Why Obama Won the Caucuses, From My POV:

[txaslftist]

A week before Tuesday I got a call from Hillary Clinton's campaign. It was a very nice caller, obviously a volunteer. She gave me a run down on the issues and a very nice speech. She asked if I was going to vote on Tuesday. She was friendly and courteous, and so was I. She didn't say a single word about the caucus, even after I told her I was a Precinct Chair.

The next day I got a call from Obama's people. They already knew that I was a precinct chair. They asked if I'd already voted (they knew about early voting). When I told them I had, they asked me if I was going to run my caucus. Not whether I would caucus, but whether I would be chairing it (which was my job as a precinct chair).

In other words, they knew their stuff, they knew what my role was, and they knew exactly how the caucuses worked. They were prepared, and I was impressed. I was still going to caucus for Hillary because my wife (who didn't have time to vote in the primary) wanted me to cast my caucus vote for the candidate she would have chosen.

I was all ready to caucus for Hillary when on Monday I heard Hillary on the radio. She said, "I have a lifetime of experience, JOHN MCCAIN HAS A LIFETIME OF EXPERIENCE, and Barack Obama has a speech he gave in 2002." In other words, from her point of view, John McCain was a better candidate for president than Obama, her fellow Democrat. This comment made me recall 1992, when Bill was running for president and the Texas Democratic folks were literally begging him to come to Texas and campaign. Not because he would win Texas, but because it would help us to get people together and build up our presence again. In other words, to give Texas Democrats a fighting chance.

I also recalled a statement from Hillary earlier this year saying words to the effect of "nobody expected Texas to matter strategically, and no one focused there ..." This was after early primaries failed to put her in a decisive position. Her husband blew Texas off in 1992 and if it weren't for the contested primary Tuesday, she would have blown us off, too. So much for the Fifty State Strategy.

I thought to myself, she's putting herself above the welfare of her party, which is her privilege, but I don't have to like it. But not only that, she'd rather have a warmongering, trigger-happy, economically ignorant bastard like McCain be president than Barack Obama, who is a solid Democrat.

I chaired the caucus, we had a record turnout, and our caucus ran like a Swiss Clock. None of the irregularities reported in other areas occurred in my precinct.

After what she said about McCain, I caucused for Obama. At least he's trying to rebuild our party, rather than attend a coronation.

[MercutioATC]

1. Kudos for chairing your caucus responsibly and knowing the rules.

It seems that many didn't bother to familiarize themselves with the process, which makes your actions all the more important.

[txaslftist]

3. Well, a lot of precincts don't even have chairs.

Those were probably the ones that fell apart the most. The precinct chairs got a copy of the rules for running the caucus well in advance, and with about an hour or two reading them, running the caucus was easy.

[txaslftist]

23. There are still a lot of Dem Precincts in my area that don't have ...

...precinct chairs. It's a volunteer position, hardly ever contested, and it's not a lot of work. I don't understand when passions run so high that we don't have enough prepared people!?!?!?

[d.amber]

2. ty for the report

Yes...Obama is for the future and Hillary is for the past. I don't see her years as First Lady and the Governor's wife as all this experience she keeps talking about. I want someone other then a Clinton.

I just can't see Bush/Clinton/Bush/Clinton. I live in a Democracy and not a Monarchy.

But that is great about Texas. My husband's family moved from Chicago to the Dallas/Ft Worth area. They didn't vote and complained that they didn't even know how to get registered to vote. There was no information really available. I'm wondering how many more new people might also be in the same situation.

Turning TX blue..now that would be amazing...

[txaslftist]

4. We had about 50 people show up to caucus. The GOP had 5.

It was kind of funny, because the GOP precinct chair came over to me and asked me if I was turning Republicans away or something, because nobody was showing up in his room. I told him I haven't been turning any Republicans away because I HAVEN'T SEEN ANY.

[thevoiceofreason]

5. I am a precinct chair also

Harris County, in addition to the written amterials, held numerous training sessions. We were ready. Our group was fairly evenly split, we buzzed through it without a problem, and we identified another 100+ good democrats in our otherwise heavily republican precinct.

We caucused 4 in 2004 -- 139 in 2008.

[txaslftist]

7. We caucused 12 or 13 in 2004; 50 in 2008.

It was a great party-building experience, and I got 4 committed volunteers I'm sending letters to today. This almost reminds of ... when was it, 1994, 1996? When the GOP swept Texas and basically took over? I think we're about to make a major comeback here! Very exciting!

[txaslftist]

11. My precinct also has a heavy republican history...

Buy you'd never have known it at the caucus. We out polled them in early voting, too.

And now I've got a very long list of people in the precinct to write letters to.

Ain't it great?

[ginnyinWI]

6. but you've left me hanging--

I was waiting to hear what your wife thought of Hillary's comment and the fact you switched to Obama in the caucus---nosey minds want to know! ;)

[txaslftist]

8. My wife agreed with me to caucus for Obama at the last minute.

We had a tense couple of hours, though.

[txaslftist]

9. doop

[txaslftist]

10. doop

[joshcryer]

12. You illustrate just why caucuses are easy to buy.

You pay staffers at a caucus, they campaign at the caucus, you win.

You can't do this in a poll because it's simply illegal, thus it's a lot harder to buy votes and be persuasive at polls.

[txaslftist]

14. Pay staffers at a caucus?

What are you talking about? Everyone participating in a caucus has to have voted in that precincts primary election. Nobody is getting paid to be there. If they were, there's no way a campaign wouldn't get caught doing it. You can't pay outsiders to come and crash a caucus, it's 1) illegal, and 2) easy to detect by the precinct chair.

[Justitia]

24. Ignore him, his candidate is losing so he's desperate. Hello from a fellow TX Dem & previous chair.

You did great and thanks so much for standing up for Our Party!

I feel as strongly as you do about the future of our Party and what it means to be a Democrat.

:hi:

[txaslftist]

25. I've been seeing a lot of these "Obama stole the caucuses" posts.

The bottom line is that Obama was prepared, he prepared his people, they knew and understood the rules, and he won the caucuses despite narrowly losing the Diebold vote. So he won Texas.

Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance, as they say.

[Justitia]

26. Yes, they totally ignore that the caucuses reward loyal Democrats who actively participate, yet they

still are weighted toward the ballot vote - which is open for 10 days, mostly 12 hrs a day, including a weekend.

It isn't hard to participate in the Democratic process here in TX, if one is so inclined.

[txaslftist]

27. And it's easy as pie to become a precinct chair, too.

All you really have to do is volunteer.

[hisownpetard]

13. Very interesting. Thanks for working for the party and being so diligent.

[txaslftist]

15. It's a lot of fun. I recommend it.

Plus now I know fifty Democrats from my neighborhood. Not sure what to do with that information, but we could have a hell of a block party!

[TexasLady]

16. While our precinct was heavily for Obama

Our chair, who happened to have a Hillary pin on, was cordial, EXCITED, and really the worst of it was getting enough papers to sign us in. She shined!

In fact, I need to send her a thank you email. She really knew her stuff!

[txaslftist]

18. We had problems getting enough sign in sheets, too.

Our precinct broke for Hillary, and we sent 5 Hillary delegates to the County Convention and 3 Obama delegates. I deliberately picked a person with a Hillary sticker to nominate for convention secretary so that everyone would know I wasn't playing favorites. I tell you what, the Hillary/Obama rivalry in the press was by no means being played out in our caucus. Everyone was excited and happy to participate, and "ne'er was heard a disparaging word" from one side or the other. I think we were all excited to have two good candidates to choose from.

[Mme. Defarge]

17. K&R!

[txaslftist]

19. Thanks very much.

You know, for a candidate whose claim to fame is that she'll be "ready on day one", Hillary didn't seem very "ready" for the Texas caucuses, in contrast to her better prepared opponent.

[berni_mccoy]

20. Clinton's campaign has been a disaster. They have not paid attention to ANY of the rules and have

purposely tried to subvert them in many cases.

[txaslftist]

21. All I can say is that Obama's ground game in Texas was right where it should be.

He winds up winning the caucuses, and therefore winning the state, if narrowly.

Hillary should have learned the rules and her people should have known them by heart. Obama simply out-prepared her.

[txaslftist]

22. Ach! dupe