Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses?

by andrewalker08, Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:13:11 PM EST

The short answer to that question is very much so...

Jason Huffman has lived in Iowa his whole life. Lately he has been watching presidential debates on the Internet, discussing what he sees with friends and relatives. But when fellow Iowans choose among presidential candidates on Thursday night, he will not be able to vote, because he is serving with the National Guard in western Afghanistan.

"Shouldn't we at least have as much influence in this as any other citizen?" Captain Huffman wrote in an e-mail interview.

Scott Brennan, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said the party had no responsibility to ensure that voters can caucus. "The campaigns are in charge of generating the turnout," Mr. Brennan said, and the voters who truly care will find their way to their local caucuses.

Source:  1/2/2008 New York Times article "Caucuses Empower Only Some Iowans"

Can you imagine fighting and risking your life for your country; caring enough to watch the debates online; and then learning that you can't caucus because you're stationed over-seas.

What about Iowans that are busting their collective asses trying to put food on the table and pay their bills every month?

These are the people that we Democrats are fighting for and standing up for, right?

You want to caucus but you can't because your boss tells you that you have to work that night.  In the New York Times article cited above, Tom Lindsey, an Iowa high school teacher said, "It [the caucuses] disenfranchises certain voters or makes them make choices between putting food on the table and caucusing."

Now what kind of democracy is that?

You put your life on the line for your country, but you can't vote.  You work hard and play by the rules, but you can't vote.  And then, on top of that, you have some partisan clown saying "the voters who truly care will find their way to their local caucuses."

I guess Iowa soldiers defending their country don't care.  I guess men and women working hard to provide for their families don't care.

When are we going to end this quadrennial madness?




Tags: Iowa, Caucuses (all tags)

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Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Iowa doesn't care. The DNC doesn't care.

If you want to talk about the Democratic Party disenfranchising voters, talk to Democrats in Florida and Michigan.


by hwc on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:17:08 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (2.00 / 0)

If I were sent to Iraq by Hillary Clinton and then I couldn't vote against her, I'd be ticked off too!


by mcdave on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:20:30 PM EST

That's not funny... (none / 0)

...mcdave, it isn't funny in the least.


by andrewalker08 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:25:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

It is VERY undemocratic. To say that my vote does not matter because my candidates gets too little support is wholly undemocratic. I think there needs to be MAJOR election reform, from voting machines, to finance law to the actual process of choosing our nominees for President and Vice President.

I hate to say it, but the Republicans have it right. Their Iowa caucus is a private matter in which everyone marks their vote privately and everyone's vote is counted no matter the level of support.

Maybe people could fight for a right to privacy with regard to the Iowa Democratic Caucus.


Restore America's Strength.
by RJEvans on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:28:46 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

You may diagree with the caucus process, but any reform of this has to come from the Democratic Party in Iowa.

Election reform at the state or federal level is meaningless since it concerns the inner workings of a political party.  The government cannot dicate how a political party chooses its nominee for president or any other office.


d
by d on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:41:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

The best way to reform the Iowa caucus is to move its date to mid-July where it belongs.


by hwc on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:31:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

I agree.We should choose a bigger state where money and celebrity predominates. Afterall, all the problems with our democracy are reducible to who goes first with the primary.


by bruh21 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:34:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Oh stop it. Fifteen calls a night to every registered voter in a state is not a valid way to choose among candidates.


by hwc on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:47:08 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

the point is that are no easy solutions. that many of you think there are is what i am making fun of.


by bruh21 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 06:28:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

With apologies to desmoinesdem...

That a small number of early states have such outsize influence is bad enough.

That in Iowa, this influence is being given to about 10% of Iowa's population, is considerably worse.

I have to say, the Times writer picked a good example to lead off: for soldiers not being able to caucus should be unacceptable.

What I'd like (even more than a Clinton victory) is for there to be a muddled three-way tie, so that nothing gets decided or even influenced. Not until Feb. 5 should the conventional wisdom start favoring any particular candidate.


by OrangeFur on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 04:43:42 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Relax, your candidate has more money than god and will survive her upcoming loss in Iowa (and maybe NH too) just fine ... there are enough dullards in this country who can't do anything but vote for a Bush or Clinton to ensure your candidate's nomination.  Rest easy ... the forces of American stupidity and robotic behavior are on your side even if they work against you in Iowa.


by Dan Conley on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:48:01 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

I am anti Hillary, but I have to agree. The Iowa process is a joke. First of all, why does one state go first every single time? They need to rotate it. Iowa is not even representative of America in any aspect. It is a niche state. I say rotate the states. And open up the Iowa primary process. It is ridiculous that many citizens have to risk losing their jobs to have a say.


by Pravin on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 10:47:13 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Yeah it's IA fault that people in larger states can't think for themselves. DAMN IA.


by bruh21 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:04:10 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

bruh21,

I'm glad to see that you've given implicit support to the disenfranchisement of America's soldiers stationed over-seas along with our country's working families.


by andrewalker08 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:07:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (2.00 / 1)

yes absolutely. again, I agree, we don't have the ability to think for  ourselves. if another state went first it would totally solve that problem.


by bruh21 on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:08:36 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

The fact that you've made a valid point with this diary does not really excuse this from being an asshole-type comment.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 06:11:27 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

I love the Iowa system, more states should use it.  The Iowa system forces you to stand up and be counted and actually listen to people trying to persuade you to change your mind.  How refreshing in a nation where people enter echo chambers and refuse to even consider alternate points of view anymore.  True democracy requires exercising your brain, not just your rights.


by Dan Conley on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:43:01 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Oh and as for the issue of military personnel or others who cannot participate, I don't think the Iowa system is perfect and they should probably create additional virtual precincts where these voters can have a voice too ... just as long as they have to follow the same basic system.


by Dan Conley on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:44:37 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (1.00 / 3)

It's a system designed to let husbands keep their "little ladies" from getting any silly notions in the voting booth.


by hwc on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 05:48:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

I dont agree with hwc on many things. But come on, give hwc a break. Have a sense of humor. It was a valid dig. The wife part can be substituted by any other subservient role played by any citizen.


by Pravin on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 10:49:19 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

No, it really can't.

hwc makes a dozen comments every day about how Iowa is supposedly one of the most sexist states in the nation, and the only way they can redeem themselves is to nominate Hillary.

If you think he's making a joke, and not accusing Iowans of sexism, you're mistaken.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 01:43:14 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

Hah. Larry Sabato said on CNN tonight that if a country like Pakistan tried to hold an election like the Iowa caucus, the United States and the United Nations would scream bloody murder about election rigging.


by hwc on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 08:06:48 PM EST

Re: Just how undemocratic are Iowa's caucuses? (none / 0)

But we're not holding an election, you see.  The Democratic Party is selecting a nominee.

I'd be quite surprised if there are many countries in the world where the political parties select their nominees in any process nearly as democratic as the one we utilize.

And of course, I've never seen the United Nations or the United States register any complaints about the manner in which political parties in foreign countries select their nominees, and it would be quite bizarre for them to do so.


"Another problem we have...is that in election years we behave somewhat as primitive peoples do at the time of the full moon." --Harry Truman
by Steve M on Wed Jan 02, 2008 at 10:16:05 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Just How Undemocratic Are Iowa's Caucuses? (none / 0)

Now this is damn strange, folks. I mean, even coming from a hard-edge DUCT-TAPE blog, this is damn strange...

http://www.rense.com/general79/sis.htm

Is there any validity to this? How crazy can it get? (Unless the duct-tapers are totally full of it.)


by blues on Thu Jan 03, 2008 at 12:18:47 AM EST


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