What Happened Inside A Boulder Caucus

Standing room only, people were crushed into the lobby and lines were streaming out of the open doors down the sidewalks. Police were reportedly redirecting traffic on the street.

"We're estimating about 2000 people are here tonight to caucus," said a bearded emcee on the stage, but he was immediately drown out by clapping and foot stomping. "There are more than 2000 people here. It's really something. It's really emotional for those of us who have been doing this a while--"

Three Boulder High kids meanwhile were working the auditorium sound-board in the middle of the room, providing a low-level Bob Marley background thrum for the pre-event. I remember when we used to sit / In a government yard in Trenchtown... / No, woman, no cry / No, woman, no cry.

There were a lot of Hillary signs outside along the school sidewalks but the Obama team was giving out warm coffee and cookies. Caucusers were gulping it down and making jokes and smiling. Inside there were a few women holding Hillary signs that said "Turn up the Heat" but everyone else in the place was wearing Obama stickers, tee-shirts, pins.

Finally representatives of the candidates got up on the stage to speak--representatives of the local candidates as well as of Clinton and Obama. Most of the talks ended in a breaking voice. "I've never seen anything like this," says the representative for local politician Joan Fitzgerald. "All these young faces. I'm just so glad I lived long enough to see this."

Hillary's representative came last and seemed oddly embarrassed to be speaking of her, apologetic even. "I'm so glad we're all here. I just want to say that I know we Hillary supporters are well outnumbered here tonight but that's not the case across the country... I mean, I know we don't like to go there, but if you look at her record as a senator, it's just really amazing... I guess I just want to say that she has really inspired me as a woman."

It was the shortest of the speeches. People clapped politely. This was an auditorium crammed with an historic number of caucusing Democrats and the representative of the frontrunner was embarrassed to speak. It made for a genuine group awkwardness that was echoed later when it came time for the voting to begin.

Click here to continue reading OffTheBus contributor John Tomasic over at Pop and Politics.