Of Caucuses and Endorsements and What's Really Going On
I don’t live in a battleground state now, I have though, and this is why I am writing this. In 2007-2008 I lived in Nevada. I remember this primary distinctly because it was the first one that I really threw myself into the electoral process. Because it was a battleground, all the candidates that year came around and I made a point to see as many as I could. I saw Edwards twice, Kucinich (shook his hand), Biden, Dodd, Richardson, and Gravel…Oh My! Makes this year’s measly 3 a cake walk. I even went to see what all the hubbub was about and took in a Ron Paul event at UNLV. The only candidates I missed were Clinton’s (she was really hard to get in to see) and Obama (can’t remember why I missed him, I think I had to work on the day of his event). The only real forums I visited was DU and boy it was contentious then too, but all the infighting I encountered was contained here not spread all over the internet like an exploded zit that is today’s primary.
The PUMA’s started to get more and more vicious when they realized their girl was going down and their posts reflected that, the minutia of delegates and numbers constantly trotted out. What was scientific, what really counted, what really mattered…sound familiar? The vitriol and smears are pretty much the same being thrown against Sanders as against Obama then, I’m surprised they didn’t call Obama a Jew, he was accused of being everything else under the sun. Apparently, being Jewish is bad now, I never got the memo about that one. I’m also so sick of hearing about Messiah’s, sparkle ponies, and butterfly farts. My husband and I caucused in 2008 and we went for Edwards (I know, I know…I was blinded by the talk of income inequality) and the room broke out very much like the polls suggested. A big crowd for Hillary and a big crowd (slightly larger) for Obama, both fighting for the pathetic clutch of Edwards supporters huddled in the corner, I never felt so important and impotent at the same time. But, I didn’t like Hillary then either so even though we didn’t know Obama well, my husband and I joined their raucous and excited supporters to big smiles and a warm welcome.
I’ve been reading CoffeeCats interesting and eye-opening boots on the ground posts in Iowa and the enthusiasm gap for Hillary which seems to those with eyes that see even more prominent this time around. But this Moveon endorsement got me thinking. The break down was pretty close to what it was for the Democracy for America one and I wonder if it will be reflected in the Caucus this year. I will caucus where I am now, a very safe blue state, and wonder if instead of 50/50 I'll see 30/70. But I sure do wish I was back in the battleground to see a true reflection of what I think is really happening. I think this time the Hillary supporters will be the ones in the corner, while O'Malley's joins the Berners to smiles and cheers because I think that once again, she will come in third and in a 3-way race, that is the best place for her.
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