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[ilanarama]

Saturday was our county Democratic Assembly. Can I just say that it was tremendously energizing to be in a room full of politically like-minded people?

The actual mechanics of the Assembly were somewhat agonizing. Parliamentary procedure is a pain in the butt, especially when the people actually running the meeting don't know it very well. The county commissioner race was particularly facepalm-inducing as in order to make the ballot the candidates had to get 30% of the vote, which was 49.05, and Black received 48, and there was a motion to suspend the rules so that Black could make the ballot, and oh, what a debate, what a procedure, oh my God, it was sausage. The inner workings of which you don't really want to know.

But the cool parts were listening to the candidates for our congressional district speak (and meeting them!), and listening to the representatives of our senatorial candidates, and doing the "stand up in the corner and be counted" thing for them and for the Presidential candidates. Both Britt and I will be going to the State Assembly in Pueblo in two weeks as delegates for Kerry, Ken Salazar (our Attorney General who is running for Senate), and John Salazar (who is a state legislator but not ours, who is running for Congress, who is Ken's brother, and who we met and really, really like).

We all had nametags and it was interesting to see how many names we recognized from newspaper columns (yes, a few people recognized me!) and letters to the editor and other articles (e.g. the director of an activist group, who makes the paper a lot).

Of course, in some sense we didn't really do much. There will be a primary in August, and I expect all the major candidates will be on the ballot. But the excitement was such a great feeling and we are hoping that (and will work hard for) Colorado will soon have a Democrat in the Senate (that won't switch parties as soon as he gets there!), another Democrat in the House (our delegation has been 3/5 Republican for some time) and maybe even help elect a Democrat President.

Comments

[(Anonymous)]

God! I did this a few years ago. Precinct, county, state. Chasmic, oceanic tedium, Mariana Trenches, Valles Marineris of tedium. Tedium 4000Km long by up to 11Km deep. "Let me introduce to you a candidate, that he's sort of as great as I think this state is." And, I was an election judge. "O! Is that a book you're reading? Imagine! I used to be a great reader myself!"

You can Burke at me - "the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil..." - but I don't think I could ever do it again. I'd even tolerate Kerry as president if I could funk the task. God! Strength to your arm. And take War and Peace, if you haven't already finished it.

[ilanarama.livejournal.com]

Hee, this must be Earl!

I find the local stuff (that is to say, the congressional and senate races) far more interesting than the national stuff, actually. Nothing like moving to a small town to fire one up.

[(Anonymous)]

I disclaim and renunciate knowledge of "Earl," though I infer from that post that he is a relatively rare type: an astronomer/oceanographer (something like the late Gene Shoemaker) who is inclined toward Republican politics, and has a very short attention span. On the other hand,

My name is Gibbering T. Unitarians. Look on my works, ye Mighty, and Despair.
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level desert sands stretch far away.

My attention spans past and fact, future and fiction; all are equidistant.