After a few years of being a dKos lurker, enjoying everyone else’s contributions... finally, my first diary! I suppose I was always waiting to have something really substantial to write about for a first diary – an insightful analysis, a critical alert, or a bit of grassroots investigative journalism, like so much of the regular content here (ok, maybe not quite as much during the current primary season). Well, there’s nothing profound below, but I nonetheless thought I’d share what was for me a great first caucus experience – I walked out a precinct delegate!
I live in Seattle (Madison Valley), in the 37th legislative district – which is rumored to be the most Democratic district in the state. Our precinct, along with maybe two dozen others, caucused at a local elementary school. Walking the ~1 mile to the caucus site was like a scene from some movie – it seemed like every block there were more and more folks streaming in the direction of the school. By the time I reached the site there were folks swarming in from all directions.
There were probably a few thousand folks in all at this caucus site, well more than could cram into the gym for the opening remarks and instructions. Our precinct apparently had about 10 caucusers in 2004, but we had 90 today, with 6 delegate slots to fill. After the initial vote, the breakdown was Obama=65, Clinton=19, uncommitted=6, which translated to 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton, and 1 for "uncommitted". We then had 5 minutes to try to persuade others to change their support. I and a few others successfully lobbied two of the uncommitteds to move to Obama, and in the end all the uncommitteds broke one way or the other. Final tally: Obama 69 (5 delegates), Clinton 21 (1 delegate). Winning over those few uncommitteds made a difference!
We ended up with about ten of the Obama folks who were interested in, and available for, being precinct delegates or alternates, so the delegate/alternate selection process was pretty quick and easy. I ended up being one of the delegates, and now get to move on to the next level to attend the legislative district caucus in early April. The thousands of precinct delegates chosen today will eventually get winnowed down to 78 state delegates who go to the national convention. So I know my chances are slim for a trip to Denver, but even just playing this small role in the process – getting selected as a delegate to go on to the legislative district caucus, is energizing and inspiring.
I know caucuses in other states have not always gone as smoothly as what I experienced, and that there has been a decent amount of criticism of the caucus process as an alternative to a primary. But for what its worth, even leaving aside the thrill of getting to be a precinct delegate, I walked away from my first caucus today feeling pretty positive about the process. At least if they all could run as smoothly and fairly as they appeared to at our site. I can’t help but think the social mingling, the lobbying of folks to switch their support, and the on-the-spot selection of "regular-folk" delegates helps everyone feel a bit more engaged, a bit more relevant, and encourages/forces them to think a bit more about the issues and their vote. And that’s got to be a good thing, for the party and for democracy.