Republican caucuses discuss host of topics

The crowd was small but the discussion wide-ranging Tuesday night as Republicans gathered for their precinct caucuses at North Pines Middle School.

From taxes to energy to the war in Iraq, they debated their views, all with a theme perhaps best summed up by caucus attendee Jim Dods, a teacher at Valley Christian School.

“What issues can rally the Republicans to beat the Democrats?” Dods asked the other three voters from Precinct 4415, seated around a table in the middle of the library. “Mostly economic issues, I think.”

In a year without a presidential election, it is issues that bring people out after dinner on a Tuesday night – a school night, a work night, a night when many other things are waiting to be done.

For Dods and his wife, Carolyn, one of those issues is the war in Iraq. They wish the United States had never gotten in, and they want it to get out quickly. The country needs a strong defense, Dods said, but shouldn’t be involved in setting up other nations.

The other two people at the table disagreed, albeit respectfully.

“I agree we need to get out, but we should not leave with our tail between our legs,” said Jacqueline Eide, a Realtor.

Dan Petruso, who works for the state Child Services Division, thinks the U.S. troops are doing mostly good in Iraq, rebuilding the country and bringing electricity and water to places that never had it.

“I don’t think we get the full information,” Petruso said.

When Dods wondered if being against the war was a heresy that would bounce them out of the party, Eide, the precinct officer, waved him off with a smile.

“We encourage diverse opinions,” she said. “We want all the Republicans we can get.”

Besides, they agree on most other points, like drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge; that President Bush may not be a great orator but his actions prove he can be trusted; that Al Gore would have been a disaster after Sept. 11. And that the GOP is the party of family values, which they believe are synonymous with Christian values.

At North Pines Middle School, which was the meeting place for 19 different Valley precincts, only 19 people showed up. As district leader Laurel Durkee observed before the meetings started: “We’re not overrun.”

But having a small turnout may have helped discussion, said Petruso, who has been active in several campaigns and has attended caucuses for nearly 30 years. It gave everybody a chance to be heard, and everyone a chance to listen.