Democrats swarm to caucuses
Originally published in the Port Townsend Leader
Democrats swarm to caucuses
Kerry, Dean favored in Jefferson County
By Janet Huck
and Barney Burke
Leader Staff Writers
Jefferson County Democratic state committeeman Bill McLaughlin lost his voice just a half hour into the Democratic presidential caucuses Feb. 7 in Chimacum. The Port Ludlow resident had to turn the microphone over to another official who could shout loudly enough to hear over the nearly 500 noisy and impassioned voters.
"I have never seen so many people come out in 40 years of politics on the Olympic Peninsula," shouted David Woodruff, who took over at the microphone. "Something is going on. This is ABB: Anybody But Bush."
"ABB," shouted the crowd. "ABB."
Overflowing crowds of more than 2,000 Democrats jammed in schools and community centers to begin the four-step process of electing national convention delegates and discussing potential platform issues. Jefferson County's initial preferences for "ABB" were both predictable and surprising. National front-runner John Kerry won 53 delegates for first place in Jefferson County. Howard Dean came in second with 42 delegates; however, Dean tied Kerry at the Tri-Area and Port Ludlow caucuses.
Dennis Kucinich made a strong third-place showing with 27 delegates. The Ohio congressman beat Kerry and Dean in Port Townsend. Wesley Clark received six delegates, and John Edwards one.
"Republicans should be shaking in their boots," declared Jeffrey Anderson, a delegate from the Lake Leland area. "We are dedicated to beating Bush."
The turnout was overwhelming. About 85 people joined in at one Port Ludlow precinct that has not had more than 10 people attend previous functions. Tri-Area and Port Ludlow organizers expected 150 - and got 454 voting delegates. Nearly 70 South County residents jointed fellow Democrats in Quilcene, 25 in Gardiner and seven in the county's West End.
About half of the 1,460 Port Townsend residents who rallied at Fort Worden State Park couldn't cram inside the new Commons, so they cheerfully convened their precinct caucuses outside on the patio.
"I love having a traffic jam coming down Cherry Street and knowing it's all Democrats," laughed Connie Welch at the Port Townsend caucus.
Political junkies came. So did lapsed Democrats who hadn't attended caucuses since George McGovern was nominated in the early 1970s. Gay delegates wanted to be heard. Young mothers and fathers rocked their kids in slings and voted their minds.
Twenty-somethings alarmed by the war in Iraq came to support Dean alongside gray-haired pacifists from Port Ludlow. Ron and Diane Nelson of Port Ludlow attended the Chimacum caucuses to cast their anti-war vote for Howard Dean before driving to Tacoma to say goodbye to their son, who was shipping out for duty in Iraq.
There was some peer pressure among political junkies to show up at the caucuses. South County participant Jan Lemons said, "If you didn't show up here today, you couldn't talk about politics for the next four years."
Seventeen-year-old Renae Deardorff is looking forward to voting for the first time in November. "I think it's pretty crazy and confusing, but I feel good about being a part of it," she said of caucusing.
Others loved the chance to interact with their neighbors.
"Pulling a lever doesn't mean lot," said Tom Peckman from Port Townsend. "Here, you have to listen to one another and maybe change your own mind."
Making the time
People rushed through regular events and changed their schedules to attend.
"I gave up the gardening talk on compost," said Adriane Oliver. Susan Yawman, who was picked to be a delegate to the county convention, came straight from rowing practice in Port Townsend Bay. And Malcolm Dorn gave his construction crew the morning off to attend the caucuses even though they had much work to do.
The issues that motivated participants ranged from the war, personal civil liberties and health care to considered opinions on which Democrat is most likely to beat Bush.
"George Bush has energized the electorate in a way he didn't intend," said Ben Critchlow of Port Townsend.
Consequently, many people were willing to do a little amiable horse-trading to find the best contender to face Bush. "I wanted Wesley Clark, but I wanted someone to beat Bush even more," said a Port Ludlow resident after she cast her vote for Kerry.
Kucinich backers weren't going to give up, though. In the 501 precinct in Port Ludlow, neither Kucinich, Clark nor Edwards representatives qualified for delegates on their own. After a count of 10 votes for Kucinich and 10 for the undecideds, the Kucinich delegates quietly started wooing the uncommitteds. Albert Kotveit, who came in uncommitted, threw his vote to Kucinich, and a man standing next to him did too. Finally, Kucinich won two delegates.
After the Tri-Area and Port Ludlow precincts elected their delegates, they drifted away without hearing the final vote. "We did our duty," said Tony Brenna of Port Ludlow. "That's important enough."
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