So Salsa, when are we going to do our next TE get together?

[MM_QFC!]

http://www.wa-democrats.org/caucusfinder

what do you mean the primary doesn't count???

Oh Bikerhen, the weather is certainly not being very helpful!!!

Hey Mimi - I'll post what my son sent me by way of explanation; also embedded in it is a link to find your caucus site. First, I'll regretfully agree with you re: the weather, as I've seen numerous reports that show frightful pictures of heavy snow up at Snoqualmie and all of the major passes keep getting closed, so I'd be cautioning you, BikerHen to maybe reconsider the safety of trying to get over here...it isn't as though we'll never get together again and it really seems like dicey driving...

here's the caucus vs. primary explanation:

What's with Washington State having both a caucus and primary? Do they both count?

As we know, state parties usually choose to assign their Presidential delegates with either a caucus (like Iowa) or a primary (New Hampshire). Washington and several other states, for various historical reasons, have ended up with both. The important thing for Democrats to know is that only the caucus on February 9 will count in the Presidential nominating race.

The state's primary is essentially an after-the-fact beauty contest, and has been since it was created by voter initiative in 1989. If you want to participate in the voting on Saturday, you can use this caucus finder to find the one closest to your home.

"So what is the particular nature of Washington State's situation of having both a primary and caucus, if only one of them matters?"

The drama saga behind it is essentially a dispute over who should get to choose a political party's Presidential nominee. Many Independents hold the perfectly reasonable belief that they should get to participate in the nominating contest without having to declare (via ballot checkbox) that they are a member of either party. The political parties, on the other hand, feel as though only members of the party should choose the party's nominee. I don't get to vote for the governor of California, after all, or team captain of the Mariners.

Yet because it was enacted by voter initiative, we still have a statewide primary. But the parties either pay no attention to it (Democrats) or change their mind every four years (Republicans).

"What do the Republicans do differently than the Democrats? Why does this get less local media attention?"

This year the Republicans, bitterly divided over a possible McCain nomination, have decided that 49% of their delegates will be determined from the GOP-only caucus, 51% from the general primary.