Seattle->Pocatello->Vegas
Posted by Jessica in Las Vegas, War in Iraq
Randy Stapilus, of Ridenbaugh Press, has written about my blog again here. For those of you who don't know, Mr. Stapilus provides the best analysis and commentary of politics in the pacific northwest, which includes Washington, Oregon, and Idaho. Any mention of my blog by Mr. Stapilus is an honor.
I appreciate being recognized and it always provides motivation to continue the blog. Since I am under contract for work I have to be careful to avoid being dooced. But I still have some freedom with what I can write.
Lately I have been noticing how hard it is to get volunteers. I have been thinking that maybe I am a horrible field organizer and the problem is with me. But after speaking with several other people, including organizers with other campaigns, they say difficulties with organizing here comes with the turf. I think I could drive up to Idaho Falls right now and generate more interest in the campaign I work on then I can here, and Clark County has around 1.2 million people.
This isn't to say people in this area are lazy, apathetic, or close-minded, they just live in an area that caters to tourists and people who live here for short periods of time before leaving again. And I think there are other aspects that are unique to Vegas that make it harder to find volunteers...
Though Las Vegas has many people who aren't native to the area, I still sense some distrust and initial distance that is exhibited with "outsiders." This is especially clear with all of the campaigns going on (all Democratic presidential candidates have a presence here with the exception of Gravel, plus several issue campaigns, such as global warming, kids campaign, AARP campaign, One
Of course they can't be too hostile, because what would Vegas be without outsiders (candidates certainly couldn't run campaigns with just Nevadans), but numerous times I have heard about those "Californians," and it makes me smile and remember the Idahoans who would always whine about Californians taking over the state.
Being here has presented a few opportunities to talk about Idaho. I got to talk about Senator Frank Church to one guy, educate a lady about Boise (she described it as some kind of backwards redneck area), talk about Bill Sali, and talk about lovely Bannock County and how the Democrats won 12 out of 13 local races.
It's great to be an Idahoan who lives in Vegas.
