Caucus Away

This Monday, Iowa will kick off the 2016 presidential primary process. Iowans closely guard their station as residents of the first state in the union to voice their choice for the presidential nominee for the Republican and Democratic parties.

Many of us non-Iowans are used to voting in primaries. For us, this means showing up on a certain day at our polling place between certain hours or sending in our absentee ballots before the primary date.

In Iowa, the process works much differently. They caucus rather than vote. What does this mean?

In the state's 99 counties, there exist 1,681 caucus locations. The locations range from schools and civic centers to Thoma's Dairy Bar Cafe in Garnavillo (population 745). Caucuses can even happen in homes!

The caucuses are run by the Democratic and Republican parties rather than by the state of Iowa. People who want to participate must first figure out where their caucus is located (both parties have a website that provide the information), then show up and get in line to register by 7 pm the night of the caucus.

While you must be registered as a "party member" to caucus, both parties allow you to register on the night of the caucus at your location. Republican caucuses require valid ID; Democratic caucuses require none.

In Republican caucuses, participants vote by silent ballot. The candidates and/or their representatives are invited to talk to the audience, after which blank pieces of paper are passed around. The caucus goers write the name of the candidate they favor on the paper and the papers are given to a collector who counts the votes for each party.

This process has its challenges. In 2008, then-GOP candidate Mitt Romney was declared the winner. Two weeks later, Rick Santorum was declared the winner. Sorry, Rick, a bit too late to propel his campaign in New Hampshire.

For Democrats, caucus goers show their support by standing in an area designated for a particular candidate. They are given time to encourage others to join in. If, after 30 minutes, a group favoring one candidate or the other is considered too small to be "viable," then it is required to realign with other candidates.

What does this process mean? That if you are sick or out of town on business, you can't participate. It also means that, for your voice to be heard, you have to figure out where to go and get there on time. Many Iowans see this as an indication of their passion and interaction with the process, but it also means it's harder to participate in the process.

According to Dennis Goldford, professor of political science at Drake University and author of "How Many People Participate in the Iowa Caucuses?" the 2004 Democratic caucus turnout rate was 23 percent. Four years later, it soared to 40 percent. The 2008 Republican turnout rate was 21 percent, and held steady at 20 percent in 2012.

Since both parties allow for on-site party registration, the potential exists for independents or other party members to participate in the caucus. According to Goldford, exit polls after the 2012 Republican caucuses showed that "75 percent of participants were previously registered Republicans, while 2 percent had been registered Democrats and 23 percent had been registered as independents." Of those who had been independents, 43 percent "cast their preference vote for Ron Paul."

On the other side, "in 2008, 20 percent of the Democratic caucus participants had previously been independents."

When all is said and done, does Iowa's track record show that it helps determine the eventual nominees?

Maybe not. Reid J. Epstein and Peter Nicolas wrote this week in the Wall Street Journal, "How Iowa and New Hampshire Rate in Predicting Election Winners," that "Iowa Republicans haven't picked the party's nominee since George W. Bush won in 2000. Bob Dole in 1996 was the only other Iowa winner to claim the nomination since 1976."

Guess they are attributing the 2012 Iowa pick to Santorum. Although Romney was the declared winner for two weeks, one could argue that, by then, the public had moved on.

"The record is different for Iowa Democrats," Epstein and Nicolas note, "who have chosen the eventual party nominee in three of the last five contested caucuses."

Let's just hope that the 8-12 inches of snow predicted to fall next Tuesday in the Hawkeye State does not arrive a day early. If it does, the number of Iowans having an impact on the outcome of the caucuses will likely dwindle even more.

Hopefully Cruz will win, but we shall see.

Now I have questions about Iowa’s system of selecting candidates for the general election:

does anyone else think that the caucus system of voting is just absolutely screwy?

Who decides where to go? is this done in private homes or what?

I personally would be extremely uncomfortable walking into a strangers’ home for any reason. But that is just me.

I believe voters have finally had it with taking it up the keister. They have given the GOP all the patience in the world to get things done. Just about everyone with a heart beat knows the GOP has had majorities for the past 7 years, and NOTHING has been done to staunch the nightmare wrecking ball destroying America’s foundations, owing to Barry Barrack Hussein Soetoro Soebarkah Obama, and his fundamental transformation of these 57 united states.

Voters, as they approach the voting booths, will contemplate one last time, what happened in the last presidential election, wherein millions of voters stayed home, rather than vote for Romney, and what that wrought, and will choose the candidate that can best lead and win. I believe for Iowans, Trump has made the case that he can lead, warts, bumps and all, and can win. I believe, in spite of this most recent kerfuffle, Trump wins.

Well- you are talking to one of those holdouts. I don't care how much enmity you hold towards us.

I didn't confer with anyone in some sort of coordinated effort. I acted of my own volition, as did fellow patriots all.

I've voted for establishment outsiders, orthodox conservatives, and coroneted establishment insiders.

I come from a hardcore blue collar Democrat family, and earned my living as a Union tradesman. I converted to conservative values, thanks be to my boss, who listened to Rush Limbaugh religiously as we drove to job sites. I switched parties giving my loyalty to the GOP.

I became a precinct committeeman, registering voters at the grassroots level. I bought the pricey tickets to the fundraisers. I campaigned for candidates that I held my nose to vote for, for the good of the Party. I worked as an unpaid volunteer for a year to help get the first GOP US Senator elected in Illinois in over 20 years- one Peter Goslin Fitzgerald.

US Representative Dennis Hastert, (who is now in prison for failing to report substantial bank withdrawals, to pay off a blackmailer, and is a suspected pedophile) and the former Speaker of the House, and former US Representative Ray LaHood, 18th Congressional District, and my former congressman, (and Obama's former US Transportation Secretary) told Peter Fitzgerald that they were going to see to it that he was primaried, because Peter couldn't be bought and controlled by the Uniparty, because he didn't always vote lockstep with the GOP. Fitzgerald didn't run for reelection. He chose not to fight his own corrupt party.

A Jack Ryan ran for his seat and got taken out in the primary run-up, by sealed and quite damaging divorce records being released. Alan Keyes stepped in and got his plow cleaned in the general election by none other than Barrack Hussein Obama. Of course, Obama's opponent in the Dem. primary- Blair Hull, had his own sealed divorce records released, damaging him mortally.

The Grand Ol' uniParty. ENOUGH!!!

I'm done being the battered wife. I'm done being Charlie Brown. I'm done with the stupid party. I'm done with the backstabbers. I'm done with bringing a knife to a gun fight.

Paul Ryan's recent Kabuki theater leadership, in presenting a defund Planned Parenthood bill, that he knew would be vetoed, and much worse, knew- he didn't have the votes to override said veto, after first funding Planned Parenthood, in a 1.1 TRILLION dollar budget, is a betrayal and further vindication for sidelining Romney and his VP.

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