One of the founding principals of democracy is that it is participitory, meaning that even the proliterate have as much right and ability to select the leaders of this nation as anyone else. Kind of....I mean given that it took until the 1920s for anyone not male or white to really get to vote, and that even now it is sometimes questionable as to whether or not our vote really counts, I think this whole "democracy" thing gets a little romanticized. I mean we know for sure that loads of people got cheated out of their vote in Florida (hence the Thief in Chief), but how does one really know that their vote counts? I've been thinking a lot about this lately particularly because I know for a fact that my vote in the democratic presidential primary did not count. Instead of using the primary to gage popular opinion, the democrats of my state have opted to caucus.
So last Saturday for my first time ever, I made my way to a nearby Methodist Church and joined about a thousand other people living in my neighborhood to find out what caucusing was all about. It was packed...I mean asses to elbows, standing room only, total violation of all fire codes packed...and with good reason. These series of meetings taking place simoltaneosly across the state, in churches, synagogs, community centers, and public libraries would be the only way for people affiliated with the democratic party to let their vote be counted.
Though I have to wonder, how accurate that count is. Many of my friends work on Saturdays and were unable to caucus, so even though they wanted to vote, they couldn't. Theoretically, since only a third of the people in my precinct turned out (a record breaking #), those of us who were there got to represent the votes of those who weren't. While to me this is like the equivilant of getting to vote for Obama 3 times :), I still question the fairness of it all. Can this democracy truly be called participatory when not everyone has the chance to particpate? Is this a fair and true representation of "what the people want"? I'm not sure, but I went anyway, because regardless of whether or not I agree with the process, it exists and I will be damned if I don't get my voice heard.
As I approached the church about a half an hour early, I was a little surprised. I expected there to be lots of people, but I thought it would be a little more balanced. I passed about 6 Hillary Clinton signs before I even made it into the door. Where was Barak? I wanted to know. Had I come in through the wrong door? I followed a volunteer to a map and figured out my precinct number, then signed in with precinct officer, who took a moment to explain the process.
The caucus would be called to order, then we would be split up by our precincts. A tally clerk would count our votes. Our precinct is alotted 6 delgates, so based on the votes, this would determine how many delgates would go to each candidate. Then, delegates would be chosen from the people in my precinct to represent their chosen candidate on April 5th at the second caucus. My precinct officer explained that if you chose to be a delgate you could continue on representing the area as far as the Democratic National Convention in August.
After a long wait, during which I met some of my neighbors, found some Obama parefenelia to put on, and avoided saying the pledge of allegiance, I got to meet with the people in my precinct, most of whom live less than a block away from me, and most of whom I had never seen before in my life. It was weird. Despite all the Hillary signs, she had only 14 supporters. There were 51 for Barak and 3 undecided. The 51 of us sat on one side of the sanctuary aisle, and the rest sat on the other. Then we commenced to give 1 minute speeches on each side until the 3 undecided became decided and 2 newcomes showed up. It was an interesting process. I actually really enjoyed it, although I did find myself getting frustrated with the Hillary camp...so let me just get on my soap box for a minute and diatribe about why.
YES, Hillary has a womb and some ovaries. She is a woman and I am a feminist, which according to NOW (National Organization of Women) means I should be burning the pictures of all the male candidates in effigy and pledging my undying allegiance to Mrs. Clinton. But hey NOW, just a reminder, NOT ALL WOMEN ARE WHITE. That's right, I said it. Not only are we not all white, we aren't all rich or even upper middle class. Hillary, I have mad respect for you. I believe your health care plan is the bomb, but I also belive that I have about as much chance of becoming a republican (read less than 0), than you have of actually getting that shit passed. WHY? Because, my dear Mrs. Clinton, you are one of the most devisive political figures in existence. The entire republican party LOVES to hate you, and if you were elected, they would do their utmost to block you at every turn. Now, normally I would say fuck it, and vote for you despite it all, but at this juncture in my country's history, I think it is time to be more pragmatic. This is just one reason I cannot vote for you.
Our country desperately needs a leader who can inspire unity and who can work with a variety of different factions for the ultimate purpose of cleaning up the disasterous ces pool Bush has left us in. I believe that leader is Barak Obama. Everyone in the Hillary camp kept going on and on about her experience....but quite frankly, GW had a whole dyansty's worth of experience and it didn't really work for me. Not that the two are comparable, but I just don't want another experienced WA politician to be my president. I want an experienced community organizer who knows people who aren't rich and or white (intimately...not just in a superficial way) and has made it his life work to represent them and act as an advocate on their (our) behalf. I want to vote for a candidate who is not only interested in making health care accessible, but who also recognizes the need to work towards a greener nation and a less fuel dependent economy. I am choosing the candidate who is not on the Board of Walmart.
Truthfully, I don't think that Barak and Hillary fall too far apart on the core issues, but in this election it's the nuances that count. I trust Barak. I don't trust Hillary. I really wish that I could make it uncomplicated and just "vote for the woman", but in the end I must choose the candidate that most resonates with my beliefs.
And so, I am now one of the 5 delegates from my precinct representin' Barak Obama. :) And proud of it....
So last Saturday for my first time ever, I made my way to a nearby Methodist Church and joined about a thousand other people living in my neighborhood to find out what caucusing was all about. It was packed...I mean asses to elbows, standing room only, total violation of all fire codes packed...and with good reason. These series of meetings taking place simoltaneosly across the state, in churches, synagogs, community centers, and public libraries would be the only way for people affiliated with the democratic party to let their vote be counted.
Though I have to wonder, how accurate that count is. Many of my friends work on Saturdays and were unable to caucus, so even though they wanted to vote, they couldn't. Theoretically, since only a third of the people in my precinct turned out (a record breaking #), those of us who were there got to represent the votes of those who weren't. While to me this is like the equivilant of getting to vote for Obama 3 times :), I still question the fairness of it all. Can this democracy truly be called participatory when not everyone has the chance to particpate? Is this a fair and true representation of "what the people want"? I'm not sure, but I went anyway, because regardless of whether or not I agree with the process, it exists and I will be damned if I don't get my voice heard.
As I approached the church about a half an hour early, I was a little surprised. I expected there to be lots of people, but I thought it would be a little more balanced. I passed about 6 Hillary Clinton signs before I even made it into the door. Where was Barak? I wanted to know. Had I come in through the wrong door? I followed a volunteer to a map and figured out my precinct number, then signed in with precinct officer, who took a moment to explain the process.
The caucus would be called to order, then we would be split up by our precincts. A tally clerk would count our votes. Our precinct is alotted 6 delgates, so based on the votes, this would determine how many delgates would go to each candidate. Then, delegates would be chosen from the people in my precinct to represent their chosen candidate on April 5th at the second caucus. My precinct officer explained that if you chose to be a delgate you could continue on representing the area as far as the Democratic National Convention in August.
After a long wait, during which I met some of my neighbors, found some Obama parefenelia to put on, and avoided saying the pledge of allegiance, I got to meet with the people in my precinct, most of whom live less than a block away from me, and most of whom I had never seen before in my life. It was weird. Despite all the Hillary signs, she had only 14 supporters. There were 51 for Barak and 3 undecided. The 51 of us sat on one side of the sanctuary aisle, and the rest sat on the other. Then we commenced to give 1 minute speeches on each side until the 3 undecided became decided and 2 newcomes showed up. It was an interesting process. I actually really enjoyed it, although I did find myself getting frustrated with the Hillary camp...so let me just get on my soap box for a minute and diatribe about why.
YES, Hillary has a womb and some ovaries. She is a woman and I am a feminist, which according to NOW (National Organization of Women) means I should be burning the pictures of all the male candidates in effigy and pledging my undying allegiance to Mrs. Clinton. But hey NOW, just a reminder, NOT ALL WOMEN ARE WHITE. That's right, I said it. Not only are we not all white, we aren't all rich or even upper middle class. Hillary, I have mad respect for you. I believe your health care plan is the bomb, but I also belive that I have about as much chance of becoming a republican (read less than 0), than you have of actually getting that shit passed. WHY? Because, my dear Mrs. Clinton, you are one of the most devisive political figures in existence. The entire republican party LOVES to hate you, and if you were elected, they would do their utmost to block you at every turn. Now, normally I would say fuck it, and vote for you despite it all, but at this juncture in my country's history, I think it is time to be more pragmatic. This is just one reason I cannot vote for you.
Our country desperately needs a leader who can inspire unity and who can work with a variety of different factions for the ultimate purpose of cleaning up the disasterous ces pool Bush has left us in. I believe that leader is Barak Obama. Everyone in the Hillary camp kept going on and on about her experience....but quite frankly, GW had a whole dyansty's worth of experience and it didn't really work for me. Not that the two are comparable, but I just don't want another experienced WA politician to be my president. I want an experienced community organizer who knows people who aren't rich and or white (intimately...not just in a superficial way) and has made it his life work to represent them and act as an advocate on their (our) behalf. I want to vote for a candidate who is not only interested in making health care accessible, but who also recognizes the need to work towards a greener nation and a less fuel dependent economy. I am choosing the candidate who is not on the Board of Walmart.
Truthfully, I don't think that Barak and Hillary fall too far apart on the core issues, but in this election it's the nuances that count. I trust Barak. I don't trust Hillary. I really wish that I could make it uncomplicated and just "vote for the woman", but in the end I must choose the candidate that most resonates with my beliefs.
And so, I am now one of the 5 delegates from my precinct representin' Barak Obama. :) And proud of it....
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