Why Almost Nobody Will Defend the Iowa Caucuses

[brooklynite]

New York Times

Iowa officials are accustomed to twisting themselves into rhetorical pretzels to justify the state’s antiquated caucus system. They have argued it gives lesser-known candidates — like Jimmy Carter in 1976 — an opportunity to parlay retail politicking skills into an electoral breakout.

The state is more than 90 percent white, rankling officials and activists who say the Democratic electorate there does not match the party’s diversity elsewhere.Credit...Jordan Gale for The New York Times

They’ve used their political clout to keep the first spot in line. When Tom Perez, the chairman of the Democratic National Committee, was campaigning for his post in 2017, he got the Iowa delegation to switch its support to him after pledging to protect Iowa’s first-in-the-nation status. (Other candidates for party chair, including Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., also pledged to keep Iowa first.) Mr. Perez declined to be interviewed about the Iowa caucuses.

Troy Price, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, argued in an interview Tuesday that Iowa’s population, which is 90.7 percent white, was in fact plenty diverse.

[SterlingPound]

1. It is long past time for America to have a 28th amendment

Unifying America's federal election system!

All Americans deserve the exact same laws when it comes to registering to vote, and all our primaries need to be on the same day and a limit of 6-8 weeks for our election cycles.

[loyalsister]

6. No way

Elections are locally administered for a good reason. We have a uniquely engaged citizenry in my city and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that our municipal and school board elections are held in the spring during odd yrs. I don't want that to change.
I do think that the electoral college is outdated and rooted in racism. It made some sense before technological advancements, but mass media provides for enough access that it is no longer necessary.
I have never participated in a caucus and am glad my state doesn't use them, but don't feel informed enough to have an opinion on what other populations should do.
As for ordering, I think that the out weighted influence of white voters is a manifestation of white supremacy and we should make changes in the order of primaries.

[SterlingPound]

24. We fail all Americans when we don't have uniform requirements for voting nationwide

This isn't the 1800's where we by necessity need to administer the voting locally

and all it has done has enabled others in power to discriminate against Americans with zero power at the local level.

I haven't even brought up the EC YET!


"Elections are locally administered for a good reason. We have a uniquely engaged citizenry in my city and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that our municipal and school board elections are held in the spring during odd yrs. I don't want that to change."

School boards and the local elections for thembhave nothing to do with unifying the requirements for voting at the federal level.

[loyalsister]

32. All elections are run locally

The only federal agreement we really have is the date of federal elections. Other than that, in any given year there are thousands of elections.

[George II]

2. The latest estimates of Iowa's demographics is anything but "diverse":

White: 90.57%
Black or African American: 3.42%
Asian: 2.28%
Two or more races: 2.01%
Other race: 1.27%
Native American: 0.35%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.09%

http://worldpopulationreview.com/states/iowa-population/

[question everything]

8. And how is it in NH? Not much different i supsect

[George II]

10. Correct, it's not much different, maybe a little bit whiter:

White: 93.42%
Asian: 2.50%
Two or more races: 1.97%
Black or African American: 1.40%
Other race: 0.53%
Native American: 0.16%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander: 0.02%

[IronLionZion]

3. They might have some English, German, Swedish, Irish, Polish, etc.

and some disenfranchised Native Americans

[crazytown]

4. The real culprit is New Hampshire

which has passed a State law saying it must be the first primary in the nation. Iowa does not have a realistic option of moving to a primary system. And NH is lily white.

[Buzz cook]

7. Good point.

I like caucuses. Sorry to see them go in my state. It is a form that lets people to be active in selecting their leaders and for them to move beyond influencing people in their local precinct. Delegates from precincts move to district and county conventions their voices are heard by powerful people in a way that they can't be in a primary system.

The caucus system is the only way a regular person can get to the national convention.

[question everything]

9. Sure, caucuses are great as you describe

But in that case, a presidential primary should be separated. As Minnesota will have it in 2020. Will wait and see

[SterlingPound]

25. I think ranked choice voting achieves the same outcome

[PhoenixDem]

29. Caucuses allow frenzied bullying at the expense of the silent parts of the electorate. n/t

[OldRed2450]

33. My aunt took my grandmother to

WA state caucus 2016. She said a bus arrived full of young men being rude, boorish and obnoxious. They kept letting each other cut inline. She said they had to leave before voting for fear of having a full blown panic attack. They were calling her uninformed voter and laying the blame of everything in life at her.

[George II]

11. Yes, that law is crazy. I would guess that if a state moves their primary to January 1....

...New Hampshire would hold their primary this year!

New Englanders in general and people in New Hampshire are very stubborn - remember their state motto, "Live Free Or Die".

[crazytown]

13. NH is 1.4% black

There's the big skew in the early primaries right there. One of the whitest states demands it should be first.

[SterlingPound]

26. Another good example of why we need to limit the campaign cycle to less than 2 months by law

[MBS]

5. When I was doing phone canvassing in the 2003-2004 Democratic primaries,

I found that Iowa voters took their responsibilities extremely seriously; I also found them to be exceptionally well-informed. And, yes, better informed and more engaged than the New Hampshire votes I'd contacted. And I ascribe at least some of these qualities of Iowa voters to the caucus system (as well as to the fact that their caucus comes first).
After many of these phone calls, I found myself thinking, if only all voters in the US were as engaged and well-informed as Iowa voters.

[Demsrule86]

12. That does not change the fact that the AA community is shut out of these early primaries in lily

white states...it is just plain wrong and needs to change.

[Xandric77]

15. He just explained that states with a lot of African Americans are not smart enough

Iowa is just SMART.

[Demsrule86]

20. It sure sounded that way. I feel 'icky'

[SharonClark]

35. Where did the author say that?

[Xandric77]

14. If only those diverse states were as smart as Iowa

Iowa is just so Einstein smart. They need to be first. Other states have a smaller IQ.
South Carolina in Arizona are cool but they're just not SMART and they are disinformed.

[stopdiggin]

17. wow. triggered. (nt)

[Xandric77]

18. "Triggered" is a right-wing meme

The term triggered began when victims of sexual abuse in college took steps against comments that may trigger bad memories from the past. Right-wingers began making fun of the word triggered, just as you're doing right now.

when you cannot refute animals argument, you just say they're "triggered." Then you run away.

Durant's, the opposite of being triggered is agreeing that Iowans are so so smarter.

[stopdiggin]

21. thank you for the education (nt)

[stopdiggin]

16. Thanks. I think that's an observation that deserves airing

1) the idea (floated in the OP) of having a single national, one day, primary .. is a really, really BAD one. If you want to see almost zero interaction and input from local politics and voters .. almost exclusive party control .. and an almost totally exclusive focus on big media markets ... This is your chance!

2) while the arguments for the advantages to having two smaller states go first are valid (and probably ought to get a greater hearing) .. the demographic issue is certainly relevant and somewhat troubling. Perhaps even more problematic than their utter "whiteness", is the fact that IA and NH are almost devoid of any "urban" areas or representation. And no amount of "education" or "informed voter" is going to truly overcome that disparity. Urban voters just have different issues, priorities and perspectives. Perhaps early primaries could be tweaked to have some urban representation .. while still retaining some of the advantages of the lower impact, lower recognition, foot in the door, ground game politicking that really has served the races in the past. What about an early primary week? .. with maybe 5 states? One a big state with urban representation, a couple of moderate electoral states, and round off with a couple of small population states?

[MBS]

19. I agree that a single national one day primary would be a complete disaster.

. . . for all of the reasons you mentioned.
Also, voter impressions evolve over time, and the staggered primaries do capture at least some of that evolution.

[SterlingPound]

27. I disagree

1) the idea (floated in the OP) of having a single national, one day, primary .. is a really, really BAD one. If you want to see almost zero interaction and input from local politics and voters .. almost exclusive party control .. and an almost totally exclusive focus on big media markets ... This is your chance!

So same as it always is and was and will be no matter what we try it seems
Lincoln didn't fight the civil war to free the corporations: Thom Hartma...

via @YouTube

Wisconsin had an amendment that used to bring us closer than anything else that i know of.



Until we outlaw big money and revert back to some mystical time when "If you want to see almost zero interaction and input from local politics and voters .. almost exclusive party control", wasn't the norm.


When was that?

[Demsrule86]

22. I lived in Georgia and now in Ohio...I can assure you that the AA campaign workers and voters

I worked with and live among are as engaged and well-informed as any white voter in Iowa...and have the right to have a say in who our nominee should be.

[MBS]

23. I absolutely agree that AA voters are as dedicated as, and arguably more dedicated than,

any other US voters in the country.
That wasn't my point. At all. My point was about the value of a selection of intimate primary campaigns, where voters have the chance of, and responsibility of, getting to know candidates up close and personal, AND where the candidates themselves have the chance of, and responsibility of, getting to know voter concerns up close and personal. To emphasize: this kind of intimate interaction is as important for the presidential candidates themselves as it is for the voters.

And that I believe that, at least in Iowa, the caucuses, do seem to have a particular benefit in fostering thoughtful evaluations and discussion, at least in Iowa. (I readily recognize that there are flaws in the system, and that it is unlikely to work well in many other states, but I do believe that there are other benefits, too)

I'm glad that Nevada and South Carolina have been added to the list of early-primary/caucus states, to broaden the demographic sample beyond Iowa and New Hampshire.

[democratisphere]

28. IOWA caucuses are the biggest sham and fraud in primary elections.

[PhoenixDem]

30. Easy solution

Reduce the number of delegates that IA and NH send to the convention. Perhaps 10 apiece. That will make them see the light.

[Bettie]

31. How many Iowa sucks

posts do we need a day?

[SharonClark]

36. Not enough for some.

[Aaron Pereira]

34. The real problem with the Iowa caucus is lack of perspective by observers.

I appreciate Iowa just for the opportunity it gives involved party members to campaign and meet candidates on a first name basis. I'd hate to see it turned into a generic primary on super Tuesday for that reason alone.

Iowa has it's place but please don't give it more weight than it deserves.

[SharonClark]

37. Get a grip, people, and check your jealousy

Your time will come soon and you in the bigger states will have more influence than the progressive Dems in Iowa.