Slumber Party

I would like to add this comment. Iowa may have gotten more than its predicted 10 percent participation. That said, I remember many years in WA. State that we were happy to get even five percent caucus participation.
That says it all for me. To have even FIVE percent of a State elect their Democrat or Republican candidate simply sucks.

We have an African American, a Woman, a Preacher, and a former War hero resulting in a some 10 percent caucus turnout... that suggests that some 5 percent elected Obama, Clinton or Edwards and the other 5 percent had a choice between Huckabee and Romney and others.

This is hardly a mandate for Democracy or for Independent choice. This system gives no room for Independents or for real Mavericks. Continue your delusional caucus euphoria but recognize that some 90 percent of voters do not participate in them!

I advocate a return to open primaries ... and those that allow multiple choices, not just for Democrat or Republican but for Independents. Socialists, Libertarians ???. Whatever.

Secateur.


We have an African American, a Woman, a Preacher , a former War hero .result in a some 10 percent turnout.... That suggests that some 5 percent elected Obama, Clinton or Edwards and the other 5 percent had a choice between Huckabee and Romney and others.

Hardly a mamdate for Democracy or for Independant choice. This system gives no room for Independents or for real Mavericks. Continue your delusional caucus euphorea but recognize that some 90 percent of voters do not participate in them!

Return to primaries ... and those that allow multiple choices, not just for Democrat or Republican.

Secateur

Caucuses and the use of persuasion _ _ _ in those some two hours, one half hour is usually used to EDUCATE the political neophytes as to what to do. Elect a precinct chair, who often has to be educated at the last moment.

Campaigning also includes smart issue participants to push for their candidate. It creates a bias for the most radical of both parties to succeed in swaying the new caucus goers. Prepared and politicized caucus chairs can and will always move the agenda to their own prejudices

After the mathematics and 15 percentile merry go-rounds one goes on to referendums and proposals to the party. Once again the party elite can influence the newcomer simply by having prepared statements and referendums already printed out. The newbie has no chance at all. That said even with the precinct chairs influence, most of the caucus suggestions never make it through the next steps of the urban political grinder.

As for the ???two hours???, much occurs after the majority leave. Those delegates chosen have to work through the paperwork and the proposals discussed. It can be much longer than two hours ??? guess who stays to finalize and sanitize what has been accomplished.
Read the precinct chairmen!!!!!


This system is a major waste of man-hours and I totally support a primary vote that allows voters to vote at ANY TIME OF THE DAY OR WEEK before the primary. Be it in the afternoon or the evening ... two hours dis-infranchises too many of us. A primary ... it is in and out, be it a lunch break from a job or whatever. No problem. Anyone who believes that their "resolutions" will survive even on a State level exam is delusional.

Secateur

Des Moines

Your stupid explanation of an assessment goes well with your stupid look. My recommendation cut off your hair, so maybe a more intelligent thought can surface.

Your stupid explanation goes well with your stupid look. Cut your hair off, it might improve your assessment so you can say something intelligent.

Have no idea what this author is talking about. Maybe another state. The Iowa Caucuses have always been run. And ultimately a chance for the community to get to know each other. This was my second caucus and just as memorable as my first in 2004. I had lots of fun before during and after.

You are absolutely wrong . I was at the caucus tonight, and the energy for Obama was through the roof. No one minded being there for a few hours to support such a wonderful candidate. The reason your experiences in the past have been boring are because the candidates have been boring. Al Gore? John Kerry? Not even Howard Dean had the electric appeal that Obama has. Caucusing is great because you have to look your friends and neighbors in the face and decideon a candidate. Obama is the real deal, and Iowa has gotten this race off to a great start!

do you know what the heck you are talking about, if you think you are a genius, you won't be here writing about craps

How wrong you are! www.barackobama.com, man

"The likeability factor is beyond any analyst's is realm" eddiwhere.
"You either have it or you don't, OBAMA HAS IT"eddiewhere
"FREE AND FAIR ELECTIONS"eddiewhere
But many of the caucus chairs are well-meaning lawyers and civic activists who have spent a lifetime debating "process." These are the kinds of people who actually enjoy sitting around discussing arcane party rules, and seem oblivious to the pain they might inflict on others. For these Democrats, any level of stupefaction is OK if it's in the name of "fairness" and "community" and "participation." That's big-D Democratic participation. They figure it's their party and they'll bore if they want to.
What does this guy know. More and more But many of the caucus chairs are well-meaning lawyers and civic activists who have spent a lifetime debating "process." These are the kinds of people who actually enjoy sitting around discussing arcane party rules, and seem oblivious to the pain they might inflict on others. For these Democrats, any level of stupefaction is OK if it's in the name of "fairness" and "community" and "participation." That's big-D Democratic participation. They figure it's their party and they'll bore if they want to.
WHat doe this guy know. Read eddiwhere comments. This guy know what he's talking about. He knows his fellow Americans. He love AMERICA.

I always said polls mean nothing, if the citizens who participated in them do not show up to the voting booths when it counts. Iowa set a great example tonight for the rest of the states in that Iowans showed up to vote in record numbers. As an Arizonian and American I am proud of Iowa and I hope on February 5 Arizona will show up to vote in record numbers. Tonight was a step toward change and progress in which Iowans demonstrated first the power of democracy. Thank you Iowa. Sincerely John Spillman

Wow, Jonathan Alter, can you find any more mud to fling? I recently moved to Iowa from downtown Chicago, and was excited to be a part of this caucus. Instead of mindlessly walking to a voting booth and dropping in my ballot, this was my chance to stand and be counted.

In my opinion, this was the greatest democratic experience of my lifetime. I stood alongside my community and submitted my vote with my hand raised high. In my precinct, in nearly every precinct in Iowa, Obama won by a landslide. There was debate, there was conjecture, there were tears, there was laughter. This was truly democracy IN action, not the democracy of Diebold.

The Caucus is difficult to cover in any press sense, and you failed to find a way around that. I can understand this- its not something you can "oversee", but only something that you can take part in. In my precinct, 303 citizens stood and were counted. We shared laughter, tears, and comraderie-- and at the end of the event, we helped change America.

You may sling mud, as ignorantly as you have, but you have failed to understand the true power of democracy in action in the Iowa Caucus. Go back to 1968, when the Chicago party bosses handed the nomination to a candidate the people did not believe in, and understand why the Iowa Caucus, the only true voice of the people in our election system, has been given the power it has.

I felt this very informative and really wish that the average voter ( or non voter who is eligable) has to go and look for this information. Wouldn't it be wonderful if it were on the Morninng TV news, the evening TV news, and the late news and on the front page of all the local newspapers. One thing I did not see and was wondering about.....if I were a Republican, or and Independent, evidently I can go to the Democratic Cacuses, correct, and visa versa? If that is true, Cound I not go to the primaary Caucus of the party I was against, and then vote for the candidate I thought had the least chance of winning in Nov. against my party? In otherwords if I were a liberal and thought Huckabee would be easiest to beat in Nov. could I not go to the Rep. Caucus and vote for him? And if as a Rep. I thought Obama has the least experience, and is black, or Hillary is strident and a woman, I could then go to the Democratic Caucus and vote for the one I felt would be easiest to beat? Just a thought

How does it feel to be really wrong.............

How does i feel to be really wrong......