Tell Us Your Caucus Story

Now that caucuses are over and the votes are counted, I would love to hear your caucus stories. Was turn out high in your city or low? Did everything run smoothly or was it a giant mess? I'll start....

As a leader in my BPOU, I actually started away from my precinct. The Savage Lands had two new precincts since the last caucus and they needed a caucus leader who knew what they were doing and I volunteered! The room I was in had probably 45 people in it and all of them were first time caucus goers! It was a lot of fun. These new caucus goers (most of them in the 20-30 range too) were all very excited and energetic! All around the Savage Lands, the scene was the same. Packed classrooms - most standing room only - and people ready to take on the fight.
Returning to my home precinct, I found the same thing. Full to overflowing classrooms, short on ballots and resolution forms and platforms.....it was just mind blowing to this seasoned caucus goer.

So now it's your turn....tell us about your caucus experience in the comments!

Having Your Say!

It's finally here - precinct caucus day in Minnesota. For the last few days the candidates (and their supporters) have made their empassioned pleas on why their guy is the most electable or the most conservative...who is most deserving of your vote. Now it is time for you, the caucus goers to have your say. Once you have decided who you think will be the best candidate for our nation, you have one more thing to do....GET TO CAUCUS!

Caucuses start at 7pm, but based on the interest that has been generated, it might not be a bad idea to show up early. That will give you time to get candidate literature and to review the platform prior to voting on resolutions.

It's not too late! You still have time to make your voice heard within the Minnesota GOP and the RNC. What are you waiting for? A personal invitation? Consider this your personal invitation....come to caucus! We want to see you there!

Sample Resolutions Part 4

One last sample resolution and some final thoughts.

WHEREAS: Minnesota ranks 35th out of 50 on the ALEC Laffer Competitiveness study for 2006 and
WHEREAS: the reason for that ranking is due to oppressive government regulation on businesses and the tax burden that is placed on the citizens and employers of Minnesota and due to the fact that the government (at all levels) is the number one employer in the state of Minnesota
BE IT RESOLVED: We support a reduction in all taxes in Minnesota including (but not limited to) corporate and individual income taxes, corporate and individual property taxes, sales taxes, estate/inheritance taxes, all user and licensing fees and
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED: We support the reduction of all levels of government in the state so that the government is not the number one employer in the state.

The nice thing about resolutions (as SD42Webmaster reminded me in the comments to my post here) is that this is one of the few times in your life when copying from your friends (and favorite bloggers) is not only allowed it is encouraged! Feel free to share these with your friends, family and co-workers and if you have any resolutions that YOU would like to see proposed - leave them in the comments! I'd love to hear from you!

Sample Resolutions Part 3

All of these resolutions would fit under Section 1 - Creating Jobs and Economic Prosperity: Controlling Taxes, Spending, and Regulation. (again with lots of help from Logical Lady Sue Jeffers).

WHEREAS:The state government is supposed to only be "involved" in businesses in order to regulate business in the realm of public safety and
WHEREAS the state government is supposed to be a neutral observer in business as it relates to competition. Therefore:
BE IT RESOLVED that Government cannot use taxpayers money to promote private companies' products on the state web site, including pharmaceutical companies.

WHEREAS accountability to the electorate should be the number one priority of ALL elected officials and
WHEREAS the strongest government is the most transparent government and
WHEREAS Government waste is legendary and accountability is questionable at best.
BE IT RESOLVED that we support an open audit every unit of government
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that government should provide a single public data base for all state contracts and grants that is open to the public for viewing and public input.
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that all city, state, county and school budgets be open to the publion the Internet in a taxpayer friendly easy to read format. Taxpayers should not need a court order or the Freedom of Information Act to see how every penny of our tax dollars is spent.
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED that each department of the state government should have their budget posted on an easily accessible website where taxpayers can see the budget - line by line.

WHEREAS: Minnesota is the 16th highest taxed state in the union.
WHEREAS: We acknowledge that the ever increasing tax burden on our citizens is driving people out of Minnesota taking with them jobs and capital that is essential to positive growth in the state.
BE IT RESOLVED: We oppose the creation of a 4th tier income tax bracket in Minnesota.
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED: We 0ppose a new sales half cent sales tax for the metro area.
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED: We oppose a statewide wheelage tax.
BE IT ALSO RESOLVED: W oppose a statewide gas tax increase and instead we support spending priorities that are placed on roads and bridges not community centers and stadiums.

WHEREAS: Government should not be forcing business owners out of business by banning them from using a LEGALLY SOLD substance
BE IT RESOLVED that we support hardship waivers to statewide smoking ban.

Sample Resolutions Part 2

Here is another sample resolution (HT DeputyDot). This one should be filed under Section 8 - Making Government Better - Not Larger.

Resolution for Photo ID
WHEREAS; the right to vote is given to United States citizens by our constitution, Minnesota citizens deserve the knowledge that their elections are fair and honest; and
WHEREAS; there is documented voter fraud throughout the nation, non-citizens have registered and voted in Minnesota. Minnesota’s current election law allows non-citizens to get through the system to register and vote; and
WHEREAS; requiring photo ID at the polls will simplify the requirements for voting and thereby encourage more people to participate; and WHEREAS; requiring photo ID will provide an opportunity for underprivileged Minnesotans to get a bank account and more with a state-issued Photo ID; and WHEREAS; Minnesota makes no exception requiring photo ID to buy over-the-counter decongestants, cigarettes, liquor, and to board an airplane; and
WHEREAS; Minnesota’s current election law allows vouching with no proof from the potential voter of their identity or residence in order to vote; and WHEREAS; Minnesota’s current election laws provide few reliable methods to verify a voter’s eligibility; and
WHEREAS; a state-issued photo ID is necessary for most everything in our world; therefore be it
RESOLVED that the Republican Party supports legislation requiring all voters to show a state-issued photo ID in order to establish eligibility to access a ballot for voting in any federal, state, or local election held in Minnesota.

Precinct Caucuses - What To Expect

Dorothy Fleming has a 6 part series up on her website that goes through what to expect when you go to caucus on Tuesday and beyond. For those of you that don't know Dorothy, she is deputy chair of the MNGOP, but she is also a grassroots activist extraordinare. Prior to her election to the deputy chairmanship, she was a senior advisor to Rep. Michele Bachman's campaign.

One of the most important things of note in the series (part 5) is a link to downloadable version of the resolution form and a sample resolution. For those of you who are going to caucus on Tuesday, download a copy of that form and have your resolutions pre-written when you go. It will save you time and your caucus convener will thank you for it!

Go read the entire series and be prepared for caucus night!

Resolutions

We all make resolutions of one sort or another. I would like you to consider making a few resolutions that will hopefully help direct where the Republican Party of Minnesota heads in the next few years.

As I have written before, the resolution process starts on Feb. 5 at your precinct caucuses. Today I am going to start sharing a few suggestions for resolutions that can be submitted on Feb. 5

HEALTH CARE RESOLUTIONS (courtesy of Logical Lady Sue Jeffers)

Individualized Medical Treatment - Opposing Rationing
Whereas, the physician is professionally and ethically obligated to treat each patient as an individual;
Whereas, Congress passed legislation in 2003 establishing a pilot “pay-for-performance” program to pay doctors more if they comply with government-issued treatment protocols for Medicare patients;
Whereas, members of the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force are pushing pay-for performance initiatives including the recommendation that “purchasers and payers should refuse to pay for care that does not meet the standards” set by government-established committees;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that the legislature establish an appointed, unelected, unaccountable board to define “an essential value-based benefit set for health insurance” that only includes “necessary, evidence-based care”;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force points to England’s rationing protocols as an example and is recommending that new medical technologies, services and medications not be used or paid for unless a government-established committee says they “improve value;”
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force is recommending that government and health plan reporting on doctors’ performance “should focus on the extent to which the provider complies with evidence-based guidelines for care”;
Whereas, there is no one-size-fits-all “evidence” or treatments, and those who decide which studies qualify as “evidence” will not know or care about the patient who will be impacted by the decision;
Whereas, the lives of patient are at risk of medical decisions becoming politicized, and patients becoming subject to the agendas, biases, and values of powerful individuals outside the exam room:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Strengthening the patient-doctor relationship, banning the implicit practice of medicine by health plans, government agencies, and government-established committees.
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support "Encouraging cash-based medical practices and the restoration of true medical charity for the protection of patients and the preservation of medical ethics.”

No Universal Health Care - No Health Insurance Exchange
Whereas, the Minnesota legislature enacted a universal coverage mandate for 2001;
Whereas, the Governor-appointed members of the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommend that all citizens be required to purchase health insurance by 2011;
Whereas, an individual insurance mandate by government empowers government to set the rules and define what kind of health care will be available, to whom, by whom, for how long, and where.
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force supports Governor Pawlenty’s proposed Minnesota Health Insurance Exchange and recommends that it be used to do research on the uninsured and run education and outreach programs so “all citizens are aware of their responsibility to obtain health insurance coverage”;
Whereas, all individuals and employees of small businesses will essentially be required to purchase health insurance through the Exchange;
Whereas, the Exchange will be a government-established bureaucracy that will lay the foundation for a government-imposed universal health care system;
Whereas, the Exchange and the individual mandate will impose intrusive tracking and policing systems on the people of Minnesota; and
Whereas, the people of Minnesota have a right to not use their hard-earned dollars to purchase a consumer product that is increasingly at too high of cost for too little benefit or value:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Securing the right of all Minnesotans to be free from government-imposed health care systems and universal coverage policies that violate individual rights under the U.S. Constitution and endanger individual access to medical care.”

Online Medical Records – Patient Consent Required
Whereas, the 2006 legislature mandated computerized and online medical record systems to disclose, link and exchange private patient medical data;
Whereas, a Minnesota Health Information Exchange has been established in Minnesota for the sharing, linking and access to all medical records;Whereas, the 2007 Minnesota legislature weakened patient consent requirements for exchange of private medical data and the federal HIPAA privacy rule allows broad disclosures of information without patient consent; and
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that “providers be required to implement and use electronic medical record systems and systematic patient tracking systems as a condition of payment”; and
Whereas, state-imposed medical record data systems allow access to comprehensive patient data without patient consent, exposing patients to loss of medical privacy, delayed access to medical care, loss of trust in the confidentiality of their care, and crimes such as identity theft and the emerging dangers of medical identity theft:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Requiring informed written patient consent prior to online storage, access, sharing, disclosure, exchange or transmission of private medical records information.”

Access to Health Insurance Markets Outside of Minnesota
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force and the Minnesota Legislative Council on Health Care Access are recommending the establishment of “medical homes” or “health care homes”;
Whereas, the medical home is proposed as a doctor or clinic responsible for all medical decisions, including referrals to specialists, and eventually responsible for the total cost of care of the patient in the “medical home”;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends financial inducements to doctors to encourage them to offer to be a “medical home” for patients, as well as financial and other inducements to patients to choose a medical home arrangement;
Whereas, the Task Force states that health insurance plans might require consumers to pay more if they choose to switch medical homes or health care homes frequently; and
Whereas, medical home represents a new version of the old HMO gatekeeper system, where the primary care doctor received a capitated payment per patient, and was encouraged to restrict access to specialty care and medical services:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Opening up the health insurance market to insurance companies and insurance products outside the state of Minnesota to encourage competitive pricing of health insurance and open access to a comprehensive market of medical professionals and health care services.

State Compliance with Genetic Privacy Law
Whereas, the State of Minnesota has been retaining the blood (DNA) of all newborn infants for 10 years without legislative authority;
Whereas, the State of Minnesota has been providing newborn blood and DNA to genetic researchers without parent consent, parent knowledge, or legislative authority:
Whereas, a state genetic privacy law was passed in 2006 requiring informed consent for government retention and use of genetic information, including baby blood and DNA;
Whereas, an administrative law judge in Minnesota ruled that the newborn screening law must follow the informed consent requirements of the 2006 genetic privacy law, but the Minnesota Department of Health has not yet complied; and
Whereas, the Minnesota Department of Health attempted to exempt the newborn genetic testing program from the state genetic privacy law during the last days of the 2007 legislative session and is expected to try again during the 2008 session; and
Whereas, newborn babies are newborn citizens who will become adults with government-stored DNA in only 18 years:
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Requiring the newborn genetic screening program to comply with the informed consent requirements of 2006 Minnesota Genetic Privacy law.”

Informed Patient Consent to Share Patient Data
Whereas, patients have a right to medical privacy, and a confidential patient-doctor relationship;
Whereas, the federal medical privacy rule (HIPAA) is actually a data-disclosure (“no-privacy”) rule and does not protect privacy;
Whereas, the 2007 legislature enacted a law allowing the creation of a master “Record Locator Service” allowing every doctor, dentist, psychologist, health plan, hospital, pharmacy, laboratory, X-ray facility, government health program, and clinic to send private patient data to a central data base without patient consent;
Whereas, the Record Locator Service law does not require patients to be informed that anyone given access to the Record Locator Service will be able to see a comprehensive micro medical history of that patient;
Whereas, the Minnesota Health Care Transformation Task Force recommends that “providers be required to implement and use electronic medical record systems and systematic patient tracking systems as a condition of payment”;
Whereas, Congress specifically gave state legislatures the right to pass strong medical privacy laws that overrule the many data disclosures allowed by HIPAA;
Therefore, be it resolved that the party platform on Civil Rights support “Strengthening Minnesota patient privacy laws to require informed written patient and parent consent.”

Use the existing platform as a guideline for writing resolutions and follow the directions in my previous post on how your platform resolutions should fit into the platform. If you are really concerned about the direction of the MNGOP today, then get busy because this is where it "gets done".

What To Do To Make A Change

There has been much wailing and gnashing of teeth (both here and elsewhere) about Governor Green Jeans and his slavish devotion to the religion of man made global warming. There has also been much wailing and gnashing of teeth (both here and elsewhere) about the leftward drift of the Minnesota GOP. Which leads to the following question...what do we, the average voters, do to try to exert some influence over the Governor, the Legislature and the party in order to "correct" the problems that we see? I am sooooooo glad that you asked!

First thing you have to do is get to caucus on February 5!!!! That is the first and most important step. During the course of the night, platform resolutions will be discussed. Platform resolutions is the way that the grassroots activists have to tell the party what issues are important to you!
So how do you submit platform resolutions? At caucus, you will find a newspaper like hand out that contains the platform (an online copy of it can be found here). Go through the platform first to see if there are not already resolutions in the platform that govern what you are talking about. There may also be one already on the books that can be modified to help refine the point. On the back of that newspaper like hand out there will be a form that you can use to submit your resolution (you can also submit it on a regular sheet of paper). All platfor resolutions must fit into one of the 9 existing platform planks.

1) Creating Jobs and Economic Prosperity
2) Preserving Our Civil Rights
3) Educating our Children
4) Strengthening Families and Communities
5) Protecting the Public’s Safety
6) Strengthening the Rule of Law
7) Enjoying & Protecting our Natural Resources
8) Making Government Better, Not Larger
9) Defending America at Home & Abroad

So you have a resolution in mind and you want to submit it. You have checked and it fits under platform plank #1.

Section 1 - Creating Jobs and Economic Prosperity: Controlling Taxes,Spending,
and Regulation
Republicans believe that limited government is the best government and that free enterprise is the best path to prosperity for all Minnesotans. We support reducing taxes, spending and regulation to create business opportunities for our hard-working families and businesses. Therefore, we support:

You take your piece of paper or Resolution for and you write in your resolution "Support Hardship waivers for statewide smoking ban. " Or suppose you want a platform resolution to stress that government should not be telling citizens what lightbulbs or cars that they can or can not use because of their impact on global warming. Well you could certainly offer a clarification re-write of Section 7 O...

O. Adoption of an energy policy that encourages Research and Development of alternative forms of energy by private initiative.

or you write your own.....

If you go to caucus with the idea of writing a platform resolution, you need to make sure that your contact information is on the resolution (so if the BPOU Resolutions committee has questions about your resolution they can ask you) and you will want to make sure that you are elected to be a delegate to the County/BPOU convention. That way you will be able to advocate for your platform resolution on that level. You will probably want to make sure that you are a delegate to the Congressional District convention as well...for the same reason. If your resolution makes it out of the Congressional District Convention it goes on to State and if it passes at State....it's officially part of the MNGOP platform!

Caucus goers have the power and the opportunity to change the direction of the party. What issue concerns YOU the most? Me.....I think I feel a global warming platform resolution in the works.

Why We Caucus

Well, since Dave and Ed have both put posts up today questioning why we caucus, I suppose that someone needs to come to the defense of the process. Now I can not speak for those that initiated the caucus system in Minnesota, so I will have to speak to why I am a huge fan of the caucus process.

I moved to Minnesota from a primary state. The rank and file voters were not welcome in the party machine - except to vote or to donate money. As a result, there was always a "Good Old Boys" network that ran the parties. Voters simply were not part of their process. Then I moved to Minnesota and wow what a difference. in 1994, I read a community notice in our local paper that invited everyone to come to caucus. Even though I had a barely 1 year old at home, I was curious enough that I hired a babysitter and I came to cacus. I still remember Richard (our precinct chair) - even though he and his wife moved away a couple of years ago. They welcomed me in and told me to ask questions if I didn't understand something. I asked a lot of questions that night but I came away hooked on the process.

I attended caucuses every two years after that, but it was not until 2000 that I actually "got involved" in the party. At the 2000 caucus I signed up to be a delegate to the Senate District and Congressional District conventions and attended both of them. In 2004, I was asked to be a part of our Senate District Executive Committee as Media Relations Chair (that was the start of the blogging monster!) and two years later I was elected Chairman of our BPOU.

Now that the history lesson is done, on to the remarks.

Ed made one comment over at Heading Right that I simply must refute.

Caucuses benefit party apparatchiks, not candidates and certainly not voters.

Based on my experiences here in Minnesota, he could not be further from the truth. Our caucuses have always bent over backwards to accomodate and include the voters - because we know that they are our base of support!

Ed also remarks on the confusion of Iowa and Nevada. I think Jim Moore of the Minnesota Independence Party hit the nail on the head.

Recently, the term "caucus" has become tainted with a perception of superiority, secrecy, and protection of "insiders" that some find intimidating and others find distasteful.

We definitely saw that on display in Nevada and Iowa when the Democrats caucused there. However, the Republicans had caucuses those nights as well and there were no problems. Nor are there problems like that here in Minnesota - for either party. Here in Minnesota we have secret balloting - no standing in a corner for all to see who you are supporting. Here in Minnesota we try not to let campaign operatives knowingly run a caucus as you saw in Nevada. In those cases, that is more of an indictment of the caucus organizers than it is the caucus process.

Dave remarks in his post.

The caucus system, whatever it's strengths may be, serves to intimidate first time voters. To say that it's rules and procedures are confusing to most people would be an understatement.

I can't argue with that - it can indeed be confusing for a first timer...especially if that first timer does not ask (or is not afforded the opportunity to ask) a lot of questions. The thing is, the MNGOP puts together a nifty little FAQ sheet that is available to all caucus goers - a "What to Expect Tonight" paper that caucus goers can read and use to help navigate the waters.

Dave also brings up another point that simply must be answered.

But the biggest flaw in the caucus system is the small window of time in which they are held. In a primary vote, most polls are open 12 hours, and there are state and federal laws requiring that employers give time off to vote. The caucus takes place over a 2-4 hour period, and you must be present and registered promptly at the starting time.

Starting with the last sentence first I have to say that in all my years of doing this I have yet to see any political meeting start promptly - it just does not happen. True you can not come in and register at 7:30, but I simply can not think of a single caucus that I have attended that started on time.

His other point has some validity. Caucuses are time consuming. It is not an event where you show up, fill in a couple of ovals and then go on with life. It is designed to be interactive - not a solo project. It is a place where the Joe and Jane Citizen can go and argue for the issues that are important to them. Whether it is on the battlefield or in a smoky back room with a bunch of cranky old people, the fight for democracy takes many forms.

Minnesota's caucus process is an opportunity for the average taxpaying citizen to have a say in how party politics is done! On it's purest level (which the Iowa and Nevada Democrat caucuses were not) it is where everyone truly gets to have their say. It is a chance for neighbors to get together and have a say in the direction of their city and state.

Activism 101

While I was visiting family over the holidays, I got an email from a reader - a sincere, lovely lady who was troubled about the state of the Minnesota GOP. Her concern was the GOP's "excited" support of Ray Cox for the SD25 Special Election specifically and of "squishy" (as I call them) Republicans in general. Her concern is not isolated to a few "malcontents" as some within the party may try to tell you - I hear that complaint from Republicans all over my Senate District as well, which is why I thought I would expand on my answer to her here.

One of the things that grass roots activists need to remember is that the BPOU is responsible for endorsing candidates. Those who live in Senate District 25 have as much say in who Senate District 1 puts up as Senate District 1 has in who SD 25 will put it! It's that simple. If the delegates to the SD25 BPOU Endorsing Convention feel that Ray Cox is best suited to their district, then that is who they are going to put up. They are the ones that live in the district and who know it best. Putting up a hard core Conservative may not work for their district. Again - they are the ones who have the final say in the matter.

Who makes up the BPOU Endorsing Convention you ask? The BPOU Endorsing Conventions are made up of residents of the district who had previously attended precinct caucuses and had been voted to represent their precincts at the BPOU level. So if you are unhappy with the candidates that your BPOU is putting up, you have the ability in your hands to start the change....get thee to your precinct caucus! Go to caucus and put your name in the hat to be a BPOU delegate! If you want input at the Congressional District level or the State Level you can put your name up for Congressional District Convention delegates (this year), State Convention delegates (this year) or even State Central delegates (next year) at the BPOU convention levels as well. You may even be recruited (as I was) to a spot on the BPOU Executive Committee if you are not careful. THOSE are the folks that make the BPOU decisions.

Once the Endorsing Convention has picked their candidate it is the job of the State Party to get that person elected. They don't care how solid the "R" is behind that person's name. All they care about is that the candidate is properly endorsed (or if there was a primary, then the primary winner) by the appropriate convention! That is the job of the state party - to win elections. Everything that they do is geared toward that one single goal.

Can you imagine what would happen if the State GOP tried to step in tell a Senate District or County just which candidate they should run in a race? I can tell you from experience that the BPOU leadership would not take that kind of "interference" lightly! That is why the State Party supports whatever the BPOU's give them to work with.

I hope this explains some of the dynamic of who gets what support. More importantly, I hope that this will get you to realize just how important February 5, 2008 will be for the state of the Minnesota GOP! If you don't like the direction it is going in right now, sitting home on Feb. 5 is not going to fix it....only your presense on caucus night will do that. I plan on being at my precinct caucus location - will you? You say you don't know where to go? That's no excuse. The Minnesota GOP has a wonderful precinct finder on their website. Simply plug in your full address or your zip +4 and you will know where to go. It's that easy. No pre-registration is necessary and new attendees are welcomed with open arms!

There really are no excuses. See you caucus night!

Inevitable?

It's been a long time since I have featured a "Logical Lady" of the media. Today we have Salena Zito, writing about a process that people who do not live in a "caucus state" understand. It seems that at least one Presidential candidate is trying to figure it out!

How do you stop the Bush-Clinton, Bush-Clinton inevitability?
Well, if you're Barack Obama, you continue to begin each speech in Iowa with the phrase, “If you haven’t signed up for our campaign, please do so now.”

Iowa remains political rocket fuel. It has the power to change the "inevitability"
that Hillary Clinton will be the next president. But first you have to win the
Hawkeye State. To win Iowa means understanding it. Many Americans likely don't understand the caucus process. And considering that only 124,000 of the state's nearly 2 million registered voters showed up to caucus in 2004, most Iowans don’t either.

Minnesota is a caucus state. Because I didn't grow up here, I think I have a little more of an appreciation of the process where the natives take it for granted. For those of you who don't know what the process is...

Caucusing is a very public and time-consuming process. Voters don't walk into a
private booth and pull a lever or touch a screen. Instead, they gather at meeting places and begin a night of horse trading. Voters begin by standing with the “preference group” representing the candidate they support. But before any
tallying begins, there could be some bartering among preference groups in an
attempt to persuade defections.
Finally, the tally: A candidate must hit a 15 percent threshold in each caucus group to be considered viable. If your first choice is not viable, then either you go for your second pick or walk around and shop among whatever viable candidates are left standing -- all under the watchful eye of friends and neighbors.

The key to the caucus process (if you are a candidate) is to get your people there! If you are running for an office that gets an endorsement, caucus night is where it begins. Delegates for the BPOU convention are picked on caucus night and the only way to go to the conventions up the line (Congressional District, State and National) are chosen at that lower level. You can go to state convention as a "first timer" (as I did). It's that simple! Senator Obama has learned this simple fact!

How does Obama entice his young demographic? By holding caucus “boot camps” --
mock caucuses to introduce them to the experience and make them comfortable with it. Obama's organization also is training precinct captains who can recruit
voters from other preference groups while holding the Obama preference group
intact.

Caucus night, in Minnesota, is February 5. If you are concerned about the direction of the Republican Party in Minnesota or if you just want to have a say in who Minnesota prefers for President then you need to set aside a few hours that night to go to your precinct Caucuses. The Minnesota GOP website will have a list of caucus locations at their precinct finder. Or keep your eye on your local newspaper. Caucus locations will be publicized in your local paper. Either way, set your VCR or Tivo to record your programs and get to caucuses. You will not regret it....and if you live in the Savage Lands, you just might see me there!