Washington state Dem caucus on Saturday

[WOT?*]

I will have you all know that I intend to forego a visit with my new grandson to attend the caucus because it's just that important this year, imo.

I have my bullet-points for supporting Hillary (plenty) but I want to make sure I have all the best ammo and information to make arguments.

State your case here so I can use your arguments to bolster mine [Hillary is a woman in a man's world. E-mails were not classified until after/Colin Powell-Condi Rice, appearances, misogyny, Hillarycare (which did lead to CHIP but between her being pilloried for HillaryCare/UHC and ObamaCare/ACA being a compromise it shows that Bernie's UHC has no chance in hell of happening), experience as Senator/SOS/attorney, child advocate, etc... And I know that I'll have arguments and counter-points "in the wild" so to speak.]

Also, counterpoints to any Bernie Sander's arguments (3 laws in 25 years - two of which were "name this place" and one of which was a Veteran's Budget which of course will pass, which will be countered with "Amendment King." Free college, Universal Health Care. Wall Street. Hillary is bought and paid for. Hillary is a politician (here's where I have a lot of my arguments against she's sly, manipulative, sneaky, cold, etc. All the anti-Hillary speak we've heard over the decades.)


I will be caucusing for Hillary. Multiple friends of mine, who are informed, educated, middle age Bernie Sanders supporters are at our same location. So there will be discussions. lol.

[madDawg228]

I will also be caucusing for HRC on Saturday. I'm in the North Seattle area, and think I'll be surrounded by Berners. I'll be watching this thread.

[Deleted]

Can you just carry around a tablet playing the Tina Fey/ Amy Pohler SNL "Bitches get shit done" .gif?

Look Bernie's stuff SOUNDS great but it's not going to ever get through congress. I'd rather get SOMETHING done in the next 4/8 years than nothing. Bernie as a candidate will bring out alllllll the crazies to vote down socialism. HRC is much more electable in the general election.

She's also got the well-rounded most experience.

I'm looking forward to seeing what others say too. I'm trying to think of things that are PNW- specific.

[picksthemusic]

I wish I could go!!! I want to but my DH isn't able to care for the kiddos by himself yet. I hope WA isn't too Bernie-fied to make a good decision.

[jojoandleo]

I don't know if this is helpful, but I have started asking Bernie supporters to outline what universal healthcare and free college looks like per Bernies plans. Most can't. I then explain the differences between Canada/European systems and how I can't vote for an idea, I need a plan. I also ask would free college be professor's are government employees? What that does to admission standards? Will there still be private college? What does this mean for Ivy Leagues? If you can't answer any of these questions, then what are you really voting for? A promise without a plan. BUT, all the Bernie supporters haven't cared about the lack of plan. They just like what he STANDS FOR. So, probably not helpful.

One issue with Bernie: he is not a proven leader. He was relatively unknown until Elizabeth Warren came around. He has done less in his 19 years than she has in her two plus years.

You can bring up he voted for the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000 to show he is not the Wall Street fighter from day 1 everyone thinks he is.

There is also a ton of Gun stuff he voted for/against, but most people know and don't care.

For Hillary and women's rights: She co-sponsored the original Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2007 and was a co-sponsor of the bill that became law in 2009. She also introduced in the Senate the Paycheck Fairness Act.

[maddiepaddy]

I just posted some of this on ML

- HRC is better positioned to work well with a divided congress (although that will still be incredibly challenging)

- HRC has a stronger stance on gun control

- HRC demonstrates an ability to listen and also seems to know that every issue comes with nuance that needs to be considered. Not every issue is as black and white as Sanders makes it out to be.

For the world we are living in now, HRC is also the best choice we have to try to keep us safe here and abroad. Trump and the other R's will do too much in this regard, and I fear Sanders will do too little.

[mominatrix]

We're caucusing on Saturday, too, in West Seattle.

Frankly, I'm not planning on having much discussion. My guess is that I'll be incredibly outnumbered in my caucus location, which covers a huge swath of WS, but probably not so much in my precinct, which is a lot poorer and a lot less white than the rest of the hood.

I'll have both kids with me (and H) as we've decided that it's more important for us both to be there than for other people to be comfortable with no kids there. They're going to have tablets, etc, but I'm sure it'll be a whole lot of crazy.

Genuinely, I fucking hate the caucuses. Having to go and hang out and persuade for hours is kind of bullshit. Let me vote and go out for pancakes, the end.

[madDawg228]

WOT?*, mominatrix, or any other WA/Seattle people - I don't suppose either of you are going to HRC's rally at Rainier Beach tonight? I seriously considered it, but it starts way too late (8:15pm).

[WOT?*]

I would love to go but the girls have school tomorrow and it's a commute for me. DH had to travel for work this morning and won't be back. I wish I had a chance to see her in Everett this morning since it's more local, but unfortunately I couldn't.


ETA: I was invited to visit with George Clooney and Amal in LA though.

[mominatrix]

Yes, Rainier Beach isn't bad from here, but it's late...

[epphd]

Damnit. I was so looking forward to going. We have a swim lesson/birthday party/t-ball jamboree that all overlap with one another. This is why caucusing is stupid. I should be able to effing vote sometime that does not coincide with other shit.

[theoriginalbean]

I am SO. FREAKING. EXCITED to live in a caucus state. Miss the excitement of being an Ohio voter, but this makes up for it.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Mar 22, 2016 19:30:25 GMT -5 theoriginalbean said:

I am SO. FREAKING. EXCITED to live in a caucus state. Miss the excitement of being an Ohio voter, but this makes up for it.

As a fellow caucus-state resident... they suck. Like really really suck.

YWIA.

[Nonny]

I don't remember how long it took 8 years ago when I caucused for Obama. I actually don't remember much about it at all except that I ran into some neighbor friends and they were for HRC. I hope they are back and aren't Berners.

[theoriginalbean]

Mar 22, 2016 20:30:56 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

Mar 22, 2016 19:30:25 GMT -5 theoriginalbean said:

I am SO. FREAKING. EXCITED to live in a caucus state. Miss the excitement of being an Ohio voter, but this makes up for it.

As a fellow caucus-state resident... they suck. Like really really suck.

YWIA.

Maybe so, but it's a novel experience for me, and I'm looking forward to dragging the big kid along.

[7costanza]

Mar 22, 2016 17:17:55 GMT -5 madDawg228 said:

I will also be caucusing for HRC on Saturday. I'm in the North Seattle area, and think I'll be surrounded by Berners. I'll be watching this thread.

Me too. And I know at least one former coworker/extreme Bernie bro will be at my caucus location which I'm not looking forward to.

[pink]

I'm bummed that I can't be there to caucus in person (traveling for work so did absentee), but will be watching from afar. Definitely worried Seattle at minimum will go Bernie.

[picksthemusic]

Mar 22, 2016 18:39:32 GMT -5 epphd said:

Damnit. I was so looking forward to going. We have a swim lesson/birthday party/t-ball jamboree that all overlap with one another. This is why caucusing is stupid. I should be able to effing vote sometime that does not coincide with other shit.

This is us. Also, it's Easter weekend so we're heading out of town and won't be in our home area to caucus. I wanted to take DD with me so she could see about voting and how important it is and such - and we can't.

[picksthemusic]

Also, is it possible to caucus absentee in WA?

pink, epphd, spunbutterfly, do you know?

[picksthemusic]

Mar 23, 2016 7:48:05 GMT -5 pink said:

I'm bummed that I can't be there to caucus in person (traveling for work so did absentee), but will be watching from afar. Definitely worried Seattle at minimum will go Bernie.

Also, HI!! We've missed you on the Seattle boards!

[7costanza]

Mar 23, 2016 10:27:51 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Also, is it possible to caucus absentee in WA?

pink, epphd, spunbutterfly, do you know?

Yes, but the deadline to get your absentee form in was last Friday.

[picksthemusic]

Mar 23, 2016 10:29:36 GMT -5 7costanza said:

Mar 23, 2016 10:27:51 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Also, is it possible to caucus absentee in WA?

pink , epphd , spunbutterfly , do you know?

Yes, but the deadline to get your absentee form in was last Friday.

Well shit.

Why don't they make this information more available?! I mean, I've been kind of busy lately, but seriously.

[cattledogkisses]

Mar 22, 2016 18:39:32 GMT -5 epphd said:

Damnit. I was so looking forward to going. We have a swim lesson/birthday party/t-ball jamboree that all overlap with one another. This is why caucusing is stupid. I should be able to effing vote sometime that does not coincide with other shit.

Yep. My state's caucus was on a Saturday and I couldn't go because I was out of town. So I wasn't able to vote. 

[bugandbibs]

Saturday is my birthday and I will be there caucusing for HRC with all 3 kids in tow!

[epphd]

Mar 23, 2016 10:45:47 GMT -5 picksthemusic said:

Mar 23, 2016 10:29:36 GMT -5 7costanza said:

Yes, but the deadline to get your absentee form in was last Friday.

Well shit.

Why don't they make this information more available?! I mean, I've been kind of busy lately, but seriously.

WTF, WA. What if you are a shift worker and don't get your work schedule until after the deadline? That's super shitty.

[tacocat]

I tried to figure out how to do it absentee too late. I'm bummed we will be out of town, I would totally been there for HRC. I didn't even realize we would be gone until Monday, school just eats my brain I swear.

Caucus away for me please!

[madDawg228]

Happy Caucus Day!

[MrsAxilla]

The "arguments" put forth at my caucus were 1) Hillary flip-flops, 2) Bill Clinton had shitty policies, 3) Hillary is untrustworthy.

TBH, I wouldn't bother convincing Berners to switch at caucus. None of them will. I wish I'd made some kind of moving speech about supporting the nominee no matter what because the SCOTUS is too important. I didn't think of that at the time, though.

[WOT?*]

Mar 26, 2016 10:46:35 GMT -5 MrsAxilla said:

The "arguments" put forth at my caucus were 1) Hillary flip-flops, 2) Bill Clinton had shitty policies, 3) Hillary is untrustworthy.

TBH, I wouldn't bother convincing Berners to switch at caucus. None of them will. I wish I'd made some kind of moving speech about supporting the nominee no matter what because the SCOTUS is too important. I didn't think of that at the time, though.

I DID I DID I DID!!!  I'm so proud of myself for that.

One of the Bernie supporters commented about the Revolution and how they need to take back the House and Senate. How Obama started with a Dem congress and didn't get stuff through (:gag) and because people were disillusioned the Republicans took over. It was one my last comments. "I'm not going to talk about vote Bernie or Vote Hillary here but it's extremely important that no matter what, when it comes time in November We Need To Vote for our candidate. Remember, Obama started as a grassroots movement. This isn't the first go-round. Obama lost the house because the Republicans got together and organized, the Tea Party got loud, and we were complacent. If you're serious about what he stands for, keep fighting the good fight *after* the election but FOR the election you need to get out and vote for the candidate. I've seen and heard too many Bernie Sanders supporters saying "if it's not my candidate I'm not going to vote." (cute the "not as many as you think" brigade.) Don't fall for that. It's so important to vote for the party, down the line, right now. We can't afford not to this election." I was backed up by the guy who is now the alternate delegate (he was great! I assumed him for Bernie because he actually kind of looked like him, but no, he was Hillary all the way. He's the one who referenced Bernie's color-blindness in his speeches) who agreed that he'd heard it all too often from Bernie supporters; my neighbor (who talked about how if we didn't elect a Dem it would set us so far backward) and someone else who also made similar comments. Didn't hear it from any of the Bernie supporters, just Hillary ones. I know that shocks you.

I didn't mention SCOTUS because the Berners would have been "Bernie will pick a great Cabinet, have great advisors and will pick the perfect SCOTUS nominees." Stuff like that was said too often (Justice Department, EPA and a couple other agencies he'll have perfectly staffed, his foreign policy experience from working in the House and Senate because hey, they work on foreign policy stuff, etc.) Didn't want to start an argument, just get into their heads that even if their patron saint of the movement wasn't selected that they should still get out and vote.

[bugandbibs]

I had planned to give a speech about voting for the democratic nominee no matter what, but a Berner beat me to it!

Unsurprisingly my precinct voted for 6 delegates to Bernie and 1 delegate to HRC. My family were about 30% of all the HRC votes. It's too bad my kids couldn't vote too. They were really well behaved and it only took about 45 minutes to get through everything.