Current mood:

discontent

District Caucuses
Went to the Washington district caucus today. This is different from the precinct one, in that it's a second level of caucusing that only the delegates and their alternates attend. A matter of whittling down, another step in the line of representative democracy. Reps chosen from their respective neighborhoods attend to, well, represent their presidential candidate and debate the Democratic platform we would send to the congressional district level, and so forth to the national convention.

Great idea in theory, but it takes forever to do anything. Yes, everyone has a voice, but my god, such voices. And so many. And things keep being repeated over and over, and no one can follow any instructions, and every minor thing takes like an hour to do --- because everyone is so intent on being heard that they just aren't listening.

(The phrase "herding cats" comes to mind, although this was a little more like herding the fluffs of fur that result from exploding a basket of kittens. Frustrating, a little bloody, and possibly ineffectual anyway. Depending on your disposition, it may also leave you a little hungry after your efforts. I certainly was.)

I left about halfway through, as I was just an alternate (for Obama) and wasn't needed for the process after all. It might be interesting to get involved in local politics and whatnot, but probably not on this scale. I'm suspecting one reason why most things are done behind closed doors and in smoky backrooms is because it's a hell of a lot more efficient when you involve less people. I understand that there are a lot of concerns, and everyone has their own pet cause to push forward. There's a lot of good ideas and horrible problems that need addressing. But honestly, people! We don't have to put *every single one of them* into one giant declaration that no one will ever read. Focus on a few key principles, lest you lose all your ground altogether.

Maybe I should start attending the regular meetings instead.

Conclusion for the day: democracy badly needs a scrum list.


EDIT: This Mark Twain story suddenly struck me as very appropriate:

We are all creatures of sudden impulse. We must be worked up by steam, as it were. Get them to write their wills now, or it may be too late by-and-by. Fifteen or twenty years ago I had an experience I shall never forget. I got into a church which was crowded by a sweltering and panting multitude. The city missionary of our town--Hartford--made a telling appeal for help. He told of personal experiences among the poor in cellars and top lofts requiring instances of devotion and help. The poor are always good to the poor. When a person with his millions gives a hundred thousand dollars it makes a great noise in the world, but he does not miss it; it's the widow's mite that makes no noise but does the best work.

I remember on that occasion in the Hartford church the collection was being taken up. The appeal had so stirred me that I could hardly wait for the hat or plate to come my way. I had four hundred dollars in my pocket, and I was anxious to drop it in the plate and wanted to borrow more. But the plate was so long in coming my way that the fever-heat of beneficence was going down lower and lower--going down at the rate of a hundred dollars a minute. The plate was passed too late. When it finally came to me, my enthusiasm had gone down so much that I kept my four hundred dollars--and stole a dime from the plate. So, you see, time sometimes leads to crime.

I realize that these things take time, that it a slow and gradual process to change, especially if we want to make sure we create something good. And we don't want a return to how things have been done in the past I don't know how many years. But oh, democracy is such a *painful* slog. I don't know how I can find the patience for it.