Why is this Iowa Caucus so important!?

[Hector Medina]

Why is this Iowa Caucus so important? It is one state!

A source claims that if Thompson does not pick up there in the next few days, or sooner, he may drop out and back Mc Cain. Thompson is my man!

If I remember right, McCain supports pro-choice stuff, that bites because I am a Traditionalist Catholic. I think McCain is also liberal or corrupt on immigration, bad!

So if Thompson does not come in third or better in Iowa is he finished?

-HM

PS Yes, I know Thompson has been divorced but, then again, so was Reagen. Who's perfect?

 

[MichaelFJF]

It's only important because political geeks place importance on it. It's one state, with under 3 million registered voters. Of those only about 200,000 (way under 10%) actually participate. But the press hypes the crap out of it and the candidates get to thump their chests for a few days. Face it, it's a slow news day/week/month.

 

[Kutte]

Michael,

Candidates actually have been campaigning for at least a year in Iowa, some even longer. If you ask me, the whole campaign ritual lasts far too long.
One wonders if elected official spent most of their time seeking re-electing instead of attending issues facing this nation.

Kutte

 

[DeathMagus]

One wonders if elected official spent most of their time seeking re-electing instead of attending issues facing this nation.

Kutte

And others have long since stopped wondering.

 

[Staccato]

Why is this Iowa Caucus so important? It is one state!

Momentum; party membership wanting to appear solidifed so as to provide a credible candidate; overconcentrated press coverage that seems to carry more weight on Super Tuesday than what the candidates actually stand for. And so on and so forth.

 

[Maren]

The simple answer: Free advertising and the appearance of momentum.

 

[jayem]

If I remember right, McCain supports pro-choice stuff, that bites because I am a Traditionalist Catholic. I think McCain is also liberal or corrupt on immigration, bad!

John McCain is not pro-choice. He has a 0% rating by NARAL, as of 2006.

http://www.prochoiceamerica.org/cho...essional-record-on-choice/state.html?state=AZ


He's considerably more liberal on immigration. He supports guest worker programs and voted for the recent immigration reform bill that failed (in fact, he was a co-sponsor of that bill with Sen Kennedy.) Aside from immigration, his social positions are reliably conservative, but he doesn't make an issue of them. He has alienated religious conservatives since he doesn't kowtow to them like other Republicans--even though he usually votes their way.

I think in the general election, he'd be one of the strongest candidates the Republicans could have. But the religious right has such a strangle hold on the party that his chance of being nominated is iffy, at best.

 

[david01]

I live in Iowa and attended my caucus Thursday night. I have led numerous caucuses and have served as county chair of my party as well as led its district convention once.

The straight-out honest truth is that the vote taken at the caucuses is only a straw poll and has no bearing whatsoever on which candidate is selected by their respective parties. The candidate is selected by delegates to the national convention, who are selected by the state convention, which has delegates selected by the county and district conventions. When the national convention rolls around the state party will send it usual assortment of state-selected delegates (representatives and senators and other political office-holders) to the convention and they will endorse the candidate there. The national convention is nothing more than a publicity show to fire people up for the candidate.

Like the OP my choice was Fred Thompson, who did surprisingly well considering that he had virtually no money or media exposure. He came in third in my otherwise moderate precinct. Given the fact that he did far better than Rudy Guiliani, I think there is still a lot of hope for him. For those who will yet vote in primaries, I recommend him as being the best of the bunch.