Written by With three candidates in town, and a virtual dead-heat on the democrat campaign trail, this will likely be our state’s biggest day of caucuses ever. Most of the state’s convention delegates are being assigned from these caucuses, so be sure you attend your caucus if you wish to be fully counted. Your primary vote will also help assign some of the delegates, but not the majority of them. (Democrats will assign about 80% of their delegates from the caucus, and Republicans will assign about half of theirs from the caucus; the remainder will come from the primary)
With three front-running candidates in town, the caucuses may have record turn-out
Is that Kathy and Rachael in the Background?
Sorry. Wrong picture.
Re: Is that Kathy and Rachael in the Background?
Yes, on the picture of Hillary Clinton.
Caucus
I just got back a bit ago from the caucus. Wow! What attendance! I had to park a half dozen blocks away. The excitement in the air was palpable. I was happy to see such good attendance for my precinct, yet when I drove home I was surprised at how many of my neighbors had passed on this opportunity to determine the delegate count for their candidate. I lead a women’s non-profit, non-political service organization that meets in Seattle. This morning I’d arranged for one of the local mayors to speak on Paine’s “Common Sense” and the original vision for the House of Representatives being composed of farmers, teachers, shop owners, etc., who would serve a 2 year term to truly represent our citizens. What a great start to a send-off for everyone to get to their local caucus and participate in the process!
Now to watch the results on CNN! I can’t remember the last time an election was so exciting.
Elizabeth
Re: Caucus
Thanks for the update Elizabeth. The Democratic caucus at Kennydale school was equally packed, with a standing-room only crowd, and people having to find neighborhood streets to park on.
I’ve never seen anything like this turnout at a caucus before.
I agree it’s quite exciting!
Just got back! It was a great experience, albeit stressful at times. No one changed their opinions at my table, that’s for sure. My particular precinct gave 2 delegates to Clinton and 1 to Obama, but other tables were the reverse, and some were heavily in Obama’s favor. So, who knows how it’ll turn out, but I suspect Obama will capture the majority of delegates. One thing I did notice is that there were a lot of younger people — especially young African-Americans — at the caucus, which was fantastic.
Overall, the discussions I had with Hillary supporters were passionate but friendly. One woman, though, was offended by any mention of Hillary’s baggage as being relevant to her electability. I do understand that concern, but I don’t think it’s very pragmatic. The fact is that Hillary’s foes are well-organized and powerful, and should not be underestimated.
Whatever happens, though, we all agreed that we’ll support the Democratic nominee.
Democratic Caucuses – huge turn out!
The Democratic Caucus at Kennydale brought out 452 people as compared to about 70 people four years ago. The enthusiasm for the two D candidates was terrific to see. It’s clear that many people are angry and concerned about President Bush’s policies, the war, the national economy, the national debt, our relationships around the world, and more. I’m certain that other Dem caucuses were also this well attended.
Re: Democratic Caucuses – huge turn out!
From what I heard, there were 180 people at the caucus downtown (at the Renton Carpenters Hall). I don’t think there was a spare seat in the place. By the way, there was an AP reporter at the caucus!
KOMOTV.com carried a story on the caucus, and I believed they used material from the AP reporter who was present at the downtown Renton event. The two people quoted below were at my precinct table! Recognize any names?
from http://www.komotv.com/news/15440961.html
“I do believe Obama’s leadership style is critical for the future of our country,” said Andrew Lofton, 57, a manager with the Seattle Housing Authority who argued that Obama would be more collaborative than Clinton. “It’s a matter of style not gender.”
Former Renton Mayor Kathy Keolker, 53, bristled at a suggestion that Clinton’s time as first lady didn’t count as experience.
“Experience is what it’s all about, having a plan and articulating how you’re going to get there,” Keolker said. “Obama is a wonderful speaker, very charismatic, but what’s his plan?”
Snazzy Chapeau!
Lookin’ good Casper!!
Re: Snazzy Chapeau!
Thanks — I decided to give myself a little makeover.