JCDems BBQ Pre-post

It'll be an afternoon tweetstorm today from the Johnson County Democrats' annual barbecue. Doors open at 3 with Bernie Sanders scheduled to speak at 3:30.

Past caucus year BBQs have been mini cattle calls. Five candidates - Clinton, Edwards, Richardson, Dodd and Kucinich - attended in 2007.  In 2003 Edwards and Dean showed up, but John Kerry overshadowed them by bringing Ted Kennedy with him.

But this year only Sanders is on hand. Martin O'Malley is in New Hampshire today; Hillary Clinton has no public schedule. The Jim Webb and Lincoln Chafee "campaigns" are impossible to contact.

UPDATE: Chafee must have seen his own face on the milk carton because we found him:

Looking forward to the Mt Chocorua Area Dems Friendraiser today at the World Fellowship Center in Albany, NH #nhpolitics #Chafee2016

— Lincoln Chafee (@LincolnChafee) October 18, 2015

No time today but I should do the math on who produces a bigger Democratic margin: Johnson County or the 23 counties combined that hosted the Wing Ding in August. .This year's Wing Ding‬ got four candidates (all but Webb).

However, the Johnson County Dems suffer from a scheduling conflict: we locked in the date and venue months ago, then got stepped on by the state party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner next weekend, which all five candidates are attending. Back to back cattle call weekends just weren't going to happen.

The Clinton campaign is sending former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm; Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin is campaigning today elsewhere in eastern Iowa. Our own Dave Loebsack will also be on hand to speak. Not speaking but attending are the US Senate candidates, presumptive nominee Rob Hogg and Some Dudes Bob Krause and Tom Fiegen.

2 Day this Deeth Blog beret could B long 2 U! Silent auction item at @JohnsonCoDems BBQ. County fairgrounds, 3 PM pic.twitter.com/GfSib3DQHK

— John Deeth (@johndeeth) October 18, 2015

For me the highlight is our silent auction. This year I am once again donating an official, event-worn Deeth Blog beret, with proceeds to the JCDems. The last berets I auctioned off (for the Crisis Center) sent for $210 each.

I've also donated an I'm STILL WITH MEL button from the 2000 Missouri Senate race. The Democratic candidate, Gov. Mel Carnahan, was killed in a plane crash two weeks before the election. Under state law he stayed on the ballot, and he won the election posthumously (widow Jean Carnahan was appointed). Patrick Rynard of Iowa Starting Line has put in an early bid of $20.