  An update from the caucus trail One thing that my role in the distance learning course has given me is a new dedication to the political process that I haven't had in a while. I'm liking that the outcomes of the presidential race are not foregone, that it's a fight. I miss the spectator-sport quality of Massachusetts politics, and this race is beginning to bring it to a national level. My job also obliges me to follow it, which is a lot of fun. In class, we've recently been talking about how the delegate-selection process changed after the 1968 convention, and how it was opened up to allow broader participation among voters. Primaries and caucuses became a lot more important, but now the national party convention is kind of like the newsmedia's convention.
Colorado has a caucus, but it's not until mid-April. I'll probably still go, but I can't imagine there'll be much to do there by then. My mom, though, participated in the Maine caucuses on Sunday, and I'm posting what she had to say about it because I think it's cool. Also entertaining is her response to me when I asked if I could post it: "Okay, sure you can post it. Just be sure that when you do, you're wearing a nice warm sweater, not forgetting Lincoln's birthday, and have a clean hankie. " Check! We're good to go. I'm also wearing clean underwear, just in case. The Maine caucus was a hoot.
Fifty or so people jammed into the mine-oot town library cum fishing license bureau. A stringer for the NYT was there, and she actually got into the next day front page coverage--town of Hope, rural folks, hardy, moose-y, the whole deal. My fab quote about the percentage-apportionment-of-votes-formulae giving us new appreciation for what delegates to the Loyajerga(sp) went through did not, alas, make it into her copy. I voted for Edwards. Most intriguing candidacy. Then, in the second round, I walked over to the Kerry corner. Final tally was (more or less) evenly split among Kerry, Kucinich(sp), and Dean. Maine as a whole went 46% for Kerry, a 20-something chunk for Dean, and gave Kucinich 16%--his best showing thusfar. Maine has an interesting primary/caucus record, having provided both Jessie Jackson and Ross Perot with victories in past years.
At the Hope caucus, I restrained myself from getting up and saying that I'd been acquainted with John Kerry since the mid-seventies, watched him run unsuccessfully for Congress three times (John Nash used to feel really sorry for the guy). Worked against him in the Lt. Gov's race (remember when I wrote for Lois Pines? )--he won that one. Worked for his opponent again -- Jim Shannon -- in Kerry's first Senate race. Kerry has hit on me more than once--very polite; he wasnt married at the time--asked me out to dinner. I remember him as leader of Vietnam Vets Against the War. He wasnt always a stiff. I think he'll be fine. He was never a bad candidate, just didnt connect with people emotionally--wanted the office, but seemed a bit sorry about that he had to wade through a pesky voter-infested process to get it.
He has a first-rate mind. Maybe he'll loosen up, have a good dinner once in a while, dye his hair, inject Botox, and buy a stovepipe hat. 
