WAUKEE, Iowa - Four years ago, just 30 Democrats showed up to the Democratic caucus in Waukee's third precinct. Last night, almost 10 times that number showed up at the Westview Church - so many that the crowd moved from the small, Sunday School room reserved for the evening to the church's spacious sanctuary.
"We're going to have to do this in the parking lot, folks," someone joked.
The energy in the room was palpable. Waukee, a rapidly expanding Des Moines suburb that is home to a mix of young, professional families and longtime residents, has more independents than either Republicans or Democrats, and the caucus was teeming with them last night - only 133 of the 279 who showed up last night were registered Democrats. Many in the crowd, young and old, said it was their first time at a caucus.
"I just never felt as strongly as I do this year," said Cherry Butler, 57, an independent supporting John Edwards. "I'm somewhat angry about the direction of the country."
More than half the crowd supported Barack Obama, including Tom Dohman, a 31-year-old software developer and undeclared voter who came early with his wife, Jana. Both Iowa natives attending their first caucus, the Dohmans said they believed Obama could help change the course of the country.
"I personally believe this is the most important election in my lifetime," Tom Dohman said.
He said that in previous years, he hardly knew anyone who attended the caucuses; this year, he said, about half of his nine-member group at work said they planned to attend.
The campaigning in town was unprecedented this year, stoking the interest of townspeople. All of the major Democratic candidates campaigned in Waukee at least once, drawing big crowds, and many residents went door-knocking, made phone calls, or talked to their neighbors on behalf of their favorite candidate.
Susan Cameron, 47, an undeclared voter who owns a government relations firm, was another first-time caucus-goer who came partly at the urging of a neighbor, who is a precinct captain for HillaryClinton - though she said the Obama campaign contacted her relentlessly.
Although some arrived last night with their minds made up, others were willing to be swayed - like Gloria Hudson, a retired teacher and accountant in her 70s who was caucusing for the first time. She said she was open to hearing what her neighbors had to say.
"I really don't know that any of the candidates can do everything they say they can do," she said.
The initial count began late - it took longer than expected to get everyone signed in because the crowd was so large. Joe Millard, the caucus chairman, sent the candidates' "preference groups" to different areas of the sanctuary - he sent the Obama people back to the Sunday school room - and ordered an initial count.
It showed that Obama, Clinton, and Edwards had hit the 15 percent required to be "viable" - Obama with 153, Clinton with 60, Edwards with 51. Bill Richardson, Joe Biden, Chris Dodd, Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel had not.
Then the jockeying and persuasion began in earnest to win over those whose candidates hadn't made the cutoff. Leaders of the top three campaigns swung into action, surrounding the Biden camp in hopes of getting its members to join them.
Dana Leman and her husband had come to the caucus to support Biden. But, as she feared, Biden's 13 supporters fell well short of the 47 needed to stay in the running. She thought her second choice would be Obama, but her husband headed toward the Clinton camp.
"I'm so painfully torn," Leman said. "I'm torn between the charisma of Obama and the fact that Hillary is a very hard worker."
The Clinton people, including two of her neighbors, descended on her, showering her with arguments for Clinton. It's time for a woman in the White House, they argued, and Clinton is more than prepared for the job. One woman whipped out a cellphone, saying that she had just received an e-mail saying Biden wanted his supporters to go with Clinton as their second choice.
"We need someone who can hit the ground running," argued Diana Tedrow, a Clinton supporter.
"The Republicans are going to come out of the gutter to vote against her," a Biden supporter countered.
John Bair, a volunteer from Buffalo, who came to help Edwards at the caucuses, struck a less aggressive tone, calling Biden an "awesome man" but arguing that Edwards would be more electable than Obama or Clinton.
Obama supporter Mike Fitzgerald argued that only Obama could bring people together.
"Has there been any president in history as inexperienced as he is?" Dana Leman asked.
Abraham Lincoln, Fitzgerald replied.
After 15 minutes or so, the Biden camp began to break off, one at a time, and their new camps cheered.
In the end, Leman resisted the pleas of her neighbors and went with Obama.
"I can't even speak," Leman said as she half-staggered toward the Obama room. "You would think that the presidency rested on my shoulders."
A few people left before the final count; Obama finished with 155 supporters; Clinton got 65; and Edwards had 59.
