Comments on Stranger Caucus Watch: Seattle South of Ship Canal
I'll dupe what I posted in your original thread:
43-2928 met at Melrose Terrace Apt. Place was packed and had a line from the door to Bellevue ave and probably wrapped around somewhere. I estimate 400 -> 600 people in all. While it was crowded and hot, everything was very calm and well organized. There was free food & beverage on the table plenty of signup sheets.
I left early to make room for others. The caretaker of our apartment is trying to become a delegate. Hope he gets it!
Voted Obama. Age 28, White, Straight, Non-Religious Male. 4 years college. Computer nerd. The Obama sticker factor was very high in the crowd.
37-1910 at Madrona Elementary. Huge line wrapped around the block, but everyone was calm in that vapid Seattle way. I left around 1:50 and there were still people signing in. It will be a while before a final tally is known. Some voters left their preference blank on the sign-in sheet. I wasn't sure if that was intentional and no one was that observant watching people sign in. Mostly Obama supporters but there were a noticeable number of Boomer women for Hillary.
-2009 at Seattle Asian Art Museum. 144 for Obama, 41 for Clinton, 10 uncommitted.
Some confusion about a "posting mistake" meant several people were supposed to be at Trinity Lutheran. Speakers were allowed a total of one minute per candidate. They didn't seem to sway a lot of people in 60 seconds.
I was at the same caucus, only a total of 238 people signed in for the three precincts at that location, not 500-600. They also cut off the sign in when there wasn't a line anymore, so no one who was there/in line at 1:30 p.m. was left out. The crowd seemed to be mostly for Obama, and largely split on age lines, with older voters preferring Clinton, younger voters for Obama and a few for Kucinich and Gravel. Some photos are available here.
Correction, I was at the same caucus location as #1.
43-2000 At Tops/Seward school. Tons of people show up, mostly for Obama. Our little sub-precinct went 101 Obama, 24 Clinton. 5 undecideds made up their minds and delegates were chosen quickly. Not much of any kind of debating, just too claustrophobic and hot. I'm with Savage, a primary would just plain work better.
@4 - heh... so I suck I counting; sue me :-) As a resident of my apartment said walking out, it was the biggest congregation of residents in our little area he's seen since ever.
Howdy neighbor... people in our little chunk of capitol hill are especially awful at being friendly, or neighborly. Maybe it's the lack of common spaces where you can run into your neighbor? They should like turn that park next to I-5 on Melrose into a dog park or something, just to get the space better used, and maybe people would congregate or connect more. :D
1855 at Lowell. . . 150 people for our precint, 6 delegates for Obama, 2 for Clinon. Quiet, organized, exciting. . . .
37-1937 Rainier Beach High School. Large crowds also. Overheard 1657? went 44/5 Obama/Hillary as we were leaving. My wife said she saw a fair number of women writing Hillary as their preference.
We saw most of our neighbors there. It was very re-assuring to see people streaming in. Many were confident in their selves.
43-1855 Represent! Lowell Elementary...We have 114 O-town to 31 for HRC...6 Delegates to Obama, 2 to Clinton--then picking the delegates got sticky--all set at 6 then a wide eyed older gentlemen came up objecting, gave a speech where he was shaking uncontrollably and screamed, "YOU GODDAMNED FUCKING LIAR!!!" about George Bush. He was elected a delegate. Got done at 2:30...a bit unorganized but ok in general...
5 delegates Obama, 2 for Hillary at Precinct 34-1513 at the Sanislow School in West Seattle. There were about 90 of us in 1513, but also 6 other Precincts meeting simultaneously in the same two rooms.
43-1986 - 75 Obama, 25 Clinton, resulting in 3 delegates elected for Obama and 1 for Clinton.
The scene was orderly and polite.
Just back from a 34th LD caucus at Chief Sealth high school. Turnout was strong, and caucuses were well-organized. 5 delegates for Obama, 1 squeezed out for Clinton, just one or two votes above what she needed for viability. So close to a shut out!
43-1857 Seattle Central was overwhelmed. Many precincts crowded into the same rooms, some eventually moved out into the halls. Massive lines for sign-in, minimal signage. It was a pretty serious waste of time when you multiply time wasted by number of people. I think the system was designed for less than a quarter the turnout, 25% more and it would have broken down completely. _So_ time to switch to primaries.
My precinct was 74 Obama, 11 Clinton, 2 undecided = 5 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. I eavesdropped on the one next to us, I believe they were 54/10 with 6 delegates for the same split.
43-1857 at Seattle Central....75 votes for Obama, 11 votes for Hillary, 1 undecided. Obama got 5 delegates, Hillary 1. With such a majority for Obama, it went quick and was pretty quiet with not much debate. The biggest issue was health care, with both sides coming at it with everything you've already heard before.
Magnolia at Lawton 36-1698: Four delegates: 3/1 Obama/Clinton.
Hot and crowded. Much confusion about the process. Uncertainty after the sub-caucas as to who could guarantee the tally would be correctly reported.
Volunteer secretary assured the security of the paper tally she was holding; papers fluttered out of her hand and onto the ground.
Small group of undecided voters eventually came to Obama.
I'd like to add, the hippie "I protest everything, George Bush is a nazi" factor at our location was minimal... nothing against hippies, protestors, or Bush haters, but I was worried the place would be packed with the same type of crowd that shows up at WTO conventions--you know the type. The place was full of sane, rational people... ie my neighbors :-)
@brappy... I agree plus tashkent park could use some work too.
The Belltown caucus place that hosted my precinct (Labor Temple on 1st Ave) was massively crowded, about 90 degrees inside, and was way too loud to hear much of anything. But my precinct broke down like this. Obama: 5 delegates, Clinton: 2 delegates, Uncommitted: 1 delegate.
Belltown 36-3341 went 56 Obama, 15 Clinton, 1 Gravel, 5 undecided. Seattle Labor Temple was a cheerful madhouse. Most signed in their preference and went home. A fun mix in my precinct: some condo bitches with tricky hair, some empty nesters, some folks scraping by. In my precinct room I recognized a member of Bill Clinton's 1992 transition team (plumped for Obama today) and one patriarch of a national retail jewelry empire (a self-described feminist for Clinton).
34-1429 in West Seattle: 3 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton.
36-3482 Obama 6 Hillary 1.... Tons of Obama stickers all over the room at other precincts... Couple of independents for Obama and even one republican.
36-3482 Obama 6 Hillary 1.... Tons of Obama stickers all over the room at other precincts... Couple of independents for Obama and even one republican.
43-2547: We didn't have a PCO, so we elected one guy who was more talkative and seemed very fair to act as PCO. The room was crowded - slightly more than 90 people in one classroom. We voted 69 Obama - 15 Hillary - 7ish uncommitteds. I think a few of the uncommitteds went to Obama at the end. We probably will end up sending 7 Obama delegates and 1 Hillary delegate.
Despite all the problems with the caucus system, I've never enjoyed participting in my government more than I did today. Everyone was very fair at taking turns talking, and respectful of other people's opinions. I'm really proud to be an American after being at that caucus.
i just posted this in the wrong thread so here it is again -
in our caucus precinct at lowell elementary, 43-2017, it was 6 for obama, one for hillary. it was hot but organized and i got to meet a few my new neighbors, since i just moved to the neighborhood. good times.
43-2862 at Seattle Art Museum. I was initially concerned because the Hillary campaign had signs everywhere and Obama had none, but that turned out to be the work of a few people with a lot of time on their hands.
Ultimately we had 46 voters in my downtown precinct - 35 for Obama, 10 for Hillary, and 1 for Kucinich who wanted to read a long, irrelevant resolution before committing but ultimately signed on for Obama. So 4 delegates going to county for Obama and 1 for Hillary. Lots of grumbling about the process, but glad to have been there!
37-1944, Beacon Hill Elementary
88-27 Obama (5 delegates to 2)
43-2006, Capitol Hill near St. Mark's Cathedral: 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. "The biggest turnout I've seen here in my 20 years of involvement in the 43rd District" --Ed Murray
Woot! Woot!
36-1742 at John Hay School on Queen Anne Hill. Obama 3, Clinton 1.
43-1870 (victrola)
6 delegates for obama
2 delegates for hillary
148 people turned out out of ~350 people registered. record turnout.
37-1884 was insane. 135 people showed up and we were crowded. It ended up with seven delegates for Obama, two for Clinton, and similar results throughout Madrona's Children's School. It was pretty awesome.
34-1494 in West Seattle at Cooper Elementary. We went 7 Obama 2 Clinton and 1 undecided. Although I'm sure they were expecting a big turnout, we still had to expand out of our original space into the gymnasium, and our precinct captain said the turnout was at least three times that of 2004. Generally a diverse, friendly crowd, although there are some older hippie types in my neighborhood.
43-2545 at Melrose Terrace (Bellevue and Harrison) was HILLARY 2, OBAMA 5.
Ditto what #1 said about it being a very age 28, white, straight, non-religious male, 4 yr college boys for Obama. But there was also a handful of faggy types for Hillary and a contingent of older (>60 yrs) women for Hillary and Kucinich, too.
36-1742 at John Hay School on Queen Anne Hill. Obama 3, Clinton 1.
37-1596 Beacon Hill Elementary Obama 6 Hillary 1
I was in charge o tallying, just kept truning over pages that were all 5 for Obama - it was thrilling
37-1596 Beacon Hill Elementary Obama 6 Hillary 1
I was in charge o tallying, just kept truning over pages that were all 5 for Obama - it was thrilling
43-2006 on North Capitol Hill: 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. Woot! Woot!
36-3319 Also at the Labor Temple in Belltown. Second what somebody else said about it being really hot.
Our precinct first vote was Obama: 66, Clinton: 11, Uncommitted: 2. After some speeches, the 2 uncommitteds went Obama.
Delegate count: 5 Obama, 1 Clinton.
I volunteered to be an alternate. Uh oh.
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were not even enough Obama signs(but plenty of stickers) and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
43-2027 was overcrowded but lovely, with coffee, tea, cookies, and little alcoholic candies for all the good citizens. More caucuses should be held in private homes.
With an attendance of 114 (previous record 65), and two out of three initial uncommitteds splitting for Clinton, we ended up with 4 Obama, 1 Clinton.
I love the process. Down with the primary!
1494 7 to obama 3 to Clinton 3 undecided
it was PACKED, very agressive debates between obama and Clinton supporters.
36-2749 Belltown. 5 Obama, 1 Clinton. A great turn out if not a little bit hot and loud. Got to meet neighbors as well as hear an 85-year old who voted for FDR speak about how great it was to see all the young people come out. The Obama folks swayed a few Clintonites and over to the other side - the political process in action!
Montlake 43-2104: 5 delegates for Obama and 1 for Hillary.
37-1880
Obama 5, Clinton 1
The Clinton support was made up almost entirely of gay couples, the Obama support was almost entirely SU students.
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were not even enough Obama signs(but plenty of stickers) and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
1494 7 to obama 3 to Clinton 3 undecided
it was PACKED, very agressive debates between obama and Clinton supporters.
37-1899 at Nova High School
84 voters, 69 Obama to 15 Clinton.
4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton.
43-1982 at Tops Seward. The cafeteria was so crowded they moved us out to the courtyard between the school and the ball fields instead; luckily it wasn't too windy for most of the time.
Out of 58 voters, we started out 48-7 for Obama with 3 undecided; final count after the speeches was 49-9. 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. Since we were outside, I didn't get to hear how the other precincts did.
43-2021. Huge turnout. 9 delegates for Obama, 2 for Clinton
36-1751, Coe School on Queen Anne Hill. 5 Obama delegates, 1 for Clinton.
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
37-1880
Obama 5, Clinton 1
The Clinton support was made up almost entirely of gay couples, the Obama support was almost entirely SU students. Most of the undecideds broke for Hillary.
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
43-2543: 4 for obama, 2 for clinton at SCCC. I just two people I now know are my neighbors at the store afterwards and got to say hi. :) that's my favorite part.
43-2039
63 people 48 for Obama 15 for Clinton
Delegates 4 for Obama 1 for Clinton
Most attendees raised their hand to say it was there first caucus ever
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
I had to be at work by 2 so I couldn't get the results. I voted Obama though, then left at 1:50pm. There were no Obama signs to give out, but plenty of stickers and I wish I could have stayed, the group was big and very opinionated. :D Congrats Belltown!
43-2039
total count 63, 48 for Obama 15 for Clinton
Delegates 4 Obama 1 Clinton
Most attendees raised their hand to say it was their first caucus ever
43-2016 at Lowell Elementary in Cap Hill
4 delegates for Obama,
2 delegates for Clinton.
Clinton had 1.48 delegates until two of the four undecided folks went over. damn.
36LD-Uptown precincts were packed into the Alki room next to the Vera Project. That covers 1714, 15, 16, 17, 18 & 19. Obama won 30 delegates to Clintons 8.
36-1749, at the Q Cafe off 15th and Dravus:
final precinct vote was 16 for Clinton, 81 for Obama, 6 uncommitted. Delegate count was 7 Obama, 1 Clinton, 1 Uncommitted.
Our location was packed to the gills, so much so that an entire precinct was moved out to the parking lot. It was still uncomfortably crowded even after that. Over 100 people showed up just for our precinct, and 6 precincts were represented at our location.
34-1458 in West Seattle at Madison Middle School.
Crowded but orderly. The woman who spoke at the outset didn't know what LGBT meant when reading the non-discrimination pledge. Ugh.
Our precinct caucus had some hiccups, the woman in charge seemed nervous and inexperienced. We prevailed. 1 delegate for Clinton, 5 or 6 (can't remember) for Obama. Four undecideds didn't go to either side... one guy said he was hoping Obama and Clinton would cancel each other out and Gore would be a "drafted." What a fucking idiot.
Photos from the Beacon Hill/Georgetown caucus at Van Asselt Elementary:
http://midbeaconhill.blogspot.com/2008/02/beacon-hillgeorgetown-caucus-at-van.html
I couldn't handle more than two hours of it, so I only know the first results from my own precinct (3 to 1 for Obama).
43-1843 at First Hill Baptist Church on Capitol Hill:
6 Obama
2 Clinton
There were around 530 attendees for 7 precincts. The process was pretty crazy but very civil, and we were done in about two hours.
43-1856 (Lowell elementary, Capitol Hill): 5 delegates for Obama, 3 for Clinton, with about 96 people voting (people came in late and caucused - huh?)
43-1855: 6 Obama, 2 Clinton
A friend in Snohomish county said their precinct went 2 Obama and 2 Clinton.
The caucus is such a clusterfuck. 1.5 hrs of sitting around and 5 minutes for undecideds (who the fuck goes to vote and is unde-fucking-cided???!!!???) to be swayed by the candidates' supporters. It was like being in junior high gym class. Obama nightmare: the crazy man with a belly-dancer's veil over his head jumped up and stole the speaking opportunity and then proceeded to make an unintelligible argument for 10 seconds before ending his "speech" by clenching his fist and proclaiming those were his reasons... If that didn't turn the undecideds to Clinton, well then the next Obama supporter who spoke to them individually about healthcare did another good job of misrepresenting Obama to the point that one of Obama's supporters, a doctor, then said she had almost been convinced to switch to Hillary. What a fuckeroo.
Our Precinct Captain (and her boyfriend too, in another precinct, she told us) had been ordered at the last minute to be our captain - she'd had no trainings or anything so was figuring it out as she went along, which made things more confusing and delayed (though to her credit she really did a good job under crappy circumstances).
People shouldn't denigrate the discourse on Slog - it has been so much more intelligent than any of the conversations I took part in at our caucus. It seems like most people showed up not knowing anything about how a caucus works, what you're supposed to do, or why they're voting for their candidate beyond the fact that "my sister told me she's voting for Hillary" and "my cousin sent me an email for Obama". I know people are stupid enough to make voting decisions based on polling data, but I can't believe how uninformed some people seemed; I think that is the entire reason WA has a caucus: so that only the most passionately interested political party people will take the time to show up at a caucus, instead of giving everyone a chance to vote, like in a primary (though obviously the level of interest is much higher than 4 years ago).
43-1856 (Lowell elementary, Capitol Hill): 5 delegates for Obama, 3 for Clinton, with about 96 people voting (people came in late and caucused - huh?)
43-1855: 6 Obama, 2 Clinton
A friend in Snohomish county said their precinct went 2 Obama and 2 Clinton.
The caucus is such a clusterfuck. 1.5 hrs of sitting around and 5 minutes for undecideds (who the fuck goes to vote and is unde-fucking-cided???!!!???) to be swayed by the candidates' supporters. It was like being in junior high gym class. Obama nightmare: the crazy man with a belly-dancer's veil over his head jumped up and stole the speaking opportunity and then proceeded to make an unintelligible argument for 10 seconds before ending his "speech" by clenching his fist and proclaiming those were his reasons... If that didn't turn the undecideds to Clinton, well then the next Obama supporter who spoke to them individually about healthcare did another good job of misrepresenting Obama to the point that one of Obama's supporters, a doctor, then said she had almost been convinced to switch to Hillary. What a fuckeroo.
Our Precinct Captain (and her boyfriend too, in another precinct, she told us) had been ordered at the last minute to be our captain - she'd had no trainings or anything so was figuring it out as she went along, which made things more confusing and delayed (though to her credit she really did a good job under crappy circumstances).
People shouldn't denigrate the discourse on Slog - it has been so much more intelligent than any of the conversations I took part in at our caucus. It seems like most people showed up not knowing anything about how a caucus works, what you're supposed to do, or why they're voting for their candidate beyond the fact that "my sister told me she's voting for Hillary" and "my cousin sent me an email for Obama". I know people are stupid enough to make voting decisions based on polling data, but I can't believe how uninformed some people seemed; I think that is the entire reason WA has a caucus: so that only the most passionately interested political party people will take the time to show up at a caucus, instead of giving everyone a chance to vote, like in a primary (though obviously the level of interest is much higher than 4 years ago).
43-1863 -- 150 voting; 8 delegates for Obama and 3 for Clinton. We had passionate speeches with much applause for everyone who spoke.
10 precincts met at Mt. Zion church, way overcrowded - 3 precincts were moved to another building; many people left after signing in to make room for those who were left. The area coordinator said he'd been given sign-in sheets for 400 people (for 10 precincts), had made copies for additional 500 people, and had run out of sheets. The line to sign in wrapped around the block.
Precinct 36-1768 Queen Anne (Q Cafe on 15th)
Our location was a non-profit coffee shop. It was so crowded that one group had to volunteer to caucus outside in the parking lot. But everyone was kind and respectful. Our first vote was 16 for Clinton, 26 for Obama and 4 un-committed. The 4 un-committed were all eventually swayed to go for Obama, giving us 3 Obama delegates and 1 Clinton delegate.
I supported Clinton. I'm a 29-year-old, non-religious female with a bachelors degree. Other Clinton supporters seemed to be older men and women of every generation. Obama appeared to get the young and middle-aged male vote, and a smattering of other demographics.
The opportunity for folks to try to sway uncommitteds made a big difference in our precinct. Had the 4 un-committeds gone for Clinton instead, our delegates would've been split 2 for Clinton, 2 for Obama.
34-1459 in West Seattle. Final tally was 3 delegates to Obama & 1 delegate to Clinton.
We had 49 precinct members in our group. Original vote totals were: 38 - Obama, 9 - Clinton, 2 - uncommitted. After very civil and passionate arguments, the vote totals were 42 - Obama, 6 - Clinton, 1 - uncommitted. If we could've gotten one more person to switch to Obama, he would have all 4 delegates.
I met my neighbors, had a great and exciting time, and was inspired. We have THE BEST LOOKING PRECINCT in the city; I'm sure of it. The youngest there (and 1 of 3 non-whites) was 18yo, and the oldest was in her late 70s.
37-1930
116 Obama, 15 Clinton, 1 undecided
Resulted in 7 delegates for Obama and 1 for Clinton.
Highlight was the older African American gentleman that stormed the stage and spoke about the mismanagement of the WA Dems and their caucus organization including listing wrong caucus locations in the 37th District that caused people to go to the wrong location. The location info was corrected this week but too late for people that had confirmed their caucus location earlier in the week. The gentleman urged voters to voice their dislike of the caucus system and poor Democratic management to Dwight Pelz, chairman of Wa Dems.
43-2039
63 people, 48 Obama, 15 Clinton
Delegates 4 Obama, 1 Clinton
Most attendees raised their hand when asked if this was their first time at a caucus.
43-2061
Obama 6
Clinton 1
We were in one half of the Tops School librar. We started with 5 delegates for Obama, 1 each for Clinton and Undecided each. We took turns talking before our final vote. I thought Tops was well organized and all my neighbors were friendly! Thanks to all the volunteers and organizers.
Cross Posted at OPENLEFT.COM
Quick note from WA Precinct 37-1872 (0.00 / 0)
My hood is an ethnically diverse, upper-middle income, owner-occupied, single-family residential patch of Southeast Seattle, 15 minutes from downtown on the western shore of Lake Washington. There are 250 registered Democrats in this 15 block square and 60 of them turned out at a local middle school this afternoon to caucus with couple dozen other such precincts. I think this is about 50% more participants from our precinct than gathered four years ago. Or maybe it is twice as many? So much for scientific rigor.
What I do recall is that last time we went 2 for Dean and 2 for Kerry. This time it was 3 for Obama and 1 for Clinton. Clinton's 14 supporters all skewed older and seemed somewhat more involved in the business of the local Party. By that I mean, the 2 or 3 people busiest with the paperwork for the meeting, tabulating the votes, etc., all happened to be in the Clinton camp. This seemed mildly problematic but there were many Obama-sympathizers looking over their shoulders and watching everything very carefully. All in all, everyone was very good natured (even 'neighborly' you might say) and nobody tried any monkey business.
After breaking into our initial groups (4 Uncommitted, 12 Clinton and 44 Obama) the chair invited each camp to select a spokesperson to lobby the opponents and uncommitteds. There was a long awkward period where nobody stepped-up. One of our precinct members, and Obama-backer is Seattle's former mayor, Norm Rice. Some in the group pleaded for him to take over and be the voice of the Obama camp but he refused, chuckled, refused again, and insisted, "No, thank you." More awkward silence and then finally I volunteered if nobody else would step-forward. As it turned out, there weren't enough uncommeitteds to change the count, but I did take some pride in swinging 2 of them, and even one Clinton, to the Obama side.
In other business, there was an ironic and charming resolution offered to discontinue caucuses and hold only a primary in the 2012 presidential election. This resolution passed 39 to 11 and will move up the food-chain for consideration at the State Legislative District caucus in April.
My 3 year-old daughter insisted that we take a potty break right then so I missed any chance to represent the caucus up the line. No doubt my neighbors narrowly avoided the open corruption and tyrannical abuse that would surely have run rampant under my administration.
PS: SPECIAL STRANGER-ESQUE MOMENT
Software-y looking couple with two small children looking at the caucus sign-in sheet:
He: "What's LBGT?"
Me: "If you have to ask, just put 'No.'"
43-2025 at Stevens Elementary - 1st tally went 134-31-3 for Obama for a 6-2 split. When we heard we needed 3 to move to 7-1, we easily picked up 5, for a final of 139-28-1. No one even spoke for Hillary when speech time came around. I gathered 7 of the 9 precint votes at Stevens: 7-1, 4-2, 9-2, 4-1, 6-3, 8-3-1, and 4-3.
37-1881, TT Minor on Union & 17th. 7 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. AND! The suspicious individual who was initially undecided with a PRO-OBAMA partner and then adamantaly supported and subsequently strong-armed the Clinton crew for the delegate nomination WAS PROBABLY A RINGER for Obama...
That was so much more fun than 2004. Chaos, but what a rush.
Cross Posted at OPENLEFT.COM
Quick note from WA Precinct 37-1872 (0.00 / 0)
My hood is an ethnically diverse, upper-middle income, owner-occupied, single-family residential patch of Southeast Seattle, 15 minutes from downtown on the western shore of Lake Washington. There are 250 registered Democrats in this 15 block square and 60 of them turned out at a local middle school this afternoon to caucus with couple dozen other such precincts. I think this is about 50% more participants from our precinct than gathered four years ago. Or maybe it is twice as many? So much for scientific rigor.
What I do recall is that last time we went 2 for Dean and 2 for Kerry. This time it was 3 for Obama and 1 for Clinton. Clinton's 14 supporters all skewed older and seemed somewhat more involved in the business of the local Party. By that I mean, the 2 or 3 people busiest with the paperwork for the meeting, tabulating the votes, etc., all happened to be in the Clinton camp. This seemed mildly problematic but there were many Obama-sympathizers looking over their shoulders and watching everything very carefully. All in all, everyone was very good natured (even 'neighborly' you might say) and nobody tried any monkey business.
After breaking into our initial groups (4 Uncommitted, 12 Clinton and 44 Obama) the chair invited each camp to select a spokesperson to lobby the opponents and uncommitteds. There was a long awkward period where nobody stepped-up. One of our precinct members, and Obama-backer is Seattle's former mayor, Norm Rice. Some in the group pleaded for him to take over and be the voice of the Obama camp but he refused, chuckled, refused again, and insisted, "No, thank you." More awkward silence and then finally I volunteered if nobody else would step-forward. As it turned out, there weren't enough uncommeitteds to change the count, but I did take some pride in swinging 2 of them, and even one Clinton, to the Obama side.
In other business, there was an ironic and charming resolution offered to discontinue caucuses and hold only a primary in the 2012 presidential election. This resolution passed 39 to 11 and will move up the food-chain for consideration at the State Legislative District caucus in April.
My 3 year-old daughter insisted that we take a potty break right then so I missed any chance to represent the caucus up the line. No doubt my neighbors narrowly avoided the open corruption and tyrannical abuse that would surely have run rampant under my administration.
PS: SPECIAL STRANGER-ESQUE MOMENT
Software-y looking couple with two small children looking at the caucus sign-in sheet:
He: "What's LBGT?"
Me: "If you have to ask, just put 'No.'"
43-1842 at Seattle First Baptist Church
There were 160 people in my precinct, and the delegates went 9-3 Obama. Overall results for the seven precincts represented were 41-16 Obama.
43-2852
6:2 in favor of Obama. I am also a delegate for april 5th
43-1842 at Seattle First Baptist Church
There were 160 people in my precinct, and the delegates went 9-3 Obama. Overall results for the seven precincts represented were 41-16 Obama.
43-2038 - Lowell Elementary
Back from the school gym - the precinct started out with 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton, 1 undecided but after the "caucusing" the undecideds were swayed and we ended up with 4 for Obama and 2 for Clinton. 90 people attended.
The whole process was actually really fun and I got to see lots of my neighbors and meet a few more. It was a good community-builder.
43-2852
6:2 in favor of Obama. I am also a delegate for april 5th
37-1901, Nova High School. 55 Obama, 12 Clinton (3 - 1 in delegates), and one vocal undecided ("It makes me nervous when so many people agree so passionately about anything"). Unlike the experience of some, here the discourse was elevated, congenial and respectful, the crowd diverse racially, generationally, economically, gender-ly and orientation-ally. The Probamas made a plea for unanimity in this precinct in the heart of Central Seattle, coupled with a pledge to support Clinton enthusiastically should she be the nominee. Nothing doin'.
43-2852
6:2 in favor of Obama. I am also a delegate for april 5th
(reposting)
43-2059 at Prospect UCC: 6 Obama, 2 Clinton. And it was far more civil and well-organized than I ever thought it would be - no crazy people or screaming matches or nothing. It was like the anti-Slog.
Capitol Hill, First Baptist Church results by precinct:
43-1782: 2 Clinton, 6 Obama
43-1784: 3 Clinton, 4 Obama
43-1786: 2 Clinton, 3 Obama
43-1787: 1 Clinton, 4 Obama
43-1788: 2 Clinton, 3 Obama
43-1842: 3 Clinton, 9 Obama
43-1843: 2 Clinton, 6 Obama
43-2542: 1 Clinton, 5 Obama
Totals: 16 Clinton, 40 Obama
34-1516 at Chief Sealth HS in West Seattle
3 for Obama
2 for Clinton
The 1 uncommitted delegate from the first count went to Clinton, surprising the Obama supporters who all made (we thought), articulate and convincing arguments on Barack's behalf.
There was a completely surreal moment when one member of the Hillary camp suggested that having Obama in the White House made it more likely that the terrorists would attack America again. I wish I'd interrupted him with an indignant 'WTF' instead of sitting quietly and waiting to be called on for my turn. Really, I thought the fear card was from the Republican playbook...
All in all, an interesting first caucus experience.
34-1467 in West Seattle went 5 delegates for Obama, 2 for Clinton, 1 undecided. Huge turnout: 125 voters out of 300 registered in the precinct.
The scene was a total zoo and I was initially pretty grumpy about the dems passing the hat "so that we can do this again." How about just going with the primary, you dummies? But the back-and-forth discussions were quite engrossing, and I would up leaving feeling good about the experience -- particularly since Obama picked up a delegate between the preliminary and final rounds.
Note to @84: the initial total for Obama was a miscount, it ended up being 16 Clinton, 40 Obama.
37-1910 (Madrona Elementary)
6 for Obama and 2 for Clinton.
The Clinton faction seemed to be made up of women who sported "funky" haircuts, large chunky jewelry (kind of vaguely ethnic) and drapey clothes. You know that "Goddess"/tunic period you get with Boomer Moms when they hit their fifties.
Thankfully there weren't too many irritating hippies. There was one guy with dreads who was kind of a charismatic speaker who brought up the whole conversation about the expansion of the middle class.
Also there were quite a few horsey-looking girls. Is that the new fashion for Obama supporters?
34-1449 at Madison Middle School 4 Obama 1 Hillary.
The actually caucus went smoothly. It was over in an hour. However, I volunteered on the front desk and it was insane. I also got to see a Hillary supporter go off on the Obama camp for moving her sign. Hillary's people got their way early and posted signs in the middle of doorways making it nearly impossible for Obama's people to post their signs. They moved Hillary's signs to the side and this girl FREAKED OUT! She said it was illegal and was making a complete jack-ass out of herself (no pun intended). Obama's people put her signs back, but hung their signs above Hillary's. That girl was so rude! I understand you support a candidate, but you don't have to cheat to win. Leave that to the Republicans, that's what they do best!
34-1474 west side representin'
4 delegates obama
1 clinton
1 uncommitted
went to my caucus 4 years ago, and my precinct had 8 people show up....this year 43 people showed. west seattle high school was packed, overwhelmingly for obama.
36-1696 Magnolia
Lawton School
Huge turnout. At least 5x 2004.
4-1 Obama
Other Magnolia precincts:
4-1
4-1
3-1
6-0
5-0
37-1590 (Seward Park). We caucused at Rainier Beach HS. Massive turnout. The Dems ran out of ID forms, of course.
Our precinct went 4:1 Obama. No contest. Hillary speeches were utterly weak. One elderly Obama supporter, near tears, said the candidate had "given [her] back [her] youth." A 20-year-old Ethiopian immigrant gave a rousing speech about hope and was the first Obama delegate elected. All undecideds went Obama. Sigh.
I like the things undecided's say.
One of ours said, "I know exactly what I'm doing." She seemed to insist that she had a grand strategy that only appeared (to fools like us) to be throwing her vote away and, maybe more significantly, wasting part of an afternoon.
34-1409 (Layfayette Elementary, West Seattle)
76% Obama translates to 4 delegates for him, 1 for Hillary.
Our caucus was called to order and led by King County Councilman Dow Constantine; I chatted with Mayor Greg Nickels before we broke into our precincts. I believe he is 34-1410, but I'm not sure.
I did not think it was an appropriate time to give him a piece of my mind. But I took his picture.
I LOVED MY CAUCUS. We had 71 people from 1409. At the last Presidential caucus, the same precinct had 4 participants.
Lunch afterward at Luna Park was like being at an Obama Rally. Neighbors talking to neighbors, email addresses being exchanged, parties being organized, ideas and strategies being discussed. So much more.
I am the State Party Challenge Volunteer for my hood, and the Alternate Delegate for the 1409.
Today fucking ruled.
37-1934 at Beacon Hill Elementary School
110 Obama, 20 Clinton, 5 undecided
8:1 Obama
11-1641 at Van Asselt Elementary (Beacon Hill)
Lot of people, good group.Count went 34 Obama, 11 Clinton for a 5-2 delegate split.
Interestingly, four years ago our precinct gathered a total of 6 for the caucus - wouldn't even be enough to send delegates on to LD caucus.
Our precinct at Denny Middle School in WS ended up 3 Obama delegates, 1 Clinton delegate. West Seattleites are also welcome to participate in the open caucus thread we have going (with frequent additions of photos and info) at our site.
Capitol Hill's 43-2028 delegates shook out 4.5-2.5 Obama-Clinton. With the magic of rounding, Hillary, 3 and Obama, 4.
Fortunately, the misplaced sheet (oopsy!) got tallied but didn't change the math.
They should do the actual election caucus style. That would be some chaotic, noisy insanity.
37-1930
NOT chaos--just a lot of people who wanted their votes to count. 132 people from our precinct. 7 delegates for Obama, 1 to Hillary.
37-1890 at Washington Middle School
The lunchroom at Washington Middle School was sweltering and packed wall to wall, but the mood was fabulous. There were a lot of Hillary buttons and posters, but most of the support was for Obama. Precincts broke out and went into classrooms. Our group went Obama 4/Clinton 2. It was initially 5 to 1, but a persuasive neighbor got the one undecided onto Clinton's side and pulled one delegate with him.
I was one of the caucus coordinators for NOVA High School... Some logistical problems, I really expected more improvement from 2004, but once we settled into precincts, things went fairly smoothly. Massive turnout, about 600 for the 7 precincts. Results:
37 1898 4 Obama
37 1899 4 Obama 1 Clinton
37 1901 3 Obama 1 Clinton
37 1902 4 Obama 1 Clinton
37 1905 5 Obama 1 Clinton
37 1906 6 Obama 1 Clinton
37 1917 5 Obama 2 Clinton
Great spirit, lots of new folks, fired up and ready to go for November --
34-1517 Fear ran big in our precinct as it looks like it did in others. Of the people who spoke one mentioned how they chose Obama because they didn't want the Hillary Clinton haters to be motivated to vote. Another two women said they were concerned that Middle Eastern leaders might not respect a woman leader. Perhaps they hadn't heard of Golda Meir.
I find it strange that the Democrats keep insisting on letting their enemies choose the Democratic candidates, almost rewarding bigotry. The vote count was 30 for Obama, 15 for Clinton, so 3 delegates for Obama and 1 for Clinton. Only one person came in undecided, an older white woman, and she ended up going for Obama.
37-1806
Met in ORCA Elementary gym - long line, around the block, hundreds of people. Very cool. Our precinct - tiny - ended up with 41 for Obama, 14 for Clinton.
A couple of funny/random speeches. People seemed to feel kind of awkward about stepping up to say something. No one was convinced to change their minds, except the one "uncommitted" voter went for Obama after the one minute speeches.
Caucusing is FUN. Personally, I think Dan is being really whiny about the chaos.
My caucus was fun. There were a lot of stereo-typical Seattle liberal types there but everyone was cool. We finally got the process details ironed out, voted on some resolutions and then went 80:20 for Obama over Clinton which worked out to two Obama delegates and one Clinton delegate.
Fortunately none of the Clinton supporters were Erica C. Barnett types and we had a very reasonable debate on the issues. One of the gentlemen supporting Hillary Clinton pointed out that he had a problem with Obama's charisma, that history was full of charismatic leaders who did incredibly bad things. I felt it was a good point but then he blew it by saying that he was OK with Obama even though he had taken his oath of office on the Qu'ran. For a second I thought that he was being funny and satirizing the Republicans but he was actually serious.
I wish it were possible to go to the Republican caucus (without breaking the law). I'd love to go there and get the Republicans good and riled up by saying that they should split the party and run an independent campaign for Huckabee. That would be awesome.
43-3230 at Seattle Art Museum. 7 -3 Obama.
Nice to see all the neighbors who I never see on the street. Despite some logistical difficulties and a lack of efficiency, I am now sold on the messy caucus process. I especially liked the energy generated by the potential delegates giving their one minute campaign speeches -- people are psyched to be in charge again.
43-2548 at Melrose Terrace
great group of people. forget exact tally, but it's 6 delegates for Obama and 1 for HRC. A couple Kucinich supporters who went for Obama. Health care seemed like the biggest topic. Great experience. The PCOs deserve kudos. I was elected an alternate delegate - at my first caucus. Woo hoo!
37-1618 Hillman City. There was a bit of confusion, but mostly because of the big turnout which resulted in more waiting around than people anticipated. We ended up with 3 delegates for Obama and 2 for Hillary. All in all a good day - people were very excited and engaged.
@108
"Fear ran big in our precinct as it looks like it did in others. ...
I find it strange that the Democrats keep insisting on letting their enemies choose the Democratic candidates, almost rewarding bigotry."
Thank you, so true. Why do democrats let polling and the threats of others make their decisions for them? Absolutely ri-caucus-ulous. Have the courage to vote with your own mind and convictions.
Reporting from the 34th District – West Seattle. Final breakdown:
Obama: 3
Clinton: 2
I was struck how the Clinton supporters was fear based in their language…fear of another 9-11 like attack if Obama is elected, as he could be perceived as “weak and inexperienced”, fear of the Republican machine attacking Obama with dirty tricks and/or skeletons in his closet, fear of the young vote being “hype”. Fear, fear, fear.
The Obama folks tried their best to counteract this fear with hope, speaking to his intelligence, his motivating factor (the young and undecided voters) and his ability to bring the country together. Sadly, at the end the undecided people primarily switched to the Clinton side (not a loss for Obama—he started out with 3, but not a gain either). Nonetheless I was just struck by this division of ideology. Fear vs. hope. Fear won over the undecided. I tried my best, as did many other Obama supporters in the room, but I felt like I let down Obama in my ability to counteract this mindset. Likely because I don’t buy into living in fear so much any longer and I haven’t formulated a verbal counter argument. But it was telling to witness such clear divisions regarding emotional & psychological states of mind.
Ultimately the Clinton supporters were also almost all white women in their late 40’s to mid 50’s. The Obama crowd was more diverse (as much as West Seattle can be), but with the edge to white men.
Fear vs. Hope is a false dichotomy. Absolutely false.
my caucus was spoiled by too many irritating hippies with dreadlocks who were-- you know the type--all old and protestor-like; unstable freaky weirdos who wanted to worship the "goddess" like they did in the 60s. One of them even looked like he likes Jerry Garcia.
I went and caucused with the Republicans instead. I felt much safer and not like my parents were watching pretending to be more radical or something...
37 - 1834 at TT Minor. 62 people; 9:1 for Obama of our ten delegates. There were 17 people from the same condo building in Pioneer Square. Jan Drago made a little speach in favor of Clinton.
37-1643 at the African American Academy; 21 people, 7:0 for Obama. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and impressed by the turnout overall; the majority of folks raised their hands that it was their first time caucusing. And the lone Clinton supporter in our precinct was very good-natured about it.
Huge turnout in the 37th. 2004-just under 3000 voters. This year-over 12,000.
36-1806 - McClure Middle School at the top of Queen Anne Hill. HUGE turnout. Queen Anne Ave was bumper to bumper. I led a pack of caucus-goers off the bus to walk the QA strip instead of being stuck in traffic. We got there much faster than anyone driving did. We all got there on time.
It felt like a natural disaster happened, except there wasn't one. (Well, I guess you can count the U.S. Election 2000 as a major disaster in retrospect.)
I had to leave after signing in my vote for Obama, but informal hand raising at my table: 90% Obama, 9% clinton, 1% undecided.
Sounds like the above, pretty much.
The minority of Clinton supporters at 36-1806 were really sweet about it, and I think we all expressed that we (Obama majority) didn't dislike Hillary as a candidate either, just a stronger preference for Obama -- which is heartening to hear and see in person. That bodes well for the Democrat in the general election, whoever it turns out to be.
37-1927, Beacon Hill Elementary. 4 delegates for Obama, 1 for Clinton. I don't remember exact numbers but it was something like 60 Obama, 12 Clinton, 1 uncommitted and 1 Edwards on the first count. I am not sure if anyone changed their vote. When I looked over at the Clinton folks all I saw were middle-aged and up white women (though I didn't see all 12 Clinton supporters so it might just be a coincidence). The Obama group was much younger and more diverse. The excitement in the room was stronger than the chaos -- which is saying something, because damn, that was chaotic.
The last time I went to a caucus it was 8-10 people in someone's living room. This... wow, it was something else.
Somehow I ended up a delegate. For Obama. :)
37-1838 (Judkins/Colman), Washington Middle School. It was a chaotic mob ("psht! Democrats!"), but everyone seemed happy to put up with it. I heart my neighbors.
In 1838, our 106 caucusers split something like 96 Obama, 7 Clinton, 3 Undecided. That's 7 Obama delegates and one for Clinton.
Rumor was that most other precincts meeting here went overwhelmingly Obama.
43-1887: 7 Obama, 2 Clinton
photos, impressions:
http://millerparkseattle.blogspot.com/2008/02/democratic-caucus-at-mt-zion.html
34-1455 @ Cooper Elementary in W. Seattle- 105 attended (up from 26 in '04, a record back then). Around 75% went for Obama. Delegates went 8 Obama, 2 Clinton. A visibly frustrated Clinton supporter in our group just got up and left after the vote. The precinct officer whispered "thank god this process occurs only every 4yrs!". All in all an Obama lovefest, and controlled chaos in action :)
Orca School - 37th LD Columbia City
69 delegates for Obama, 10 for Clinton. Over 1130 people participated in the 15 precincts of this area. Thank you precinct caucus coordinators for making this such a fun experience. Where else but in South Seattle could we find such diversity!
37-1892, 120 total people: Initial tally was 97 for Obama, 18 for Clinton, 1 for Edwards, 4 Undecided. The PCO was uninspiring and had a voice that didn't carry. I envied the other, more exciting caucuses.....
Because Madrona Elementary was so full during sign-in, they announced that people who knew they weren't going to change their vote could leave, thereby defeating the whole point of discussing at a caucus. After the initial announcement of the tally (6.4 delegates to Obama, 1.2 to Clinton, etc), the PCO told us how many votes changed to Clinton would award her a total of 2 delegates. At someone else's request, he also said how many would have move to Undecided to award that group a delegate. Only when asked did he say how many would have to move to Obama to award him all 8 delegates. Frustratingly biased, even if unintentional.
Our PCO didn't know where or when the delegates would have to attend the King County Convention (? is that what it's called), only found out when someone looked it up on his phone.
I caucused in South Seattle at Dimmit Middle School. The neighborhoods included Bryn Mawr, Lakeridge, Skyway, etc. The crowd was primarily African American with Asians, Whites and hispanics mixed in. Everyone was fairly mellow. My sub-precinct had to go to the freezing cold gym where half of the group sat in the bleachers. It was very pro-Obama with about 75 Obama to 11 Clinton. In the end there were 8 delegates for Obama, and two for Clinton. What I found puzzling is that I thought that people were going to talk about the candidates and the issues. Basically, we got to the gym, we signed in, we stood with either the Obama or Clinton section and we "elected" delegates. My group did it based on who wanted to be a delegate and then when there were a bit too many, people volunteered to be on the alternate list. It was all very civil. I'm wondering if anyone out there had political discussions at their caucuses.
43-1888 Mt Zion Baptist Church. 7 Obama 2 Clinton 1 Kucinich.
The lines wrapped out the door and completely around the whole block...more voters than they have apparently ever seen turn out for any caucus. Every race, class, gender, sexual-orientation, nationality, and background came together today in this Capitol Hill/Central District neighborhood of Seattle. THIS COLLECTIVE COMMUNITY really opened up their ears to each other and respectfully LISTENED to everyone's point of view (not just their own). I think everyone left this caucus feeling like we all learned alot FROM EACH OTHER.
The official meeting was supposed to convene at 1:00pm but took until after 2:00pm just to process everyone that wanted to have their voice counted and get them into their prospective precinct rooms. People pro-actively looked to help out others/assisted in expediting the process wherever they could. People who never volunteered a day in their life seemed to find themselves suddenly infused by this grassroots spirit. I am from the pervasively cynical Generation X. I left todays caucus thinking, WOW! Maybe "DEMOCRAY" IS POSSIBLE after all!
This was the first caucus that many of us have ever bothered to come out for/participate in our lifetimes. (The first election I was able to vote in was 1988 having just turned 18 that year). I walked in today knowing very little about the "caucusing process" and quite suprisingly found myself walking out as an elected delegate.
As the votes clearly indicate, this AMAZING RESPONSE was resoundingly a reflection of Mr. Obama's abilities to inspire, unite, bring people into the democratic process and (in doing so) ultimately provide a credible course of change for our country.
One of the most INSPIRING days of my life!!! I am proud to have participated in/have been a part of this LEGENDARY DAY in WASHINGTON STATE HISTORY! I look foward with (God! should I even utter that unspeakable word)HOPE in the days to come!
43-1779
Four precincts meeting at the Seattle Art Museum, which was... surreal. Note to WA Dem Comm: auditorium seating does *not* do anything to help fostering community...
Forget what the final count was, but 4 for Obama, 1 for Clinton.
Most memorable testimonials:
A late-middle aged woman (mid-50's?) for Hillary, swearing up and down that she was the only one who could beat McCain. Odd, since she didn't appear to have any other symptoms of dementia...
For Obama, a young (mid-20's to mid-30's) woman in a scooter, with a condition that made clear speech very difficult for her, speaking very simply about how she'd lost Medicaid in the last eight years, and how fervently she hoped that this election would bring back some medical relief... Holy shit. Not a dry eye in the house.
37-1900 54 signed in. Initial count 51 Obama, 2 Clinton, 1 Undecided. The undecided switched to Obama, so delegates went 5 Obama, 0 Clinton.
The whole process was pretty chaotic at T.T. Minor. Could not find precinct when I arrived aroun 12:45pm so went and asked those who looked to be in charge. Was handed the packet of materials for my precinct and was told I was in charge as at least interrim PCC -- I had never caucused before and definitely had no training! Read over the rules while waiting for the 1:30pm start of sign-ins.
I was able to get the whole thing kicked off and luckily when I got to the part of the script where I acknowledge we had no trained PCC, someone else volunteered to be PCC, even though she had no training either. I was able to help with the secretary and tally after that since I was the only one who had read over the process.
Meeting neighbors and being actively engaged was exciting. But the lack of experienced/trained people able to assist and the sheer noise factor in the room (there were 4 other precincts crammed into the same assembly room) made it very hard to hear and conduct the business (I don't know why they could not open up more classrooms throughout the school to allow each precinct a space to work).
The engagement factor was great, but the caucus does not seem to scale well and it really does disenfrancise those that have to work during the appointed time or have mobility issues. Counting primary votes where people have a wider time window to vote or vote by absentee does seem much more fair.
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