Iowa Caucus 2008

I have voted in countless elections and even consider myself very knowledgeable in the political process. Now I can say that I REALLY know the political process.

Being a newcomer to Iowa (as of May 2006), this was my first caucus. People that I spoke to before hand had mixed ideas of the caucus process, even fellow Iowans, but nothing prepared me for what it is really like. Voting for my candidate was the primary reason for caucusing last night, but I was more interested in what happens at the caucus and how it works. I walked away with more than I ever envisioned before last night.

It seems that there are two distinct ways to caucus - a Democrat way and a Republican way. They start the same with a general meeting and listen to people speak about each candidate, but that is the only similarity. From what I understand, the Dems then break out into groups based on candidate and try to lure others to their group. Thus they pick the candidate they are choosing - based on who has the most bodies grouped.

For the Republicans, the caucus breaks from the general meeting into their respective voting precincts. After precinct business such as electing precinct officers, a vote is taken of the candidates and tallied. Other business such as suggesting Platform Planks (items you would like to see the party support) and finally choosing delegates to represent the precinct at the County Convention that is held later conclude the evening's business.

In my previous experiences, the electoral process was very sterile and, for the most part secretive. I knew practically nobody, went into the booth and marked my ballot. With the caucus process, I was with my neighbors - some whom I knew - and I actually feel that I contributed something to the process as well as walked away with something in return. I can hardly say how candidates finished in my precincts from previous elections, but I know how my vote counted and where my candidate finished in this caucus - third.

Also, in previous voting engagements back in Arizona, the only thing that I walked away with after the primary election was a sense of satisfaction that I voted. Because the caucus process is so 'hands on', I actually walked away with something else. I will, for the first time, be attending the County Convention as a delegate in March. It is really exciting to not only see the political process happening, but to also be an integral part of that process.

So, for now, I will do my part for Fred as the election process moves on to New Hampshire and then on to Super Tuesday and the rest of the US. Then, we will get another learning experience on March 8 at the County Convention.

As a side note, I am really happy to see that Fred Thompson did finish pretty good here. While some people wrote him off because of (as they term it) his late entry, I think that he showed that he has what it takes.

Go Fred Go!