) femaleness, (3) an Asian Muslin step-father, (4) a single parent mother, (5) an adopted brown Indian child, (6) a partially Native-American husband, (7) an unmarried pregnant teenage daughter, (8) an African-American wife, (9) an Euro-Asian half sister, (10) years of teaching in higher education, (11) a childhood partially in a Muslim country with a couple of years in a Muslim school and (12) an African name.
Racism and sexism have not ended. Some anti-affirmative action initiatives passed. These demand that decision makers pretend that past and present racism and sexism have nothing to do with who shows up with what qualifications. A lie. Still in this election the American electorate embraced a vision of an America in which people of different racial statuses love, marry, reproduce with, befriend, work with, and support each other.
In this new vision of America the majority of the electorate has endorsed, children of any racial status and either gender can aspire to the highest political offices. This includes the vast varieties of Asian Americans, Native Americans, and Latinos as well as Blacks and Whites. They might have to be particularly well qualified, but the opportunity is there as long as they are straight Christians.
The endorsement of inclusiveness did not extend to gay marriage with Arizona-, California- and Florida-passed initiatives limiting marriage to a contract between one man and one woman. In California the closeness of the vote combined with strong support for gay marriage amongst the young will probably lead to electoral support for gay marriage within several years.
While both the Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin tickets promoted inclusiveness, only the Obama/Biden campaign strongly promoted intellectualism and issue-oriented campaigning with no personal attacks. Obama/Biden is by far the most intellectually imbedded successful Presidential/Vice Presidential candidacy. Sarah Palin’s anti-intellectualism (I have foreign policy experience. You can see Russia from Alaska) has been repudiated. Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Joe Biden have law degrees. Barack’s half-sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and Jill Biden have doctorates. Barack Obama and Joe Biden have taught law school. Maya Soetoro-Ng and Jill Biden have taught college. Michelle Obama has served in college administration.
Tactically, Obama responded quickly and forcefully to sometimes rough and personal Republican attacks, but he responded by clearly stating his positions and attacking Republican policies while avoiding personal attacks on McCain/Palin. His most personal attacks on McCain/Palin were for “not understanding,” and “being out of touch.”
When Obama was attacked for his association with Reverend Wright, Obama prepared a detailed and complex speech on race. He did not negatively reference Sarah Palin’s minister’s beliefs in exorcism. When Obama was attacked for serving on a committee with and having a luncheon hosted by Bill Ayers decades ago and decades after Ayer’s radical Weatherman period, Obama simply stated that the committee had been organized by a Republican formerly close to Reagan and had prominent Republicans on it. He did not reach back decades to talk about John McCain’s infidelities or Cindy McCain’s temporary drug addiction. When press interested in Bristol Palin’s unmarried pregnancy opened the way for Obama to morally condemn Bristol and Sarah Palin, Obama cut off the conversation by recounting that his mother had only been nineteen when she gave birth to him.
When Obama was attacked for being “elitist,” “socialist,” “redistributor in chief,” and having supporters who were not “real Americans,” his response was the same. Obama turned to the issue of what he intended to do for the country. Problematic aspects of the McCain/Palin past such as Todd Palin’s association with Alaska secessionists were not mentioned. In contrast to McCain/Palin tolerance of booing Obama, when Obama crowds booed mentions of McCain/Palin, Obama shushed them.
Many radio and television commentators or callers-in stated or implied Black support was based upon Obama’s race. This is not true. Blacks provided the margin of victory for Obama, but their votes were primarily based on policy, not race.
In this election Obama took about 530 out of every 1,000 votes and McCain 460, an Obama victory margin of 70 votes per 1, 000 voters.
According to CNN exit polls, Blacks were 13 percent of the electorate and voted for Obama 95 percent of the time. Thus there were 130 Black voters for every 1,000 voters. Of these 123 (130*.95) voted for Obama and seven for McCain, a plus 116 per 1000 margin for Obama. This is 46 votes per 1000 higher than Obama’s victory margin. Blacks provided the margin of victory for Obama. Non Blacks on average favored McCain.
However, it would be a mistake to claim, as many callers to radio and television shows have, that Black support for Obama was due to Obama’s race. In 2004, when White John Kerry was the Democratic candidate, according to CNN, Blacks were 12 percent of the electorate and voted 85 percent of the time for Kerry. For every 1,000 voters in that election about 120 were Black, with 106 voting for Kerry and 14 for Bush, a Kerry margin of 92 votes for Kerry for every 1,000 votes cast.
Thus the Black margin for Black Obama in 2008 was only 24 votes per 1000 more than the Black margin for White Kerry in 2004 (116-92), a substantive increase but small compared to the Black support for White Kerry. Additionally, this increased support for Obama cannot be attributed solely to Obama’s racial status. Like many Americans, Blacks were greatly angered by Bush’s failure to assist poor Blacks and Whites marooned by Hurricane Katrina. Further, Bush’s economic policies favored the rich. His civil rights enforcement policies ignored Black interests. He fired Justice Department attorneys who would not pursue frivolous “illegal voting” cases.
McCain did not fight against any of these policies at the time they were implemented. If Biden, Hillary Clinton, or some other Democrat sympathetic to Black interests had run for president, Black votes for that person would undoubtedly have been higher than their votes for Kerry in 2004. However happy Black voters were to see a competent liberal Black man running for president, their overwhelming support for him was primarily due to policy issues, not racial identification.
Culturally this has been a transformative election. Let us hope the transformation continues; that future electorates regard intellectual achievement and academic involvement as positive and strongly support inclusiveness and smear-free, issue-oriented campaigning.
Carl Jorgensen was one of the many California volunteers who spent time in Douglas County, canvassing voters for Barack Obama during the presidential campaign. He is a retired sociology professor at University of California, Davis.
Gim Hollister took this photo of the defaced Obama sign at the base of Kingsbury on Saturday.
He said, “It was gratifying to see that somebody cared enough to put a wreath of flowers on the sign and add a two-by-four message that reads ‘Vote.’ We thank whoever took the time and thought to make something beautiful out of something destroyed.”
As you can see, Obama's tax plan increases taxes on millionaires, but for average Joe and Jane Citizen, taxes go down--compared to just the opposite for McCain's tax plan! This shows how Obama is keeping his commitment to support middle-income American families.
Gim and Joyce Hollister took photos from afar at the speech given by Obama in Reno on September 30. Obama spoke about the U.S.'s dire economic situation and roused the crowd as only he can do. Gim said he was heartened to see and hear all the young people at the event. (See a closeup of Obama below.)
JoEtta Brown, candidate for Assembly District 39, and the Douglas County Democratic Central Committee sponsored a voter forum on Saturday at Douglas High School, where Douglas County Clerk Ted Thran demonstrated the electronic voting machines used in the county. From left are Brown, Elaine McNeil, Thran, and Belinda Moran. Submitted photo.
Central Committee member Edmund James (left) coordinated a booth at the Washoe Family Resources Fair and Barbecue September 20 in Dresslerville. He was helped by other Demo members, including Sally Jasperson, Melanie Mehan-Crossley, Dottie Dennis, and Joyce and Gim Hollister. They passed out candidates' information and registered people to vote.
Saturday night's Obama Bash at Genoa Lakes Golf Course clubhouse included, from left, Debbie Chappell, JoEtta Brown and Gary Kendrick. The event brought in more people than expected and featured hors d'oeuvres and live music. Submitted photo — Gim Hollister
What a great time we had last night in Genoa! The Bama Bash was a roaring success. Thanks go to all of you who attended and volunteered and helped in some way to make it happen.
Nancy, the room looked fabulous, and your graceful touch was most evident...it made for a classy evening! Elaine, we couldn't have pulled it off without you (as usual)—all the details and most importantly invitation and contact lists and money tracking. Thanks so much.
Many thanks to Gary and Rick for setting up most of the afternoon and handling most of the administrative details. To Robin and Dana for taking over the raffle and providing those gorgeous baskets, many, many thanks!
Sue—you always are such a work horse; thanks for manning the sales table and being so cheerful while working seemingly effortlessly (though we all know how hard it is.) A big thank you to Gim and his daughter Jennifer for their last-minute miracles of an awesome banner and bumper stickers that just flew off the table and looked absolutely terrific. Also thanks to Melanie for tracking down folks’ precinct numbers, generally filling in where needed, and for always sharing her wisdom and valued, experienced advice.
And most importantly, thanks to all of you who were out pounding the pavement, calling, or making your presence known at the Palin event while we were setting up for last night. Whether you were actively campaigning or showing support by attending the party, your contribution is noted and very much appreciated.
You always come through in spectacular fashion, and we should all be proud for our collective involvement in the worthiest of causes. My appreciation is most heartfelt.
Gim Hollister, left, Douglas County chair, and Cindy Trigg, Douglas school board candidate and central committee member-at-large, laugh with Wally Bowen, chair of the South Lyon Democrats, at Joe Dini's Old-Fashioned Democratic Picnic at Fort Churchill State Park on Sunday, September 14.
By Cindy Trigg | Jill Derby Campaign | September 14, 2008
See one of Jack Carter’s new favorite Web sites; Click the link to look at the Minden piece on FiveThirtyEight.com. You’ll love it!
Let me remind you that Jack was a guest at our "Turn NV Blue Dinner" in 2006 along with every other Democratic candidate for state office and that New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson along with General Wesley K. Clark, former NATO Supreme Allied Commander (Ret.) were guests at our 2007 Turn NV Blue Dinner.
We have been coming out of the closet since we elected Stephanie Hague, our chair in 2003. Douglas County has three members on the executive board of the state party. Douglas County School Board went from six Republicans and one nonpartisan in 2003 to three Democrats, three Republican and one nonpartisan since 2004. The rural organizer for the Dean 50 State Strategy for Early Precinct Caucus January 19, 2008, and 17 county conventions on the same day in April (not known to have happened before in Nevada—state political history per Guy Rocha, State Archivist) and seating 100% of rural county delegates to the state convention for the first time is from Douglas County.
Congratulations go to the Obama Team from Douglas County (88 Cups group—u rock!) where almost 300 supporters from Douglas and neighboring counties turned out for a rally/party at the Genoa Lakes Country Club. It was more successful than the previous night Republican gathering where less than 200 hundred gathered, and it was a lot more fun. Special thanks to Rick Brown, Nancy Stiles, Debby Chappell, Elaine McNeil, Gary Kendrick and so many more. Douglas County has the potential to turn the state blue. We have the activists, we have the road map and there are enough candidates to keep everyone busy.
Jill Derby, our fantastic candidate for Congress, is from Douglas County. In the predominately Republican landscape of CD2 Heller was barely able to win in 2006 (by just under 5%). It took Bush two trips to the area in the last three weeks of the campaign to put him over the top. Oh, do we wish that Bush would come back this time! There has been a dramatic change in voter registration in CD2. Give some of your valuable time to the Derby campaign — Click here visit www.jillderby.com — and the next Nevada Congresswoman will be from Douglas County.
There is much to be said about Minden, Gardnerville and Lake Tahoe. Let the lead story on November 5 be that Nevada is now as blue as the water in Lake Tahoe thanks to the overwhelming voter turnout in Douglas County that voted for Obama, Derby, Epstein, and Brown.
Douglas County school superintendent Carol Lark, left, spoke to the Douglas County Democratic Central Committee Thursday evening about the bond continuation proposal on the Nov. 4 ballot. She is shown with Greta Hambsch, vice chair, and Gim Hollister, chair.
The Douglas Democratic Central Committee donated $250 to the Keep Improving Douglas Schools (KIDS) group in support of the school district's continuation bond initiative that will be on the November 4 ballot.
Gim Hollister, Democratic chair, right, presented the check to KIDS committee chair Cheryl Blomstrom at a KIDS meeting at the Douglas High Media Center last Wednesday. Blomstrom said it was the first large public donation the KIDS group has received.
Blomstrom stressed that the bond would NOT raise property taxes but simply continue collection of 10-cents-per-$100,000-assessed-property value for capital improvements. If the bond is not passed, taxes will NOT go down, she said, as other agencies could increase their tax collections and absorb the school district’s share.
The funds raised would only be used for maintenance and building repair needs, such as roofs, electrical and heating and cooling systems, resurfacing of parking lots and playgrounds, and repair of other infrastructure.
School Superintendent Carol Lark said among the major problems for schools have been 49 aging water heaters. Recently, a school was closed for a day after a water heater failed and flooded the facility. As funds become available, Lark said, the district is replacing the oldest heaters.
The KIDS group is mounting a campaign to educate voters about the capital improvements that would be funded by passage of the continuation bond and why the quality of the schools affects all citizens of the county, not just those with children in the school system.
“Someone else paid for my education, and now it’s our turn to ensure that our children, grandchildren and future generations can attend high-quality schools,” said Hollister.
Nancy Epstein, Democratic candidate for County Commission who also attended the meeting, noted that good schools attract businesses looking to relocate. “When a community demonstrates a commitment to public education and pays attention to school buildings and the quality of education, that affects the decisions that businesses make in coming here,” she said.
The quality of schools affect individual and commercial property values, as well, Blomstrom said, and deferred maintenance raises the ultimate cost of school repair.
Lark and Blomstrom will speak on the topic of the continuation bond at the next DCDCC meeting, September 11, 7 p.m., at the Demo HQ in the Sierra Center on Highway 395 in Minden.
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