Bountiful Body Politic

I was pleased to see so many Democrats show up to our caucus on Tuesday night.  When we had to break out the chair racks, and then when people filled all of those chairs, I realized that there were a lot of Bountiful Democrats, many of whom presumably hadn't ever come to a caucus meeting--just like me.  Others had surely come after a long hiatus.  First of all, good on us for getting involved at the very grassroots level.

Voting precincts are (if I understand correctly!) supposed to represent only 1000 people--not even 1000 voters, but 1000 people!  While that means that our precinct had only 1.3% represented as Democrats, probably only one in five or six people on our street would possibly self-identify as Democrats anyway, so that's more like what you'd see at a Republican caucus. (And a shout-out to the Republicans for getting such a great turnout themselves!  High caucus turnout warms my heart, no matter who it's for, mostly because I trust the masses more than I do the politicos...)

If my (very) rough visual estimate is correct, we had well over 300 people attend out caucus.  And I think that number's important to recognize, because we probably didn't have just Democrats there.  As you know, the Democratic Caucuses and conventions welcome all comers, no matter party affiliation.  I'm certain that we had many independents show up--folks like me who have been wary of affiliating with a single party.  Great!  I think especially in Utah, the Democrats represent a "big-tent" party and want to welcome everyone to help come up with solutions to the problems in Utah government's status quo.  

Furthermore, and this is important to me, I don't think that Utah Democrats want to be a party where you vote straight-ticket.  My independent instincts tell it is a very bad idea to ever vote for someone simply because of the letter next to their name.  If your mayor, whom you think is doing an excellent job, is running as a Republican, I don't see any reason you shouldn't vote for him.  But if you don't really care about your mayor's performance, but you usually vote Republican, I think it stands to reason to look at the other options available.  I'll do my best on this blog to take some of the legwork out of the process for you, examining the candidates and uncovering the most accurate reporting and news.

By the way, if there's a Democrat running, he should have to earn your vote.  And this year, I think we can in a few key races.  Keep your eye on Peter Cooke, everyone.  He's a candidate that excites me, someone who won't be bossed around by partisan interests on the Hill, and someone with powerful leadership experience in the National Guard, business, and in the community.  After all the grand-standing and posturing of the last session, I think it's time we had someone who was willing to talk common sense and then do it for Governor.

But don't take my word for it.  Democracy is based in the idea that we, the people, have the smarts and the guts to vet our candidates.  Make Cooke earn your vote.  It's early yet, but I think he's more than able.