We Know How This Story Goes

Over the weekend, both major parties held biennial caucuses. As usual, Nevada Republicans enjoyed plenty of melodramatic moments. And as usual, Nevada Democrats had mostly quiet and well organized affairs.

Of course, we stopped by our local caucus location for Clark County Commission District G Democrats. And we were actually somewhat surprised to see the Painters' Hall fill up like that. The room held hardcore activists, local candidates, and even some high profile candidates.





State legislators reminded the audience that the balance of power in Carson City is at stake this fall. And of course, Congressional candidates reminded the audience that the balance of power in Washington (DC) is also at stake this fall.

Rep. Steven Horsford (D-North Las Vegas) met with local NV-04 Democrats at his caucus site. NV-03 candidate Erin Bilbray made the rounds at various caucus locations with significant NV-03 territory, including the District G site in Henderson. And even up north, Washoe County Democrats got fired up and ready to go.

Meanwhile at the District G site, a very special (yet familiar) guest dropped by. Rep. Dina Titus spoke with caucus goers and let them knew she'd be working hard alongside them this year.







Once again, Nevada faces a fun filled and hotly contested even numbered year election cycle. And once again, Nevada Democrats are preparing as they know best. First come the caucuses, then come the voter registration drives, then come the field offices, then...

Well, you know how this story goes.

Caucus Report (This Was About Party Building)

What @nvdems #nvcaucus looked like in #GreenValley #Henderson today #nvp2 #fb: What @nvdems #nvcaucus looked like in #GreenValley #Henderson today #nvp2 #fb

Obviously, there wasn't too much suspense in the room today at Green Valley High School. We all knew who would win the caucus... But that wasn't the point. This was about party building. Seriously.

Democrats braved the heavy winds to arrive in this high school cafeteria and spend the next two hours affirming the merits of reelecting President Obama, selecting delegates to go to the Clark County Democratic Convention, and discussing the values that define the Democratic Party.

Yes, this was really about party building.

There were a few "political celebrities" turning up at caucus locations. At ours, John Oceguera stopped by to remind us he's running in NV-03. There were also Legislature candidates who attended and participated in the full caucus process.

Yes, this was really about party building.

Many stayed the whole time and went through the whole glorious process... And that was the whole point of it. This was about party building, and Nevada Democrats are hoping this is just the start of more organizing and "machine building" to come.

UPDATE, 5:45 PM: It looks like the final tally will be over 12,000 caucus-goers. That may not seem like much at first, but remember that this is a higher total than those that participated in the 2004 Nevada Caucus... Which was during a more heated and contested Democratic Primary season. 98.3% of delegates look to be awarded to President Obama. Again, this was about party building... And today, it may be the start of mission accomplished.

Nevada Today, South Carolina Tonight

So today's the big day. Are you ready for it? The caucus is today... Wait, wasn't it moved? Nope, the Democratic Caucus is still today, people will be filling up local schools and community centers again, and the fun starts at 11:00 AM.

I'll be at Green Valley High School today, and I'll deliver updates after the caucus closes.

But of course, everyone else is paying attention to South Carolina right now. The polls have been very volatile this week, but we're starting to get a better sense of how Newt Gingrich's relentless attacks on Mitt Romney are now giving him momentum and throwing new doubt on the once growing meme that Romney is "the inevitable GOP nominee".

So is "Mitt-mentum" so last week? We'll start to see an answer to that question tonight, so stay tuned here after 4:00 PM when we start seeing results. And tomorrow morning, I'll try to interpret what happened here and in South Carolina, and what we will see next as the campaigning shifts further south to Florida.

And What About That Other Caucus? (You Know, the Democratic One!)

Lately, you've been reading a whole lot about the action on the G-O-TEA side both here and elsewhere. And of course, that's because their primary field is still contested and awfully unsettled. But last night, I attended a caucus training... For Nevada Democrats, held by Southern Nevada Stonewall.







Why?

Well, here's the secret. As Zeke pointed out back in October, the whole purpose of a caucus is party building. And ever since 2008, Nevada Democrats haven't stopped doing that. And after looking at the game plan for January 21 and beyond, it's clear that the NSDP has been thinking about how to regain momentum after all the Republicans' fanfare inevitably whimpers off.

Let's face it, Nevada Republicans have assured their caucus won't mean anything after February 4... And now, there's a chance it won't mean anything BEFORE February 4! They can't settle on a uniform time and set of procedures. They won't do anything but toss ballots into a box. They won't even be trying to "rally the troops" and sign them up to volunteer at caucus locations. It looks like the NV GOP has settled for nothing more than a glorified straw poll.

Nevada Democrats, on the other hand, are constantly bugging local volunteers to get on the phone, knock doors, do voter registration tables, and bring as many eligible Nevada voters as possible to caucus locations. Democrats will be spending at least two hours at the caucus discussing the candidates, policy platforms, party organization, and volunteer opportunities. Local candidates will also be heard from on the 21st. All in all, the Democratic caucus model looks to be another opportunity to gin up enthusiasm and further strengthen the already reviving Obama campaign.

In the coming days, I'll be writing more about that supposedly "boring" Democratic Caucus and explaining exactly why it's anything but "irrelevant" or "dull".