After attending my first ever LD caucus several things have occurred to me. The first is: what a piss-poor job the organizers did. While standing in line for 45 minutes (I showed up at 12:30) I watched a lot of people leave without registering. After entering my precinct group to actually cast my ballot for for the CD delegates it took several more hours to get to the point for the candidates to address us. Out of the 78 or so candidates for delegate, I suspect 10 to 15 voting delegates left without pitching themselves and in doing so forfeited their votes. All in all it was a long and inefficient day.
A primary system is opposed by the state Democratic party (one speculation is without a caucus system the party wouldn't be able to obtain names and addresses for future use) but damn, that would be a hell of a lot easier and more inclusive. Besides which, voters are smart enough to choose a candidate right? I mean, look at the Republican front runners. American intelligence reigns. O.k., sarcasm aside, I can see problems with either system. Washington state has about 4 million registered voters out of which only 5.8% bothered to show up and vote at their caucus sites. Basically, 4% of our states' voters gave Bernie his landslide victory (I didn't just pull these numbers out of my ass but relied on newspaper accounts). I suspect that a primary would have attracted far more people and perhaps narrowed the margin. Way more fair right? But wait a minute. It's the party who is proposing the candidate not the general public. Anyone can join the party, it just requires that you actually pay attention to what the issues are and what the candidates stand for. I figure the toughest part is you have to get off your dead ass and participate. You bet voting in a primary would be easier and more inclusive! Unfortunately, far too many people rely on sound bites and misinformation when making their selection which leads to nothing more than a glamour show (see my comment above regarding Republican voters). A primary system would also be open to vote rigging, purges of voter rolls (see N.Y) as well as voter suppression (see Arizona). Yeah the caucus system is a pain is the ass and plagued with problems but for my money I think it's the one...dummies don't participate in events requiring thought as well as time. Christ, will somebody at least comment on my thoughts? Peace to all.
0 Comments
As a Sanders supporter, I'm feeling a little low. After watching the obstacles encountered by the folks in Arizona attempting to cast their primary votes, roadblocks thrown up for New York voters and our own mismanaged caucus sites here in Washington I'm getting the feeling that just as in the past, our efforts are futile.
Long before he died, George Carlin stated during one of his stand-ups that in an election we are under the illusion that we have a true choice but in reality it's nothing more than the option of Tweedle Dee or Tweedle Dum, candidates presented to the public by Corporate America and the moneyed elites. Now, I admit that there is a true difference in the presidential race this year. We have a bullshitter billionaire who is supposedly self-financed versus a widely despised and distrusted former first lady. A lying bigot vs a shill for big money. Both of whom have pretty piss-poor favor-ability ratings among the public. It's looking like once again, the "fix" is in, just as it was in every election cycle I've participated in from my support of Eugene McCarthy in '68, McGovern in '72 and now here in 2016 where the democratic candidate was already preordained. This election cycle, to me represents the last chance for Americans to take back their country from America, Inc and we're failing miserably. Far too many people seem to be brain dead in their casting of votes (i.e. the Trump and Cruz phenomena) and really think that their savior is a guy who belittles anyone who disagrees with him or a wing nut who wants to shut down the government, invade women's bodies and bomb the middle east until it glows (the Christian thing to do, I guess). I believe this may well indeed be the last national election that I participate in (I was an LD delegate) not because I'm in my mid 60's, but it just feels like being a hamster on a wheel. In other words, it seems pretty pointless. I believe the only way change will come to this country is through revolution. The ballot box has been corrupted by politicians in the pocket of big money, resulting in crooked numbers and non-representatives. Good luck America. I'm still trying to figure out why people seem to discount Senator Sanders proposal to provide free college education to Americans. Pundits and cartoonists all seem to perceive this as a pie in the sky proposal and a gimme or freebie. Is there a problem with free healthcare for all? Insurance companies skim off around 20% of premiums to administer healthcare as opposed to Medicare which according to government statistics cost right about 5% to administer.
Granted, no system is perfect but why would anyone prefer to have big business determine your healthcare needs as opposed to having a physician submit your claim to an agency whose goal isn't cutting costs and improving profits? I don't get it. Especially when I come across people who are on Social Security and Medicare who rail against the government and demand government keep their hands off their benefits but continue to vote against their own financial interests. |