Washblog

then a few of the uncommiteed and the Dean guy (ME!) switched to Obama, and Hillary lost a delegate.

I started a hack cold cough thing 3 days ago ... I'm fried.

rmm.

http://www.liemail.com/BambooGrassroots.html

In '04, 33 people attended my precinct caucus.

This year 142 attended.

Today, we had 555 attendees and there were 24 in my precinct.  The largest precinct 2004 had 16 attendees.  This time, 61.

I was the caucus area coordinator. I started out -- a few minutes before convening, by getting up on the stage and asking if everyone felt ok, if anyone needed help -- because, tho the room had a capacity of 535, there was seating room for only 150/175 --- and tons of people standing -- crazy!

When the precincts broke out into their groups, we were able to flow into another room where an entire precinct of about 50 people had to stand... not enough chairs.  

There was good spirit -- there was a happy spirit there.  Like a celebration.  As I felt when I woke this morning, happy -- looking forward to the energy and democratic spirit, thinking just possibly somehow we might end up electing in this country someone who will help us pull ourselves together and find our civic spirit, our own will to democracy -- just at the time when we may be ready for it again, (because we see the brutal results when we let "others" control democracy.)

I looked out at the faces and the people looked to me like the people I see in the grocery store or health club in my community or when I go doorbelling roundabouts -- a very diverse ethnic/racial and age mix -- unlike what I saw in 2004.  The delegates awarded for these 20 precincts today: 47 Obama, 29 Clinton.  

In 2004, the site held 9 precincts and drew 482 people.  This time, only 6 precincts but 631 participants.  Thankfully, we did waaaaaay better at logistics.  Plenty of greeters to check on who knew their precincts, and sign-up at the precinct instead of centrally.  Since I was the site coordinator, I'll take all the credit.  :-)

My precinct had 66 in 2004, 163 today.  We also elected 10 delegates instead of 2004's mere 4.  Uncommitted had a delegate in the first count, but lost it through defections (after the loss was evident, I became the last such defection).  Final tally in the precinct:  Obama 8, Clinton 2.

I ended up filling the final Obama alternate slot.

You're only young once, but you can be immature forever -- Larry Andersen
Blogging at Peace Tree Farm

The chair's first (unofficial) total gives us these numbers:

1015 delegates elected in the 34th:
Hillary - 293  
Obama - 736
Uncommitted - 15

"Uncommitted" therefore is about 1.5 percent, or a tenth of the number needed to get a delegate. Am I right?

If I want to continue on, I'll have to switch to Obama.

16,246 people.  Nuff said.

One precinct in Belltown (1772) had 196 attendees.

The "most improved" was precinct 1803 with an increase of 771%, going from 7 attendees in '04 to 61 in '08.

I sure hope we keep the caucus system. One member of the WSDCC told me he thought it was the last year for caucuses because the sentiment is shifting toward primaries. We'll see. In the 36th, we received quite a number of resolutions complaining about the caucuses and calling for a change to primaries. I know that our precinct had its share of hot, cranky, impatient people who didn't like the chaos. Yet, most people I talked to seemed upbeat. I think our area committee members learned a lot. We'll do better next time--if there is a next time.

Our resident voter registration wonk tells us that the voter turnout for our area caucus (10 precincts in Ballard) was approximately 30%. Wow!