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...between reading about "Obamamania," or even watching television footage of big crowds at his campaign appearances, and seeing a group caucus location that, in other years, was generally half-full at best, this time crammed like the floor of the NYSE, and then to see your own precinct with more than twice the usual turnout, almost all of it nervous but excited young people who had come here specifically to vote for Obama.
I had expected there would be a large attendance this year, simply because Washington state wasn't meeting after the nomination had already been sewn up for once, but I was expecting a larger-than-usual turnout on behalf of both candidates. I was wrong...the turnout crush was about as one-sided as you could get. In my own particular precinct, Hillary only had a trio of supporters (one of whom challenged Obama backers by asking them "does it bother you that your candidate has ties to Muslims?" :eyes: ), who were swamped by fifteen Obama supporters and a lone Edwards backer, who switched to Obama during the re-polling. Results from the other precincts meeting in that location indicated similar results from them as well. For the first time since moving here, I'm not a delegate to the next level...and I couldn't be happier about it. Usually, I got tagged because no one else was willing to fill the needed spots. This time, there were enough volunteers (once again, including a bloc of 18- to 25-year-olds) that we had no trouble filling not only all the delegate spots, but all the alternate positions as well.
Folks, we ignore this at our peril. I've been to many caucuses in this state over the past quarter-century, and they have usually been business-as-usual events with the same faces, and same laid-back tone, as the ones before. This was a whole new experience, of intensity, enthusiasm, and near-euphoria. This is a whole new wave sweeping into the Democratic Party. We can embrace it, or we can drive it away...but don't expect the same chance to come again.
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