But why? What the hell is this all about? I've heard about 50 variations on this question over the past few weeks, and what I've realized is that the vast majority of voters (even "good" or "regular" voters) are ignorant about the process by which the Republican and Democratic Parties choose their candidate.
I'd like to put you at ease and say that you shouldn't feel bad, wrong, or (heavens forbid) guilty about it. My own opinion (like you asked) is that there is a fundamental inaccessibility inherent to the structure of our current political parties, and our collective lack of understand is a symptom of our faulty system - an issue I may cover in a future blog, but will highlight briefly in the following section on primaries vs. caucii. The real point is that it's beyond complex and extremely confusing. My intention is to provide some clarity, as well as some thoughts that might serve you well tomorrow in your patriotic endeavors. I also intend to coin the term "caucii".
I'm thinking a quick story might be illuminating. My apologies if you've heard it before. And, if you know me, you almost certainly have.
I attended my first caucus in 2004 at the behest of my best friend's mom, who informed me that I would "simply love it" without explaining further. Nothing about me at the time really screamed "potential"; I was jobless, out of school, broke, a head full of dredlocks and just a little angsty with life in general. But I know my own mind, and I speak it fairly well, and I was pretty damn sure I wasn't in to this Bush character. Hell, if I could play a small part in making sure he didn't screw things up any worse than he already had, I'd at least feel like I accomplished something. With that thought, I decided to attend this crazy "caucus" of which I'd heard so much.
I showed up. I sat at my table (GAMBLEWOOD 454 REPRESENT!). And I spoke my mind. And when it was over, someone said, "You'd better be a delegate to the next caucus," to which I replied, "There's ANOTHER ONE??"
Oh yes. And I went to Boston. And it was incredible. But that's another story.
The real story, the real hero, is this small, funky thing called a "caucus" that in so many ways embodies the better nature of our political system. It's imperfect, and often unwieldy, but in the hands of the wise it can work miracles. I make no claims to expertise - and in fact would welcome dissenting or more factual information - but, as promised to my friends, here is the Official Jessica Beckett Breakdown of Caucusing. Some restrictions may apply.*
Okay, so, what is a caucus?
A caucus is a system that a political party (Democratic, Republican, Green, whatever Ron Paul is) can use to choose their candidate for the Presidency.
It works like this: each state of the union is assigned a certain number of delegates based roughly on the population. Washington State gets 80 delegates. So it's up to the members of the Washington State Democratic Party, or those who feel morally aligned with it, to decide who gets how many delegates. In the grand scheme, those delegates count toward a national total (2025) that determines who gets the nomination. Detailed information on delegate allocation can be found at the CNN Election Center: Delegate Explanation section-majiggy.
But that's national. Locally, a caucus is a gathering of people within the same general area to choose a candidate for the presidency based on what matters to that community. You talk to your neighbors, you discuss issues of merit, and you try to persuade those on the fence to support your side. After a certain amount of discussion, a vote is called, and those numbers are the numbers that count in determining how many delegates are awarded to which candidate.**
Why is Washington State having a caucus and a primary?
The short answer is "legal noise". A better answer is provided by the Washington State Democrats (just so you know I support your right to vote regardless of which party you so foolishly choose to support, the WA Dems and the WA GOP teamed up to fight this little gem in court):
"The Washington State Legislature was the body who voted to hold a primary. The means that the Washington State Democratic Party, which chooses how delegates are decided, had no participation in the decision to hold the primary, which will cost $9 to $10 million. The Washington State Democratic Party decided to choose their delegates through the Caucuses, as it always has. As a result, your vote for a Democratic candidate in the State Primary will not count toward delegate selection."Washington State Democrats - Caucuses FAQ
Essentially, a bill was passed to change Washington State to a primary system. Unfortunately, changing the way a party chooses their candidate is not within the right of the legislature. So the Democrats and Republicans decided to carry on with their caucuses, and the Washington State taxpayer has been saddled with an unfortunate bill for a badly thought-out piece of legislation.
The short story is, toss it. We're interested in change, not party politics. That's why we're here, right?
So do I HAVE to go to the caucus?
Yes. If you don't physically show up, your vote doesn't count.
This was the motivating factor behind the aforementioned piece of legislation. Whoever the author was, I'm sure they thought that a voting system which allowed people to vote by absentee was more fair, just, and balanced. And there's truth to the concerns of working people who simply can't attend a caucus scheduled on Saturday. These are issues that need to be discussed on a party level - a valid and legitimate concern of disenfranchisement.***
Unfortunately, this initiative attempted to override the right of a political party to determine its own candidate by popular ballot - and failed as a result of stepping outside of its boundaries. I don't think that the issue is a bad one, or that we can easily slice this issue in to right or wrong. But I think it's important to highlight how, in this case, ignorance of the system led to abuse of the system, which led to a costly piece of nothing primary. Changing the WA Dems system from a caucus to a primary would be an enormous undertaking; but if that is truly your goal, the democratic system should support you. You can't and shouldn't circumvent that with legislation, folks. Ignorance isn't just lame; it's also expensive.
What happens when I'm there?
This excellent guide is from the Obama campaign. Yes, I'm supporting Obama, about whom I will have much more to say soon. But the flash tutorial on caucusing is informative regardless of your party.
How do they figure out delegates?
Magic.
Does my vote really count?
Yes. And it counts toward several things in varying degrees of potency. Importantly, your vote counts, your ability to speak out can change other's votes, and it's probably a lot more rewarding than voting in the general election.
Who are you supporting, Jessica?
Barack Obama.
Why?
Senator Obama articulates a vision of hope that I both believe in and relate to. He is a critical thinker and analyst, but still very new to Washington DC. I like this. I am sick of insiders. I want someone who will shake up the system, and Senator Obama seems like the most likely candidate for the job.
I'm not 18 yet. Can I still go?
You can't register, but unless the person running the show is some self-important asshole, I don't see why they wouldn't let you in to be part of the dialog. If you don't think you can make it, but still have a lot to say, email me with your thoughts and voice, and I will take them to my caucus and read them out loud.
How do I become a national delegate?
The caucus tomorrow is a precinct caucus - that is, the basis level off of which delegates are assigned. There are two more levels of caucus: the legislative district and the congressional district. For every three people supporting a candidate, one person will go on to the next level, and from there the same. Once you've become a congressional delegate, you are automatically a delegate for the state convention - as well as becoming eligible to compete to be a national delegate, which happens at the congressional caucus.
I had more things to post, but dammit, I'm tired, and I gotta be on my game to caucus tomorrow. If you want talking points for the caucus, they're online. Or call me. I'm always good at speaking . . .
*If the information contained in this guide is inaccurate, it is unintentional upon the part of the author. Furthermore, the author disclaims any responsibility for use of this information that results in something you don't like. That's what you get for not researching it yourself. Also, that's democracy. Yes, that's redundant.
**I have no intention of trying to explain the formulas behind delegate selection because, frankly, I don't understand them.
TANGENT: The debate about the limits of government's role in our lives is multi-faceted and fairly fluid throughout history. I would argue that we use this fluidity to forgo thinking critically about the issue; in other words, rather than thoughtfully discussing the matter, we throw up our hands, say it's too hard, and blame the other side for pushing boundaries that even we can't clearly define. And yet, this issue is so fundamental to our system that it continues to arise under multiple guises no matter how hard we try to ignore it. This, to me, is a warning from the system. We need to pay attention, and develop critical (and inclusive) ways of discussing it.
1 comment:
Politics aren't supposed to give people boners. And yet, here I am, with a boner.
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