I just returned from my WA State Precinct Caucus…
AND IT WAS GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRREAT!!!
In 2008, when we had a big election, my precinct (the same one where I caucused today), had about 15 people show up. About 2/3 chose Obama and 1/3 chose Clinton. It was a Feb 7th caucus, much earlier in the cycle.
Today, at that same precinct and held at the same grade school?
112 people turned out and we had 20 pre-caucus submissions from those who couldn’t attend caucus due to work or illness (there are a variety of reasons you can submit this form, but those two are the most common reason used).
That’s 132 people who participated, instead of 15, compared to just eight short years ago.
There were a few eloquent speakers for Hillary Clinton, but all four of them had the same reasons, ‘she has been around a long time and knows how to get things done’. They know the Clinton campaign soundbites, I’ll give them that.
But the people who spoke for Bernie Sanders?
A young woman under thirty, working in a non-traditional union job, talked about Sanders long-time commitment to Union Labor and to minorities in Union work.
An immigrant (or at least a strong eastern European accent), of middle age, who said Sanders had a better grasp of the world and had a better foreign policy stance than Clinton, whom SHE called a “warhawk”.
A college age woman who said, “I need help with Healthcare and Education, and that’s why I’m for Bernie!”
I was the acting PCO and the elected Chair of my precinct, so I had to take off my Chair hat and put on my Bernie hat when I spoke.
I said, “what we need is more people like you turning out to vote AND to run for local and statewide office. Because 2/3rds of our governors and Statehouses are all run by the Republicans. That’s step one.
Step two is, we have had one kind politician since the Reagan Era, and that’s a one where people get elected to get hired at six figures after they Serve and that we all know who they Serve when we elect them — and it ain’t US. It’s the corporations. Which is why Sanders has called for a political revolution and that what he means by that we all need to start calling our elected officials, on a regular basis.
I said, “If 10 million of us started calling our US Reps and Senators EVERY WEEK, you know what? THEY WOULD START LISTENING TO US. Because they need that money they get from their corporate donors to win elections — but they need our votes more.”
The results of our precinct, with 8 delegates at stake, were:
85 votes for Bernie Sanders = 6 Delegates
27 votes for Hillary Clinton = 2 Delegates
O uncommitted votes = 0 Delegates
If this holds true for the entire state, that will give Bernie about 50 of those Delegates he is behind Hillary (304 at last count, I think), and help him move the scoreboard along a bit more until NY, PA and the big, big delegate count of California (458, iirc)!
ps — most of you know Sara R and winglion, the Portland, Oregon sisters who create and send out the Caring Quilts to our Daily Kos members who have a need for a Love-filled Quilt to wrap themselves in. The ladies are having a tough time and could use a little help this month. Those who have benefited from a Caring Quilt or those who can and like to reward Good Works? Please send them a little something. Please, be generous if you can, these two have done so much for so many and they never ask for anything in return ….
Here is a link to the Community Quilt Project page, where you’ll find this donate link:
Obligatory self-promotion as a candidate for Office:
UPDATE:
Please go read this lovely story about the Caucus at the 46th District, in northeast Seattle
Seattle Area Caucus HUGE Turnout by cinnamon68
UPDATE 2:
Please go read this WA Caucus story by another denizen of SW Washington State, it’s a GREAT read, from a Hillary supporter: WA Caucus take-away: We are Democrats by keeplaughing