Democracy in Action

We caucused up here in Anchorage on Super Tuesday, Feb 5th.  It was crazy!  There was a single Democratic caucus for the entire city, and it was held at a middle school.  They say they were expecting more of a crowd than last time, but they weren't even close to prepared for the number who showed up.  We were somewhat less than an hour early, and we had to park across the street at the grocery store.  Maia was in her stroller, and we had to cocoon her in her blanket because it was so cold outside.  People were parking in places they shouldn't have, and more than once there were announcements over the school P.A. to move cars so that ambulances could get through!

They had district registration booths set up in the hallways, which became horribly overcrowded.  There was a short "Yay Democrats!" rally in the multipurpose room, and when they dismissed us to the classrooms for our per-district caucuses, movement in the hallways went at a glacial pace.  When we got to our room, it was nowhere big enough for our numbers, so we expanded also into the room next door.  This meant we never really got to have any sort of discussion about the candidates.  When they would normally say "go to your candidate's corner," we were told to pick a room:  Clinton or Obama.  There was also the choice of Undesignated, whose supporters went out into the hallway.  (There were other options, but no takers.)

There were long stretches of time when we didn't have any guidance, and there was a brief flash where one young woman said "I've caucused once or twice, here's how we do it."  She mentioned that we could present our cases about the candidates if we wanted to, etc.  I don't know if it was because of the overcrowding, and the fact that it was taking much longer than everyone expected, but no one was having it.  Folks just wanted to know which corner to stand in, stick around long enough to have their vote counted, and get out of there.  And I don't blame them.  I was proud to have caucused and glad to have made a difference in a primary election for once, but I was ready to run for the doors once I'd been counted.



Registration tables in a narrowish hallway?  What were they thinking?


Babies for Obama.



Mayor Begich must live in our district, because he stepped in to help organize the Clintonites-in-one-room, Obamians-in-the-other-room swap.


Democracy in action!