Colorado Democrats Need Their Caucus Process.

I wrote the following for the Cortez FourCornersFreePress, it's some reflections on attending our local Democratic Caucus and then moving on the County Assembly.  In a couple weeks I'll be going to Bloomfield to be a delegate at the State Democratic Assembly.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I love our Colorado Caucus process. What can be more American than gathering in town-hall style meetings to iron out political decisions? If you’re fortunately enough to belong to a precinct with engaged citizens, the room will be crowded and abuzz with chatter. After all, we’re meeting new neighbors and hopefully reestablished old acquaintances, so there’s lots of chitchat to exchange. 

Some folks are busy campaigning for themselves or others, some are busy advocating for their issues, and others simply feel it’s their patriotic duty to be there and participate.

On March 6, I attended our precinct caucus and was one of those lobbying. Then it was time to take our seats and commence the meeting.

Rules are reviewed and agreed to, precinct chairperson, secretary and such must be voted on, then candidates and issues are discussed as we go down the meeting agenda. State elected offices, then county level officials and down the list.

After we voted on the governor and U.S. representative candidates, those who achieved more than 15 percent of the vote got delegates according to their percentage of votes. Then delegates are chosen to go to the county assembly, in my case La Plata. I became a delegate for Carl Kennedy and Karl Hanlon.

Then the fun starts – resolutions regarding the county assembly’s platform. Here, individuals have the opportunity to present amendments and make their case for why the rest of us should vote for them. It’s an introduction to the sausage-making of American politics at its purest. 

Finally we called it a day and headed our separate ways. I’ll bet I wasn’t the only one feeling a touch of patriotic satisfaction at taking part in this age-old, all-American, sacred, if under appreciated, act of citizenship. 

On March 17 at the La Plata County Assembly it was much of the same, except bigger. Well over 200 people, 187 of us being delegates, met in a Noble Hall lecture room, up at Fort Lewis College.

Between the late start and the expansive time given to mundane but legally required procedural announcements and votes, the available time for the platform review got shorter and shorter, until only a sliver remained for ratifying the county platform. 

There was barely enough for one issue to be looked at closely and that was only because it had already been brought to the speakers’ attention earlier in the proceedings. 

Let it be a lesson, sometimes you simply need to stand up and speak up, because odds are no one else will, and the opportunity is lost if you don’t act.

The amendment suggested eliminate Colorado’s caucus process, because attendance has gotten to be quite low and they figure everybody votes anyways, so what’s the point.

Seems to me the point is that Democracy demands an engaged and informed citizenry.  Low turnouts simply underscores our democracy’s malaise.  Waving flags and blaming others is easy, but a healthy democracy demands an informed and engaged citizenry speaking with each other and our caucus process is the first base.

The DNC should be encouraging and facilitating more active participation, rather than contemplating shutting it down. Caucuses are an excellent avenue for exactly the sort of community reawakening that this country dearly needs. 

Don’t get me wrong, voting is great and I wouldn’t give it up for the world and I believe it’s a patriotic duty all eligible voters should participate in. But still, think about voting, in the end it’s you in a private booth, doing it alone. My mom used to love saying it takes one hand to wash the other.

Seems to me democracy is about community and appreciating the humanity that surrounds us. Caucuses are about encouraging and nurturing community. Looking each other in the eye and sharing, debating, learning, compromising, striving together to make it work better. 

Simply because we are under-utilizing them, is no reason to scrap our caucuses. We need more face-to-face contact, rather than less.

How are Democrats going to regain power, if not through facilitating a cohesive grassroots system strong enough and informed enough to elect competent representatives and then by standing behind them to make sure they fulfill their promises against a mighty opposition.

I was glad to see that the vast majority of delegates agreed by voting to strike the negative amendment, before the rest of the platform was adopted en masse. Next comes the State Assembly and Convention, April 13 and 14. 

Democracy – use it or lose it.