Back in 1984, I attended a Democratic caucus (I’m pretty sure it was in Stillwater, Oklahoma, though I checked Wikipedia and can find no evidence of a caucus that year in that state). The event took place in the home of a local Democratic Party leader. We all gathered in his living room and introduced ourselves. I remember feeling a bit shy, as I was relatively new in town and there was no one there that I recognized. Also, there were two African-Americans present: a quiet middle-aged couple who had arrived early and had been given the most comfortable chairs.
We stood around and made small talk until the time came (8 p.m., I believe), whereupon the leader stood up and announced that the supporters of each candidate should gather in different rooms: Those who supported Mondale would meet in the sitting room, Hart supporters in the bedroom (!), Glenn supporters in the living room, and Jesse Jackson supporters in the bathroom (!). Startled, I figured he must be joking, but he wasn’t. Whatever the black couple felt about this, they did not show any reaction (incidentally, they proved to be Mondale supporters).
In the end, the caucus was almost equally split between Mondale and Hart. The organizer was left all alone in his living room, as he turned out to be the sole Glenn supporter; visibly disappointed, he eventually joined the Mondale group. The whole thing was over in about an hour, and I never met any of them again.
hamiltonbeck 