There has been a lot of talk about how terrible the "prima-caucus" system in Texas is. I understand the concerns, as it is quite confusing. I didn't even know this system existed, and I've been voting in Texas for eight years. But after my experience yesterday, I am proud of this system. It has both the benefits of a primary and the benefits of a caucus. And it's the combination of these two methods that represents two key aspects of democracy.
The primary is closer to the concept of democracy as representative democracy. We elect a person who represents us. With 300 million Americans, it's hard to imagine the idea of a single person representing everyone. And the record of the past few decades shows at least 50 percent of the people are not satisfied with the representativeness of the President. However, the primary allows people to secretly voice their opinion without pressure from anyone around them. In Texas, they have over a week to early vote, so there is little restriction on voting availability. It's the best way to ensure that everyone has at least some voice.
But my experience from last night shows the precinct convention (or caucus) closer to the concept of direct participatory democracy. It's more like Ancient Athens (with no slaves and women as equal participants). There is an effort involved. You do have to publicly support your candidate. And it has to be a set time and a set place. But through this effort and public display of support, each person is actively engaged. And the selection of candidates isn't the only part of the process. We also had resolutions for the county convention, discussions of issues, talks with our neighbors about how we in our neighborhood can influence the direction of our country. Contrary to some folks talking about "smoke-filled rooms", my experience was all about neighbors. In fact, some of these people used to be "people living in the area" and are now friends. This includes both Obama and Clinton supporters. Yes, there was a bit of chaos at the beginning. But it was a cordial and exciting affair.
I was moved to tears with the turnout at the precinct convention. And in particular, how many people under 30 showed up. None of them had ever done anything like this. But they are so excited about the prospect of a change in the way politics is done.
A lot of the discussion about the candidates has been about whether we look at the President as a manager or the President as a conduit for action from everyone. I believe the massive turnout at these precinct conventions demonstrate that we have the potential to change the direction about how we look at the entire political process. I believe it doesn't end with the way people choose delegates. It can include the way policy is made.
And so I now believe that everything truly is bigger in Texas. And so lets congratulate Texas and it's bizarre yet perhaps most balanced system.