I envy you guys with primaries that count.

[pnwmom]

Our primary is just a beauty contest, so it's hard to get worked up about who wins. The caucuses are awful to go to -- several hours of people fumbling around, trying to agree on platforms, switching votes when candidates don't get enough, etc. You have to be really really dedicated to your candidate to make it worthwhile sitting through the whole thing. Since I think our whole field is heads and shoulders above the Rethugs, it's hard for me to motivate myself.

[kdmorris]

1. Well, mine doesn't count at all this cycle

Not even a beauty contest.

Guess that's what happens when your State Democratic Party is just a bunch of Democrats.

[SteppingRazor]

2. I hear ya.

(And I was just in Delray last night! :hi: )

[kdmorris]

3. Cool!

I really like my little town. I mean, you know, like a lot of places, it has some issues, but... it's home!

[ChiciB1]

6. Hey, I Like My Little Town In FL Too... Nokomis! The County Sucks

but living here seems so peaceful and I don't worry much about any crime. I rarely lock my doors, but then I am home most of the time!

We're right in between SARASOTA and Venice! Now Sarasota is a DIFFERENT story... but FLORIDA has been giving me heartburn for quite sometime now! And my husband is a native from Tampa!

[kdmorris]

7. Well, you definitely get the prize for

town with the cooler name!!

My homeowners insurance is giving me heartburn, that's for sure!

[ChiciB1]

8. Just Saw Your Reply... Nice Name, But Insurance Well It's For S--T!

I cut everything back and got rid of what I "hoped" I wouldn't need! I just KNEW we were going to get hit by a hurricane, but instead we're praying for rain! It has rained in some parts, but we've had a whole summer with very very little! Chinch bugs have taken over and eaten so many lawns, even the Pesticide companies aren't spraying around here! Some are, but they have to repeat so much that most people can't afford it.

Fortunately we used to have only well water, now we have city water and kept the well, so we hooked up a sprinkler system and we could water. We got cut down to one day a week, but well you know.

[kdmorris]

9. Sounds about like conditions on this side of the state

The insurance... gah!! I had to make my deductible for non-hurricane expenses $5000. If my house catches fire, we are screwed. Luckily, it's cinder block, but the stuff inside can still burn and the roof... has wooden rafters.

[frazzled]

4. What state are you in?

I used to live in Minnesota, and attended caucuses in 1992 ... and the primary was just a beauty contest.

It's true that you have to be pretty committed to go ... a lot of people are intimidated, or don't have the time. It also can be very difficult to go stand in a group for a candidate and realize there are only 2 other people ... or worse yet, that those people look creepy. So you kind of want to go with the 'cool' people ... it's really a bad process, at least for candidate selection.

It may be better for platform decisions.

Here's the conundrum. Caucuses attract committed, hopefully knowledgeable people, but they're exclusive and limited. And social/group pressures can prevail.

Primary voting attracts more people, but they may not be so informed. And they are not necessarily thinking about party business in their state (an important issue) but rather choosing someone for a national contest, individually.

So I don't know which is better. Remember, the primary process is about the state's PARTY. So in a way, committed party members should have some say.

[pnwmom]

5. I'm in Washington. And the other thing that bothered me,

now that I'm remembering, is that no one there (including me) who was supporting my candidate wanted to be the Rep who would have to take a day off work to attend the next phase of the caucus process in another city several hours away. So we chose an elector who actually had been voting for another candidate until then (but whose candidate had gotten less than the necessary number of votes to qualify). So I was left wondering whether that elector would really vote for our candidate, or if she would switch back to hers at the next level of caucus.

It was a very discouraging and not-empowering process. Once was enough for me.