Conversation, negotiation - that's a caucus
Originally published in the Tacoma News Tribune
Conversation, negotiation - that's a caucus
BETH SILVER, KENNETH P. VOGEL AND HUNTER T. GEORGE; The News Tribune
Among baby dolls and plastic building blocks, stuffed animals and cribs, a strategy session took place Saturday about the man who would take on President Bush.
Sitting in a circle, cross-legged on the floor of a Lutheran church's nursery in Federal Way, eight neighbors parsed a complicated caucus process for the better part of their 45-minute conversation. Then they quickly agreed to divvy up their votes.
It wasn't about the Democratic candidates' policy positions at this particular caucus. Mary Menard, a homemaker and the most vocal of the bunch, said the candidates were nearly identical anyway.
What this circle wanted to know was who was most "electable" against President Bush - John Kerry or Howard Dean.
"I think Kerry looks presidential. If you can't beat Bush, it doesn't matter," Menard said to nods of agreement.
But what if Kerry messes up? asked Bob Gaines, a retired Weyerhaeuser scientist who showed up uncommitted to any of the Democratic presidential contenders.
"My fear is that Kerry has come out fairly quickly after the Iowa caucuses and the press hasn't had time to do their hatchet job," Gaines said.
And thus ended the negotiation: one delegate each for Kerry, Dean and the uncommitted slot - just in case.
The group was part of a jeans-and-khakis crowd of about 200 who assembled at 10 a.m. at Christ Lutheran Church for 20 precinct caucuses, just as some 6,500 other precincts did around the state. The 27,000 delegates chosen Saturday at churches, community centers and schools will go on to represent their candidates at county and legislative district caucuses. They will be whittled down to a set of delegates who will attend the state Democratic Party's convention in June, and ultimately the national nominating convention in July.
The line of coffee-sipping caucusgoers waiting to get into Mason Middle School in Tacoma's North End stretched down the hallway, out the door and onto the sidewalk. By the time Mayor Bill Baarsma, the site coordinator, read the rules, nearly 500 voters had signed in for the six precinct caucuses being held at the school.
"This is amazing - I've never seen anything like it," said Pat Hammond, who was chairman of the 27th District Democrats in 1996 and 2000. "There are more people in this room than attended (caucuses) countywide in 2000."
Of the delegates up for grabs in the left-leaning neighborhoods represented at the school, 27 went for Kerry, 21 for Dean, 11 for Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich and two for North Carolina Sen. John Edwards.
Ardine Martino, a caucus veteran, had to broker in her caucus to land three votes for Kucinich, the minimum needed to grant him a delegate. She initially fell two people short, but wooed a couple of voters by convincing them Kucinich would force other candidates to address a broader range of issues.
"He has some important things to say," Martino said of Kucinich.
Sean Dannen, a state child services worker who was elected a Dean delegate, said Dean laid a groundwork of support months ago.
"Grass-roots campaigning really works well here, and Dean's had a big presence," said Dannen, who added that Dean was the only candidate with a table at the Puyallup Fair.
Dannen also proposed a resolution urging the party to try to reel in the initiative process. Voters in his caucus elected to split his resolution into two: one encouraging the Democratic Party to work for a requirement that initiatives need to win 60 percent of the vote, which failed, and one to prohibit paid signature-gatherers, which passed.
"It has been a fascinating experience in collective democracy," said Paula vonLoewenfeldt, a University of Puget Sound English literature professor in Dannen's precinct. Plus, she said she's met more of her neighbors preparing for the caucuses than she had in the seven months since she moved to the neighborhood.
"All of a sudden, we had breakfast with people (from the neighborhood) today," she said.
In another Democratic get-together Saturday, confusion reigned for the first hour at Parkland Christian Church on Spanaway Loop Road, just down the street from the McChord Air Force Base runways.
Many of the 50 Democrats didn't know their precinct numbers, and five of seven precinct leaders were no-shows.
"It's very disorganized. I hope Iowa wasn't like this," Ruth Jones said as people sorted through the issues. She and her husband, Robert, were the only people from their precinct, so they took the chairman and secretary positions by default and didn't have to defend their support of Kerry to anyone.
Another precinct had a short debate. Fifteen participants backed Kerry, three others liked Dean and one was undecided. "Kerry carries the momentum right now," Dean backer Jean Grange told the group. "But he won't necessarily win. He's too similar to Bush on some issues. Dean is different."
Countered Jacqueline Williams: "We can send a message to President Bush if all of us support Kerry. You guys are in a losing battle here."
But Grange and the two other Dean backers stood firm. Their precinct allocated one of its 11 delegates to Dean. The undecided delegate stayed undecided.
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