USA Today: Democrats rebuild on the prairie

[Rose Siding]

FREMONT, Neb. — It was standing room only the other night at the Blue Bottle Coffeehouse. The Dodge County Democrats were meeting for their convention — and there were about 60 of them, up from barely a dozen in 2004.That was enough for outgoing chairman Jim Dake to declare the county's Democratic Party officially revitalized. "The proof is all around you," he said. "We've filled the room."

Early organizing, early advertising and a full slate of candidates for Congress are among the signs of hope for Democrats in this conservative farm state with a streak of prairie populism......

The state was a low priority for the DNC. Of the $731 million the party raised for the 2004 elections, Nebraska got $12,000. "The national Democrats were sucking money and volunteers" out of Nebraska, state party chairman Steve Achelpol says. Adds executive director Barry Rubin, "They called us an 'export state.' "

Times have changed. The DNC is now spending $120,000 a year to pay the salaries of three organizers and a spokesman here. Nationwide, the party has hired and trained about 190 people in 50 states in its $10-million-a-year program. The goal is to create voter lists and activist networks that don't vanish when campaigns are over or powerful Democrats retire.
...
Here in Fremont, the Democrats opened a campaign office to help candidates up and down the ticket. "Usually at this stage we're just trying to get a couple of people to parades," activist and attorney Richard Register says. He also says the party usually has to "twist arms" to find delegates to the state convention. At this meeting, volunteers had to be turned away.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-06-13-nebraska_x.htm

[Warpy]

1. There are two things rank and file Democrats need to know

First, the inside the Beltway party bosses and elected officials are NOT going to be the ones who truly lead the party anywhere. They're blinded by their own importance and dazzled by the brilliance of party conservatives and will cling to the devils they know until death do them part. The retaking of the party by Democrats is going to begin in the west as those state parties farthest from the influence of the Beltway Dems begin to realize that it IS the economy and that economic populism is the road to victory.

Second, the wedge issue is WAGES. That the GOP Congress even had a rider on a bill to raise the minimum shows that a few of the smarter ones realize this is true. That rider may already be dead, attacked as "inappropriate" to the legislation it's riding on, something that never stopped that party before. No, raising wages won't fix everything and it may cause some problems, but it's something that is essential and JUST, and the GOP is incapable of that.

Democrats have never been a hierarchical party, with the bosses leading the masses. It's always been the masses that have forced the bosses to either budge or get out. It's that way now, only the bosses still haven't figured it out yet.

[mrgorth]

2. Agreed. Kos gets this too.

Brian Schweitzer is our man.