It's Broke! - Sack Cartoon

[question everything]

[MADem]

1. LOL!

Caucuses used to be cute back in the day when the farmers had nothing to do in the colder months, save tend the animals and wait for spring, but nowadays people work at night, they can't find someone to mind the children, they can't get a ride to the caucus site, it's just a DRILL, a TIME-WASTER, a pain in the ass. Easier to show up, vote, go home.

MN isn't the only state laboring under this dumb system--Iowa LOVES it because it brings in billions every four years, but it really is ... dumb. And disenfranchising. The working stiffs, the single moms, the people who can't afford the gas in the car--all the people who need government most are shut out of the system.

I'm not a fan!

[Randomthought]

2. What about resolutions?

More goes on at a caucus than voting. Resolution are the best part of caucusing.

[question everything]

3. Right. And we stayed to the end and debated resolution

But most people left as soon as they cast their votes.

So keep the caucuses for the resolutions and have a primary for the actual votes.

Once people cast their votes, all of a sudden there were seats for everyone.

[Randomthought]

4. we have a primary

In Sept I think, so what do you propose? Go to the expense of two primaries?

[question everything]

5. No. Caucuses are run and paid for by the parties

Let them have it for people to... well, caucus.

Primaries are run by the state. The current one in August is a joke. Once the candidates declare they they would "abide" by the conventions, there are no more than one candidate per party per office. Though I did vote for Franken in the first year because there was someone who was challenging him.

Remove the August primary and replace it with a real one in March.

[dflprincess]

6. Nobody will show at all if we take the candidates out of caucusing

I'm not sure I'd show up and I've made it to every caucus since McGovern ran. 2008 and 2016 had incredible turnout - more than I've seen since the '70s but they were aberrations. Most years we've wrapped things up by 8 and very few people bother to show up.

I imagine 2018 will be pretty quiet unless the governor's race has some contention (and if we're really lucky and someone challenges Klobuchar). Besides, candidates can always take it to a primary they way Dayton did.

Discussing resolutions is interesting, but I sometimes wonder if any of our elected officials pay any attention to the platform at all.