Caucuses and delegates

[Bettie]

So, according to state law, we need to have a caucus, but if we do, our delegates are not counted in the nominating process.

The state law is unlikely to change and this year's caucus won't be a big ordeal, since Biden will be the only real candidate.

In 24, the same may be true, with Biden as an incumbent, but how do you feel about Iowa being entirely cut out of the process (by our state's delegates not counting at all) because of a state law we can't change?

Oh, and I hate, hate, hate caucus. I would love to have a primary where my entire job is to go and vote....but that's not what we have and not what we are likely to have any time soon.

[bottomofthehill]

1. I am ok with it.

There is time to pass new legislation and make Iowa a democratic state. There is nothing democratic about a caucus. They are designed to exclude instead of include people. I don’t care if they want an early election, but caucuses are just awful, coercive, disorganized, not evenly applied and way too narrow in time.

BTW, I would be pissed if I lived there and my vote did not count so I get the point of the question, but caucuses are the worst way to “pick” someone.

[NNadir]

2. I don't like having a red state play a major role in choosing the Democratic nominee.

[rurallib]

3. Iowa up until about a decade ago was pretty much 50/50

South Carolina which now has a lead off position is much redder and has been for a long time

[NNadir]

5. The candidate selected in S. Carolina will be the choice

...of one of our most important demographic groups, African Americans.

It's how we came by Joe Biden, exactly the right man for the right time.

That's not what we get in Iowa.

African American voters in South Carolina saved our country and I'm one old white dude who is grateful.

[rurallib]

7. I agree but you said Iowa was a really red state. So is South Carolina.

And SC has been far redder for far longer.

I agree about demographics

[NNadir]

8. Well, at the risk of sounding like a bigot, I'm not interested I'm the...

...opinions of the White Christian nationalists who make that state red.

There are two South Carolinas, the eternal successionists and the very blue population.

[rurallib]

4. I have been a caucus goer since the '80s

even ran a few. I am not at all sad to see the caucuses go.

As for being cut out, well now we are in the same boat as much of the rest of the country. I have felt for a long time that the Democratic Party needs to organize preference primaries to be held in stages around the country.

[Bettie]

6. Yeah, but what I meant by being cut out entirely

is that, last I heard, the DNC said that they will not count our delegates at all if we comply with state law. There's no point in even having a caucus if no delegates from the state will be seated because of a state law we can not change at this time.

I really just want to go and vote, instead of spending weeks preparing for a thing that no one really wants to go to...DH and I usually end up running at least one (and sometimes 2) precincts in our town. It's so much work.

But, I do want our delegates to be counted with the other states'.