You Ought to Give Iowa a Try

by Julie Brinn Siegel

The line at the Des Moines International Airport security checkpoint was the longest line I have ever seen outside of Disney World.

The day after the Iowa caucuses, the throngs of activists, politicians and media left the frozen Midwestern state as fast as they could.

Many of them, especially supporters of upset candidates, were grumbling that the caucuses were undemocratic.
I would argue the opposite.

I had the privilege of attending the Iowa caucuses this year as an observer.

I found out when I arrived the day before the caucuses that they are not just a one- to two-hour event, but rather a tidal wave of politics that hits Iowa once every four years.
Iowa was saturated with politics.

There were bumper stickers everywhere.

On the streets around the city there were hundred of campaign volunteers—mostly supporters of former Vermont Governor Howard Dean doting neon orange Dean-issued ski caps.

Walk into Zanzibar’s, a local coffee shop, and you were likely to find Iowans talking about the caucus.

Walk into the downtown Des Moines Starbucks and you were liable to find a political pundit that looked 20 years older than they do on TV.

Iowa was a political heaven. Iowans couldn’t help but be educated voters.

The caucuses began at 6:30 p.m.

By 7:10 it was clear that Representatives Gephardt and Kucinich didn’t the support necessary to assign delegates.
Their supporters quickly began looking to realign themselves.
What ensued was a lot like a JDS color war.

Supporters of Senators Edwards and Kerry and of Governor Dean began to cheer and chant.

They sent representatives to woo, negotiate, and persuade Kucinich and Gephardt supporters to realign with new candidates. Few, if any, of these representatives were employed by a campaign.

These negotiators were ordinary Iowans.

This is the beauty of a caucus.

Iowans themselves convince their peers to vote for candidates.
In order to dominate a caucus, candidates must inspire people to speak for them. Political literature and out-of-state activists aren’t enough.

Candidates must speak to the voters and inspire them not just to vote, but also to stand up for their candidate and convince others to vote with them.

It is not a candidate’s perfectly-crafted messages that are present at the caucuses—only the people they inspired.
The people of Iowa pick their leaders based on the advice of their neighbors.

The people of Iowa, not political strategists, do the only campaigning that really matters, the campaigning inside the caucus.

Consequently, pundits’ predictions and careful calculations can be destroyed by a charismatic ‘caucuser.’

How frustrating for the pundits! Maybe that’s why they all skipped town so fast.