THREAD @Dr_ColetteDavis: What happens at the #Iowa #caucus?The caucus is a mystery wrapped in an enigma, yet I wld argue that it asserts the very best of democracy. It may not work in other places, but in #Iowa, it is a Beautiful Thing. #IowaCaucus
Allow me to explain. On a cold Jan night, Iowans leave their homes & go to the high school, community center, small school house, or even a home. When I lived in Iowa City (for 12 years and three election cycles), we caucased (yes, that’s a verb) at the nearby high school.
When I lived in Iowa City (for 12 years and three election cycles), we caucased (yes, that’s a verb) at the nearby high school. Starting the prior summer during the Iowa State Fair, candidates begin to descend on Iowa.
Lots of people think Iowa is a boring, flat state full of white farmers.Those people are wrong.I used to think that too, but to be concise, the Field of Dreams tagline nails it: “This isn’t heaven; it’s Iowa.” Rolling fields, trees, rivers & streams; refugees and immigrants.
On top of that, Iowans take their responsibility as the first primary state VERY seriously.
So, as the candidates announce themselves at the State Fair, they also start to travel around the state. The best ones go to all 99 counties and most Iowans run into at least some of them on the street. There is no doubt in my mind that EVERY Iowan gets to meet someone.
We have gone to meetings at the library; at people’s homes; and through door-to-door canvassing. One of the best experiences of my life – politically speaking – was when I took my husband to hear @JoeBiden as a birthday present (Husband’s birthday; not Joe’s).
We went to a friend’s condo, along with maybe 35 others. We were treated to an hour+ of what was most like the best political science college lecture ever. Biden knows his stuff. He spoke for an hour & then answered questions knowledgeably, from personal experience, & sans notes.
4 years prior, we went to a school gym to see @GovHowardDean , who's lead-up was @joanjett. How cool is that? Dean had a real message. What went wrong was that on caucus night he was misquoted as yelling. It emerged later that the sound system over-amplified his voice.
In 2008, I looked at all the candidates. I personally met Joe & @HillaryClinton & I heard from & researched all of them. It was a good field. I volunteered as precinct captain for @JoeBiden. A precinct captain is in charge of mailings, phone calls, and door-to-doors.
Iowans are friendly. You go house-to-house in ur n'hood & leave flyers for yr candidate. ou may be invited in for coffee or not; either way, ur neighbors are polite, & even if they prefer another candidate, they’ll chat. (Except for @BernieSanders bros, who can be rude.
On that cold night in Iowa, you arrive at the polling station. The @TheDemocrats had a BIG room ( high school cafeteria) and the Republicans had a small classroom. (In 2016, the Democrats took up the entire auditorium!)
At the polling station – more accurately described as a room full of your friends and neighbors – there are tables and chairs set up for each candidate. Sometimes, in very small precincts, caucuses are held in people's homes. There are often homemade cookies and coffee.
Voters mill around & chat amicably, even if they hv already committed to a candidate, the precinct capt'n (& whomever she designates) may make a statement or answer questions. Cookies & coffee are not bribes, they are welcoming gestures. It's Iowa Nice, writ large.
After the milling about, the caucus is brought to order. People retreat to their candidate’s table or corner. People in each group raise their hands and votes are counted.
Allow me stop to say how beautiful this is. You literally stand up, in front of your friends and neighbors, for your candidate. No, it’s not anonymous, but what the heck: it’s Iowa.
By this time, we’ve all got signs in our yards. An amusing aside is that our Rep neighbor put their sign (for Romney?) on the property boundary by the road. Our Biden sign was discreetly placed up a hill, beside our house.
My then-13-year-old-son moved our Biden sign to the roadside. While I would not have been opposed to seeing him move the neighbor’s sign away from our property, he’s a good boy, and he didn’t do that.
Back to caucus night. Votes are tallied quickly to determine who is “viable.” That night, @BarackObama , @HillaryClinton, and Edwards (remember him?) were viable; our Biden group had a modest +/-20 voters. To achieve viability, the candidate must get >=15% of caucusers' votes.
Biden was not viable. As I recall, Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and possibly @Dennis_Kucinich. When your candidate is not viable, you have a backup plan, although individuals make their own decisions. Most of us went with Hillary.
Very sadly for us, @JoeBiden bowed out of the race that night. We had a quiet caucus get-together at a local bar. My son cried.
Once votes are tallied from across Iowa, winners are announced. In 2008, the black senator from Illinois swept Iowa; Edwards was 2nd & Hillary, 3rd. In one night, a young Illinois senator was propelled into the national spotlight & sent to New Hampshire w/ the wind at his back.
Why do I love this? The community spirit. That while I may prefer one candidate, we negotiate & then throw our lot behind someone else.
Problems: People who work night-shifts cannot be there. Although many local organizations provide transportation, that itself can be a barrier. It is neither confidential nor anonymous. I was ok with that; ok with standing up tall for Biden and then for Hillary. Not everyone is.
My message: The caucuses are a beautiful type of democracy. Iowans take their role in the national election very seriously. They *know* that they are giving the go-ahead to someone who may be the next leader of the free world.
