Iowa Caucus Ruckus - Give Dean a little credit y'all!

[funky_bug]

Thought we could use a little comic relief.

My blog buddy windansea posted a bit about the Iowa caucus. Do they pull levers and cast their vote? Nope. They get to go and stand in a corner signifying their support of a candidate. Any corner at 15% or lower is recruited through cheers and jeers to come to another candidate's corner. In doing some research, I found the cutest quote. We need some comic relief, so enjoy!


"Of course, Iowa doesn't actually have a presidential primary. They have a caucus, which is probably the dumbest method of choosing a presidential candidate short of having them play Russian roulette. If there's one basic idea associated with democracy (aside from the whole one man-one vote thing), it is the right to vote in private. You step into a voting booth, close the curtain, punch the ballot for the candidate of your choice, and drop your ballot into the ballot box. Not in Iowa. They do things differently there. In Iowa, you have to tell your entire neighborhood who you're voting for. If you dare to vote for an unpopular candidate, your kids will be taunted mercilessly by their classmates. ("My mommy told me that your daddy voted for Bill Bradley. You can't play with us anymore.") That's democratic, isn't it?"

http://criterion.uchicago.edu/issues/iv4/matthews.html

WARNING: I have no idea what the party affiliation or political idealism is for this source *nod to mod*

[Clark4VotingRights]

1. It is a weird system. Maybe the Miami Dade brownshirt mob

Will show up to pressure them on their voting preference.

[funky_bug]

2. Miami Brown Shirt Mob?

I'm a floridian, but I'm not sure what you mean. Would love to hear this one.

[dsc]

3. Unlike you I actually observed a caucus

and it was so ghastly. These people had the audacity to actually go out on a winter's night and take part in discussing issues. They actually had the audacity to have ideas of what to put in the platform. And most ghastly of all they were actually proud of the people they supported for President. Those rat bastards. Those evil, manical, anti democratic cretians. Shame oh shame on them for actually giving a damn about their country.

[funky_bug]

4. Whoa pony!

Hey, I was not criticizing... Dean made a comment about the Iowa caucus that a lot of us (who have never participated in one) took as a negative comment about the caucus.

After researching, I simply wanted to say that I think I understand his comment a lot better now.

No slam intended in any way, shape or form. If I've ruffled you, I offer my apologies.

And I agree... if their caucus requires more effort than the pull of a lever, then I applaud them.

[question everything]

5. Memorable experience... but

This is why it is estimated that only 10% of registered Democrats in Iowa will actually vote. Becuase you do have to go out in the dead of winter, and because the process can take several hours.

And this is why I have to question the importance that Iowa and New Hampshire are given. As I've posted elsewhere, during the last two cycles when the field was wide open - in 1988 and in 1992 - Iowa did not pick the final candidate. Similar observation for the GOP, and for New Hampshire.

Some years back several secretaries of States tried to suggest another mode, where the order of primaries/caucuses rotate. Obviously it got no where.

[Bread and Circus]

6. I think your post is misleading, that is not what the original poster was.

intending at all.

I think people should vote in private.

Secondly, Dean was one of the first to criticize the caucus
system.

[buff2]

7. Geez......the NERVE of those people!

:hi: GO DEAN!!!! He's going to win,I just KNOW it!!