“The Idaho Democratic Party cordially invites you to meet
Governor Howard Dean and engage in a special training with
Democracy for America.”
So reads a mailing I received from the Idaho state
Democratic Party (I’m on too many mailing lists). The former
governor of Vermont, ex-DNC chairman, verbally enthusiastic
presidential candidate and recent proponent of a government
shutdown is slated for a stop at the Coeur D’Alene Casino Resort
(CDA) in Worley, Idaho in mid-April. There’s a good deal for hotel
rooms: $78.06 for three days. Lunch on training day seems rather
exorbitant at $50 (Dean will deliver a speech), considering the
training fee itself is only $25. Some local Dem-friends of mine are
attending, one woman telling me that she wants to “have Howard
Dean’s baby,” though at her age this is improbable and merely a
metaphor for the excitement that local Democrats are experiencing
as they contemplate the arrival of a Party rock star. Howard Dean
could have more fun than he knows.
“Democracy for America” is a PAC that arose from the ashes
of Dean’s initially impressive (from a strategist’s point of view)
2004 presidential bid. Its “Campaign Academy” travels the country
putting on seminars designed to put a more high tech sheen on the
old Dean modus operandi of the “meetup” to promote Democratic Party
ideals and candidates (“Join us in delivering results for a
progressive America!”). How to use the media (if that was ever a
problem) to get the message out is a main component. The rest
consists of annoying friends and neighbors with community
organizing-type pro-Dem pitches.
This is a quixotic quest in Idaho, as the Democratic Party
here hardly exists. Its numbers on the state and county levels were
marginal pre-2010 midterm election, but that contest really
hammered them. The state legislature is a good example, where the
GOP enjoys majorities of 28-7 in the Senate, and 57-13 in the
House. Dean’s primary task will be to encourage Democrats (again,
they are few) to actually run against the GOP in future elections.
In 2010, local ballots were full of Republicans running
unopposed.
Politics aside, this would be a marvelous opportunity for
Dr. Dean to have a look at his Red State surroundings. Rolling
forested hills, chattering creeks, placid lakes; North Idaho would
remind him of his homestate of Vermont. It also has certain
cultural aspects that he’d be interested in. It would be a learning
experience.
The CDA Casino is owned by the Coeur d’ Alene tribe,
“gaming” being the main entrepreneurial activity in “Indian
Country” today. The Idaho Democratic Party held its every-two-years
convention there in 2010. There’s something ironic about Democrats
holding their convention at a gambling resort, considering the
trillions-of-dollars of deficit spending noted on the national
political scene in the last two years. Maybe Dean will find the
time to win or lose some money while playing the slots, either
scenario eliciting one of his famous howls.
Nearby Hayden Lake is particularly scenic, and we hope
that Dean will visit and overlook its history of what H.L. Mencken
called “Ku Kluxery.” The defunct twenty-acre “Aryan Nations”
compound is now owned by North Idaho College, where the school is
currently developing a “peace park.” The ex-presidential candidate
might find that the site has potential for a future meetup, but
he’ll have to wrestle with the fact that any local participants
might be heavily armed .
Speaking of such, another stop could be Ruby Ridge, scene
of the 1992 standoff between federal authorities and the notorious
Randy Weaver, militia guy and gun dealer. Then it could be on to
“Almost Heaven,” Bo Gritz’s defunct experiment in apocalyptic
survivalist real estate development near Kamiah, Idaho. Though
Gritz won’t be in almost heavenly residence. Nowadays he has a
radio show in Nevada.
Then there’s the perennial-Idaho-candidate-for-everything,
Rex Rammell, late of a 2010 gubernatorial bid. Dean could drop in
on Rex at home near Idaho Falls and get the lowdown on his recent
poaching adventures. According to media reports, last fall Rammell
“killed a cow elk with an expired elk license and in the wrong
hunting zone.” He also threatened an Idaho Department of Fish and
Game officer and refused to accept a citation. Rex has since
pleaded not guilty and the case is pending. This incident will
certainly be the basis for Rex’s next political adventure — if he
can stay out of jail, of course.
After all that, Dean’s progressive sensibilities may be
strained. One hopes there’ll be time for a relaxing evening
cocktail cruise on Lake Pend Oreille with Ben Stein.
