Sen. Cantwell impresses; Dems show strong

Friday evening, I traveled to Leavenworth for a reception with U.S. Sen. maria cantwell and a fundraiser on behalf of the Chelan County Democrats. The weather could not have been more wonderful with the sun poring over the tree-covered mountainsides. The host farm decked out in American flags and Cantwell campaign signs and a crowd of about 75 made the package complete.

Sen. Cantwell spoke for about 20 minutes about some of the issues important to her and some ideas she had and some bills she is sponsoring. In just a few minutes of listening, I knew she was the real deal. I've been a strong supporter for a while now, but this convinced me that she is not only a good choice because we need to keep Democrats in the Senate but also because she is honest and a person of convistion. I also was impressed with how smart she is. She had some applause lines that clearly worked with the usual Democrat groups -- in union halls, at Jefferson-Jackson dinners, at EMILY's List fundraisers. But more than those, she had thoughtful articulate responses to questions. I learned a lot, and I saw that she had deep knowledge and understanding about agricultural, economic, energy and world issues.

Sen. Cantwell's visit comes at a time when the Democrat party in Chelan County is coming alive. I spoke with someone I know, and we remarked about the energy and organization that has occurred in the last year. Sen. Cantwell related an anecdote about a conversation she had at a stop on the coast where she saw the state party chair. He said that when she got to Chelan County, she would see something special was happening. It is.

Chelan County has no elected Democrats in any office. It usually votes strongly for Republicans in state and federal races. It was the site of the contest for the gubernatorial election because Republicans thought they could gain favor here. They didn't. And, voter data shows that Democrats are making ground in Chelan County, and that in a couple recent races the results were actually close. There is a growing group of people who are eager to buck the trend in this area, who want to help people in rural areas by electing Democrats who actually care about the social issues and needs of people in those communities.

We'll see how things go in the next year with mid-term elections, with our Congressman on the ropes for his "leadership" of the House Ethics Committee, with growing discontent about the war in Iraq and on terror, with the scandals about accountability and oversight. We'll see if voters can see the right choice is to return Sen. Cantwell to the Senate and to kick some of the Republican bums out.

-- Wenatchee, Wash.