Democratic Caucus Results 2008
I caucused today for the first time ever. It was a very interesting experience. Some people there to vote seemed happy just to have a chance to finally be heard in choosing the democratic nominee. Others, strangely, were so pissed off at how inconvenient, poorly executed, and confusing the process was that they grumbled and grunted the whole time.
The biggest surprise was the crowds. Hundreds and hundreds of people crammed into this tiny little high school cafeteria. They finally split some of the precincts off and sent them up to the library. The second surprise was that there was very little discussion, almost none of what the info on party websites had prepared me for. There was such a cacophony in that little lunchroom that we were lucky just to hear someone shout “first we’ll do an initial count.”
While it wasn’t the most organized civic gathering, I was still very impressed by the turnout and enjoyed the process. I’d do it again. It also gave me the idea that maybe it shouldn’t be so easy to have your voice heard. A mail-in election gives too much sway to the candidate that spends the most on TV ads. At the same time, it kind of disenfranchises people who have a rough time getting out to a 2 hour event miles from their home in the middle of the day.
Anyway, it looks like Obama took 2/3rds of Washington’s caucus delegates, 2/3rds of Nebraska’s, and he’s got a strong 3/5ths in Louisiana right now. Next is Maine, tomorrow, and DC, MD, and VA on Tuesday.
I’m really enjoying this. We have two great contenders this year. I will happily support the final nominee as I think their policy differences aren’t big enough to matter much. I have only voted for a democratic presidential nominee once in my life, and that was 2004 because there was so much to lose in reelecting our current idiot in chief. Prior to that I never really believed in the democratic nominee. I just thought he was better than the alternatives.
This year that’s likely to change.
