The Dreamwidth Journal of zdashamber

Well, I did go out and caucus yesterday. This was my first year I got outraged enough to get active, and I can credit The Daily Show, Air America/AM 1090, the courageous examples of Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich, the inspiring oratory of Barack Obama, and my wife who encouraged me to put my money where my mouth is.

Congressman Kuchinich was my candidate because of his policy positions, but I knew he stood little chance because he’s not at all sexy to the media. Once he was out of the race, I had to choose a new person to back.

I was literally undecided until I took a business trip to Des Moines, IA. As you might imagine, I was surrounded by Republicans. This was during the debates two weeks ago, and we watched a lot of them on the bar TV. These conservative Republicans were lukewarm on Senator McCain, absolutely loathed Senator Clinton, and Senator Obama…him they liked. They wouldn’t mind if he were president. In fact, several favored him over any of the Republican candidates. My brother in Minneapolis, who worked for Congressman and former Democratic Speaker of the House Tom Foley, was a staunch Democrat but has now been an attorney long enough that he is an Independent, told me that in a Clinton-McCain match-up he would vote for McCain. Those events opened my eyes.

Because I felt he could reach a greater diversity of Americans, I caucused for Senator Barack Obama in Precinct 606 of my local 32nd Legislative District.

I not only ended up caucusing, I was elected Precinct Chair.

My precinct had four delegates up for grabs. There was an amazing mix of people caucusing for Senator Obama: everyone from a 17-year-old female high school student to a sixty-something male attorney. And they also came in pairs: a mother and a daughter, a husband and a wife; and we were pretty much an even split on gender. I wish there was more of a racial diversity, but it was mostly caucasian with a couple of Persian immigrant citizens also participating for the first time. (Shh! Don't tell the Republicans! They'll think we were aiding terrorists!)

Those caucusing for Senator Clinton were all middle-aged white females. There were only two undecideds: They were both middle-aged white females who threw in with Clinton, and the deciding factor was that if they had stayed uncommitted or threw in with Obama, then Senator Clinton would not have gotten any delegates.

So it ended up one delegate for Clinton, three delegates for Obama. Across the state, Precincts were going 50% to 75% for Obama.

I was elected as one of the Precinct Delegates for Senator Barack Obama, who I am supporting to be the next President of the United States. Think good thoughts for me as I go on to the County Convention, then possibly State Convention in Spokane and National Convention Denver, CO.

Believe in your ability to bring about real change. http://origin.barackobama.com/issues/