caucus curiosities

I had never attended a presidential caucus - so I didn't know what to expect. I think a majority of the 4,000+ Lawrence caucus goers were in the same boat. So many people showed up - organizers had to make last-minute changes to accommodate over-flow crowds. It was cold and snowy outside, but most people were patient and excited to participate in the process.

Since the vast majority of caucus goers supported Obama - there wasn't much drama. It was interesting to hear supporters of John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich speak in favor of candidates no longer in the race. My one big disappointment was with the woman who spoke on behalf of Obama. She was loud and off-subject - and frankly very annoying. The complete opposite of Obama. Go figure. I don't know who decided she should speak.

The other thing that surprised me was how few people I actually knew. I've lived in Lawrence since 1990, and I know a lot of people. But I only recognized around 10-15 people at a caucus that had nearly 1,000 people. Huh? I guess all my Democrat friends live on the other side of town.

My twin brother Dan lives in Dodge City, KS and he attended the caucus there. He called me after his caucus and said he'd been elected an Obama delegate. That's so cool. I'm happy for him, but completely jealous of the opportunity. Since Lawrence is a Blue Island in a sea of Red - my chances to be a delegate from here were slim to none. Maybe someday.

I took my little Panasonic LX1 along to get some photos - but Abe & Jakes is black hole of a location. I cranked up the ISO - but still didn't get any images worth posting. Since I didn't get any caucus images, I thought I'd post one of my faves from Super Tuesday. It was taken as Barack prepared for his speech on Tuesday evening. I love to hear him talk. See more Super-Duper Tuesday photos here.