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Causus and political process
Feb. 8th, 2004 03:10 pmI come from a family concerned with exercising the obligations of citizenship, a long-time tradition of getting out and voting for the candidate of choice or against the candidate that offends. But in all the elections and primaries that I've participated in I have never jumped into the chaotic fray of the party caucus until yesterday.
Washington state did away with their primary this year. It was largely meaningless, anyway, coming so late that the writing was already on the wall, delegates for the national party convention were already piling up for a candidate of choice.
What is surprising is that people turned out in record numbers to argue and debate and select delegates for their candidates of choice. I read in the paper that one precint that had never had more than 12 people for a caucus suddenly had 65. It's obvious that for one reason or another Democrats in Washington are taking this election seriously.
My precint didn't have 85 people, we had 33. That was enough to field 5 delegates for the district convention and then the state. What was unusual for me was the amount of active politicking going on in the meeting. At polling places candidates' supporters were normally lined up outside with their signs, polite but insistently greeting you as you go to cast your vote. At the caucus we could feel free to debate the merits of the candidates and try to persuade people to change their vote or to get the uncommitted to commit one way of another.
Statistically we could assign delegates to any candidate who got at least fifteen percent of the vote. My first choice was Clark, but he didn't make the cut. I had a ranking system for the rest of the pack, but to be honest I wasn't wildly enthusuastic about any one in particular. That's why the argument from an old-timer who said he always threw his lot in with the uncommitteds was convincing. That uncommitted delegate can make or break a marginal candidate at the conventions.
In the end our caucus split the five delegates five ways. One for each of Dean, Edwards, Kerry, Kucinich and uncommitted. Out of each band of suppoters we selected a delegate and alternate. Our alternate, in particular, is extremely enthusiastic; promising to bone up on all the candidates and go to the county convention even if he won't be able to vote. This is one under-thirty who will not fail to cast a vote come November.
All in all, it was a great experience. I ended up meeting a wide range of neighbors. Urban areas can be isolated for individuals so this opportunity to bring people together was enlightening. And for people who complain that they have no say in the election process, I recommend a caucus if they get the chance.
Washington state did away with their primary this year. It was largely meaningless, anyway, coming so late that the writing was already on the wall, delegates for the national party convention were already piling up for a candidate of choice.
What is surprising is that people turned out in record numbers to argue and debate and select delegates for their candidates of choice. I read in the paper that one precint that had never had more than 12 people for a caucus suddenly had 65. It's obvious that for one reason or another Democrats in Washington are taking this election seriously.
My precint didn't have 85 people, we had 33. That was enough to field 5 delegates for the district convention and then the state. What was unusual for me was the amount of active politicking going on in the meeting. At polling places candidates' supporters were normally lined up outside with their signs, polite but insistently greeting you as you go to cast your vote. At the caucus we could feel free to debate the merits of the candidates and try to persuade people to change their vote or to get the uncommitted to commit one way of another.
Statistically we could assign delegates to any candidate who got at least fifteen percent of the vote. My first choice was Clark, but he didn't make the cut. I had a ranking system for the rest of the pack, but to be honest I wasn't wildly enthusuastic about any one in particular. That's why the argument from an old-timer who said he always threw his lot in with the uncommitteds was convincing. That uncommitted delegate can make or break a marginal candidate at the conventions.
In the end our caucus split the five delegates five ways. One for each of Dean, Edwards, Kerry, Kucinich and uncommitted. Out of each band of suppoters we selected a delegate and alternate. Our alternate, in particular, is extremely enthusiastic; promising to bone up on all the candidates and go to the county convention even if he won't be able to vote. This is one under-thirty who will not fail to cast a vote come November.
All in all, it was a great experience. I ended up meeting a wide range of neighbors. Urban areas can be isolated for individuals so this opportunity to bring people together was enlightening. And for people who complain that they have no say in the election process, I recommend a caucus if they get the chance.
