CNN Iowa caucus coverage gives an interesting look at their election process
The Iowa Caucuses really are making for amazing television tonight. CNN is giving an inside look at what's going on at the caucus sites.
One of the striking images came from Persia, Iowa. At the Persia caucus, 48 people gathered in the Raines family living room. 16 people supported Clinton and 16 supported Edwards, with 10 choosing Obama and 6 choosing Biden. Because the Biden vote did not get to 15%, his people were asked to choose one of the other 3 candidates. 5 of them went to Edwards and 1 to Obama. The analysts say Hillary Clinton will not be a popular 2nd choice tonight.
At the Merrill Middle School in Des Moines, there were four caucuses, three Democratic and one Republican held simultaneously. Democratic caucuses were held in the school gym, cafeteria, and library, while the Republican caucus was held in the auditorium.
I can better understand why some Iowa voters have stayed undecided so long. It's because the Democratic caucus are not secret ballots. Voters show support for a candidate literally by standing with other caucus goers who support their candidate.
The people of Iowa seem to take this very seriously and I applaud their commitment to the process. With all that said and all the pageantry we are seeing tonight, Iowa should not have so much influence in electing a president. None of the images I saw looked like the America I live in. Both parties should go to a regional primary/caucus system in 2012.
