Washington Caucus Follow-Up!!!

It was around 3:30 p.m. here in Ridgefield, Washington, when we finally left our Democratic Party caucus.  My husband and I lingered there greeting old neighbors, parents of our children's classmates and other old friends we used to see more often.  The mood and the tenor of competition for delegates had always been polite and respectful, but it was over.  Obama was the clear winner.

I had been so excited over the previous four hours that I forgot to eat lunch.:)  Believe me, that may be a first.  So what was it like?  It was crazy at first.  The emotion was high, the enthusiasm was contagious, and we were all so happy to finally come together in a sort of sociological/political hugfest, that the contrarians seemed to melt into the floorboards.

My precinct commander had  said to expect about 40 people, as 20 had come for the last caucus.  The interest was bound to be double that he predicted.  He was right on the money, as 42 people in my precinct showed to vote and/or be convinced to choose between Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama.  What really surprised me was how families were split, but they seemed to arrive and leave in good humor, still managing to ride home together.

The couple across the street from me voted for Hillary, but their two young adult daughters were prominent and vocal Obama supporters.  An old friend of mine admitted she had voted for Hillary, but her husband and two sons voted for Obama.  An old gentleman was there without his wife, as she had gotten sick that morning.  He admitted he had encouraged her to stay home.  Why?  She supported Hillary and he supported Obama. 

What can I say?  I didn't call my Hillary-supporter friends to explain or remind them the caucus was today as I didn't want them showing up.  (So sue me.  It is every woman for herself on caucus day.:)

One thing we all agreed on in that room?  No matter who the winner was today or in the fall, we would all vote for a Democrat.  That was the consensus, although there was so much passion I got high from the contact.  My husband, generally a much more reserved personality, was as wild-eyed as I was. 

Both of us were nominated by our precinct to be delegates to the next legislative caucus on April 5th.  Believe me, I'll look both ways before crossing the street until then.  I feel like we are doing something so very important for the country.  I am the first person in my family to ever participate in a caucus.   My husband is the first person in his.  We are proud to serve.

I was the 'Obama' captain for my precinct, which meant that I held a sign with the precinct number on it, passed out Obama stickers and an 8-page summary of his positions I had independently printed out to give to anyone who arrived undecided.  It was easier than I thought to corral those people to my corner.  Most people were not undecided, however. We did help two people decide, however, and that made the difference in getting an additional delegate for Obama.

My precinct is number 505 and I would imagine it has a population of somewhere around 2,000 in a rural part of Southwest Washington.  42 people showed up to caucus, which simply means 1)gather together, 2) exchange views, 3) attempt to convert your opponents' supporters to your candidate and 4) help the undecided make the right choice too.  We had two chances to claim our candidate, one at registration and then one when the vote actually was counted.  The second vote allowed people to change their minds, but that was it.

Individual supporters in each precinct were given one minute to make their speech in support of their candidates, but it was a free-for-all with regard to trying to convince the other caucusers to cross over on a one-by-one basis.:)

Unlike a true government election where you cannot campaign for your candidate at the polls or sport signs, buttons, t-shirts or sweatshirts with your candidates' insignia or name, at a caucus you can pull out all the stops.  Undecided voters may identify themselves, and then both candidates' supporters try to answer any policy questions they might have.

It was fascinating yet terrifying to think that about 350 people made the decision for six precincts on the Democratic side.  I would imagine that translates to about 10,000 people who will not have their vote count.   Most Washingtonians didn't realize this caucus procedure would effectively disenfranchise them in our primary ten days from now. 

In the past our primary didn't really matter, but when they moved up the primary?  The voting situation became much clearer and anyone who bothered to be informed had to understand that a caucus was going to pick the Democratic candidate but only about half of the delegates on the Republican side.

In my small precinct group, we had 9 delegates at stake.  The final result was 7 delegates  for Obama and 2 for Clinton.  I had hoped it would be 5 to 4, so you can imagine my delight.
What is really happening in the Democratic party is amazing.  For the first time in my lifetime Democrats are raising more money than Republicans.  This is an amazing feat as the money is coming from people like me, my husband, our daughters and our son.  The little people from different limbs of the middle class, the working people across all races and income brackets.  That's what makes this campaign different.

Two of my friends were caucusing in a larger city, Vancouver, Washington, but only one has checked in with me so far.  She was as excited as I was, saying how much fun it was to be around Democrats who were so passionate and turned on to politics.  She is my most flamingly passionate liberal friend - surprisingly originally from Texas - and she keeps me totally on my toes.  Luckily we are both Obama supporters, so today was the best day we've had in seven years.

I feel like I am living the dream, folks.  Obama's momentum is strong obviously, but Hillary has strong institutional support.  If you are an Obama supporter and your state's primary is coming up, contact the Obama campaign and volunteer!  It is so much... fun!  And so important.

It is so worth it, too.  Even if your candidate doesn't win, you will feel empowered because you got involved.  All in all, I will sleep well tonight.  Don't worry.  If Obama doesn't make it, I will vote for Hillary.  If you caucused somewhere this year, I'd love to hear about your experience!