2008 Woodie Awards
Students contribute to caucus' success
ISU College Democrats played a major role in organizing last Tuesday's historic caucus
Ryan Hunter
Issue date: 2/20/08 Section: News
Last Tuesday, Feb. 5, marked a historic day for the Bannock County Democrats as a record 1,456 of their members crammed into the Pond Student Union Building Ballroom to caucus overwhelmingly in favor of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. Without the help of the ISU College Democrats, however, the event may not have been nearly as organized or successful.
Diana Painter, President of the College Democrats, said that they had been in contact with the state party for several months preparing for the event.
"We did all of the ground work," Painter said, "and we've been planning it since last November to get the word out."
Painter said that the club worked closely with the Bannock County Democrats to plan the event. They were tasked with scheduling the venue and organizing committees to plan the specifics of the event.
But Painter said that they had not expected the record-setting turnout, even after the state party had told them to expect high attendance.
"I was absolutely astounded by the turnout," Painter said. "We were told by the state party to prepare for 1,500 people, and we we're like 'yeah right.' We ended up having close to that number, though."
By way of comparison, 4,576 Idaho Democrats turned out to caucus during the 2004 presidential primary, while this year more than 21,000 turned out.
Painter said that she felt the record turnout was largely due to the new "50 State Strategy" implemented by the Democratic National Committee this year. The strategy involves the creation of a campaign office in every state, staffed by at least two full-time and paid area directors chosen by the state parties, who then recruit leaders and volunteers in areas across the state.
Randy Johnson, an Iraq veteran and Boise State University alumni, was responsible for organizing the caucus in Bannock County and for working with the College Democrats in planning the event.
Tuesday's caucus not only produced a resounding win for Obama, but also for student representation in the state party as well, Painter said.
"We have five ISU College Democrats that will be representing us at the state convention in June," Painter said. "We're going to try and get a platform party for Bannock County Democrats together before that too so that our views can be represented when the state party platform is decided on."
Painter said that overall the College Democrats were pleased with both the turnout and the result of the caucus, and felt that in this case the best candidate had won.
"I think Obama at this point has to win, not just because he's an amazing candidate, but because he's gotten out so many independent and new voters," Painter said. "He, as a Democrat, has helped create a lot of new democrats across the nation."
Diana Painter, President of the College Democrats, said that they had been in contact with the state party for several months preparing for the event.
"We did all of the ground work," Painter said, "and we've been planning it since last November to get the word out."
Painter said that the club worked closely with the Bannock County Democrats to plan the event. They were tasked with scheduling the venue and organizing committees to plan the specifics of the event.
But Painter said that they had not expected the record-setting turnout, even after the state party had told them to expect high attendance.
"I was absolutely astounded by the turnout," Painter said. "We were told by the state party to prepare for 1,500 people, and we we're like 'yeah right.' We ended up having close to that number, though."
By way of comparison, 4,576 Idaho Democrats turned out to caucus during the 2004 presidential primary, while this year more than 21,000 turned out.
Painter said that she felt the record turnout was largely due to the new "50 State Strategy" implemented by the Democratic National Committee this year. The strategy involves the creation of a campaign office in every state, staffed by at least two full-time and paid area directors chosen by the state parties, who then recruit leaders and volunteers in areas across the state.
Randy Johnson, an Iraq veteran and Boise State University alumni, was responsible for organizing the caucus in Bannock County and for working with the College Democrats in planning the event.
Tuesday's caucus not only produced a resounding win for Obama, but also for student representation in the state party as well, Painter said.
"We have five ISU College Democrats that will be representing us at the state convention in June," Painter said. "We're going to try and get a platform party for Bannock County Democrats together before that too so that our views can be represented when the state party platform is decided on."
Painter said that overall the College Democrats were pleased with both the turnout and the result of the caucus, and felt that in this case the best candidate had won.
"I think Obama at this point has to win, not just because he's an amazing candidate, but because he's gotten out so many independent and new voters," Painter said. "He, as a Democrat, has helped create a lot of new democrats across the nation."
Be the first to comment on this story