Caucuses

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the democratic party presidential caucuses -where voters have the opportunity to vote for their choice of nominee. I almost didn't make it, but I am glad I did. The caucus location was -a very large room at a highschool- filled to capacity; but more than that, the crowd seemed to be humming with a kind of electricity. After speaking with several caucuses veterans, my impression that this caucus had attracted much larger crowds than usual was confirmed. For starters, for the first time in US history, a candidate that is not a white male has a serious chance of becoming president. Add to that the fact that a large part of the population is desperate for change -even on the republican side, those who supported the current administration are fed up with it, according to the polls. This could explain, at least in part, why McCain -the most anti-establishmentarian force within his party- has become the republican front runner in spite the hostility of the party's conservative core and after all the pundits forecast his early demise -he, more than anyone in his party, represents change; at times it seems like he is single-handedly saving his party from obsolesence.

What I found most interesting about the caucus, however, is the willingness of people to listen to other's views. While there were, of course, those who had made up their minds long before, many wanted to hear what others had to say, and made their choice at the tables, moments before casting their vote.

Seeing so many people together, genuinely interested in doing their part to ensure the best possible leader got elected was very reassuring and left me with a positive feeling of optimism -but then again, after the past seven plus years, things can only get better.