Democrats at the Rio: In denial

Local Kerry backers rest their last hope on provisional ballots

By Newt Briggs

h, to be a Democrat--stumping through precincts, chauffering voters to polls, believing that ideas can trump ideology--only to have your hopes come down to an untold number of provisional ballots in a state nicknamed after a nut. To put it in perspective, it's kind of like that moment in Empire Strikes Back when Luke finds out Darth Vader is his father and shrieks, "No! That's not true! That's impossible!" But not only is it possible, it's probable; and in this movie, there's nary a plucky Ewok to save the day.

Yet some Democrats don't see it that way--or at least they didn't at the anticlimactic conclusion to the Democratic Party's official election shindig Tuesday night at the Rio. Despite innumerable polls and projections that tilted precipitously toward President Bush, these stubborn Kerry-ites remained steadfastly optimistic about their candidate's chance to seize control of the White House.

"This is not over," says Kyle Davis, who attended the party in one of P-Diddy's "Vote or Die" T-shirts. "I'm very confident that Kerry is going to pull this thing out. If he has to do it in the courts, then so be it."

It was a sentiment shared by many of the 200 stragglers who stuck around the ballroom after several TV networks awarded the grand prize, Ohio's 20 electoral votes, to Bush. "A true progressive is a perpetual optimist," says Diane Newman, a Las Vegan who has voted Democratic since 1976. "You can't be a pessimist and believe in change. You have to have hope to make progress possible."

While it definitely did not spring eternal on Tuesday night, hope did occasionally bubble from the scorched earth of local politics. Rep. Shelley Berkley was effervescent after successfully defending her 1st Congressional District seat against Republican challenger Russ Mickelson. House candidate Tom Gallagher was similarly charismatic, displaying more emotion in defeat than he showed during his entire campaign, and soon-to-be U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid won an easy victory over a handful of opponents.

Still, the celebratory balloons and confetti remained firmly affixed to the ceiling as all eyes turned to the presidential race--and to the unusual girls in the pink dresses. Representatives of Code Pink, a feminist anti-war group based in Los Angeles, the rose-colored riot girls stood out with bold signs ("Cut the Bush!") and even bolder outfits.

"Eight of us drove out from L.A. to be here for the weekend," says Nancy Wolf, a Code Pink volunteer. "I just couldn't rest until I felt like I'd done everything I could. We all voted early in California so that we could come to a swing state and try to make a difference. It was that important to us."

Although she was willing to concede victory to Bush, Wolf says her group has no plans to give up the struggle against his "international criminal network." "We're not going to raise the white flag and surrender," she says. "This administration does not represent America."

Her sentiment was echoed throughout the night by everyone from sheet metal workers to exotic dancers. "I just don't think that the majority of American citizens who voted in this election studied the issues enough to understand what was right," says Gary Eberhart, a California general contractor and member of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. Eberhart spent the two weeks leading up to the election canvassing Las Vegas neighborhoods and identifying undecided voters for the Kerry campaign.

"When I got here, Nevada was solid Bush," he says. "We really turned that around a lot. I think that speaks to the fact that a lot of workers here don't have collective bargaining, and they don't feel like their needs are adequately represented. People want more out of their government than they're receiving right now."

Las Vegas fashion designer Wan Ali, however, was not so quick to judgment. Although he was disappointed by the election outcome, he quickly put the onus on disenfranchised Las Vegans to improve their socio-political fortunes. Asked if he thinks President Bush will adequately address the needs of African-Americans during his likely second term, Ali replies, "Black people have to stop looking for a politician to come and rescue them. We need to lift ourselves up like the Latinos do. This isn't even about George Bush. We have to invest in our own communities. It's like we've forgotten what we fought for in the '60s."

Kathy Kensinger recalls fighting in the '60s as well--half a world away in Vietnam. Wearing a plastic peace medallion, the veteran and activist describes her frantic efforts on behalf of the Democratic Party to convert voters at the 11th hour. "I was trying to make 1,000 calls in three days," she says. "I made 701, and they put me on a new job."

But for Kensinger and a few others like her, the final question is not who earned the most electoral votes but if American democracy can survive the challenge of recounts, provisional ballots and legal protests. "What do I think about the next four years?" she says. "I just hope that we have a clear winner before the next election."

"To be honest, I think the political perfect storm is coming," Eberhart says. "Every day, people get more confused and more frightened and more fed up with politics as usual. Eventually, it's all going to come crashing down, and I wouldn't mind being there to see it."