I felt that I must report my most recent experience to the nation. Today was the Nevada caucus, which I attended in Sun Valley, a suburb of Reno. First, early voting was extraordinary. The turnout was reflected by the few who actually participated in my precinct’s event today. This was my second caucus, and I continue to be impressed. Let me offer a few of my personal observations.

First, a caucus, unlike a primary, is paid for by the political party; a primary is the responsibility of the state. Second, it is democracy at its finest. Each of us literally stood for the candidate we supported. The process was witnessed by everyone present, and undeniable. No foreign nation could have interfered in the process, and no voting machines could have been “rigged” to favor one candidate. The actual process took about one hour and 15 minutes.

During that time, it was decided which candidates would receive our state’s delegates. There was time allotted for those who supported less popular candidates to plead their case. Delegates were elected to participate in the county, state, and national conventions.

The experience was pleasant, without aggression, and as democratic as any election process might be. The one thing agreed upon by all of us was that we would vote for the Democratic nominee, regardless of who it might be, and that every man and women running for the nomination was far superior to DJT.

Just hours ago, it was reported that Bernie Sanders was victorious. This, added to the Iowa caucus and the New Hampshire primary, makes him the clear front runner.

Former Vice-President, Joe Biden, did fairly will in a state whose residents are disparate between the northern and southern areas of the ‘Silver State.’ Biden did not campaign in Nevada; he left New Hampshire for South Carolina immediately after he learned of his defeat.

The South Carolina primary will be held on February 29^th. Biden’s lead has dropped to just 2.3 percent over Sanders. Will Sanders’ victory in Nevada reduce Biden’s lead even more? More importantly, will March 3^rd, Super Tuesday, be the end of Biden’s hopes to win the nomination?

This year 13 states will participate on a single day, March 3^rd, and the overall winner will become the “man to beat” for the Democratic nomination.

I will tell you that I caucused for Elizabeth Warren today; my reasons will remain veiled. However, I will write and campaign for Bernie Sanders if he becomes the nominee. His view of our nation’s future is the view of our founding fathers. He is not an extremist or a man who seeks the end of democracy in our nation. His policies are a return to the gains made for all Americans in the mid-twentieth century by the ‘peoples president,’ Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

All Americans should share in the privileges of being citizens of the “greatest experiment “ in the history of the world. If we rejoin the ideals and hold close the principles of past Americans who loved their country more than themselves, our nation has the opportunity to become a great nation; possibly the greatest in history.

The political atmosphere in today’s Washington is toxic and opposes the values and principles of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. If we, the voting public do not take control; if we do not evict the men and women who are determined to destroy our nation’s future; we and our children and grandchildren will pay for our inaction.

Today’s caucus was a great lesson for me. Our system for electing a president is completely wrong. Every man and women must be certain that their vote will be recognized and of importance. The Electoral College is a blight on democracy and free and fair elections.

“The Truth Lives Here”

Op-ed by James Turnage

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