The Iowa caucuses will take place this Monday, January 15. A caucus is a party meeting and both the Democrats and the Republicans will meet separately to discuss who should run for president and what their party goals and beliefs should be.

Iowa has had the first in the nation caucus since 1968. It’s my opinion that the caucuses have made Iowa a mean, attention seeking, and stressed-out place. That’s the goal of authoritarians, and a big part of the Republican base here in Iowa are authoritarians (evangelicals).

In case you haven’t followed the Republican caucuses here, candidates have been crisscrossing the state trying to prove which one is the biggest, toughest bully. Ever since Joni Ernest won a Senate seat with an ad about castrating pigs and shooting Obamacare, Iowa has been racing towards the bottom of the valley of incivility. We have an attorney general who never tried a case, so understandably needs an extra million dollars to run her office. But she wanted to give Biden the Bird and this mean message won over the hearts of Iowans.

In a local election, the library was disparaged to the extent that some highly sheltered people became afraid to go there. The worry? They were lead to believe porn was sitting out in the childrens’ section. When a library crack-down referendum lost in a local election, the head of the group pushing for the oversight called those who didn’t support her views porn loving Marxists for government spending. And on matters of book censorship, my own state senator implied I was a pervert when I pointed out that for books, context was important.

Our governor ignored the urging of medical professionals on several issues numerous times, yet took the advice of Moms for Liberty, even posing with them. It really doesn’t matter if people in these groups have kinky sex or shoplift.  There’s money to be made from endorsements after all.

What happened to Iowa? I’d credit money pouring into misinformation. Take a look at the local county website. It’s filled with conspiracy theories and misinformation. Their antics have been reported, yet people still vote for them. It’s no secret that money has fueled their opinions and packed the Supreme Court. Iowans are no match for the conservative media sites popping up, many of which inflame stories and harass people they disagree with.  Studies have shown that conservative people are more susceptible to misinformation, more likely to repeat it, and that conservative news sites spread more misinformation.

Conservatives are lied to more and they believe it. Those who believe it and repeat it the most have a high desire for chaos. Republicans are associated with more inequality—and also more violence.  What isn’t discussed enough is that these people are also bored. They want to dress up and spread chaos because being a Republican is like putting on a costume and getting attention, especially here in Iowa where we have the first in the nation caucus.  Maybe they feel they can’t fit in with polite society and  they feel marginalized. In any case, it’s a circus of single issue voters and misinformation here in Iowa. Thankfully, it will be over soon.

The Democrats are having a caucus but not voting for the presidential candidate. The vote will be done through a mail in ballot. According to the Marion County Democrats:

On November 1, 2023, the window opened for Iowa Democrats to request their Presidential Preference Cards for the 2024 Iowa Caucuses.  The IDP Disability Caucus was instrumental in this process.  This is a major change in our Caucus; however, it’s definitely more inclusive and something that many will appreciate this year with the extreme weather that we’re experiencing.  It enables participation by those who are sick, don’t drive at night, work evening shifts, stuck at home due to nasty weather, babysitting or elderly sitting and the list can go on and on.

If you’ve not requested your Presidential Preference Card, please note that February 19^th is the last day to make your request. The on-line process is the easiest and quickest way to ensure your request is received in a timely manner. The online submission form meets accessibility needs and does provide an option for Spanish translation. If there are questions regarding the online process, they’ve created a helpline to call (515-216-3893) and if necessary, leave a message and they’ll call you back as soon as possible.

Another option to request a Presidential Preference Card, is to print & complete the attached IDP Request Form.pdf and mail it to the address on the form.

The bold is my addition. I always liked the caucus and the discussion with neighbors. However, I find the “discuss now, vote later” approach more appealing than I thought I might. It’s true that it’s more inclusive. Additionally, COVID is on the rise again, and although Iowan’s don’t like to admit having it, wastewater don’t lie and our level right now is “very high.” Not everyone can afford to be exposed.

If that’s not enough to show that an in-person vote isn’t inclusive, get a look at the weather forecast!

It’s not just cold.

It’s windy!

It’s too bad the weather won’t allow more people to attend because one useful thing that will happen is to discuss the party platform.

Here is the Democratic Party Platform

Here’s the Republican one.

The weather is likely to suppress the rural and elderly participants. Iowans are being told to let god guide their vote.

Many will probably see this as a test of their faith. These are the same people who ignored COVID warnings and had and continue to have higher death rates.

Iowans want personal attention. However, it’s notable that one candidate who ignored warnings slid off the road during a snow storm on the way to an event and has slowed down his campaigning. We have a blizzard warning here today and candidates are altering their schedules by cancelling or going virtual. As for the Republican front runner, he’s been in court and is keeping a light schedule here.

Biden’s American Rescue Plan has been good for Iowa but our governor has given him the cold shoulder, downplaying his help, ignoring his visits, and even rejecting summer food aid to feed kids.  Needless to say, he hasn’t been here. Smart guy.

Update: within 31 minutes, Trump was declared the winner.