Last month, while I wasn’t posting anything, Larkin went to the Democratic caucus for our precinct to declare her preference for Obama over the ice-bitch from New York. When I was much younger I played the political game and was Precinct Committeeman several times. (Political correctness requires the gender-neutral Precinct Committee Chair these days, which works nicely as these things go.) The caucuses were held in the PCC’s living room, and a half dozen neighbors came over and sent someone, probably the PCC, off to the county convention. I probably put on some coffee. It was a bit mystical to those who only knew the election process rather than the nominating process, but it was comfortable and manageable. Not any more!

Every precinct on south Whidbey caucused at the South Whidbey High School. This might work fine some years, but it sure doesn’t work when the blood is flowing! As inspiration crushed experience (67% to 31% statewide), hundreds turned out, most of whom had never been to a caucus before. People were parking a half mile from the school. Once inside, there were tables for each precinct where participants were to sign up. Little signs were on the tables like place cards to direct participants to the appropriate sign-in. It was a system that may have looked good to the organizers at ten in the morning, but was absolutely useless when the room was filled and you couldn’t see the tables, much less the place cards.

According to a story by Aimee Curl in the current issue of Seattle Weekly, Your Delegate May Not Be Registered to Vote, the nonsense Larkin experienced here was repeated across the state. Some are estimating that as many as 10% of the delegates chosen to represent their precincts were either elected form a precinct they don’t live in, or weren’t even registered to vote. Both of these are cause for disqualification, and around the state there are party regulars burning the midnight oil with their precinct maps, getting ready to compare the lists against the voter roll, and wholesale challenges are bound to be the primary agenda of the next round, where delegates to the district conventions will be chosen.

The Marines have a name for such events: Cl*ster F*ck. One more reason to look forward to my coronation, If I Were King, there would be no state parties.