Archive: Around Town

This week the Tompkins County Democrats kicked off an aggressive campaign to get local Democrats jazzed about working to get their candidates elected.  Sunday afternoon the Democratic Club of Tompkins County held a candidate meet and greet event at Common Ground Coffee Shop in Ithaca.  Later in the day more than Democrats came to Stewart Park for the 20th annual 'Meet the Candidates' barbecue.  On Tuesday they held a grand opening of their new Cayuga Street headquarters. 

At the Stewart Park event Tompkins County Democratic Comittee Chairwoman Irene Stein listed a number of candidates in local races around the county.  But the headliners of the day were running in national and state elections.  While New York Senate Minority Leader Malcolm Smith had to beg off because of unforeseen events, U.S. Congressmen Maurice Hinchey and Michael Arcuri, State Assemblywoman Barbara Lifton, and State Senate candidates Don Barber and Paloma Capanna all showed up to speak, as well as Tompkins County Obama Campaign chairman Brian Hunt.


"The Presidential campaign is the contest in which we all are working," Stein said.  "It is essential that every one of us does what he or she can to change the course of this nation."

More than 100 Democrats crowded into the main pavilion to meet the candidates and hear them speak.  "What I think is really important is that we're going to see some dramatic change," said U.S. Congressman Michael Arcuri, who is running for a second term in the 24th district, which includes Lansing.  "I'm seeing it in my district.  It's a district where Republicans outnumber Democrats by 45,000.  Yet the people want to vote for Democrats.  They know that we're talking the right language.  They know we're in the right place on the issues."


Arcuri was interrupted by loud applause a number of times, including his recounting of a conversation he had with a merchant in a marketplace in Iraq.  He asked the merchant what Iraq needs to get to a point where American Troops can come home.  "He said, 'We need more American money, because these roads are terrible.  We only get two hours of electricity per day and our water is terrible,'" Arcuri recalled.  "I thought to myself, yeah, that's exactly what we need American money for in Central New York and the Southern tier of New York."

Congressman Maurice Hinchey asked, "Are the people of this country going to be wise enough to choose someone who is going to make a real difference? "

That seemed to paraphrase Democrats' anxiety as Republican McCain rises in the polls, reducing or eliminating Obama's lead.  But several speakers said that the polls are early and likely not accurate.  "The tide is with us," Hunt said.  "If you look at what's going on in the country, we are right on all the issues.  If you can concentrate on that and tell your friends and continue to work hard we'll be alright in November."


Tuesday's Democratic Headquarters event attracted a variety of Democrats of all ages, many anxious to volunteer, others to pick up yard signs for their favorite candidates.  Lansing Democrat Pat Prior, who is operating the headquarters along with Mary Jo Bauer, says that the centrally located storefront, just around the corner from the Ithaca Commons, is attracting record numbers.

"We have never had as many volunteers coming by this early in the election season as we have this year," says Prior.  "We have many people coming in every day to volunteer and to help in headquarters.  People want to go out and canvas, they want to do phone banking, they want to go to swing states.  People are excited.  They really are interested and they want to make a contribution."

Prior, who is helping operate the headquarters for her fourth presidential election year, says they are currently keeping the storefront open from noon to 6pm weekdays, and from 10am to 2pm.  She says that those hours will be extended further in a few weeks.

"We get it in Congress," Arcuri said at Saturday's barbecue.  "More importantly Senator Obama gets it."

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