Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Nowhere Man]

[Ya-ta Boy]

I'm not really clear on it either. I heard years and years ago that it was a state 'law' in both Iowa and New Hampshire (that they would be first), but you are right about the nominating process being a party activity, not a state government one. Maybe it's only a state party thing. According to what I heard, there had been a leap-frog thing going on with some other state jumping to the head of the list, pushing the caucus from March to January. It's all just something I picked up somewhere and never questioned.

Sometimes I think the whole process needs to be overhauled. One suggestion is to make it regional, but that would leave the same problem--who gets to be first. Your idea of rotating is attractive.

One argument in favor of Iowa/New Hampshire being first is that they are small states (in population) so it is relatively cheap for all candidates to start out there and 'practice', see if they are viable candidates and work the bugs out of their campaign, honing their message before going on to the big states. So in this way, I might favor a rotating system among some of the smaller states. Something like that would be fair to candidates. I do think it's important to let them develop their campaign over time. I wouldn't be good to start out in a big important state--there is too much at stake for one toss of the dice.

I kind of like a rotating regional election idea, but I do think a few states should go it alone in the first stages, to serve as a testing ground and to winnow out the less serious candidates.

Another criticism of Iowa/New Hampshire being first is that neither is very racially diverse and don't reflect the country's population as a whole, although Iowa is becoming much more so than in the past. This is a valid criticism, up to a point.

From a purely selfish emotional stand, I hope things never change. It is SO cool for about 2 months every four years to have the phone ringing off the wall with campaign volunteers calling to solicit your support--10-15 calls a day toward the end. The trick is to remain in the 'Undecided' column until the end. If you say you've decided on one candidate, then you only get periodic calls from that campaign to make sure you don't forget to vote. As if you could. You can get into some really good discussion with these really passionate supporters arguing for their guy.

[Ya-ta Boy]

aHA!!!

I did a google search and turned up this:

The first status of the Iowa caucuses is enshrined in state law: "The date shall be at least eight days earlier than the scheduled date for any meeting, caucus or promary which constitutes the first determining stage of the presidential nominating process in any other state, territory or any other group..." (Iowa Code--Title II Chapter 43.4).


http://www.gwu.edu/~action/2004/chrniowa.html


How this could be actually enforced, I have no idea. It is clearly not something that could be defended under the federal Constitution.

[Nowhere Man]

Another beef I have is with my local community's park board, where apparently there's a mandate for the board to be half democrat and half republican.

Which, privately is good, given that conservatives breed like rabbits where I'm from. But still, that's unconstitutional.


And can you please explain a caucus?

Reports from the last election suggested some frontier-era silliness about people standing in corners of a room.

[Ya-ta Boy]