I am man enough to admit I was wrong....

[WCGreen]

I made a few statements in another post in which I called for the party to abandoned the caucus system...

I still feel that way and in fact, more so now...

However, I learned that I was wrong about the Washington delegation and I apologize for not going to the Washington State Party site to learn all the steps it takes in order to participate in a caucus...

First you have to go to a gathering at the precinct level in order to elect a delegate to the represent that precinct at the legislative level...

The party claims that more than 244,000 people showed up at these caucuses...

But since they are party run events, there is no outside sanction as there is in a primary...

But I give them the benefit of the doubt...

The legislative level is the second step where the people who were elected at the precinct level then elect someone to represent the legislative district at the congressional level which actually takes you to the fifth part, which is the state convention...

Of course the third and fourth parts are County elections by the elected delegates from the Congressional caucus which may or may not be part of the the county delegation. This is where the state platform comes into play...

The fifth part is the state convention where the delegates to the national convention are actually elected...

Now to me, this is a whole lot of stuff and demands a very large commitment on the part of people who wish to be invovled...

And although that 244k sound like a lot of folks, it is about 7.6% of the registered voters in the state...

Since Washington does not really stress party politics, it is hard to discover how many of the 3.2 million registered voters in Washington State are actually democrats...

Even if it broke 33 percent for each party and 34 percent for independents, it would still be about 22% of voters...

Still, my objections to the caucus process remain...

Fewer people participate...

It is set for a fixed date at a fixed time so that people with schedule conflicts have no alternative such as Absentee Balloting which is available when the state runs the show...

The process is complicated and is a party event, controlled by the party not the Secretary of State...

There are limited gathering places to conduct the caucus, they are not at the regular polling place...

As I said before, this year is history...

Changes should be made for the future...

We should, as democrats, welcome all the people who want to vote in the selection of the party nominee for president...

Not just those who have the means and the time to spend on that extra effort required to participate in a caucus...

And let me reiterate, there should be no more of these so-called super delegates come 2012...

If they want to be a delegate, let them run to represent a district as an elected delegate...

[monomach]

1. SO I HERD U LIEK ELLIPSES?!?!??!

Ja?

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

5. I Heard You Like Pizza.

Be patient... Some pies take longer to make than others, but rest assured it's baking.

[Zhade]

8. LOL, you didn't get the joke.

NT!

[OPERATIONMINDCRIME]

10. I Absolutely Did.

It was what I based my judgment on.

[carpe diem]

2. self-delete

[antigop]

3. Thanks, WC. Yes, CHANGES SHOULD BE MADE. n/t

[CaliforniaPeggy]

4. It is way too complex a system...

We need to get going now to have things in better shape by 2012...

K&R

[Lucinda]

6. I'm hopeful that those of us interested in helping to fix this mess

will come together after the primary and see what we can do to change things.

Everyone should be able to vote.
A caucus could still work if it were combined with some other type of vote. (mail-in, etc)

[WCGreen]

7. There is a way for people to get that involved feeling and that is...

To run as a precinct committee person...

You are then considered an elected official, and, if you live in a progressive country, you can have a say in how the party is organized throughout your term...

[Hutzpa]

9. huh... huh....

caucus is the only thing that can't be rigged, so take it away from the people
so their voices should not be heard....why not.

Another way of disenfranchising the voters.

[WCGreen]

11. Sure it can be rigged....

It is run by the party...

And you dont think that a caucus was never rigged...

I feel so bad for you that you can't trust in the electorial process...

That's a real shame...

Because if we don't caucus for the president, then will the winner always be suspect in your mind...

[Emit]

12. So get involved

That's how changes are made in our party, the Democratic Party. Go to your meetings, participate, submit a party platform resolution, voice your opposition, etc.

The stuff you mentioned has been happening for years, and each state party has set up whatever system they have because the people involved chose it.

Also, even if all caucuses were made to be primary elections, delegates are still selected based on a percentage of votes -- it's not a winner take all system. Thus, people still need to go to meetings -- caucuses, conventions, etc. -- to get elected as delegates, and those delegates still need to show up at the next level, which means they have to be able to travel out of town, out of state in some cases, etc. in order to represent their precincts, county, or state.

The party is us -- it's comprised of people who have made the time and commitment to be a part of the process.

[WCGreen]

13. I paid my dues and stepped away so others can have some quality

time in the party...

I started back in 1976 as a campus organizer for Carter and ended my official time with the democratic party in 2002 when my second term as treasurer of the Cuyahoga County Democratic party ran down...

Between then and now I have been involved with to the point where I had personal contact with the candidates anytime with about fifteen campaigns...

Served as a member of the board of elections here in Cuyahoga County...

Was an executive member for 10 years...

Ran for office...

In fact I am the treasurer for a statewide campaign here in Ohio this year...

So I know from where I speak...

I'm Happy with the democratic party here in Ohio...

[Emit]

14. Then I salute you

and wish others were as involved. :thumbsup:

[Emit]

15. And further

I apologize for assuming you had not been involved. I misunderstood your post. :hi: