A lot of diaries by those who attended the Eastern regional caucus with Driving Votes on Saturday have referred to the fact that there was some question as to whether we would be admitted or not, and I’d like to clarify some things about that process for those who may not know.  There is a lot of “they tried to shut us out!” floating around and I think it’s important to provide a complete context for these statements. I helped organize the nearly 100 volunteers who signed up and I want to draw attention to the problems that were encountered, because as part of this glorious new time of “increased participation” that most the chair candidates spoke so passionately about, we have to demystify these sorts of party processes and examine all the barriers that exist to participation in the party.  So here is my account.