Alicia RobinsonHad President Bush ventured to Ed...

Alicia Robinson

Had President Bush ventured to Ed Tawil’s house Thursday night, he

would have faced a tough crowd.

Tawil hosted an “unauguration” party, where about 20 local

Democrats ate falafel and hors d’oeuvres, sipped drinks and planned

how to fix what they believe is a broken government.

Sure, there were a few jovially disgruntled guests who dislike the

president -- “Where do we sign the petition to recall that guy Bush?”

joked one man when he came in.

But the party was organized at the behest of Democracy for America

-- the outgrowth of former presidential candidate Howard Dean’s

grass-roots support group -- and some of the guests are looking ahead

to better times.

Dean supporters like Susan Kopicki of Newport Beach, who arranged

the party, have been getting to know local politics and how city

councils work, and some of them may be inspired to run for local

office.

“We’re all sort of learning together,” Kopicki said.

Bonnie Lallier of Costa Mesa hasn’t done much in politics before,

but she said now she’ll write letters or get involved some other way,

because she’d rather be helpful than cynical.

“This is sort of a time that I feel it’s really important to do

something,” she said.

“I never felt that way before.”

Thursday’s gathering was social, but the guests weren’t afraid to

talk about their myriad political concerns: the war in Iraq, the

national debt, the economy, abortion rights.

“My concern is the lack of awareness of the general public of what

this war is costing,” said Bea Almeida, an accountant from Costa Mesa

who brought a sign reading “War costs $35 million every hour.”

“Who is eventually going to pay for this war, if you think about

it?”

Del Clark of Rossmoor said Democrats’ top priority should be a

federal election standard to ensure elections are fair.

Those at the party weren’t unanimous on whom the Democratic Party

should nominate for president in 2008.

Several support Dean, some hadn’t thought that far ahead, and one

fondly recalled Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

But they did agree on one thing: Instead of just complaining that

their party doesn’t control the White House or Congress, they need to

take action.

“You can’t sit down and have a drink and curse in the darkness,”

Tawil said.

“Light a candle. That’s what we’re doing now.”