Iowa Caucus Guy’s Presidential Election Blog

The media continues to love to call the Iowa Caucus a disaster.  This isn't a post to necessarily defend or to rip on the caucus, but with Nevada coming up, I thought it deserved a few words. First, of all, the media likes to focus on the negatives, which is unfair to some of the positive news.  Time and time, I have heard stories from caucusgoers that had great caucuses.  There were good conversations, excitement around their candidates, and people got checked in quickly. In central Iowa, anyway, the Democratic Party, as well as all of the major campaigns gave caucus training.  The Caucus is confusing (from beginning to end- from 'where do I need to go?' to 'why are we flipping a coin to determine a winner').  There was a lot of communication, a lot of online resources, and plenty of chances to attend a training.  Heck, even some local businesses got into the act- from Kid's Caucuses at the local coffee shop (where Bernie also won ),, the Iowa His...

This series is about combining my love for politics with my love for music. We may not fully realize it, but we are in the midst of big changes. While the Republican primary seems uneventful, we know that at some point, Donald Trump will cease to be  the party's nominee (either due to the 22nd Amendment or his fast food diet).  This will leave a huge hole for someone to try and pick up and fill.  With Reagan, it took a decade to find anyone even close to living up to that personality.  Sorry, Donald Jr,  I'm not quite convinced. The Democrats initial show of unity has given way to infighting and paranoia.  We can only guess at who the nominee will be and what the after-effects will be. The Libertarian Party is also at an interesting crossroads, which could benefit from some of the fallout from what happens in the other two parties.  The result is a wide list of candidates from across a political spectrum, with varying ideas and experien...

I had a couple of Blog posts in mind, but this was not the particular post I had in mind two weeks ago. Of course, it has become s a necessary one.  To put it mildly, the Iowa Caucus did not go well. Unfortunately, I have branded everything around being Iowa Caucus Guy, which feels as short-sighted as branding myself Exxon Valdez guy.  I never tried to imply I was more than a guy with an opinion.  I am not.  I am not a Power Player.  Iowa is small, though and  I am close to a more than a few by a couple of degrees of separation in all directions- left, right, and otherwise. In any case, this may come off as a defense of the Caucus, and maybe it is.  I guess, my main thought is that while it may be flawed, let's hope what comes next takes into account some of the positive things about the Iowa Caucus. Most importantly, there was a lot of good intentions and volunteers who have gotten painted by the broader brush.  I know it was a mantra of ...

It was the best of times. It was the worst of times. Right? Caucus night was here and the phone calls and door knockers would stop.  Five campaigns showed up early with their signs. The Big 4 and Andrew Yang. Pollsters had started to question the support of Warren and Buttigieg, but anyone who had been paying attention knew that they were backed by strong organizations.  This was going on across Iowa. I was in a medium sized precinct which meant there would be no media excitement. Not big enough to draw an actual candidate like    Elizabeth Warren. Not small enough to be considered “folksy, small town Iowa” for the National media. Big crowds were to be expected and one thing the IDP did well was to make sure there was plenty of room. This meant some last minute changes of venue (though things worked fairly smoothly, and the narrative of “moved locations” is an exaggeration) . I don't think people can really understand the Caucus without seeing...

Remember the Yard Sign Poll .  Well, it's time to finish it, huh? I will take questions. Any changes to the way you are doing your poll? Why yes, I decided not everyone has a yard.  People rent.  People live in apartments.  People live on the side of a hill, I suppose.  So I decided that I would count bumper stickers, too.  Right?  Putting a bumper sticker on your vehicle. That's a real commitment.  Now, of course, I have no way of knowing if that is a brand-new Bernie bumper sticker or one from 2016.  Heck, they may have bought the car used since then.Who knows? So Bumper stickers, huh?  Well, I think I see more radio station stickers than political ones. Definitely, disc jockeys are way more than popular than politicians.  The Morning Moose would be running third in our poll. It's tough, though.  I mean anything can look like an Andrew Yang sticker from 100 feet. Ok.  Any surprises? Big ones....

When I started this blog, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to cover the Election better than the Media. I also knew that I wasn’t going to have the reach of the bigger Iowa blogs. What I did know was that I could tell a side of the story of the Caucus that was unique and show a side that people might not know.  In the past, I have had my friend Mike share some of his Caucus experiences. This is my favorite because it’s about more than policy or polling numbers. I recognize some of myself here (I still have my scrapbook I made of the 1984 Election when I was 10). Yes, it is an important part of the process that Iowans get to vet candidates, but let’s not forget the next generation getting a hands-on lesson in Civics.  Many dads would like to think that their son's see them as a hero. Most of the time they do start out as the hero, and that ultimately comes full circle as their child becomes an adult and comes to respect all their father had done for them growing up. There's...