Washington Caucus Feb. 9, 2008, One Precinct

Posted by LewWaters (CR Wa.) in February 11th, 2008

The Caucus had a pretty decent turnout, filling up the Republican Headquarters quickly. Multiple precincts were present. The Caucus opened with the Pledge of Allegiance. Greg Kimsey, County Auditor/Elections presided.

First order was a straw poll of presidential preference. Results;

Huckabee 32
Paul 28
McCain 23
Romney 10
Hunter 3

As can be seen Paul’s followers infiltrated us but they apparently didn’t realize this wasn’t the primary. Still, they elected some delegates to the County Convention. Final tally for the county gives Ron Paul the majority of delegates to our county convention. How this will play out with his announcement of “pulling back” on campaigning remains to be seen. Paul did third in the rest of the state.

The next order was voting on preferences for the platform we desired. Those results were;

A) Issues

1. What issues do you believe are the most important for the Republican Party as we begin the 2008 election cycle?
a) Winning the War on Terror
b) Securing our borders
c) Making Washington State “business friendly.”

B) Transportation

1. The Puget Sound Region has some of the worst traffic congestion in the nation.
Which of the following proposals would you support in order to reduce the level
of traffic congestion?
a) Promote sensible transit solutions that are cost effective and user friendly

C) Education

1. Which of the following education reforms would you support?
a) Allow for the creation of charter schools, which could apply for state funding.

2. State government is becoming more active in establishing local school curricula.
Which of the following statements best reflects your view?
a) The state should set minimum graduation requirements, but leave curriculum
decisions to local school boards.

D) Health Care

1. Which of these statements best reflects your views on health care?
a) The government should allow businesses and individuals to invest in “Medical
Savings Accounts” that allow them to put money, tax-free, into accounts they
can use to pay for health care costs.

E) Taxes and Government Spending

1. Should state government implement a clean version of the 1% property tax limit
with no loopholes? YES
2. Do you support or oppose a federal balanced budget amendment? SUPPORT
3. Which of the following statements is closest to your view about the state budget and
funding of state government programs?
a) Spending can be cut because state government is not being run efficiently and
there is too much waste in government spending.

F) Marriage

1) Should same sex marriage be legal in Washington State? NO!
2) Should so-called “civil unions” be legal in Washington State? NO!

G) Protecting Life
Would you support or oppose the following measures:

1) Mandatory 24-hour waiting period prior to having an abortion? YES!
2) Parental notification for minors seeking an abortion? Yes!
3) Discontinue taxpayer-funded abortions? YES!

H) Business Climate

Washington State has been criticized for having a business unfriendly climate. Several years ago, Boeing moved its corporate headquarters from Seattle to Chicago after years of warnings that regulations in the state were too heavy. When Boeing moved it also named traffic congestion and lack of adequate funding for education as reasons for its move. What do you believe is the main reason for Washington’s business-unfriendly climate?

Too many regulations and taxes.

I) Rural/Agriculture/Property Rights

1) Which of the following issues would you want the State Legislature to address first?
a) Prohibit government from condemning private land for the purpose of generating
more revenue.

J) Second Amendment Rights

In general, do you feel laws covering the sale of firearms should be more strict, less
strict or kept as they are now? Kept as they are now.

K) Immigration

Considering all you know about illegal immigration, what do you think, if anything, is
the most effective measure in dealing with the issue of illegal immigration?

Securing our borders!

A slight disruption occurred during the selection of the platform as one person raised a point in “Issues” about the answer, “Winning the war on terror.” He desired it to be clarified if it shouldn’t be known as “Ending the war on Iraq.”

It took all the will power I had to not fire back at him, a Ron Paul supporter I assume. All others in attendance let it be known that winning the war in Iraq is ending it.

I should also note that the question about traffic congestion in the Puget Sound area, 200 miles from here and where Seattle and King County are located, drew many groans from attendees who voiced, “why should we care about Puget Sound? Let them work out their own troubles,” and such comments.

KGW TV 8 had a small crew there early and they left as it got started. They returned towards the end and conducted a short interview with only one person and left again.

After the platform votes precincts broke into their smaller groups to select delegates and alternates to the County convention. My precinct had 9 in attendance, including me. All but two volunteered to be delegates. I am already a delegate, so we voted on the rest. I needed six people and we selected among the six desiring which 3 would be delegates and the other 3 would be alternates.

In all, my precinct attendance was small, but eager to get involved. Fortunately for me, not one was a Ron Paul supporter.

This was my first caucus and as a PCO too. It was interesting and informative. I look forward to the County Convention and will see what goes from there.

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