Democrats Abroad, Japan

[DannyRed]

Caucus results and report.

I reside in Japan, where we had our caucus to elect delegates to the Democrats Abroad Global Caucus (held in Edinburgh, Scotland, this year).

The caucus was PACKED - more than triple the turnout of previous years, and double expectations - last time around there were 40 or so people at the DAJ Caucus, we expected 80 or so, and about 160 folks turned out to vote.

Paris, by the way, rented a space for 300 people, and 800 turned up!!!

In any case, the caucus was packed, the caucusing went four rounds, intial groups (in order of size, and not exact it's from memory) for Dean (53), Kerry (51), Undecided (26 or so), Kucinich (18 or so), Edwards (15 or so) and Clark (11).

After several rounds and eliminations (24 was the cutoff number), the final tally was:

Dean 69 (we got 90% of the Kucinich group, and in return elected their rep as the first alternate to the Caucus, and a bunch of the Clark group), Kerry 55 or so (most of the Edwards people went to Undecided and to Kerry, and Undecided with 27 or so.

In general very civil.

There was one Dean person that was a bit boisterous.

Several of the "undecided" group were a little harsh and loud, and seemed not the be taking things seriously.

And a couple of the Kerry supporters were rude, dismissive and arrogant.

Other than that, it was a great experience, and most everyone was excellent, thoughtful, and kind.

Unlike here on DU.

[Bonobo]

1. Hajimemashite. Where are you in Japan?

I lived in Japan for several years, here and there.

I'm sure the civility was because you've been living there and Japan has rubbed off. Things are a far cry from civil here!

PS. moshi Shrub ga kattara, boku mo mata nihon ni kaerou ka na...

yoroshiku

[DannyRed]

3. Hajimemashite. Yoroshik onegai shimasu

Watashi no apato Tokyo, Setagaya-ku desu.

The civility, in my opinion has to do with several factors:

1) We are forced to seek out our news and information from a wide variety of sources, mostly international press and the internet...so we are a well-informed and well-rounded bunch who are NOT exposed to the cesspit that is American Media.

2) We are faced every day with the facts: Americans are now viewed with disdain, suspicion and dislike. If you prove yourself to be a good, kind, decent person, you are then given pity and asked something like "Doesn't it make you sad to see what is happening to your country?"

3) Face to face meetings, friends, and communication are too valuable to waste on the kind of arrogant, pompous, self-serving garbage that has recently come to so dominate the "discourse" here on DU and at so many other formerly excellent places to meet, greet and be sweet with other progressives, democrats, and etc.

Here we see the penalty paid for anonymity, the force that "popularity" and the "need to be first" exerts on behavior.

[Bonobo]

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What I love about Japan, is the freedom from choice. America is messy and people are always looking to pick a fight...verbal or otherwise. I find my personality changes so much when I live here as opposed to the releatively odayaka na personality I have in Japan.

Why don't you send my a PM or I will.

‚¶‚á‚Ë�B

[ochazuke]

10. Warattchau!

I was tickled to see your subject line, especially since I didn't think that the browser I'm using would display kanji. Then, when I go to reply, it's all bakemoji da yo.

Maa, ii ka.

[Bonobo]

12. Glad to have made ya laugh!

Where's about are you? And what's your Japanese story? Feel free to PM me. I'd love to chat.

ƒWƒFƒŒƒ~‚æ‚è

[ShimokitaJer]

21. These coincidences are just TOO bizarre for me

俺も去年の四月まで東京の世田谷区に住んでいたんだよ！よく下北沢で遊んでいた。

そして、俺の名前もSkeptyCalと同じく ジェレミーなんだ。なんか不思議な気分！世界は狭いな。

だからこそ"ShimokitaJer"というあだなを決めたんだ。

とりあえず、よろしく。

[LTR]

14. Hmmm...Japanese, huh?

Always wondered what those wierd characters were.

Guess I'd better download "Japanese character support" from WinUpdate.

[ProudToBeLiberal]

2. this is awesome nt

[DebJ]

4. Sweden went with Dean too....news overseas/Europe is better

[kichigai usagi]

5. Yoroshiku, onegishimasu!

Sorry if i mis spelled that..i'm still working on my Japanese! The only problems with the caucus system is that it's really no more than mob rule. Anyone who does not join the majority gets forced to change his vote to conform with the majority. If all States had primaries rather than caucasus, the leading candidate would not be known until the convention.

Forcing people to change their vote to conform with the majority is just plain wrong!

Oyasuminasai!

[Bonobo]

7. Hey there 'Crazy Rabbit'!

What's your story? Living in Japan too?

[kichigai usagi]

15. Just dreaming of Japan...

Unfortunitly i am not living in Japan, just the bottom of the world called Indiana. I just have an intense interest in Japan and have been learning things on my own for a couple years. At least i got to go to Kyoto on vacation in may "02" the one place that did not get the crap bombed out of it it wwII. With luck i will be living there some day, but only after i pass the level 4 Japanese proficiency test!

OH and by the way...that's Lunatic Rabbit...although i had wanted crazy rabbit, it just did not sound as good in Nihongo!

Ja Matta !

[Lydia Leftcoast]

18. Hello, kichigai na usagi!

Next time you go to Japan, check out Kanazawa, Hida-Takayama (north of Nagoya), and the village of Tsumago (on the "back road" between Tokyo and Nagoya), three other places that still preserve the mood of Old Japan.

The central parts of Nagano and Kawagoe (just north of Tokyo) are also very well preserved.

[kichigai usagi]

22. Thanks.

Hey, thanks for the suggestions, if all goes well i will go to Tokyo this Aug for 4-5 days. If i can go, i'll definatly try to get out to that village up north. My main reason for going to Tokyo is simple...i'm going to a live musical or 2 at Ikebukuro!

[Bonobo]

8. Tokoro de...

Welcome to DU!!!!

:toast:

:bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

BANZAI!!!!

[Duncan Grant]

9. Thanks DannyRed!

It's always great to get an eyewitness account of events, especially international ones. Glad to hear of the increased participation. Hope to see more of your posts!
:kick:

[La_Serpiente]

11. Hey

O genki des ka?

[DannyRed]

13. Okagesama desu

nt

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. Ara, sonna!

Minshutou no menbaa ga sonna ni Nihon ni iru to wa yume in mo omowanakatta wa nee.

Gaikoku ni sunde iru kara koso, Amerika no sugao ga mieru no de wa nai ka to omou.

Zainichi Minshutou, ganbare!

[Bonobo]

17. masashiku sono touri da to omou.

hajimemashite. Lydia no nihongo ga sugoi rashii. nihonjin na no?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. Chigau.

Cornell Daigaku no shuuchuu Nihongo koosu wo dete kara, Yale Daigaku ni tenkou shite, hakashigou wo totta. Hakase ronbun no kenkyuu no tame ni, Toukyou no Ochanomizu Joshi Daigaku ni ryuugaku sita no.

Sore kara, juuichi nenkan gurai Nihongo no kyoushi wo site ita no da kedo, juunen gurai mae, kyoushi wo yamete Wa-Ei honyakka ni natta.

SkeptyCal-san wa dou?

[Bonobo]

20. naruhodo...

boku no baai ha Iowa, Illinois, Pittsburgh daigaku de iroiro benkyou shite kara, san nen gurai nihon ni otte, sore de mata amerika nikaette kita.
genzai ha honyaku gaisha wo unnei shiteiru. omo ni bideo ge-mu no honyaku wo
yatteiru no desu. moshi Lydia-san ha kyoumi ga attara, zehi zehi issho ni shigoto wo shitai to omou. moshi yokattara, PM shite kudasai!

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