Wyoming Democratic Party needs your help Platte County Dems

I received this e-mail this afternoon from the Wyoming Democratic Party Treasurer Chuck Herz:

Ten days to go! And much at stake.

The congressional race in Wyoming is neck-and-neck. Gary Trauner leads Cynthia Lummis by a mere one percent in the latest polls and even the Republican National Congressional Committee admits that the race a tossup. We have a strong chance to elect the first Wyoming Democrat to either house of Congress in over thirty years.

We also have a strong chance to increase Democratic representation in both houses of the Wyoming Legislature, quite possibly enough to boost our representation on committees and secure any veto by Gov. Freudenthal. The Presidential and US Senate races currently look tougher, but we’ve an off-chance to pull a big surprise and should at minimum be able to narrow margins so that potential candidates, funding sources, the national party, and Wyoming Democrats will see Wyoming as much more competitive in the future.

Everything now depends on turnout. So we’re setting out to mount the strongest get-out-the-vote effort Wyoming has probably ever seen. An army of you are involved already, and thanks for that. But we need every Democrat in Wyoming to pitch in as much as they possibly can. So if you’re not already signed up as a volunteer to help whenever and wherever you can on the last weekend (November 1 and 2) and especially on Election Day itself (November 4), please, please do so now. If you’re already signed up, please consider signing up for another shift.Here are the contacts in each county with their contact information:

Here are the shifts for which we need volunteers:
Saturday, Nov. 1 Doors: 10am-1pm, 2pm-5pm
Saturday, Nov. 1 Phones: 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm
Sunday, Nov. 2 Doors: 12pm-3pm, 3pm-6pm
Sunday, Nov. 2 Phones: 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-6pm, 6pm-8pm
ELECTION DAY, Nov. 4 Doors: 10am-12:30pm, 1:30pm-4pm, 5pm-7pm
ELECTION DAY, Nov. 4 Phones: 10am-12pm, 12pm-2pm, 2pm-4pm, 4pm-7pm

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD DEMOCRATS TO COME TO THE AID OF THE PARTY, AND OF OUR EXCELLENT CANDIDATES AT ALL LEVELS! Good hunting.

If you can lend a hand, the contacts for Platte County are Katie Lass, 307-680-6128, katie@wyomingdemocrats.com, or Dana Walton, 307-258-1825, dana@wyomingdemocrats.com.

Conservatives and Republicans voting for Obama

Yes, you can.

Final Wyoming Candidates debates on PBS

Here is a great chance to see the candidates debate head to head before making our choices in the voting booth on November 4th. Wyoming PBS is hosting a set of three debates, one for each open seat. The dates are October 26-28, and the lineup is as follows:

U.S. Senate Debate #1 airs Sunday, October 26 at 7:00 PM - Dr. Chris Rothfuss [D] debates incumbant Senator Mike Enzi [R], who is seeking reelection to his third term in the U.S. Senate.

U.S. House Debate airs Monday, October 27 at 7:00 PM - Gary Trauner squares off against Republican nominee Cynthia Lummis for Wyoming’s sole seat in the U.S. House.

U.S. Senate Debate #2 airs Tuesday, October 28 at 7:00 PM - Nick Carter [D] takes on Sen. John Barrasso [R], who was appointed in 2007 to the U.S. Senate.

Right now you have the opportunity to send questions for the candidates.

Over the years, moderator Geoff O'Gara has found some of the best questions for
these debates come from our viewers. So we invite you, our readers and viewers, to send your questions directly to him at gogara@cwc.edu. Questions may be directed to specific candidates, specific races, or to candidates in all three debates.

I'm sending off a couple... I encourage you to do the same, and tune in to watch! It will also be on Wyoming Public Radio if you aren't going to be near a television.

Déjà vu, Freudenthal endorses Gary Trauner

Yesterday Governor Dave Freudenthal endorsed Gary Trauner in his bid for our one Wyoming seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. Like the race two years ago, the endorsement has come fairly late in the game. In fact, this whole race is a déjà vu to the congressional race in 2006.

First, Gary promised to run a clean campaign and he has, just like when he ran against our soon-to-be ex-representative Barbara Cubin. Some say it cost him the seat last time around, but it is a testament to his integrity.

Secondly, the Republican National Committee has begun a mailing blitz attempting to label Gary Trauner as an extreme liberal who doesn't share the interests of Wyoming citizens. The same thing happened two years ago, when they saw that Trauner was a contender. But it's malarkey. How "extremely liberal" can a guy with an A- rating from the NRA be? Gary defines himself as an independent thinker, and will not vote simply for party politics.

Thirdly, as mentioned already, Governor Dave has waited until the final throes of the race to give the nod to Gary. I know he is picky about his endorsements, but really, why couldn't he support Mr. Trauner earlier on? Gary is the same person, with the same viewpoints and positions, as he was two years ago. I do applaud the fact that our Governor criticized Cynthia Lummis for taking credit for the budget surplus. His support is appreciated, but I was hopeful, with his popularity in the state, that he would have been behind Gary throughout the election cycle.

Lastly, as in '06, this race is too close to call. With Republicans outnumbering Democratic voters two to one in Wyoming, getting any Democratic candidate to Congress is a uphill climb. People need to look at the candidates character, read their stances on the issues, and vote. Gary Trauner would be a great representative for our state. Look what we got from Cubin over the last two years...straight voting along party lines, when she bothered to show up. Gary deserves the opportunity to show what he can do for Wyoming. He deserves my vote and yours.

Full Endorsement Transcript

Citizens gather for Platte County Nursing Home

On Saturday, nursing home residents, Banner employees, and concerned citizens gathered outside the nursing home wing at Platte County Memorial Hospital to show support for keeping the nursing home open. CBS news from Cheyenne was there to cover the event. A short news video is available here: http://www.kgwn.tv/_videos/pages/200810185747.html

Banner Health is cancelling their contract to run the nursing home citing uncontrollable financial losses from the nursing home side of the facility over the past several years. In cancelling the contract, the Hospital District Board has to decide how to best handle the situation. They could:
A. Let Banner run the hospital and close the nursing home.
B. Let Banner run the hospital and find another entity to run the nursing home.
C. Find another entity to run both the hospital and nursing home.
D. Have the county run the hospital and nursing home.

What seems to not be an option is to negotiate a way for Banner Health to continue running both the hospital and nursing home. Banner, it seems, is not interested in operating the nursing home at this point, under any circumstances. Option B would seemingly be the hardest to accomplish. The nursing home and hospital share operational departments such as food service, laundry, housekeeping, and maintenence. Utilities are shared as well. It wouldn't be easy for two companies to negotiate a plan to share the employees and operational expenses. Option D is unlikely...the county simply does not have the resources and expertise to run a healthcare facility. From my vantage point, this leaves options A and C. Both will cause quite a stir, neither are optimal choices.

Regarding the politics of all this, the one person that may suffer backlash from community frustration is democratic candidate Joe Reichardt. He is the only Platte County Commissioner that is up for reelection this year. Although the commissioners have input, the negotiations in solving this dilemma are between Banner Health and the Platte County Hospital District Board. There are several names in the hat for the Hospital District Board. On the ballot in November are Rick Bowen, John C. Bunker, Crystal (Boettcher) Gamblin, Lori Modesitt, and Chuck Witte. These are brave people for wanting to be involved (or wanting to stay involved) in all this mess. The current Hospital District Board states they are doing their best to resolve the issue. Surely there must be a win/win solution to the problem. Any suggestions?

Colin Powell is voting for Obama

This should be a real boost for the Obama camp. On Meet the Press this morning, Gen. Powell gave his endorsment of Barack Obama, and more importantly, made some statements that needed to be made. He questioned McCain's judgement on several issues, including his negative campain tactics and his pick of Sarah Palin. "Now that we have had a chance to watch her for some seven weeks, I don't believe she's ready to be president of the United States, which is the job of the vice president." he said. Thank you for that, sir.

After the interview on Meet the Press, Gen. Powell told reporters "I think that Senator Obama brings a fresh set of eyes, fresh set of ideas to the table. I think that Senator McCain, as gifted as he is, is essentially going to execute the Republican agenda, the orthodoxy of the Republican agenda with a new face and a maverick approach to it, and he'd be quite good at it, but i think we need more than that. I think we need a generational change. I think Senator Obama has captured the feelings of the young people of America and is reaching out in a more diverse, inclusive way across our society."

Please watch the video. It's a very honest and candid look at the big picture of this campaign, and how the extreme right agenda coming from the Republican party is not right for this country at this time. Thank you, General Colin Powell, for speaking the truth. You, sir, are the one putting Country First!