Minnesota
Related: About this forumNews from your precinct caucus?
From mine:
We held a straw poll for the 8th District candidate; Nolan won my precinct.
We had a lively discussion about sulfide mining, with passionate speakers on both sides.
My precinct unanimously approved a resolution opposing the marriage amendment vote coming up this fall.
Did you go? What happened at your caucus?
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)Small turnout, as usual. Pretty uneventful, but we got all our business done. All attendees are delegates for the District 67 Convention, and I'm still the precinct chair. We heard from a couple of candidates who stopped in, as well. We had a brief discussion about what to do if Michele Bachmann ends up as the candidate for CD4 in the redistricting maps and all support an all-out effort to re-elect Betty McCollum and put Michele's political aspirations to an end.
The lack of a Presidential primary race is probably the reason for the low turnout at the caucus, which was about the same as the 2010 caucus.
We're still the only precinct I know of, though, in Minnesota, that has its own website. You can visit it at the link in my signature line. I'm hoping to do a workshop for other precinct chairs in Saint Paul to help them create their own.
Election season has begun!
Brickbat
(19,339 posts)All of us are delegates as well; we were in fact a little short. I'm precinct chair this year; getting back into things after a five-year hiatus. Our main challenge is getting new people involved in our precinct; the vast majority of residents are retirees. The county seat precincts did a little better.
kickysnana
(3,908 posts)My lame excuse: I am not supposed to be out in the cold and I had a ride to the support group but not the caucus.
The Support Group is out of town and my ride is with a rabid Dem married to a Pub from Plymouth. Politics comes up in the supper before the meeting but not last night. Could be because our absent Rabid Pub in the group has just been diagnosed with ALS and at the same time got taken in a real estate scam on a small farm. The talk was 3 phase converters, electronic gearshifts in new tractors, a technique for repairing Caterpillar carburetors and moving outrageously heavy things. They did finally get around to discussing the topic at hand. Did I mention the group was 80% men last night?
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)there's little reason to attend precinct caucuses in MN. That's why turnouts are so small. Heck, half of the people at ours probably won't show up at the district convention, either. That's why caucus systems allow a very small group of people to make the decisions. I guess it's all in what you want to do.
kickysnana
(3,908 posts)Last few years kids grew up and moved out, I lost significant other, sold a home and moved into an apartment, lost my Mom and my Dad a year and a half apart but the last few weeks were intense and then last my own health took a turn for the worse. I've got a handle on it again So like Gabby I am going to recover this year and maybe next year I will have tough enough skin and strong enough legs to stand up and brave politics in person.
I am very grateful for those who do.
(Oh they did mention one other things besides heavy equipment last night, the Super Bowl in passing, good game sad ending for the Patriots fans.)
MineralMan
(146,329 posts)And gladly.
geardaddy
(24,931 posts)g/f's birthday.
spedtr90
(719 posts)some resolutions in brief from a group of less than 12:
oppose Right To Work legislation (state & federal)
oppose use of supermajority requirements and amendments to replace the work/responsibility of elected legislators (state)
support an amendment to the Constitution to provide that corporations are not entitled to the protections or rights of natural persons, specifically so the expenditure of corporate money to influence the electoral process is no longer a form of constitutionally protected speech (federal)
and many related to agriculture - of course!