I’ve seen a lot of questions come through this site about Obama yard signs.  I haven’t been involved in answering or fulfilling those requests, but I’m guessing that most people aren’t finding it easy to get one.  I do believe some Dems had some printed themselves recently (e.g. as fundraiser giveaways), but getting official campaign signs is difficult.  Certainly this is partially due to the fact that we live in a state that will go Obama’s way, so the campaign is putting little effort here (other than mining the deep support here and using it to canvass in neighboring states, call voters, etc.).  But it also brings up the question of whether yard signs are worth the fairly large effort required to print, distribute, and maintain them.  

There’s a post up at fivethirtyeight.com, titled BREAKING: Obama Campaign Organizers Trying To Win Election Instead of Get You Yard Signs, that gets right at the heart of this question.  Are campaign signs worth it?  A lot of people have heard the conventional wisdom that yard signs don’t vote, so don’t work too hard on them.  Yet when an opponent’s signs start blanketing the neighborhood panic can set in with the other campaign: will the average person presume that there’s no support for the opposing side in town?  Or will it lead people to question their intended support?

I don’t think it makes much difference in a presidential race.  Maybe it’s because I’ve lived in Illinois forever, and the fact that in my voting life I don’t think Illinois was ever a swing state, so there’s never much in the way of presidential campaign items around here.  But people tend to know who they’re voting for, and if they don’t, they’re unlikely to choose their presidential vote based on yard signs.

However, I do think they possibly make more difference on local issues.  I’ve personally been responsible for yard signs on more than one campaign.  Especially when it’s a race or an issue that is not well known, then signs can help people figure out who they should vote for because they’ll see a particular side of the issue supported in the yards of their friends.  

But on a national campaign?  I can see where the Obama campaign is coming from.  Sure, they’re loaded and why can’t they just crank them out?  But the distribution and management of yard signs is a big job and takes a lot of person hours.  And they clearly want those hours devoted to something more productive.

What do you think?

By the way, if you want a sign, you can always buy one from the Obama Store, although no guarantees on when it will arrive.

Eric Thorsland is running for one of two seats on the Champaign County Board representing District one. He is funding his campaign with donated scrap metals from many of his supporters, making Eric a recycled candidate who is not the incumbent. Eric is having a big fund drive kick off Monday June 2nd at 7:30am at his farm located at 480 County Road 2500 N. Mahomet Il. You are welcome to come meet Eric and some of his supporters then, as we pile the scrap as high as we can to start of Eric’s fund drive.

Each election year, a lottery is held to determine the order each party’s candidates will be listed on the November ballot. That lottery was held last week, and here in Champaign County the order will be as follows:

1. Democratic
2. Green
3. Republican

That means in every race on the fall ballot, the Democratic candidates will be listed ahead of the Republican (and/or Green Party) candidates. Many campaign watchers believe the candidate listed first on the ballot garners a few extra percentage points due to ballot order. In a close race, that could mean the difference between victory and defeat!

In 2008, local Democrats will have excellent candidates, compelling issues, enthusiastic volunteers, energized voters, and now first-place on the ballot, too!

Please join us! Make your reservation today!

Spring 2008 Democratic
Unity Dinner

Sunday, April 6th
5:00 – Social Hour
6:00 – Dinner Program

Laborer’s Hall
108 E. Anthony Dr., Urbana

$35 with advance Reservation/$40 at the Door

To reserve your seat now, e-mail Matthew Gladney at dinner@champaigncountydemocrats.org and tell us how many tickets you’d like reserved. Then either mail your check to Dinner Committee, Champaign County Democrats, P.O. Box 1455, Champaign, IL 61824; or use your credit card on-line at:

champaigncountydemocrats.org/help/#donate

Any questions? E-mail Matthew at dinner@champaigncountydemocrats.org .

“The Champaign County Democratic Central Committee believes that in order to fulfill our democracy’s greatest promise, our government must work for the social and economic equity of all people. As the elected leaders of the Champaign County Democratic Party, we endorse the following platform and will urge our representatives in government to work to advance these goals.”

This opening statement introduces the new party platform which has been under consideration for the past few months. After several hours of discussion, the Champaign County Democratic Central Committee achieved concensus on the party platform document at the last committee meeting, held on January 23rd. After making several amendments to the document, they recommended that the platform be presented for passage by the newly elected Central Committee at the Democratic County Convention scheduled for March 5th, 2008.

Historically, the Champaign County Democratic Party adopted a platform every two years at the convention until the 1990′s. With the decision to resurrect the process, Central Committee members were invited to serve on the Platform Committee responsible for drafting a new platform. The Platform Committee held several meetings in October and November and began their work with a review of our own platforms from the 1980′s, along with other county and state Democratic Party platforms. In that process, the committee identified key issue statement in health care and human services, education, economic opportunity, criminal justice and public safety, environment and land use, participatory government, Democratic Party principles and national priorities. The first draft of the document was presented at the November Central Committee meeting and those in attendance provided written input. The document was also sent to all current Central Committee members and incoming new Central Committee members via email to invite their feedback. The Platform Committee reviewed all input and presented an amended document at the January 23rd Central Committee meeting.

There was broad agreement on nearly all of the issues put forth on the final three-page document, which can be obtained as a PDF document, here. Thanks to everyone who participated in this process!

The Champaign County Democrats have moved to a new Party Headquarters, and you’re invited to check out our new home!  An Open House for the public, the media, and all interested Democrats will be held this Saturday, Feb. 2, from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

The new Dem HQ is located at 110 S. Neil Street in the heart of downtown Champaign.  It’s just south of the intersection of University Ave. & Neil St., across the street from Christie Clinic.

Volunteers put in countless hours of work to make this move possible, and now we want to show off our new digs!  Stop by for a few minutes on Saturday to see the new HQ, enjoy a snack, meet with other local Dems, and maybe pick up a yardsign or two in time for the Feb. 5th primary.

Hope to see you there!

There will be a candidate’s forum for the office of Champaign County State’s Attorney this Wednesday, January 30, 2008.  The forum will be held at 6:00pm in the University of Illinois Law School Auditorum, which is located at 504 E. Pennsylvania Ave. in Champaign.

All three candidates currently running in the February 5th primary are scheduled to attend.  These include:

• Alfred Ivy
• Janie Miller-Jones
• Julia Rietz

Ivy & Rietz are running against each other in the Democratic primary.  The winner will face Republican Miller-Jones in the November 4th general election.  Julia Rietz currently holds the office of State’s Attorney for Champaign County.

This candidate’s forum is sponsored by the University of Illinois Law School Chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

If you’re excited about watching the results from the New Hampshire Democratic primary on Tuesday night, you’re not alone!

Champaign County Democrats are gathering to watch the N.H. primary results come in, and you’re invited to join us!  Whichever Democrat you support for president, join local Dems for the fun & excitement of the first-in-the-nation primary!

WHERE:  Fiesta Cafe, 216 S. First St., Champaign

WHEN:  Tuesday, January 8th, 6pm – ??

We’ll be in the back room at Fiesta Cafe, watching results come in on their big screen TV, enjoying good company and great Mexican food & drinks!  No matter how it turns out, Democrats will be celebrating!  Hope to see you there!

Urbana Democrats Hiram and Jean Paley have a tradition of hosting a birthday party for their good friend, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin, to celebrate his campaign for re-election. Local Democrats may remember singing Happy Birthday to the Senator at his November 2001 birthday party in Champaign.

The public is invited to help Senator Durbin celebrate his birthday at a fundraiser reception in his honor on Tuesday, November 20, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy’s Stone Creek banquet facility in Urbana. Senator Durbin will be there to meet supporters, and he will speak and answer questions starting at 6:15 p.m. Wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served, and of course, birthday cake!

For more information, contact Hiram Paley at 384-8165 or by email at

hpaley@gmail.com

Senator Durbin will be on the ballot for the February 5, 2008 Democratic Primary election and on the general election ballot in November 2008.