Caucus night

I debated on whether or not to go until right up to the last minute.

In the end, I decided attending the caucuses would be worth it just for who else I might see there and just to satisfy my curiosity that I knew would haunt me for a weeks afterward had I not been there.

I've taken part in both Democratic and Republican party caucuses. Strange creatures, those caucuses are.

They're not elections. The State of Iowa doesn't regulate them whatsoever. They're purely functions of the political parties that host them.

The main reason I thought I'd pass on them this time around is that there simply aren't any candidates that excite me this year. I don't dislike any of them, personally. It's just that none of them strike me as being especially suited as presidential candidates! I'd be thrilled to have any one of them over for dinner, but politically, I'm wary of every one of them.

There was one candidate I thought was more grounded in reality than the rest, and that was Bill Richardson, governor of New Mexico.

Instead, I went to sit in on the Republican caucuses.

The Democrats were meeting in several places around town. I would have gone to Hoover Elementary School, which has changed considerably since I was a student there. I do occasionally get the opportunity to go in there.

The Republicans were cramming into the cafeteria of the Mason City High School. Mind you, when I was a student there, I spent relatively little time in there. I generally skipped lunch and caught up on my homework in the library. I could usually eat after school!

I knew that Gov. Richardson was about the fifth candidate down from the top on the Democratic lineup, and that bothered me. That party has some peculiar things about the way they conduct business, and true to form, they have everyone stand beneath a sign denoting the rally point for each candidate's supporters. If fewer than 15% of the crowd in attendance ends up beneath or next to a candidate's sign, that candidate is eliminated from the running. At that point, those hapless souls are swarmed by representatives from the other candidate's campaigns, not only humiliated, but subject to all kinds of coercion and arm-twisting. I had no intention of supporting any other Democratic candidate.

On the Republican side of the equation, we rally as precincts. That's pretty simple. Where do you live? Go find the sign on a table and pull up a chair! Sit and visit with your neighbors for a bit. Maybe nominate a precinct captain or chairperson, or second someone else's nomination. Talk about the candidates for a couple of minutes. Or not. Sit and listen while candidates' supporters take the microphone and harp about 'their man'. Or tune it out.

I had no plans to take the mic. With all the commotion, it was tough to hear anyone, amplified or not. I wasn't fired up about any candidate, so I had nothing to add. I was just there to watch more than anything.

I saw people I hadn't seen in years. I also saw a few I never thought I'd see at the Republican caucus!

An eager young woman seated next to me asked aloud if anyone knew if Texas Representative Ron Paul supported public education. I think I may have been the only one who heard her. I explained that as a strict constitutionalist, Dr. Paul wasn't likely to favor anything the Federal government would want to do with public schools. I told her that anything not enumerated as a power of the Federal government was left for the states, and that included education. When she raised a curious eyebrow, I explained how in this day and age, this philosophy didn't always work. I offered as examples states such as North Dakota, Wyoming, and Arizona. Relatively small tax bases are common to each, and there aren't so many young people in any of those states. Consequently, if Uncle Sam doesn't require that they provide a certain minimum level of education and help fund some of it, those states are unlikely to do it themselves. Especially Arizona, now a retirement mecca. No one who retires there ever seems to have school age children, let alone school age children in Arizona. Funny how people don't seem to want to pay higher taxes to educate other people's kids! On the other hand, when it comes to law enforcement and police protection, they practically want to know who to write the check out to. The children who are growing up in Arizona do deserve a bit of outside intervention on their behalf, no?

After the local speakers spoke their minds, a special guest took the stage. Governor Tim Pawlenty had come down from Minnesota to speak for a few minutes on behalf of Senator John McCain. I like McCain. I just can't get excited about his campaign because I know how much success he's had before!

Less than an hour after arriving, a pad of Post-it notes was passed around the tables occupied by residents of precinct 3 of Ward 2. We each took one and readied our pens.

On mine, I wrote Dr. Ron Paul and folded the slip in half. I like the way that man thinks, and I appreciate his understanding of what the nation's founding fathers meant for the US government to be. I just find it regrettable that the world has changed so much in the last 230 years that a strict interpretation of the Constitution simply isn't tenable anymore! I cast a vote for him because I knew he was in no danger of coming out on top. I think everyone knew that Governor Mike Huckabee had a lock on that one.

The ballots were passed to the end of the tables and promptly counted by three people chosen to do so. The results: Huckabee - 11, Paul - 10, McCain - 5, Thompson - 4, Romney -2. No one in my neighborhood stood up for Giuliani, which goes to show that he perhaps should have spent some time and effort in Iowa after all! I was startled that Rep. Paul did so well. Then again, his campaign volunteers are the only ones I recall going door to door in my part of the city. That personal touch makes a difference! Sort of. The good doctor still only netted about 10%, more or less congruent with elsewhere throughout the state. He did well in my neighborhood, though!

I left slightly early since I was going to be up at three and it was already after eight in the evening.

I think my biggest contribution for the evening was nominating a seventeen year old girl with braces named Tiara as a delegate to the county convention in early March. She thanked me before I left, and I told her I thought it'd be good experience for her. She smiled with delight.

The idea that I may have made a difference in her young life is what made the whole thing worthwhile!

the TiGor