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In Elbert, being Republican is a way of life

By Lisa Ryckman, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published September 29, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Jerry Koch's antique shotgun rides on his shoulder at the Elbert County Republican Trap Shoot and Barbecue on Saturday near Simla. Elbert County is a GOP stronghold where gun control and higher taxes are fighting words.

Photo by Barry Gutierrez/The Rocky

Jerry Koch's antique shotgun rides on his shoulder at the Elbert County Republican Trap Shoot and Barbecue on Saturday near Simla. Elbert County is a GOP stronghold where gun control and higher taxes are fighting words.

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It's no fun being a Democrat in Elbert County, and nobody knows that better than Robert Thomasson.

A retired schoolteacher running for county commissioner, Thomasson has had his homemade roadside campaign signs torn down, run over by trucks and tossed into ponds nine times. As a very blue candidate in a very red county, he's pretty much assured of losing, and he knows it.

"Elbert County has been controlled by the Republican Party for years and years and years," says John Dunn, a Republican and former county commissioner who has lived here since 1963. "It's extremely hard for a Democrat to do anything out here."

That's an understatement, says Thomasson, who used to be a Republican himself. He and Dunn are friends who agree that there need to be some changes in local government, but Thomasson understands why Dunn won't sacrifice his political capital to support a Democrat.

"To say this is a bastion of Republican politics does not reflect just how intense it's been out here," he says. "We're talking hard-core good ol' boy politics that are the subject matter of dime store novels."

In the unlikely event he's elected, Thomasson would be the first Democrat on the Board of County Commissioners in nearly 20 years. It's been even longer since Elbert County voted for a Democrat for president: that goes back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1932.

Republicans rule the 1,854 square miles of rolling grassland and Ponderosa pine tucked between the Denver area and Colorado Springs, outnumbering Democrats 3-to-1 and probably more. Around here, self-described independents are often just Republicans who like to keep people guessing, and the only Democrats who get elected are the ones who become Republicans.

Disappointed in Bush

Incorporated in 1874, the county's trees brought sawmills - one became the town of Elizabeth - and attracted farmers and ranchers whose spirit of fierce independence prevails today. Politics are colored by a leave-me-be mentality married to a general distrust of government common throughout the rural West, but people of opposing parties generally get along just fine - between elections.

The term Democrat is synonymous with higher taxes and gun control, fighting words in this neck of the woods, and one reason Elbert County has been so staunchly Republican for so long. But even in this GOP stronghold, where President Bush won nearly 70 percent of the vote in 2000 and even more in 2004, they're reluctantly thinking about change.

"I'm so disappointed in Bush. The cockiness he shows in that office is out of place," says Dunn, who now supports John McCain. "I think McCain has paid his dues. I don't think he's a carbon copy of Bush. I think he has his own agenda, and he's going to shake things up.

"I'm sorry John is old," adds the 75-year-old retired engineer and pilot. "But I'm older."

There's no question this is hard-core McCain country, at least now. But he wasn't everybody's first choice.

"My husband doesn't trust McCain because he works with Democrats as well as Republicans, and he doesn't see him as being as conservative as he would like him to be," says Jean Fairclough, who admits that she and husband Jim have been charmed by Sarah Palin.

"Sarah Palin is my kind of woman," she says. "She has the right to make the choices she's made. She's able to be a wife, a mother and in politics."

Palin's appeal really hits home in Elbert County, where her credentials as a National Rifle Association member and evangelical Christian mirror the values of many locals.

"I think that's the smartest move McCain made, that's for sure," says Linda McFarland, owner of Sizzor Magic in Elizabeth. "She's dynamic. She seems like she could get the job done."

Party switch planned

Betty Haulman, who sold the salon to McFarland but still works there, supports McCain, too. But she made a business decision to let anybody put campaign signs on her very visible property up Colorado 86 because it's always possible - not likely, mind you, but possible - that her next customer might be thinking about voting for Barack Obama.

In fact, Haulman's client Janet - she refuses to give her last name - is one of those unaffiliated people who tends to vote Republican, but she's leaning the other way in this election.

"I've had it," she says, as Haulman works on her hair. "I don't think McCain's going to change anything, and we're in a terrible mess. I don't think (Palin's) going to change anything, either."

At the coffee shop a few doors down, a group of 10 or so residents gathers each morning to discuss the world's problems, and Glenn Neuenschwander is the only Democrat. A friend of his, another Democrat, is thinking about making a run for sheriff. But first, he's switching parties.

"You can't get elected to anything as a Democrat," Neuenschwander says.

But Thomasson is still going to give it his all. And while he's at it, he's done what he can for Obama by putting up four 4-by-8 signs.

"You're out on Highway 86, and people see that, and they really are upset. They're angry that you would soil their county with this 'Campaign for Change' sign," he says. "You start to get a thick skin. That's all you can do - wave and smile."

As for Thomasson's own signs, they seem to be staying up these days. They're made out of virtually indestructible panels from an old greenhouse, so trying to trash them is an exercise in frustration.

"I love the county. I love it dearly," he says. "If I didn't, I wouldn't be doing this. This really isn't any fun."

Elbert County

Population: 22,720

White: 91 percent

Hispanic: 5 percent

Black: 1 percent

Median age: 41

Voters

* Democrat: 2,542

* Republican: 8,448

* Unaffiliated: 4,512

* Other: 44

Sources: Colorado secretary of state, U.S. Census Bureau

Comments

  • September 29, 2008

    10:08 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    R8R_H8R writes:

    Democrats say; "OUR LOCAL POLICE SHOULD NOT BE OUT-GUNNED BY CRIMINALS WITH AK-47's.

    Republicans say; "YOU SEE? THEY WANT TO TAKE ALL OF OUR GUNS AWAY"

    Republicans say; "LOWER TAXES!"

    Oh by the way, they FORGET TO MENTION that, while they lower taxes, they DRASTICALLY INCREASE SPENDING. Generating MASSIVE DEBT for our children to cope with, along with a failing economy.

    http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

    The Republican Party THRIVES off of feeding the fears and manipulating the thoughts of the most simple-minded people across America who don’t bother to spend any time what so ever actually learning for themselves the Policy of both parties and the drastically negative effects the G.O.P. has on the Middle Class, and the Debt of this Country.

    http://zfacts.com/p/461.html

  • September 29, 2008

    10:10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    R8R_H8R writes:

    Presidential Contributions to Debt

    Just the facts, no perceptions, hard data taken from the White House itself:

    http://zfacts.com/p/318.html

    The Gross Federal Debt now stands at 63.5% of the GDP. Of that, 33.5% were contributed (racked up) by Reagan-Bush, 6% by G.W. Bush, and 6.1% by printing money. The remaining 18% are left over from WWII

    In 1981 the gross national debt, compared to the nation's annual income, reached its lowest point since 1931. Despite his claim to hate the debt, Reagan instituted unprecedented peacetime deficit spending. This is not partisan politics, this is straight off the White House web site.
    As the graph shows, Bush II repeated Reagan's performance and turned the debt upward again. Bush II's own Office of Management and Budget provides all the data.

    http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/faq...

    chart(click link above) shows how the United States debt skyrocketed during Reagan, spending under control with Clinton, and then through the roof with Dubbya. Increase Gov't. spending/ Lower taxes = DEBT! These numbers are taken directly from the White House website

    The eye-popping $9 trillion gross national debtis owed by the "General Fund." That's the part funded by our income taxes. Half of that goes for the military and to pay interest on the debt. Fortunately two huge parts of the budget, Social Security and Medicare, are running huge surpluses.

    President Reagan came to power claiming the trillion-dollar national debt was the country's central problem. He then proceeded to double it. President Bush has predicted he will set a 50 year debt record-if re-elected.

    White House data show the gross national debt hit a 47 year low just as President Reagan was taking office. It climbed steadily under Reagan and G. H. W. Bush, declined under Clinton and made a quick U-turn under G. W. Bush

  • September 29, 2008

    10:15 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    R8R_H8R writes:

    "...in 2001, when Sen. McCain voted against George Bush's tax cuts, he said we couldn't afford it because it would create a deficit. In 2001, we had a 155 billion dollar surplus. This year, in 2008, when he now supports the tax cuts, as you know, we are moving towards a 300 billion dollar annual deficit. How can we afford tax cuts in 2008 with 300 billion dollar deficit that John McCain said we couldn't afford in 2001 when we had 155 billion dollar surplus?"----Former Republican Congressman and Fox News Host Joe Scarborough to McCain Chief Economic Advisor...who could not answer.

    For years, Sen. McCAIN was STRONGLY AGAINST BUSH's MASSIVE TAX CUTS, saying it was FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE and would CREATE MASSIVE DEBT. HE WAS RIGHT.
    For EVEN LONGER THAN THAT, McCain was AGAINST OFF-SHORE DRILLING,and DRILLINGin ALASKA, saying it was TOO HARMFUL to the ENVIRONMENT, for TOO LITTLE BENEFIT.

    Since running for PRESIDENT, SUDDENLY, McCain is FOR BUSH'S IRRESPONSIBLE TAX CUTS, and ALL FOR DRILLING ANYWHERE and EVERYWHERE for OIL.
    McCain WILL SAY WHAT EVER IT TAKES TO WIN THE ELECTION FOR PRESIDENT, HOWEVER, IF HE DOESN'T WIN, HE COULD DEFINITELY GET A JOB AT A LOCAL WAFFLE HOUSEAs he seems to be an EXPERT WAFFLER.

  • October 1, 2008

    3:30 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SirRealist writes:

    Well, I live there, and I can tell you that the County commissioners over the past few years have been absolute thieves, who award contracts and business to their own companies - just amazing. This election, vote Schwab and Shipper for the two open slots, and next time we'll get rid of the other one. Sorry, but dishonesty and greed will not be rewarded in Elbert County. Honor the master plan and do what's right by the people, not your checkbooks.

  • October 11, 2008

    10 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Sixtysixdeuce writes:

    Aside from being a county that is primarliy Republican, and one that is full of Libertarians like myself, Elbert county is also a very safe, very quiet place to raise a family. There is a very strong sense of community here, support for local small business. People still smile and wave at each other.

    Having lived in Denver/Aurora and spent a fair amount of time in big cities like NY, NY, it never ceases to amaze me how people in large metropolitan areas can be breathing down each other's necks and never know their neighbor's name, yet in sparsly populated rural areas, the people are so much closer and so much more aware of what is going on in the community.

    For those who like living in the concrete jungle, more power to ya. I'll stick to my small country town where people are generally more honest, more caring and more pleasant.

  • October 23, 2008

    3:02 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    NunyaBitnes writes:

    Wow.... I read the three entries below this note and couldn't help but recognize that while there is a large portion of information about how terrible the Republican President mentioned, there is NO mention of which party was majority in either the Senate or House and how budgets were voted on.. I can slant information in either direction and the bottom line is that each and every President is elected by the people to go in a direction THEY want the country to go. I am a proud Republican and while I don't agree with all of Bush's actions and I sure don't want us at war, I am GLAD we are fighting it in the streets of Iraq -not the Eastern Coast of America. The war is expensive, NO ONE contests that .. but don't climb high on a soapbox with only a portion of the info for people to read and expect everyone to digest all of it. I don't agree with all of McCain's stances (I have yet to agree completely with ANY candidate) but I personally prefer him to Obama. THANKS TO OUR VETERANS FOR ALLOWING US THE FREEDOM TO VOTE ! and thank you for reading.

  • October 23, 2008

    3:09 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    NunyaBitnes writes:

    Oh sorry, I almost forgot, ... my vote is -PRESENT-

  • November 4, 2008

    5:59 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    dani4a writes:

    Count me in as an Elbert County Dem.