Last night, I went to the annual Montgomery County Democrats Dinner, held just down the street from me in Blacksburg. There were about 140 people in attendance, nearly all of whom were old and white, plus the Virginia Tech Young Democrats, who were working at the event. (The president of which actually attended in a t-shirt and sandals, which was quite inappropriate for the occasion.) Nearly all of the county’s Democratic elected leaders and candidates were present, from the county treasurer up through Congressman Rick Boucher.
The agedness of the group became clear from the moment that I walked in the door — before I could say a word, the folks at the registration table wanted to know if I was one of the “Whydees.” I looked at the name tags on the table and noticed nobody from the Whydee family, and provided my name, saying that I had not preregistered. Again, they asked if I was one of the “Whydees.” “No,” I said, “my name is Waldo Jaquith.” “So you’re not one of the Whydees?” Finally I had to ask who the Whydees were and why they thought that I was a member of that family. They explained it was the young democrats (“YDs”) to whom they were referring, in particular the Virginia Tech Young Democrats. Despite the fact that I am 25, and certainly don’t look any younger, they had assumed that I must be a member of this group of 18 to 21-year-olds. Now, to be fair, I am a student, simply an unusually old one, and I have gone to a Virginia Tech Young Democrats’ meeting, but the point remains that the party is old enough that they assume that anybody under the age of 30 is a “Whydee.”
Being new here, I’ve found it difficult to determine who the candidates are for the various offices, so I attended the dinner to figure out who they are. I sat at a table with some nice folks, including some of the party leadership, one of whom (the party treasurer) ensured throughout the speeches that I understood the jokes and the inside references, which was quite helpful. Several people made a point of welcoming me and introducing themselves, which surprised and pleased me. The Albemarle County Democratic Party is terrible about that, which is a shame, because it really does make a big difference.
I had a decent dinner, and I more or less figured out who I’m voting for. Best of all, I’ve started to get some perspective on Democratic committees outside of Charlottesville and Albemarle County, which is certainly useful. Although it was perhaps not the most exciting evening, it was well-spent.