Red-State Expats: Please Send Money Home

The Obama transition team had house parties last weekend to talk about what people can do to keep building a grassroots political movement across America. The morning before the events, I got a call from Ned, a man in the Bay Area, who called the Idaho Democratic Party to ask whether Sen. Mike Crapo could be defeated in 2010. We talked for a while -- mostly about tough Senate races and about the total lack of progressive talk radio in many red states -- and Ned mentioned that he'd be attending a house party over the weekend. "What can we do to help?" he asked.

"Tell the people in the Bay Area who grew up elsewhere to adopt their home states," I said.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

I thought about the neighborhoods in San Francisco and how they fall silent at the holidays as many city dwellers briefly return to their parents' homes in Provo, Pocatello or Paducah. I thought about similar scenes that will unfold over the next two weeks in New York, Chicago, Boston, Los Angeles and Seattle, as young urbanites visit their hometowns, and then leave utterly thankful that they have found more progressive places to live.

But many people -- old, young and in between -- have decided, for whatever reason, to stay put and try to change these places for the better. Many of us are succeeding, in places like Great Falls, Montana, and Omaha, Nebraska, as former GOP strongholds become more hospitable to progressive ideas and people.

I suggested to Ned that he ask people to go to ActBlue and find the page for the Democratic Party in their home state, whether it's Idaho, Kentucky, Utah, Montana, Oklahoma, Mississippi or what have you. "Ask them to take the $10, $20, or whatever a month they donated to Barack Obama and make a monthly investment in the state Democratic Party of their childhood home," I said.

With Howard Dean leaving the DNC, the fate of the 50-state strategy is somewhat uncertain. All the DNC's State Partnership Plan employees were furloughed after the election, pending the formulation of a new program. But even if the new DNC chair fully funds a new SPP, state parties will remain bare-bones operations where your small-dollar contributions can make a huge difference for field operations, activist training, technology, candidate recruitment and communications in 2010 and beyond.

We all need to come together to advance Obama's progressive agenda, but we can't forget about the grassroots community organizing work that needs to happen in states like mine. Democrats are making progress in the red states: 36 percent of Idahoans voted for Obama, up from just 30 percent who voted for John Kerry, for example, and every Idaho county but one voted more Democratic in 2008 than in 2004. With your help -- and that, we hope, of the DNC -- we can continue moving light-red counties into the purple-and-blue tapestry that is slowly but surely filling up the map of our great nation.

Julie Fanselow is the communications director of the Idaho Democratic Party. She started Red State Rebels, an Idaho political blog, in 2003 and she has worked on a variety of political campaigns.

Comments

[Wild West]

The current democratic party leadership and recycled candidates they offer are the serious road blocks to progressives gaining any ground in Idaho.

Even if Idaho Democratic Party was lucky enough to get substantial support from outside, the old school Idaho democrat elitists that control the Democratic Party are so out of touch with the modern intermountain west existence, they continue run campaigns of their recycled elitist’s candidates that are archaic political dinosaurs and have absolutely not chance to succeed.

Progressive democrats in Idaho really want to support this party, but the party’s commitment to change is yet to be seen. Their failure to capture the wave created by Obama’s visit and unprecedented democratic caucus participation was a major disappointment along with weak voter registration movement. Idaho democrats must have new blood, new strategy and progressive candidates who can articulate solutions to the people who live here everyday and bring a about a new vision of Idaho’s future.

If you support your hometown, then insist on new party leadership and a new strategy within Idaho or it will continue to be a solid red state controlled by social conservatives.

[corwin]

Strangely,I was talking to an ex gf who lives in the SF area.(We dated in med school)She lives in a gated community ,feels the state's bankruptcy is a given,and is bemoaning the taxation situation.As a liberal who is being assaulted by reality,she is wondering about moving to Utah.She also feels the SF homeless policy is kind of incentive for more homeless to move there.I was once accused by her of applying logic to everything.It's going to be a fun few years for the more Democrat leaning states as their state governments continue the things that caused problems.

[readytsf]

I got a better idea, seeing that I'm from Montana. Why don't you and all your liberal money stay right where you're at. And we'll pay the plane fares to move your "country kinfolk" to you. How's that sound?

[SeanGardner]

Also, Ms. Fanselow...urge RED STATE Dems to seriously utilize email...

I was a volunteer web strategist for the Obama Campaign here in WA. I launched my own "50 State Strategy" - essentially a massive e-mail campaign, where I micro-targeted voters. I sent out well over 50,000 e-mails (probably close to 100,000 emails as I look back) on Obama’s behalf over the past 9 months to people from the 50 states.

I spent two hours a day mining the internet for e-mails specific to region, race, religion, and ethnicity, etc. For example, when HUFFPOST blogger Natasha Chen wrote this summer that Obama was endorsed by the Asian-American PAC, the 80-20 Initiative, I sent an e-mail out that same day to over 500 members of Asian-American fraternities and sororities. And when Obama had a surprisingly rocky start with a Latina member of Congress in June, I went into overdrive, e-mailing over 2000 Latinos across the country for a whole week straight about Obama's commitment to Latino concerns.

Moreover, when I e-mailed states like MT, ND, WY, WV, NE, or ID (your state) I played up Obama’s eye-popping appeal among white voters. However, when I e-mailed NM, CO, OR, CA, FL or WA (more cosmopolitan states) I showed how Obama was winning and what his positions were. Interestingly, Obama won an electoral vote from the Omaha, NE district, an area I sent over 1,000 e-mails to in September...email works!

[SeanGardner]

This is why I applauded Obama’s “50 State Strategy” during the primaries. It was absolutely necessary to show this country a Democratic candidate like Obama – a man with BLUE State credentials and RED State credibility.

Like Dean, Obama was mocked and dismissed by second-guessing, hand-wringing Democrats. I heard all of the criticism: “Why is he spending money in NC” or “Why is he spending money in VA”? But these were states he won, and won rather brilliantly. In fact, these same hand-wringing Democrats complained loudly when Obama spent general election money in Alaska, yet his unprecedented grassroots organizing undoubtedly helped Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich unseat Ted Stevens. And in your state, can there be any doubt that Obama's uber voter registration effort helped Walt Minnick defeat Congressman Bill Sali? Minnick's stunning victory was covered by HUFFPOST in this link: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/05/iidahoi-turns-a-little-bi_n_141683.html.

I will doing a number of RED STATE visits next Summer. I am going to ID, MT, WY, OK, KS, ND and NE - states close to where I live, Washington State. I want to go and shake the hands of people who worked their heart out for Obama.

Since Dems like myself will want to contact you to help and even strategize for the 2010 upcoming mid term elections, can you post your business email and/or business phone where we can contact you? Thanks. And thanks for a great blogpost.

[juliefanselow]

My business email is julie@idah­o-democrat­s.org.

[NotRepresentedInDC]

Sorry -- there is a reason we left the closed-minded behind and will never look back. Innately, we were different and made to think our feelings were wrong. It's not my job to make it all better for the reds. I'll just exhale in relief that I'm not going to be stuck with the closed-minded as they lose their jobs, turn to charity, then turn to crime, and then die for the principle of leaving the poor on their own and using government only to criminalize the minority.

[cruzy]

Wow, I think you need to go to therapy as you obviously have deep-seated issues. Also, your comments are not only bizarre, but factually incorrect. Many so-called "red states" carried Barack Obama and other Democrats into office this election, and many individuals who live in so-called "red states" ARE open-minded, gainfully employed, generous with charity, and not at all opposed to government helping those who are less-fortunate.

By the way, I live in San Francisco, the liberal progressive Mecca, but it always amazes me how arrogant, ill-informed, and bitter so many so-called "progressives" are.

[NotRepresentedInDC]

1) therapy is where you learn that what who they are and what they did is what is wrong, not you.

2) the majority of hicks in red states are *not* open-minded, etc. look at the damn map. outside of big cities and college towns, the people voted for bush -- even after a security lapse in nyc/dc, 2 wars, a failed economy, etc. majority is a word that has meaning. it doesn't mean 100% but it does mean more than 50%.

3) the marina is arguably *not* san francisco. it is built on landfill. you might get hailed into court for jury duty here, but we don't think of you as one of us.

[Topsailsman]

Cruzy,
Your comment about Notrepresented having issues and needing therapy is a ridiculous overstatement and shows that YOU are the arrogant one. Second, there were not "many" red states that carried Obama or other Democrats- there were a handful. Not many, a few. So when you say Notrepresented made factually incorrect statements, it was you who made factually incorrect statements. Calling CO, NV, IN, VA, NC and NM "many" is factually inaccurate. Third, while there may be many individuals in red states who are open-minded, etc., the majority of citizens in these states vote for people like Saxby Chambliss, John Boehner, Mitch McConnel, Tom Coburn, John Kyl, Richard Shelby and on and on and on........­.......the majority vote for people who actively oppose progressive legislation. If Notrepresented has no interest in working to make those states change, that's their right. If you want to argue that they should work because strategically it is important, go right ahead. But to call them "bizarre", "factually incorrect", "arrogant", "ill-informed" and "bitter" is really a case of the pot calling the kettle black.

[eeVas]

Great post. If those living in the blue states could also remember that there are "blue" people living in very red areas. It feels very lonely here. The county I live in voted 65% for McCain.

[Chibikim]

If we all work hard together anything is possible. Great post.

[militarymomforobama]

That's how it's done. It all happens at the local level. I hope this catches on.