Well, here we are. The biennial party precinct caucuses were held tonight, as prescribed by law. Often, a contest for the presidential nomination takes center stage during presidential election years. I’ve been going to my Iowa Democratic Precinct Caucus since 1976, and this is the first presidential election year for the Democratic caucus not to include a presidential preference component. As anticipated, attendance was about 10% of normal for a presidential year.
All the precincts for my whole county met at one site on the Democratic side, but we caucused with our individual precincts. There were three of us at my precinct caucus. We elected two central committee persons for a two year term, two delegates to the county convention (I’m one), a delegate to the county platform committee (me), and a delegate to the “committee on committees” which includes arrangements, rules and credentials.
We passed three platform resolutions:
1. Supporting “death with Dignity” legislation/medical aid in dying;
2. Supporting legalization of production and use of cannabis in all forms;
3. Supporting normalization of relations with Cuba.
It was a tame and convivial meeting, and we all had a good time talking with the usual suspects involved in Democratic politics at the county level. We heard a recorded message from Christina Bohannan, who is in a rematch with Mariannette Miller-Meeks for 1st District U.S. House of Representatives. We heard from County Supervisor Joe Oswald, candidate for re-election to the Board of Supervisors, and from Andy McKean, running again as a Democrat in a rematch for Iowa House of Representatives against a MAGA true believer.
It was a good night, well organized and went off without a hitch.