The caucus window has come to an end! This the third caucus post. Check out the other two posts here and here. I’d love to hear people’s stories and more importantly your thoughts.
Westborough held our caucus on Sunday at 6:00 PM. It was the very last caucus in the window. It was clear early on that everyone interested in attending the convention as either a delegate or alternate was committed to supporting Elizabeth Warren. There were many people interested in serving as either delegate or alternate. Their main goal was electing Elizabeth Warren. In the end there were no contested seats. This was not due to a lack of interest, but was the result of a sense that we want to work together to get delegates to the Convention in support of Elizabeth Warren.
The caucus was very well attended with a number of guests and speakers. Under the Democratic Party rules, everyone in line as of 6:15 PM is eligible to register. We had a number of guests so we used that 15 minute grace period as an opportunity for people to speak.
State Senator Jamie Eldridge, State Representative Carolyn Dykema, Governor’s Councillor Marilyn Petitio Devaney and I all spoke. I am Kate Donaghue, seeking re-election to the Democratic State Committee. We all currently hold office and are all running again.
Candidates for office also had an opportunity to speak. James Coyne King talked about his race for U. S. Senate. Danielle Gregoire is running for State Representative. There are two precincts of Westborough in the district where she is running. Charlie Shapiro also spoke about a possible run for Governor’s Council. Congressman Jim McGovern had a representative at the event, as did Marisa DeFranco, candidate for U. S. Senate.
Each candidate for delegate and alternate made a few brief remarks. All were deemed elected under Rule 27. I love that new clause of Rule 27…. “except that candidates who are unopposed for a position may be deemed elected and no ballot is required.”
Everything went so smoothly that we called the caucus to a close by about 6:40. All the speakers were concise. We elected a full slate of delegates and alternates. Although the caucus itself was quick people stayed for quite a while after the caucus officially closed. People talked and many nomination papers were signed. I’m a big believer in trying to make the program portion of events efficient while giving people an opportunity to socialize.
By about 7:30 we adjourned to a nearby restaurant and I relaxed and had a drink with a few of the others. It was a great end to “caucus season.” In the sixteen day window I attended sixteen caucuses. Admittedly two of them were over by the time I walked in the door, and seven of them were ward caucuses in the same location but I am counting them anyway. I also ran six canvasses in that time period. I count it as “running” a canvass if it was publicized and at least one person joined me. In this period I also went door to door on my own five times. Did I mention that on Sunday I also ran a candidates forum for municipal candidates? Do you see why I was looking forward to having a drink at the end of the day?
I’ll take this opportunity to shamelessly plug my candidacy. The district where I am running includes Acton, Ayer, Boxborough, Harvard, Hudson, Littleton, Marlborough, Maynard, Northborough (partial), Shirley, Southborough, Stow, Sudbury(partial), and Westborough. If you are in the district please vote for me for DSC in primary on Tuesday, March 6. If you are not in the district, please spread the word. If you are on facebook, please “like” my page.
There are a few caucuses still to come that are being held outside the window because of special circumstances. If you caucused, tell us your story here.
Kate Donaghue
When I wrote this post, I saw demeter11’s comment downthead here.. In general, very few people come to a caucus except to vote for specific people. That is not to say that it doesn’t happen that a speech changes votes. But in general the way to win a delegate spot at a contested caucus is to organize and bring people. It can be done. Since caucuses can be electing as few as one delegate and as many as 44 delegates, there is a very real time consideration.
I have tried to become more sensitive to the sentiment that “it doesn’t feel like Democracy.” I used to began our caucus with a reminder about Rule 23 and we routinely had a motion to waive speeches. More recently I have brought people’s attention to Rule 23, but have asked that we wait to see how many people are nominated before any motion was made.
It took me some time to “get it” that it wasn’t about speeches. And I have seen people agonizing over writing a speech. That time is better spent on the phones getting people to attend a caucus.
Thoughts?
or rather, it’s not directly democracy. It’s party politics and a process. Caucuses are simply about getting enough activist support inside the Dem party (as in, registered Dems, not just your typical activists), so you can get get on the ballot to run – whether you think that the current system is fair or not specifically, there’s gotta be SOME threshold for getting on the ballot. If you can’t gain enough supporters willing to show up at a caucus to become or support delegates to vote for you at convention such that you can gain a fairly small 15% delegate vote in June, then you are NOT a viable candidate.
Maybe that threshold needs to be 10%, maybe it needs to be 20%, and maybe you should have to get less or more signatures than are required right now. But to gain access to a party ballot, you ought to have to show some minimum amount of ability to garner support. It’s in the state Democratic party’s best interests to entertain only serious candidates for the primary that have a shot of creating a large enough campaign to be viable.
As to that, I do not think Marisa DiFranco will get her 15% on the first ballot at the convention, if the anecdotal evidence shows anything. I believe she will have to rely on people deciding it’s better to have a competitive primary enough to switch their votes on a second ballot. Honestly, I’m not sure she brings anything useful to the table (much as I like competitive primaries), having listened to her at our caucus. She’s a little (er, a LOT) too strident in her tone, I do fear she might do damage to the brand before losing in a landslide to Warren in September. It would be very wise of her to figure out how to be a strong voice without sounding like a jerk about it. Really, do we need to hear the incessant whining so much? Warren has a lot of very organic, grassroots support and to state otherwise or imply there’s a coronation going on in the Dem party ignores the reality, and a candidate who ignores the reality of the situation is not a candidate who will run an honest and issues-only based campaign.
Warren has excited a LOT of not-the-average-activist, pulling in people I’ve never met before who are brand new to campaigning. Even when Marisa concentrates on issues she sounds whiny and attacky on Warren (even when not naming her directly). I thought she’d learn to get more polished after running all this time, but I was disappointed.
So far I have not. I consistently hear that Warren swept. If that is true and 15% is out of reach for the others I stand by my suggestion that DeFranco shift to a legislative race in her area.
I was able to go to a handful of my local caucuses in Central MA and I was impressed at the amount of enthusiasm amongst long standing DTC members for Elizabeth Warren, as well as the number of new Democrats that attended. There was definitely a lot of energy that was exciting to see.
Someone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe a candidate now only has one chance to get to 15% (in reference to your comment about people switiching votes on the second ballot). Plus, even without the rule change I believe if someone got a majority on the first ballot, as Warren is certain to do, there would be no second ballot.
it went from three ballot attempts to two?
And as to the latter part, I doubt very highly she won’t, so you’re right on that.
And I honestly think that I’d be OK with that. I don’t think Marisa has been able to get the right sort of momentum. Granted, she starts behind since Warren is a known quantity from her very public profile since her book came out in 2003, but still, it shouldn’t be impossible for a totally unknown candidate to get some delegates on her side. (Patrick did.)
And I really wish to hell she’d stop blaming her lack of momentum on everyone except herself.
“I doubt very highly [Warren] won’t [get a majority on first ballot]” is what I meant.
I attended three of the four Dorchester caucuses, where there was very strong support for Elizabeth Warren. At my own caucus (Ward 17), all 23 delegates pledged to her, and our elected officials – Reps. Forry and Holmes and Councilors Pressley, Baker and Yancey all said we will be working hard to elect her. I was also at 16, where Elizabeth Warren spoke and seemed to win the crowd. Her attendance here was a good idea – in 2010, 4 of 16’s 12 precincts were won by Scott Brown. (16 is the location of the Eire Pub – Reagan Democrat country!). Marisa DeFranco attended 13, but all the delegates I spoke to (all but three) were pledged to Warren. Rep. Marty Walsh is the chair there, and he was one of the first electeds (along with Forry) to endorse Warren. At all three caucuses, there were some first-time attendees, there for Warren, and a few managed to get elected. Others qualify as add-ons, and I will help them through that process! Looking forward to seeing you guys in June!
In recent weeks, I attended caucuses in Beverly, Salem and Topsfield. As a “Beverly Democrat”, I not only participated in my ward caucus, but also monitored activity in other wards. I experienced much of what others witnessed. A healthy mix of seasoned caucus participants and enthusiastic newcomers. Attendance was greater than what I had seen in ten years. I did see a common tread among old and new. They were excited about Elizabeth Warren and they wanted to support delegates who were pledged to her. All elected delegates at the Beverly caucus were pledged for Elizabeth Warren.
In Salem, I was not a caucus participant, and more of an observer. Here there was again a nice mix of old and new, and people were specific in their support. I was not able to stay for the final announcement of delegates, but with the support of Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, Warren delegates were a big hit.
Topsfield Democrats repeated what I saw in Beverly. Caucus participants asked who delegate candidates were supporting for US Senate, and each one proudly proclaimed Elizabeth Warren. The elected delegation from Topsfield is 100% in support of Warren.
Arthur recently posted that he has been elected to another term on the DSC. Thanks, Arthur for all you work.
Second Essex needs help in one significant area: There was a time when the Peabody Democratic City Committee was one of the strongest in the whole state. They could turn out overflow caucuses and sponsored events that filled ballrooms to full capacity. No more. The city now has a Democratic organization (or lack thereof) splintered into weak ward committees that don’t get along with each other. Six very poorly attended caucuses. Their disunity shows at the polls. A once reliable Democratic city is now up for grabs (See Brown v. Coakley). More needs to be done soon to bring Peabody Democratic party back.