+- Tendo City (https://www.tendocity.net)
+-- Forum: Tendo City: Metropolitan District (https://www.tendocity.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=4)
+--- Forum: Ramble City (https://www.tendocity.net/forumdisplay.php?fid=44)
+--- Thread: Caucuses are terrible, and Democratic Hillary-hate is a real problem (/showthread.php?tid=6947)
Caucuses are terrible, and Democratic Hillary-hate is a real problem - A Black Falcon - 21st March 2016
Now of course, I support Hillary, but regardless of that the constant attacks, insults, Republican-fueled lies... it's a real issue.
So I voted in the Maine caucuses back on Sunday, March 6th. I arrived, then spent a full 3 1/2 hours waiting in line (CRAZY turnout here in Portland!), then 1 1/2 more hours waiting because I decided to stay for the actual caucus instead of just doing it as an absentee ballot, then finally the caucus.
I got there at one and finally left at seven... that's a long time to vote. We need to get rid of caucuses, they're absolutely terrible, this much waiting is unacceptable. It was all broken up into different rooms by district and precinct, and in mine only 13 people actually stuck around for the actual caucus, versus several hundred who left absentee ballots.
While I was waiting in that line outside for 3 1/2 hours, the group in front of me were some diehard Bernie fans who amused themselves by saying how much they disliked Hillary (and wanted Bernie to win by the largest margin possible, etc, etc), expecting/hoping she will be indited and charged over her various 'scandals', etc, etc. I didn't say much because arguing with people that dedicated didn't seem worth it, but it was pretty obnoxious. They were far from the only ones like that, too. For another example, there was a guy who walked past outside with a homemade "Hillary for Prison" sign. At the DEMOCRATIC caucus. Nice. They also said that they'd leave absentee ballots, once they finally got in.
Now, once the caucus FINALLY got underway, my precinct ended up being about 71% Bernie, 29% Hillary, including all of the absentee ballots. This meant 21 state convention delegates for Bernie, and 8 for Hillary. Of the 13 people who actually stayed, though, it was 7 for Bernie and 6 for Hillary. (I supported Hillary.) So, of the state convention delegates we were assigning, Hillary and Bernie each got five. Bernie's campaign will have to do some calls or something to find people to fill the rest of those spots, if he wants that margin of victory to actually matter. Heh. While I didn't guess it would be that close beforehand (I thought Bernie would have more), I wasn't shocked; the stereotype is of course that Hillary supporters are more likely to be more dedicated to the party, and I think that's exactly what you saw there. That's why I stayed, certainly... and the same for some of those others. Both of the volunteers running the caucus were pro-Hillary as well. And of course most elected Democratic officials nationwide have endorsed Hillary, though some have endorsed Bernie as well, including several significant Maine Democratic figures. Oh yeah, and one guy there said that he had been undecided until 20 minutes before getting inside, but the sheer amount of obnoxious stuff the Bernie fans were saying convinced him to support Hillary. After having experienced that stuff outside myself as described above, I could understand why. So yeah, basically the Bernie-fan stereotype is not exclusively an internet phenomenon.
As for caucuses in general though, yes, there is some value to them. It lets you have actual conversations with people, including elected officials and party members, and that's a good thing. But as much as I did like that element of caucusing, having to wait hours and hours before you even get in the door (and then hours more once you get in, if you want to actually caucus) is absurd. It's never, ever like that in this state in normal elections, Maine is not one of those places with hours-long waits at regular polling places, and it doesn't have to be this way, we need to go back to primaries. Caucuses only work in off-years when only a couple hundred people go, they do not work in presidential years in anywhere with a larger population.
(Oh, I asked, and apparently Maine uses caucuses now in part because the state has to pay the bills for a primary while the parties pay for caucuses, so it's financially advantageous for the state to hold caucuses instead of primaries. After the debacle that was this years' caucus, though, there is a push to go back to primaries. I certainly hope it happens.)
Last, after Hillary's sweep last Tuesday, the party pretty much has our nominee. I was happy to see that, though of course I like Bernie as well. We just need to win, fascistic hate cannot be allowed any further success here!