Person-to-person politics: noisy, crowded, heartfelt

By Seattle Times staff

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES At the NewHolly Neighborhood Campus, participants studied legislative maps to determine where their caucuses were being held. Party organizers said that as many as 200,000 people statewide participated — many for the first time.
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In living rooms, community centers, school cafeterias and churches, Washington Democrats devoted yesterday morning to face-to-face politics to nominate a presidential candidate. Here are some of their stories:

Bellevue High School cafeteria, 9:05 a.m.

It's quiet. Ted Schuchat, a retired speechwriter, is preparing to run caucuses for 22 precincts. "If we get 40 people, I'll be satisfied." Four people showed up for his precinct in 2000.

Jason Lee Middle School, Tacoma, 9:30 a.m.

The parking lot begins to fill. An older Volvo station wagon's owner supports organic farming, the U.N. and Howard Dean. A rattletrap old Cadillac sports a "George Bush doesn't care about you" bumper sticker. A brand new Cadillac Escalade and Hummer H2 have no stickers on their pristine bumpers.

NewHolly Neighborhood Campus, Southeast Seattle, 9:41 a.m.

Outside the hall, a trio from the Service Employees International Union, which represents health-care workers, greets caucus-goers with a sticker plugging Howard Dean.

"This area is about as strong for Dean as it gets," says organizing director Curt Williams.

On the opposite side of the path, Ari Melber stands alone, distributing John Kerry stickers and receiving more than his fair share of rejection as the union officials get plenty of familial hugs.

	ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Joe Williamson, attending a caucus yesterday morning in Shoreline, wears his political heart on his hat.

Home of Rose Laffoon, Shoreline, 10:02 a.m.

Rose Laffoon is making more coffee. The doorbell keeps ringing. The retired Boeing tool coordinator, who has hosted caucuses in her light-green house on Greenwood Avenue North since 1992, never had more than 12 people show.

One year, she dragged her husband out of the bedroom to bring the total to a respectable eight.

"I only made 24 cups," she says.

NewHolly, 10:02 a.m.

Dian Ferguson, chairwoman of the 37th Legislative District, surveys the room and grabs the stage mike: "It looks like there's a lot more people here than we anticipated!"

Caucus-goers cheer loudly and a few rowdies bang their fists on the table, which creates quite a racket. Ferguson instructs two precincts to hold their caucuses in the hallway. The room with a capacity of about 200 is standing-room-only.

Bellevue, 10:05 a.m.

Bellevue High School's cafeteria is full. More than 250 Democrats have shown up, cramming all the available tables and leaving many standing. For Carol Cullivan, 48, attending her first caucus, it's all about electability. "I think he (Kerry) is the one who can beat Bush. That's my main concern."

At the other end of Bellevue High, Republicans are staging their own media event to talk up President Bush.

Rep. George Nethercutt, R-Spokane, who is challenging Democratic Sen. Patty Murray, says he's rooting for the Democrats to pick Dean or Dennis Kucinich as their presidential nominee.

	ELLEN M. BANNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES At Skyway Park Bowl and Casino, Robert Porterfield, 37th District state committeeman, sends 155 attendees to various spots in and out of the building to hold their caucuses.

Skyway Park Bowl and Casino, Skyway, 10:10 a.m.

The crash of bowling balls slamming into pins echoes as Robert Porterfield, a retired state economist, herds 155 Democrats from the 37th Legislative District into a small area just beyond the smoky restaurant and lounge.

He explains the caucus rules: Delegates are apportioned according to votes cast for the candidates. In case of a tie, flip a coin.

"This isn't Sunday school; it's politics," he tells them, sending some precincts to the bowling-alley nursery, others to the Methodist church across the street.

Bellevue High, 10:10 a.m.

The speeches have started. Dean supporters are passionately defending their candidate as the one who spoke out against the Iraq war and "put the spine back in the Democratic Party," as Renate Strauss puts it. "He's been vilified by the media. It's not fair to eliminate a candidate of Dr. Dean's stature because the media has labeled him too angry," argues Strauss.

Kerry's crowd, meanwhile, talks about "electability" rather than any particular stance Kerry has taken. Loyci Stockey says she likes Dean and could see herself voting for any of the Democratic candidates. But it comes down to beating Bush, she says.

	ALAN BERNER / THE SEATTLE TIMES Lisa Horan, center, counts hands during a roll-call vote at the American Legion hall in Bothell. Caucuses saw large crowds and lively debate.

Shoreline, 10:25 a.m.

Some 65 caucus-goers are piled onto Rose Laffoon's couches, overstuffed chairs, fireplace hearth and lawn chairs that have been brought inside.

Tacoma, 10:35 a.m.

From the first words it's clear that the debate will be about practical electioneering vs. ideology and passion. Democrats seem a bit unsure about how to proceed, but quickly organize and stand around in a large circle. Those who want to argue come to the center to plead their case.

"I'm not really worried about who will be the ultimate winner" in the nomination fight, says a young man making the case for Kucinich. "Whether he's elected or not, right now I just want to hear that voice."

Bellevue, 10:35 a.m.

Things are growing more heated. At one table, the Kucinich people are making a run at Brian Morris, 33. His favorite candidate, Joe Lieberman, dropped out last week, so Morris cast his lot with John Edwards. But he's open to persuasion.

The other Edwards backer, Dustin Schnaitman, 24, is telling everyone Kerry will get trounced in the South, ruining the Democrats' chance to take back the White House. He eventually defects to Kucinich.

Meanwhile, Kerry backers are busy urging Morris not to slide over to Dean or Kucinich.

	TOM REESE / THE SEATTLE TIMES Red bars show Kerry's lead, with blue denoting Dean support, as returns were tallied at the Aerospace Machinist Hall.

"Oh no, Brian, don't do it!" says Susan Sieveke, a Kerry backer. "We moderates gotta stick together."

Morris makes a face. "Dennis Kucinich is way the hell left. I'm a centrist." He decides to go for Kerry.

Skyway, 10:40 a.m.

It's loud.

"My feeling is, Kucinich is a peace candidate, and that's what we need," Ellen Earth says.

"Voting for ideas is great, but I'm voting to get somebody out of there," Esther Reiquam says, making the case for Kerry.

"Remember 1968," Herman Huggins says, meaning that today's momentum candidate — in 1968 Eugene McCarthy, today John Kerry — is tomorrow's has-been. Huggins says he's voting his conscience, and his conscience has whispered to him the Rev. Al Sharpton.

Skyway, 11 a.m.

"It's crunch time, people," urges Porterfield, the organizer.

	ROD MAR / THE SEATTLE TIMES Rose Laffoon has hosted caucuses at her Shoreline home since 1992 but never had seen more than 12 people. Yesterday's crowd of 65 left her scrambling.

If Sharpton and Kucinich don't sway an undecided, they won't get delegates. Colin Meyer goes Kucinich. Alissa Allen doesn't like Sharpton so much, so Ellen Earth agrees to go Sharpton if Allen will go Kucinich.

It's a deal.

After a three-way coin flip among Kucinich, Dean and Sharpton, with Sharpton winning with heads, Sharpton gets two delegates, Dean one, Kucinich one and Kerry four.

NewHolly, 11 a.m.

One of the uncommitted delegates has slapped a Kerry sticker on her sweater, but Arlene Naganawa, another undecided, and Sala Sweet, who came as a Kucinich delegate, still aren't showing their cards.

"I agree that Howard Dean gave the rest of the candidates their platforms, but I still think if Dean is the nominee, we'll end up with Bush back in the White House," says Tom Hobson.

The discussion and debate end and everyone restates their candidate preferences. Naganawa and Sweet vote Kerry, meaning the precinct will send two Kerry and one Dean delegate to the county convention.

"The discussion pretty much reinforced what I already believed," Naganawa says. "But everyone was so articulate. This process is great."

Sweet slides her Kucinich button and fliers into her purse.

Tacoma, 11 a.m.

It's over. After the first round, all candidates picked up extra votes, with the undecideds all now committed. Kerry gets the most, just a few votes more than Dean, followed in close order by Edwards and Kucinich. Clark has nothing in the end.

Bellevue, 11:15 a.m.

The caucuses are winding down, with a few stragglers punching vote totals into calculators to determine delegate totals. By the time the votes all are counted, Kerry has come out on top, grabbing 29 delegates to Dean's 22. Edwards snags four delegates while Kucinich gets three and Clark grabs two.

Shoreline, 11:15 a.m.

The group of 15 decides: Give one delegate to Kerry, one to Dean, one to Kucinich. It seems Rose Laffoon, a Kerry supporter, was so flustered she didn't sign up before the 10:30 a.m. deadline. She cuts herself a break. She takes the signup sheet into the bathroom and signs next to the sink.

Unhappy, but understanding that she is the hostess, the others in the precinct accept.

The delegate count remains the same.

— Contributors to these stories: Seattle Times reporters Jim Brunner, J. Patrick Coolican, Stuart Eskenazi, Beth Kaiman and David Postman.

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company