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Historically, Laconia has been blood red. Going back at least to the Kennedy administration, any admission by a central New Hampshire resident to being a Democrat or to favoring a Democratic candidate was akin to announcing to the world an affinity for sexual predation. Indeed, pedophile priests were more likely to be defended than a "librul" Democrat.
This had not changed as recently as 2004, despite a growing dissatisfaction with the war. "Support the Troops" rallies were frequent and appropriately featured aging veterans of long ago wars dutifully reminding citizens of their obligations to the men and women currently serving in uniform. Yet, they were most notable for giving voice to the Republican war advocates who'd bought -- hook, line and sinker -- the Bush administration's justification for invading and occupying Iraq instead of pursuing Bin Laden and Al Quada.
Just how "red" was Laconia and how is it trending today?
The following are the presidential election results from Laconia from 2000 going forward.
2000 Presidential Election
Bush 55.9%
Gore 44.1%
2004 Presidential Election
Bush 55.0%
Kerry 45.0%
2008 Presidential Primaries
Republicans 47.5%
Democrats 52.5%
The shift from red to blue, however, was even more apparent in state and local elections. The gubernatorial elections from 2002 forward are even more telling.
2002 Gubernatorial Election
Benson (R) 69.2%
Fernald (D) 30.8%
2004 Gubernatorial Election
Benson (R) 53.7%
Lynch (D) 46.3%
2006 Gubernatorial Election
Coburn (R) 22.7%
Lynch (D) 77.3%
Today, people are proudly proclaiming they're Democrats and aren't reticent in the least about identifying themselves in public. Last Friday, an estimated 70 Democrats marched together in the Annual Fourth of July Parade, by far the largest and most enthusiastic contingent participating. Below are some photos taken on the occasion.
Democrats March in Independence Day Parade
According to the Belknap County Democratic Committee Chair Lynn Chong, incumbent Republican U.S. Senator John Sununu, and former U.S. House Rep. Jeb Bradley, a Republican defeated in 2006 who's trying to make a comeback this year, both stood watching the Democrats with their mouths agape. "I think it's the first time Bradley has seen the grass roots supporters who helped to defeat him in 2006," she said. "It was funny, because the parade organizers decided to place a troop of boy scouts between us."
Another local Democratic Party official observed that the only people marching with the Republicans appeared to be staffers. "I kind of felt sorry for John Sununu and Jeb Bradley," he admitted. "They both walked in the parade, but it looked as though the only people joining them were their staffers. It was actually pretty pathetic."
What's occurring in Laconia, New Hampshire may very well be repeated throughout the country this November. In 2006, Laconia elected three Democrats to the New Hampshire House of Representatives. Overall, the Democrats garnered 50.1% of the vote compared to 49.9% for the Republicans who won two seats.
But compare that to 2004 when the Republican candidates captured 58.9% of the vote, or 2002 when the Republicans won 66.7% of the vote.
If 2006 painted the city a nice shade of purple, 2008 promises to cast an azure haze over the entire city. Obama, who placed second behind Clinton in the Democratic primary, still collected more votes than McCain, who won the Republican primary. Governor John Lynch will easily cruise to his third term, and former Governor Jeanne Shaheen is ahead of John Sununu in the polls.
Locally, state senator Kathy Sgambati should encounter no obstacles in her effort to secure a second term, and all five Democratic N.H. House candidates are formidable contenders who draw a stark contrast with the tired collection of retreads the Republicans are running.
In addition, the Democrats are aiming at county offices as well, which traditionally have been controlled exclusively by Republicans. County Attorney Jim Carroll, a Democrat who was elected to his first term in 2006, is running unopposed, and former Laconia School Board member and local attorney Ed Philpot stands a good chance of being elected to the County Commission.
The Democrats have fielded credible candidates for all but one elected county position, a far cry from two years ago when Republicans went unchallenged.
Make no mistake. This dramatic improvement in Democratic Party prospects can be attributed to much more than the ongoing occupation of Iraq. New Hampshire residents, including those in Laconia had grown tired of the arrogance of the dominant Republican Party. They were fed up with policies that rendered government ineffective in providing the services for which it is responsible.
For decades Republicans made a sport of neglecting the need to adequately fund public education despite orders from the N.H. Supreme Court which made clear the state's constitutional responsibility to provide the monies necessary to ensure every child receives a quality education. Nor could Republicans find it in their cold hearts to sufficiently care for New Hampshire's elderly citizens, depriving county nursing homes of the resources they needed to secure matching grants from the federal government.
Nor did the Republican penchant for secrecy endear the party to New Hampshire's notoriously engaged citizenry. Their decades of unbridled power instilled a sense of entitlement -- a belief that they were accountable only to themselves and they were solely capable of governing.
The challenge for Democrats is to exercise their newly earned power with respect and restraint, remembering that they are the servants of the people. So far, since taking control of both houses of the state's legislature in 2006, they've managed to achieve that objective. Accordingly, the public seems poised to expand upon the party's majority.
We're prepared here in Laconia to respond to the voters' desire for accountability and change, and to do our part to transform our community and the state into a solid sea of blue. So anyone wanting to witness the dynamics of a major sea change need look no further than Laconia! And you're invited to look - and to participate if you so desire.
Visit the Laconia Democratic Party website to get a better sense of how we're working on transforming our community!
(This has been cross posted at the Daily Kos)
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