Washblog

Will pass in a December special session

Dave Gibney Pullman

by gibney on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 09:09:17 AM PST

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Who will turn out for a caucus four days after we know who the nominee will be?

We're gambling on there being no nominee on Feb 6th, if there isn't it will only be a matter of days before the front runner has secured enough super delegates to push them over the top.

Regardless, who will take time out on a Saturday to participate in a caucus that means nothing?  

Washington State is now irrelevant to Presidential candidates not just in 2008, but 2012 and more than likely 2016.

Tom Schmerer
16th LD Chair & SCM

by Tom Schmerer on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 10:34:55 AM PST

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The statement that the low attendance at caucuses "is not because anyone is turned away" is false. Let's look at just a few of the people who can't attend because the process excludes them.

 There are no absentee ballots that allow one to participate in a caucus. Therefore elderly and handicapped people who use an absentee ballot
to vote for physical mobility reasons are being denied access (read excluded).

Military personal serving in places like Iraq and Afghanistan and other out of state places or on duty in state but not free to participate are excluded. They obviously have an interest in who is nominated for President.

College and University students, who are Washington State voters but are out of state, are excluded from participating.

Policemen and fireman and hospital employess and bus drivers and ferry workers and many other public employess on work duty are excluded.

People who are out of state for business, family or vacation are excluded.

Caregivers and family members who are taking care of elderly and sick or young children can not attend.

People who are in the hospital or a care facility or nursing home can not attend.

People who can not afford to take time off from a job they need income from, can only attend with a loss of income, if their employer is willing to let them off.

Even on a weekend, most businesses can not let employess off without shutting down their businesses. Think gas stations, fast food restaurants, retail stores, coffee shops, grocery stores and on and on.

Caucuses are the antithesis of what the Democratic Party should represent in terms of fairness and having an open process. We should have a process that allows for maximum participation by voters, not one that excludes large numbers of voters before it even starts. A Presidential Primary is open to all Democrats who want to vote and maximizes involvement by voters because of the ability to vote by mail.  

by Steve Zemke MajorityRulesBlog on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 10:36:02 AM PST

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I'm not going to step into the discussion as pro-caucus or pro-primary.

I'd like to point out that caucus system for allocation of delegates did not "win".

It is the will of the majority of the Central Committee of the state party to allocate delegates through the system they chose.

The primary method did not lose, it just won't be used this cycle.  Believe me, it will come up again.

Decisions by Democracy won.

by changingamerica on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 11:16:11 AM PST

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this didn't turn out as you'd wanted -- or as

Steve Zemke or Greg Rodriguez had counseled (here and here, for example.)

That's really interesting about Steve's role in the primary...

I think this issue will eventually be decided in favor of an early primary -- but with a later caucus to choose the delegates or, as Gibney suggests, with the delegate choices on the actual ballots...  Nothing else really seems to be fair.

by noemie maxwell on Mon Apr 30, 2007 at 02:10:09 PM PST

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