Occupy the Caucus!

If you are an elected official, party leader, candidate, or just a concerned citizen, you can perform a great public service in the next few days by organizing and leading an information session about our wonderful Colorado Caucus at your local library.  You can see sessions like this that have already been announced on our Facebook Page, http://Facebook.com/Colorado-Caucus-News 

Here's all you have to do:

1.  Make sure you understand the system yourself, review the information on this site.

2.  Talk with your local librarian and set a date.

3.  Invite the leadership from both major political parties to participate.

4.  Send out a media release. This should be done right away. You may want to hand deliver it. If you'd like the information of your release posted on Colorado Caucus News, email a copy to John@JohnWren.com

5.  Hold the session and make another media release.

Both political parties hold information sessions like this, but they tend to keep attracting the same people. The objective of an unaffiliated session like this is to reach out to newcomers.

Practice sessions for Colorado Caucus

We are going to start using the Franklin Circle Beginners Meetings as a forum for distributing information to anyone who would like to become a more active Colorado citizen. Watch for a media release next week, for now, RSVP for our 4 p.m. meeting next Friday.

Watch one, do one, teach one.

 In 2010, if you attended your 1st Colorado neighborhood caucus, you learned a lot. Now apply that knowledge by just saying "yes", become a precinct committee person and apply what you've learned. Then share what you've learned as a precinct as a district, county or state leader. Want help? Post your question here as a comment below. (Thanks to Jossey-Bass for this great illustration.)

This site is now listed on the Civic Software Index (USA/ Parliamentary monitoring). This is a bit of a misnomer. Of course we have no Parliament. And the purpose of our Colorado caucus-assembly is to select candidates for the primary ballot and to select party leadership. This site is all about civic education, maybe they will create a new category when they read this.

What effect do you think the Internet will make in our (potentially) wonderful Colorado Caucus, the neighborhood gatherings that result in the selection of neighbors to represent our local views at local assemblies where local candidates are nominated, planks for the party platform are selected, and party leadership is chosen.

Did you attend your neighborhood caucus in the past? Are you ready to assume more of a leadership role? We are going to resume the active discussion here that will once again help people have more of a voice in this powerful, grassroots process. Stay tuned! We'll be making a media announcement about or plans for civic education for everyone in the next few days.

I was just told by the Colorado Secretary of State's office that, as has been well publicized, the GOP caucus date has selected by the party, they have filed documents electing February 7, but that nothing has yet been announced by the Democrats regarding the date of their caucus.

You can be a political insider.

If you want to help pick the candidates for your favorite major party, from President to all the local offices, the time to get involved is now.

You can be one the insiders by:

1) Pick up the telephone your state or county headquarters. You can find the phone number by Goggling "Republicans" or "Democrats" and your ZIP Code. Ask who your precinct committee people are. If there aren't two, volunteer to be one of them.

2) Go to their house or apartment and offer to help on your block to get the word out about the caucus. If he or she is open to your participation, great. Follow them by helping in any way they ask. If they are closed, plan on finding someone else to run against them in at the next caucus, or plan on running yourself.

3) Look for opportunities to be of service to your political party. Keep holding up your hand and offering to help. Focus on the party rather than a particular candidate right now, but go to an many candidate events as possible. Those who do the most good seem to be those who hold off making a decision about which candidate to support until the neighborhood caucus is held, and even then it is possible to remain uncommitted to a particular candidate until the nominating assembly.

I've done this 3 times, twice as a Republican and once as a Democrat. Each time I ended up getting elected precinct committee person and a delegate to all the nominating assemblies at the county and state levels.

There are other ways to get involved. You can Google your favorite candidate for President and contact their campaign to volunteer for him or her. Another way is to get involved with a political club, just Google Colorado Young Democrats or  Colorado College Republicans, for instance.

What has your experience been with getting involved with your local political party? Please post your comments here. If you have experience, what do you recommend to the political newcomer? If you aren't involved yet but would like to be, what is holding you back?

This year I'm registered as an unaffiliated voter with the intention of getting more new people involved in leadership roles in both parties.

I'm actively looking for someone who shares my passion for our wonderful Colorado caucus-assembly system for nominating to the primary ballot and our two party system that has served our country so well ever since it was started with the contests between Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. If you'd be interested in helping me in this effort (or replacing me so I can get re-involved with one of the parties at the caucus this year), please contact me at John@JohnWren.com or call me at (303)861-1447.

I wrote yesterday about Occupy Denver on my (now) personal blog www.JohnWren.com

Jimmy Carter said on a recent Charlie Rose show that the spirit of the Tea Party was what made it possible for him to be elected President.

That same spirit of reform is now active in the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street.

Should make the 2012 Colorado Caucuses the most interesting yet on the 100th birthday of the bi-annual event, first held in 1912.