[Iowa-dx] Johnson County Iowa Democratic Party Caucus

Fri, 4 Jan 2008 00:26:00 -0500

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From: "Ronald Willet Kinum" IowaGreenRon@mail.org
To: IowaGreenDiscussion@yahoogroups.com
CC:
Subject: [IowaGreenDiscussion] Johnson County Iowa Democratic Party
Caucus
Date: Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:14:19 -0000
Show Full Headers Back To [INBOX]

Tonight, the Democratic Party of Johnson County
held its official caucus in the Johnson County
Court House, at 6:30 PM.  It was such a sham, as
I knew it would be.

I took my new sign that I just made this afternoon
in about two hours (it normally takes me a couple
to three weeks to make a good sign, using acrylic
paints, this one only had red acrylic for large
lettering, and I cheated by using black felt pen
for the rest of the lettering!) that said:

(in large red letters): GROW UP (in smaller black
letters): CITIZENS OF... OF (very large red letters):
OZ !  (black lettering): THE CAUCUS SYSTEM IS
(large red lettering): ANTI -- (black lettering):
DEMOCRACY !  ONLY THE PRIMARY GIVES YOU A
(triple-size red lettering): VOTE!  I was told not
to hold my sign up, and as I was dressed in green
again and wore my Green Party hat, with my sign,
and since I would not register as a Democrat, I
was put in the jury box of the courtroom as an
observer.  Here is an account of the caucus from
my notes:

7PM
Keith, the temporary Johnson County caucus
chair, announced the Johnson County caucus to be in
session, and he said that there were 166 Democrats
present.

He read some letters to the caucus, and announced
the need for the caucus to elect a permanent chair
for the caucus.  One person nominated and another
seconded that Keith be the permanent chair. A vote
was taken by voice, and Keith announced that he was
the new permanent Johnson County caucus chair.

Without any real formality, Keith instructed the
caucus to form "Preference Groups" during the next
thirty minutes.  There were 7 of we observers in the
group which formed in the jury box, which also
included one man from Iowa Public Radio.  There was
the following number of persons in the following
groupings in the court room where the caucus began:

Biden:  5 persons
Dodd:   1 person
Richardson: 14 persons
Undecided: 14

The Obama and Clinton groups left the courtroom for
their own groupings in other rooms.

As they formed their groups, I was thinking, this is
really stupid, this is like kindergarten!  Many people
were looking around the room at their and others'
numbers in groups, and they were looking bewildered,
some were happy, most looked anticipatory and anxious.

The Iowa Public Radio man left and then came back.  He
told me that he had to deduct the numbers of all of
the groups to figure out how many were in the Obama
group, which he estimated at about 103 persons, and
the Clinton group had 18 persons, the Edwards group
had 14.

Then began the persuasion discussions, some of which
were admonished as being out of line, but they were
basically low-toned and friendly, but it still
astonished me and filled me with anxiety that these
people are so thoughtless about the seriousness of
their choices, and yet they seem to be so intellectual
in such an irresponsible and less-than-sane process!

One guy from the Biden group was chastised and sent
back to his own group by the Chair, when he went over
to the Richardson group.  He was prevented from
congregating in the Richardson group because he was
"negotiating".

7:40 PM
The courtroom had thinned out considerably.

7:53 PM
Announcement that Obama is the only viable group,
which is 25 people in a group or more, so the next
fifteen minutes is for the Realiginment Period to
begin, for readjusting their group or to join another
group.  I was thinking, this is so stupid!  And it
is so Neanderthal in the process that I cannot believe
how ignorant these people are about the way they are
doing this!  Why don't they have foot races and arm
wrestling to decide their candidates?

7:56 PM
The Barack Obama group returned to the court room,
and the noise in the courtroom got much more loud
than all night so far, but no sounds of argument,
just enthusiasm.

8:08 PM
People are mulling around the courtroom, the Richardson
people are thinning out but refuse to concede defeat.
This is so stupid!  They're wasting an entire night
to play politics like little children rather than to
just have a primary vote and get the issue decided by
the tally numbers!

8:10 PM
Announcement quiets the crowd.  I spot University of
Iowa Anti-war Committee member Brian Sheerer, who
very decidely ignores me and my greetings!

8:20 PM
Only 20 people left in the courtroom beside the few
observers.  My impression is that the candidates sure
spend a lot of money on caucuses, when the process
operates so childishly without any substantialization
whatsoever.

8:25 PM
Richardson group has grown back to 9 people now, and
two women I think from the undecided group announce
that they're leaving the caucus in displeasure!

8:27 PM
Motion from somebody to add 5 minutes to the
Realignment Period.  I really cannot tell, I think
the Chair unilaterally and VERY UNDEMOCRATICALLY
approved the motion, I think.  Nothing stated in the
open that can be understood.
get their 25

Richardson group grows back to 14 people. Richardson
group discussing who to join, since they cannot get
their 25 minimum to have a caucus delegate.  I have
to realize how it is so sad for these enthusiastic
people to be put through this very intellectually
immature, unnecessarily emotional meat-grinder process
that could be settled once and for all by a single
primary run-off vote.  This caucus process is not
decisive at all, it is not Democracy, it is insanity.

8:34 PM
Announcement to do the caucus group member count.  The
Clinton group returns to the room, and the Clinton
captain has to hand count and recount and recount all
of their group's standing attendees to qualify for a
delegate, and the count comes to 28 people.  THEN the
people cannot leave until the tally is ratified!  My
gosh this is stupid!

Announcement from the Clinton captain, who is talking on
her cell-phone, that Clinton won in Des Moines.

8:40 PM
Everyone of the other groups returning to the courtroom.
It is announced that Obama, Clinton, Edwards and
undecided each have Johnson County delegates for the
state caucus.

8:45 PM
The caucus was adjourned by Keith saying, "Okay,
everybody can go now."

I went out as soon as I could and stood on the walkway
with my sign.  Very few of the caucus-goers looked at
my sign, and the few who did looked away almost
immediately.  A few did take the time to read my sign.
They reminded me of indoctrinated, closed-minded human
lemmings as they filed out the Johnson County Courthouse
door and went down the walkway.

As I have been saying, if you want to see how communism
works, come to our USA and we'll show you!  Tonight,
these so-called Democrats were highly immature and were
very closed-minded.  This is how communism works!  THIS
is the challenge we face in Green Party, getting people
to THINK!  I don't know.  This is how we got ourselves
into Iraq to fight an illegal war, in spite of the
United Nations telling us beforehand that attacking Iraq
would violate seven international laws and treaties that
our United States of America helped to create!  THIS is
how the Republicans came to power in three decades to
become the tyrannical Republicommunist mafia cult!  I DO
NOT SEE ANY DIFFERENCE TODAY BETWEEN THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY
MENTALITY AND THE REPUBLICAN PARTY MENTALITY... none
whatsoever.

Ronald Kinum
a.k.a. Libris Fidelis

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<TD class=3Dfst><B><FONT size=3D2>From:</FONT></B> "Ronald Willet Kinum" <A=
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<TD class=3Dft><!-- --><B>To:</B> IowaGreenDiscussion@yahoogroups.com<BR><B=
>CC:</B> <BR><B>Subject:</B> [IowaGreenDiscussion] Johnson County Iowa Demo=
cratic Party Caucus<BR><B>Date:</B> Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:14:19 -0000<BR><!--=
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<TD><SPAN id=3Dobmessage><PRE>Tonight, the Democratic Party of Johnson Coun=
ty
held its official caucus in the Johnson County
Court House, at 6:30 PM.  It was such a sham, as
I knew it would be.

I took my new sign that I just made this afternoon
in about two hours (it normally takes me a couple
to three weeks to make a good sign, using acrylic
paints, this one only had red acrylic for large
lettering, and I cheated by using black felt pen
for the rest of the lettering!) that said:

(in large red letters): GROW UP (in smaller black
letters): CITIZENS OF... OF (very large red letters):
OZ !  (black lettering): THE CAUCUS SYSTEM IS
(large red lettering): ANTI -- (black lettering):
DEMOCRACY !  ONLY THE PRIMARY GIVES YOU A
(triple-size red lettering): VOTE!  I was told not
to hold my sign up, and as I was dressed in green
again and wore my Green Party hat, with my sign,
and since I would not register as a Democrat, I
was put in the jury box of the courtroom as an
observer.  Here is an account of the caucus from
my notes:

7PM
Keith, the temporary Johnson County caucus
chair, announced the Johnson County caucus to be in
session, and he said that there were 166 Democrats
present.

He read some letters to the caucus, and announced
the need for the caucus to elect a permanent chair
for the caucus.  One person nominated and another
seconded that Keith be the permanent chair. A vote
was taken by voice, and Keith announced that he was
the new permanent Johnson County caucus chair.

Without any real formality, Keith instructed the
caucus to form "Preference Groups" during the next
thirty minutes.  There were 7 of we observers in the
group which formed in the jury box, which also
included one man from Iowa Public Radio.  There was
the following number of persons in the following
groupings in the court room where the caucus began:

Biden:  5 persons
Dodd:   1 person
Richardson: 14 persons
Undecided: 14