Worker-Dems

After last Saturday's local Democratic Party 40th & 42nd Legislative District Caucuses & Whatcom County Convention, one of the attendee's sent us her reaction... and with her permission, we are posting it.

Worker-Dems

Can I tell you that I have the biggest darn crush on Whatcom County's democratic party?

And by that I don't mean the entire membership, but the loyal and dedicated core--you know, the ones who do the work.

Over a thousand people attended Saturday's three-in-one county/legislative district convention. Maybe thirty or so people volunteered thousands of hours to coordinate, hammer out the rules, certify the credentials of 1,500 delegates, strive to create a comprehensive-yet-succinct platform draft, work out the logistics--on top of the varied normal demands of a large event.

All day long, while we listened to hundreds of impassioned speeches from hopeful delegates (many who had never participated in politics before), volunteers worked furiously behind the scenes to credential and tally everyone.

These people, these sweet, quirky, geeky, frumpy-sexy worker dems--these people give a darn about democracy. They care so much that they devote their lives to ensuring that the process happens as smoothly, as fairly and as equably as possible. The antithesis of the ego-driven politician stereotype, they see and acknowledge the faults of an imperfect (read: human) system and do their level, passionate damnedest to make it work.

So when other democrats complain about how disorganized or lengthy or cumbersome the process, I get a little grumpy. But not too grumpy, because the worker/complainer ratio is the same for sci-fi cons, rock shows and marches on the Capitol. It's the Way Humans Are.

Besides, I'd rather be sitting at the feet of my beloved worker-dems, gazing up at them with love and adoration.

Stephanie Kountouros