Marion's Blog

Democracy at Work - the 2012 Nevada Republican Caucus

I love being a part of democracy at work. I just got back from the 2012 Nevada Republican caucus. It was so much fun!

I've been to a caucus and blogged about it twice before. My blog about the 2008 caucus is here and about the 2010 caucus is here. Of the caucuses I've been to this seemed the most organized and the best attended. There were a lot of people there. The caucus was held at our local middle school. 

Registration didn't take long and then they sent us off to the classroom where our precinct was meeting. In my precinct meeting there were 23 people. We met in an American history classroom. I loved the quotations on the cabinet behind me.

First we elected a chair person and a secretary. My new neighbor was elected precinct chair person. She was efficient and did a great job. She is the one standing on the left.

The second order of business was allowing volunteers to speak for each candidate. My neighbor spoke for Romney and was quite convincing. She talked about watching Romney when she lived in Utah and how impressed she was with how he managed the Olympics. Someone else suggested we read Romney's plan for America.

Another woman spoke for Rick Santorum. No one volunteered to speak for Gingrich and when no one volunteered to speak for Ron Paul I said I would.

I am a life long Republican. I believe in small government. I am a fiscal conservative and I believe that usually free enterprise can do things better than government. But I do believe that government has a role to play. I have become convinced that everyone should have health insurance and that Obama care is a step in the right direction. I am pro choice and pro gay marriage.

When I spoke for Ron Paul  I was thinking about foreign policy. I still have not forgiven the Republicans and George Bush for capriciously taking us to war in Iraq and for running up our national debt. Because of George Bush I voted for a democrat for the first time in my life four years ago.

The president can't change fiscal policy without the congress but he can take us to war. After listening to the Republican debates I am afraid that Romney would invade Iran to prevent them from becoming a nuclear country. So I spoke for Ron Paul because even though he is a bit of a wing nut I am confident that he wouldn't start another war.

So anyway, the next step in our precinct caucus was for people to volunteer to be delegates to the county convention. I volunteered.

Next we voted and the chairperson and I counted the votes.The results were

Romney 14

Santorum 4

Gingrich 3

Paul 2

 

The whole experience was fun! I got to meet neighbors and as I said enjoy democracy at work. I even got to see Reno's mayor Bob Cashell.

 

If you would like to see all my pictures from the caucus you can see them on Flickr here.

I usually avoid talking about politics but you can see all my politics blog posts by clicking on politics in the category list to the right.

 

I Heard Michelle Obama and Harry Reid Speak Today

My friends Linda, Pat, Beverley and I went to the Women's Summit Reno 2010 this morning. 

The highlight of the summit was seeing and hearing Harry Reid and Michelle Obama. Harry Reid introduced Mrs Obama by talking about the important role his wife has played in his success and how Mrs Obama  plays a similar role for her husband.

Michelle Obama apologized for her hoarse voice which was a result of the cold she caught from her husband. She gave a great speech about the role women have played in our country and continue to play. I found it very inspiring. 

 

The whole event was fun. I got to shake Harry Reid's hand.

Over the years Beverley has met four Presidents and before today two First Ladies. I should have stayed with Beverley because she was the first one to speak to and shake Michelle Obama's hand as she left the stage.

Washoe County Republican Precinct Meetings

Saturday I attended the Washoe County Republican Precinct Meeting for my precinct. Two years ago when I attended the Republican caucus for the presidential election there were several hundred people and McQueen High School was overflowing. I would guess that 40 to 50 precincts meet at McQueen High School. There are 261 registered Republicans in my precinct and I have no idea how many Republicans in all the precincts that meet at McQueen.

The meeting started out with all the attendees from all the precincts in the entry way of the High School getting instructions. I would estimate that there were about 50 people in total attending. We split up into our precincts and went to separate rooms for the actual precinct meeting. There were two people from my precinct, myself and another woman. So I was the meeting chairman and she was the secretary. We elected ourselves as delegates to the county convention and central committee. Then we voted in the straw poll for our choices for the senatorial and gubernatorial races. Then we adjourned.

You would think that if you were a hard working well organized candidate you would try to attend the these meetings or at least have someone there representing you. It was interesting to note that only two candidates were represented. It makes me wonder if the other candidates even care about the people they would represent if they were elected.

It was quite impressive that Sharron Angle's husband was handing out campaign literature and she was at the meeting. Sharron Angle is running for the U.S. Senate. Angle and her husband live in our general area. She said she was going  to try to attend  all the precinct meetings around Reno. I think the other represented candidate was Brian Sandoval but I'm not sure. I talked to Sharron briefly and had my picture taken with her. I was impressed with her and I liked the fact that she makes her positions very clear on her web site. Many candidates don't. I was a little put off by the fact that another woman I talked to said that Angle is just too much of a right wing fringe candidate. My politics are probably closer to independent than to Republican but I find the whole political process fascinating.

The straw poll ballots were counted later in the afternoon at the Washoe County Republican headquarters. I got  an email with the results.

GOVERNOR
 
Jim Gibbons            45.6%
Brian Sandoval       41.4%
Mike Montandon     12.6%
Brian Krolicki             0.4%

U.S. SENATE
 
Sharron Angle         42.9%
Sue Lowden            18.4%
Danny Tarkanian    15.2%
Mark Amodei           10.0%
Bill Parson                  5.8%
Brian Krolicki              5.5%
Robin Titus                 1.3%
Chuck Kozak              0.3%
Mike Wiley                  0.3%
Brian Sandoval          0.3%

I'm in Favor of Health Care Reform!

I'm going to do something today that I haven't done in the almost five years that I have been blogging. I am going to take a political stand. Ronni Bennett at Time Goes By asked that elder bloggers stand up and be counted about where they stand on health care.  I am for health care reform for the following reasons

• It bothers me tremendously that 15% of Americans have NO health care coverage (cit. census.gov). We spend more on health care than 191 other countries studied and are ranked 72nd by overall level of health (cit. WHO). These numbers are all related. We can do better. I hate that as a country we are so second class, actually 72nd class in this department. I hate that the French, The English, The Canadians etc can all look down their nose at us when it comes to health care.
• It bothers me that we ration health care today by how much money you make or we just let the insurance companies ration it. That just seems wrong to me. I unfortunately listen to Hannity and Limbaugh when I am in the car with my Dad. Both men rail against health care rationing as though the rationing we have today does not exist.
• It upsets me that my daughter who has diabetes probably would have a very hard time if her company went belly up. When my second daughter's company went out of business cobra coverage wasn't even available. How could either of my daughters possibly afford health insurance as an entreporeneur. They both have pre existing conditions.
• As my Dad has spent so much time in the hospital lately I have seen how wasteful our current system is and how it rewards the wrong things. For example Dad's doctor said he could be released from the hospital but they kept him and charged Medicare for another night because they couldn't arrange transportation to the rehab facility. I am convinced that the shortage of transportation was no accident.
• On the whole people with Medicare like it. My Dad who is a Rush Limbaugh Republican and who has Medicare and great cheap secondary insurance through his former employer has no complaints about Medicare. A lot of people think government can't possibly run an insurance program well but it seems to me that Medicare is proof that a public insurance program can work.
• People say we can't afford health care reform. Given how much health care costs today I don't see how we can afford not to change the current system.
• When Duke and I left California we had to give up Kaiser where your medical records were computerized. When you had a test at Kaiser it was in the system, when you had a prescription it was in the system. The system I deal with for my Dad where the only one who knows what meds he is on or what is medical history is or his history of tests is him is stupid.

My friend Myrna forwarded to me this email from David Axelrod. I think it makes the case much better than I have. I urge you to read it.

Ronni Bennett who launched today as elders for health care reform is collecting and listing on her site blogs from elders on this subject. I Like what she says about why we need to stand up and be counted. (I'm an over 50 elder even if I am too young for Medicare)

" It has already become a kneejerk reaction for reporters on television, the internet and in print to preface their reports on town hall meetings and other reform events by noting that participants are mostly old people. Their references are sometimes snide and dismissive as they point out the ignorance on display and the raucous nature of the gatherings.

I want to believe those elders are a tiny minority. Let's show the internet world tomorrow why we believe all citizens should have coverage at least as good as the Medicare we enjoy."

I have always believed that the private sector is more efficient and better at getting things done than the government but I now believe that in the case of health care other countries are right and we are wrong. We need to give the government responsibility for continuous improvement in the quality and cost of health care. Every American should have basic health insurance coverage. Our medical system can and should lead the world.

Voting - John Marshall by John Edward Smith

I love voting. It is absolutely one of my favorite things to do. It makes me feel good. I just walked up to the Aspen Lodge and cast my vote. There was no line so I didn't even need to use the book I brought along to read if I had to wait in line.

I am reading John Marshall by Jean Edward Smith  and I am really enjoying it. I just read about the congressional election of 1799. Marshall was running against John Clopton in a very close race. I love Smith's description of the voting process

" Election day, April 24,1799, had a festive air about it. There were no written or printed ballots at that time in Virginia, and the voter merely announced his choice to the election judges seated behind a long table placed on the courthouse green. Suffrage was limited to male freeholders twenty-one or older, and it was customary for the candidates to sit alongside the judges, where they acted as scrutineers. When a voter announced his choice, the candidate for whom he voted rose, shook the voter's hand. and thanked him for his support. All of this took place before a partisan crowd that grew in size as the day wore on. Each party provided a barrel of whiskey, and voters often tested both barrels before making their choice. The liquor warmed the spirits of the crowd, who greeted each vote with the appropriate cheers and catcalls.The contest between Clopton and Marshall was tight, and throughout the day the lead shifted back and forth between the two men. Each party worked hard to get absent voters to the courthouse"

In the end Marshall won by 114 votes.