Unfamiliar Feeling

[saavedra77]

I have a long history of supporting also-rans in presidential elections. The candidates I gravitate toward rarely survive the primaries.

So I felt weirdly giddy to for once be in the majority--in fact the overwhelming majority--at yesterday's Washington State caucuses.

In fact, my candidate seems to be riding a pretty impressive wave of support, right now, nationwide.

Of course, the nomination remains hotly contested.

And, regardless of who gets the nod in Denver this summer, I'm expecting a bruising general-election campaign.

For the moment, though, that unfamiliar feeling of being on the winning side is pretty satisfying.

Also? I signed up to be an Obama delegate at the upcoming 43rd Legislative District caucus.

Comments

[pescana.livejournal.com]

Yay! I feel the same way. It's a really nice feeling.

Be prepared for a long day at the district caucus. Take food and something to drink. I'm going to mine, but as an alternate, so I don't need to stay unless I want to.

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the advice! I imagined that the district caucuses would be much more time-consuming, since we'll be discussing the platform, as well as candidates. It should be interesting. But I'll be sure to bring some sustenance along ...

[feyandstrange.livejournal.com]

eeeeee!

Go you for supporting our governmental way of life! (And a great candidate.) That makes two caucus delegates on my f-list; I'm so proud.

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

Thanks, fey! :)

Yes we can

[dlasky.livejournal.com]

I was working Saturday, and had to miss the caucus. But I was also supporting Obama, and had a feeling he'd win (based on the turnout at Seattle Center on Friday). So I was glad everything went his way even without my showing up to vote.

This morning on NPR they played comments by Democrats (I think from Seattle's caucuses) arguing for Obama, and a few voices in favor of CLinton (which, like the writer of Greg STump's comic on the Stranger letters page, seemed to be women arguing that it's time to get a woman into the oval office while we have the opportunity). The NPR reporter sounded almost amused when he described Democratic voters' dilemma: whether to vote for the first female candidate or the first African American candidate. (My thought: If only Oprah were running, the choice would be clear). Obama's supporters voiced what I was feeling myself -- that Clinton is a devisive politician, and that Obama would work to unite the country. A facebook friend mass-emailed a NYT piece about the Clintons' dirty campaigning (playing the race card, etc) which just made me feel all the more supportive of Obama. Oh, and I also like that Obama never support the war in Iraq.

Re: Yes we can

[saavedra77.livejournal.com]

The back-and-forth between Obama and Clinton supporters got pretty emotional, in my neighborhood caucus.

I have to give the Clintonistas this: Outnumbered two to one at the outset, they still had the moxy to try to win some of us over.

But they weren't actually all that winsome.

We argued about which candidate's experiences were more germane, which health care plan provided more hope to the uninsured, the significance of taking a public stand against the war versus writing the president a blank check, who had a better chance against McCain.

I was surprised to hear Clinton supporters comparing her plan to a Kucinich-style single-payer system, an interpretation I took exception to.

I was also surprised to hear some of the Clintonistas defending the 2003 authorization to use force as an honest mistake or a concession to political reality. That didn't seem to me to cast their candidate in the best possible light, but I guess they were playing the hand they were dealt.

Several people did stress that Clinton and Obama weren't actually all that far apart on the issues (at least prospectively) and that either would obviously be preferable to McCain. One older woman in particular urged Obama enthusiasts not to sit out the fall election if Clinton wins the nomination. That was pretty poignant, actually: everyone seemed to know that an Obama nomination would yield higher Democratic turnout (and that a Clinton one would likely produce higher Republican turnout).

In the end, though, there wasn't much movement in either direction. The whole exercise was interesting, but I ended up wondering whether the supposed discursive, party-building merits of the caucus really outweighed its relative exclusivity. If no one convinces anyone of anything, maybe it'd be better if we just voted ...? That way, you, sarrabellum, and everybody else who had to work on Saturday could at least have meaningfully registered your preferences.