Political Equinox

Our Final Run-Ins

We did not expect this day to be as fruitful in terms of engaging with political candidates and surrogates – we figured the candidates would be on such a frantic schedule that exactly nailing down where they would be seemed very difficult.

We were wrong.

We ate at a restaurant called Olde Main Brewing Company in downtown Ames, not really expecting anyone to show up. In walked Ted Danson and his wife Mary Steenburgen. Normally I’d be floored by seeing people like Danson and Steenburgen, but we had run-ins with so many different people of fame that I just assumed we should leave them to their food.

Next, we went to downtown Des Moines and to an event sponsored by Congressman Ron Paul. Out of all the candidates on both sides, Congressman Paul’s supporters always prove to be the most, shall we say, eclectic. Congressman Paul attracts everyone from social libertarians who care about drug legalization to economic libertarians who want very low taxes and government removal from the economic process. The event thus had caucus goers with political views that would be traditionally Republican and traditionally Democrat. It was interesting to listen to their questions and Paul’s answers.

Chris, Tyler and I then wandered around Des Moines to see what political types (journalists, operatives, candidates) we could run into. We wandered around the Des Moines skywalk (the second largest in the United States) and saw what we thought to be Mike Huckabee’s campaign manager, as well as a CNN political commentator. Although it proved to be an interesting walk, our search for political political types seemed fruitless.

When we preparing to drive back to Ames, we saw the Mitt Mobile and thought it would be interesting to get a picture of the bus. We parked, and walked to the bus – just as former Governor Romney walked to the bus. We quickly got a picture, and I stuck my hand out for a handshake. Romney rudely brushed me aside, and hurried onto his bus. This disingenuous action speaks volumes about the campaign, and I think it contributed to his loss.

We then left so that Tyler could caucus.

The Caucus

It was finally here. All the money, posturing and glad handing was finally over. It was in the hands of the caucus goers – like Tyler, who as an Iowa State University student would caucus for the first time.

When we arrived at the caucus I was apprehensive as to if I could enter the actual caucus to get the full effect, but was allowed to enter as an observer. The precinct chair even said since it was a public meeting I could take pictures. I was floored.

The caucus is simple, but may seem complex to the outside observer. In the first round of balloting everyone groups around their preferred candidate. Those that attain a threshold of 15% of all caucusers in their respective caucus are deemed “viable”. Those who do not have viability after the first round have a choice to support another candidate or attempt to attain viability for their candidate. After the first round is when the politicking begins.

In Tyler’s precinct, there were 160 caucusers, and 24 were needed to attain viability. The results in our caucus were very interesting. Obama had over 80 of the 160 delegates after the first round – Edwards was close to viability and Clinton and Richardson were within range.

Richardson won the politicking for the day – their support staff within the caucus went around to each group and struck the most important parts of their candidate – opposition to the Iraqi war and his level of experience. After the second round they had not only one delegate, but were one away from obtaining another. Congrats to the Richardson supporters in this specific caucus.

Hope

The real story in our caucus, however, reflected the real story of the Iowa Caucus. In Tyler’s caucus, Obama won 93 out of 160 caucus goers and 5 out of the 8 delegates (which contribute to the percentages reported by the major news organizations). Obama’s 38% shalacking of Edwards and Clinton gives him the much needed momentum going into the New Hampshire primary only five days away.

After the caucus, Tyler Chris and I ventured to Des Moines to Obama’s post-caucus party. The event was electric – everyone was hugging and high-fiving, genuinely looking forward to what an Obama presidency can provide for.

Obama’s speech was like one I have never seen before. It literally gave me Goosebumps. He did not talk specifically about Republican opponents, or disparage his Democratic competitors. Rather he talked of unification – a panacea of hope. Political Scientist David Gergen compared his speech to that of Bobby Kennedy, as one of the first politicians in a generation that can unify the country in a positive way.

Barack Obama will be the next President of the United States. I look forward to seeing what he can do to fix the eight years of mistakes of who will become his predecessor.

I will offer my final reflections tomorrow.

Tags: Barack Obama, candidate, Congress, huckabee, iraq, IRS, Kennedy, Mike Huckabee, money, obama, president, republican, ron paul, taxes, The Caucus