Last Tuesday

We have our own casinos in California. We have our own cities, rivers, deserts, our own half of Lake Tahoe.  The first time I had a reason to go to Nevada was last week when Nevada had something that California doesn’t—a caucus.

I didn’t know what I would find at the Reno caucuses. I was hoping for Marco Rubio, but instead I got Peggy.

Peggy has a restriction on her license. She told me that she hoped it wouldn’t take long because she can’t drive after dark. Then, she held up her cane, “I think this cane is too short for me.”

“I bet I can fix that for you,” I told her.

I messed with her cane and she told me how her family has been voting republican since her great-grandfather voted for Lincoln. I told her that’s quite a legacy and good job getting out here, and if she didn’t mind my asking… who was she here to caucus for?

Jeb Bush.

I had some bad news for Peggy, but she cut me off, “I know. He’s out, but he’s my favorite.” I tried to give 

her a case for Rubio, but, when she came out of the caucus, the news cameras stopped her, and I heard her tell them, “Well, someone had to vote for him.”

Before Peggy, there was Dominic. He was a fellow volunteer at the Marco Rubio office. Like all the volunteers I met, he’d crossed state lines, coming in from California. (One guy drove seven hours from Eureka!)Dominic had already spent three days making cold calls. Shortly after meeting him, I noticed that there’s some sounds he doesn’t quite pronounce like the r in ‘r’epublican.  His calls went something like this.

“Good evening sih! Dis is Dominic of da Mahco Wubio campaign! . . . Da Mahco Wubio campaign!. . . Mahco. Wubio. . . Yes sih! I was just hoping dat we can count on youh vote sih! Gweat! Do you know youh caucus location? Yes, it is sih. Thank you vewy much sih. Wemembah to bwing a fwiend! Have a good evening sih!” He’d flip his flip phone closed, flip it open, start dialing the next number and after a brief pause it would be, “Good evening, ma’am!”

The rest of us trudged through our list hoping for no answer. Dominic was the best cold caller there. What he lacked in pronunciation, he made up for with uttah and pehsistent enfusiasm.

This was last Tuesday. Today is Super Tuesday. I picture similar characters around the country—volunteers traversing states to put warmth in to cold calls while shortsighted voters make stubborn stands with the best intentions and the worst logic.

Peggy and Dominic are similar because of their endearing passion, but, while Peggy strapped herself to a sunken ship, Dominic captained a lifeboat, pulling survivors aboard and shuttling them to a sturdier ship. If only Peggy would have swum over to Dominic’s ship, he would have welcomed her with warmth and open arms. “Welcome to da S.S. Mahco Wubio. Did you bwing any fwiends, ma’am?”

Wishing the Super Tuesday voters a smart choice with many friends on their ships.