I have to start by confessing something: I didn’t caucus. I never updated my voter registration to my mountain address, so caucusing
would have meant a day on the road each way that I didn't want to spend. Plus, I justified to myself, I’m
in the same precinct as a bunch of friends, plus students, all of whom I know
plan to caucus for Bernie. So even if it’s close in the state as a whole, my
area already leans in the direction I would go.
It turns out I was right about that, as no one seems to have
been surprised that Bernie carried Boulder County by a large margin. Besides
which, Bernie won the state by a very large margin, losing only a few small counties. So many people showed
up that the caucus locations were overwhelmed. So it was just as well that I
didn’t go, but I do feel bad about failing to exercise my privilege and I don't intend to be this negligent again.
If anyone needs to unfriend me or judge me or
chastise me or otherwise sanction me for failing to caucus, I understand. But I
hope you will forgive me one day.
Ultimately, though, this is positive for all
of us. Bernie Sanders crushed in Colorado, and I think that demonstrates that no matter what happens, there is a
critical mass of us in this state committed to change. We can lead the way.
No matter what happens, the people of Colorado have shown that
we are ready to jump into the deep end and pursue the ideal. I was skeptical of
it at first; I succumbed to the “I love his policies, but he’s not realistic
and he’s not electable” mantra for a while. Many thanks to my many friends who
encouraged me to support Bernie Sanders not by yelling or shaming or calling me
dumb, but by directing me toward resources where I could learn more about the
histories of the candidates and make up my own mind. It still frustrates me
that it’s another old white guy, but it turns out that he’s the real deal as an
ally, and he would be the first non-Christian president (second if one doesn’t
consider Catholics to be Christians), as well as the first Jewish president.
And I was absolutely persuaded that “I would support him except...” never had a
satisfactory conclusion.
Hillary Clinton is an admirable woman who deserves to be lauded
for what she has managed to accomplish in a hostile system. The problem is that
she’s too entrenched in that system to be able to be the way to break the next
wall. It is true that Bernie’s white male privilege has allowed and probably
still allows him to get away with things that Clinton can’t (yelling; messy
hair), and that's unfortunate, but Bernie's longtime mission is good for everyone. Hillary Clinton can’t be faulted for succeeding in the system. But that system has
been tried and it’s failing, and we’re ready to pay attention to that thing
this other guy has been yelling about for thirty years.
Here in Colorado, we’ve already led the way in marijuana
legalization. And now, whether Bernie Sanders wins or not, we’ve shown that we’re
ready to lead the way in some other policies that might be considered radical. It does start making strange bedfellows; I realize that I
sound like a total states’ rights flag-waver right now.
Regardless, something happened today that makes Colorado stand out from
the rest of the country, and I am so proud to call it my home. Thank all of you
on the left for having my back when I was negligent in updating my registration
and failed to fulfill my civic duty. I won’t let you down again.
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