Woot!

Wow! a quarter of a million people showed up at caucuses last night in Minnesota. The prediction in the MN Daily was "Seventy thousand Minnesotans are expected to turn out for the DFL caucuses and 50,000 for the Republican caucuses." But in fact, it was more like around 200,000 DFLers and about 60,000 Republicans, according to MPR. Let's look at that number again: estimate 70,00o, actual turnout, over 200,000. This is in a state with a population about about four and a half million overall. The estimate is that 1 in 10 eligible voters came out, stood in lines, and cast a vote. One can be distrustful of politics as usual, but this is not business as usual! For the blow-by-blow national analysis of the whole shebang, Al Giordano at The Field (publisher of Narco News bulletin from Latin America) is both entertaining and accurate in his analysis.

As I was driving home from work yesterday, on my way to my precinct caucus, I could hear folks calling in to the public radio station about the lines, traffic, people leaving their cars by the side of the road to walk the rest of the way so their votes would be counted. The turnout of students on campus was HUGE. Both Clinton and Obama made visits to the Twin Cities over the weekend, and the viral ads had their effect, but the big story everywhere today is how people in every single county, not just the metro area, and of many different backgrounds spoke about being inspired to show up and vote by Obama's candidacy. In fact, David Brauer tells a great story about one of the Obama after parties, with some gentle mockery, but recognition that the "hopemongers" are not sitting at home:

So here's the lasting image from Barack Obama's Minnesota victory party: you stumble into Trocadero's, a downtown Minneapolis nightspot nearly as snazzy as the Illinois senator, and you notice very few people on what is usually a dance floor. The delirious masses, as it turns out, are all crammed on stage, backs turned, gazing up reverently at the big screen, swaying and singing to will.i.am's viral "Yes We Can" video.

In my precinct, the vote was 4 to 1 Obama, but then my precinct has the highest percentage of registered Democrats in the state, and tends to run very progressive candidates (Rep. Keith Ellison, state Rep. Hornstein, State Sen Scott Dibble). One important effect of greater voter turnout for the presidential race is that it spills over to the other candidates. We have an important Senate race going on. If DFL turnout at a CAUCUS (not even a primary) is almost 4 times higher than expected, in a state that usually has high turnout, then this will definitely have an effect on who the party endorses in more than one race. In fact, the undecided super-delegates, elected officials who have not yet endorsed anybody, are starting to say things like Tim Walz:

First-term congressman Tim Walz today endorsed Barack Obama's presidential bid.
In a release, Walz later said "Last night at the Democratic caucuses, the voters of southern Minnesota overwhelmingly supported Senator Barack Obama and his hopeful vision for positive change. As a superdelegate to the Democratic National Convention, I will honor their decision and support Senator Obama."

Whether Obama wins the nomination or not, we are done with the DNC catering to white men's supposed centrist views as the strategy for electoral success. Done.