My First Caucus

This post is now so stale that we can't really call ourselves news reporters, but AJ and I will go ahead and file our story about the 2008 Iowa caucuses anyway. Apologies for the delay-it definitely is not a commentary on the level of excitement of that night, because it was electric! We knew the turnout was going to be big when my mom, AJ and I were driving to her caucus location at my old junior high and saw that we were one of about 8 cars in a line snaking our way through the bitterly cold January night toward the school. When we arrived at the junior high, we were shocked--the parking lot was overflowing and people had parked up the surrounding blocks, so we had to park four blocks away and hoof it. Parking four blocks away in downtown Chicago is not a big deal (and in fact would be a real find), but in Clive, Iowa, it is considered ridiculous. My mom then estimated that the turnout was at least double what it was at her caucus four years ago. Her estimate was further supported by the fact that we had to wait in a line that stretched outside the building just to get in.

For those not familiar with the caucus protocol, people physically stand in groups for the candidates that they support and an initial count is taken to determine which candidates are "viable." To be viable, a candidate must have 15% of the votes of the people attending that particular caucus. If a candidate is not viable, his or her supporters must then choose another candidate or can choose to abstain from voting. This means that voters' second choices can have a huge impact on the outcome of the evening. The initial vote at our location resulted in Biden, Richardson and Dodd not being viable, which left 100+ voters looking for a new candidate. The initial vote went 1-2-3 to Obama!, Clinton and Edwards, but less than 60 votes separated 1 from 3, so the shakeout of the remaining voters whose first choices were not viable could have swung it for any of the top three. Although most hardened reporters would have stuck it out until the bitter end, this reporting duo had already missed bedtime, so we went home and had to phone in to a source for the results because the process took much longer than usual with so many new voters to register. According to our source, we can confidently report that Obama ended up with the most delegates.

We added to our excitement during the caucus by texting back and forth with my brother, who caucused at a different location near his place in Des Moines. "first round was barack 231, Hillary and edwards 103 Each!" he texted us. We responded with our totals and many exclamation points. Once AJ was tucked in bed, we were full of adrenaline from the victory and so stayed up late watching the results pour as we flipped channels between CNN and all of the local news stations. The rest of the world seemed incredibly surprised that Iowa, a state with a black population of 2%, would vote for Obama. I was not surprised at all. Iowans take their politics very seriously, and everyone who I spoke with in the weeks leading up to the caucus seemed focused on change and bringing back faith in the American dream. Obama was the candidate whose message most closely adhered to those goals.

The pictures are of AJ with his Grammy Julie, caucus-goers from Clive Precinct 3 getting ready to start, and people trying to convert voters who had initially chosen Bill Richardson (who was not viable at our precinct) to support another candidate.