Commerce City GOP voices views at caucus

    COMMERCE CITY — Grassroots democracy was at work Feb. 7 at Kemp Elementary as Commerce City Republicans gathered for their party’s caucuses.
    Former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum might have stolen the headlines for his Colorado victory, but it was former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney who won at this small political gathering.

By Ben Wiebesiek

Caucus organizer Tony Camputo counts votes for a proposal to make English the official language of the United States. Proposals are voted at the caucuses and help form the party platform at the county, state and national levels.

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    And he pulled this feat off by getting double-digit votes. It took Romney 12 votes to defeat Santorum and former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich, who tied with eight votes.
    Caucus organizer Tony Caputo reminded the Republicans that there was a lot more business to conduct in the elementary cafeteria than just counting votes that night.
    “We need to get volunteers for poll watching,” Caputo said. “And we’ve got to vote on proposals to add to the party platform.”    
    Caputo, who works as a mailman, spoke over the sound of tennis shoes squeaking and kids shouting in the gymnasium next door as a youth basketball game wrapped up. But the cacophony helped add to the polite and humble message Caputo was carrying.
    “Remember, everybody, to fill out your forms and bring them up here,” Caputo said. “And when you’re done, clean up the area. We want to leave this cafeteria as clean as we found it. We’re not Democrats, okay?”
    The caucus, which is closed to outside independents, was for registered Republican voters only. And the proposals approved that night for the party platform were the standard meat and potatoes of the GOP message.
    With a hand count, and near unanimity, the caucus approved proposals to support the Constitutional right to bear arms, establishing English as the official language of the United States, and the support of Israel against the nuclear threat of Iran.
    After the caucus, Paul Reimer, who’s lived in Commerce City for 27 years, lovingly held an old hand-punched ballot as he talked about the problems of computerized voting.
    “Boy, I sure do miss these, but they don’t use them much anymore,” Reimer said. “With these new voting machines, we’ve just opened it up for trouble, if you ask me.”
    Ultimately, the results of the caucus are non-binding, and Santorum won’t be able to add Colorado to his delegate count until after the state-wide GOP convenes later this year.
    But for the crowd gathered at Kemp Elementary, it was a good night: a chance to share growing concerns about the direction of the country, while also enjoying the fact that democracy still works at the local level at least.
    
Contact Ben Wiebesiek at 303-659-2522, ext. 206, or email bwiebesiek@metrowestnewspapers.com.