Iowa Caucus

“First in the Nation” fits into the scheme for Iowa in the 2008 elections because it was the first state to start of a nominating contest for presidential candidates. Some of the info on http://www.atmoreadvance.com/articles/2008/01/07/opinion/editorials/col1.txt says that this caucus is one of many gatherings that shall be held in the United States over the course of the 2008 election. They are a way to measure the popularity of the candidates of both parties and see which one can come out on top. When asked about the Iowa Caucus, many people simply disregard it from their daily life. As for the few that were aware of the caucus, they were interviewed to gain their perspective for the upcoming elections. Robert Sharp {a med. tech. manager in Seattle} had been asked what his feelings towards the results of the caucus were, he stated, “I was kind of disappointed. I am a Democrat rooting for Hilary Clinton.” Given the response, it would seem that Obama’s sudden victory was not only a surprise to me. It is true that I would prefer Obama over Clinton because I do believe that since he is still very young, he has room to grow and he it would be interesting to see what he has to offer.
I had also asked Paula Misley {a high school teacher in Spanaway} what she thought kind of an impact the Iowa Caucus had on the 2008 elections, she said, “I think it’s a good indicator of a candidate’s success in the presidential election.” This I completely agree with, since it naturally does give you a view on who is in the lead and show which candidates will make or break the votes. However, with that thought in mind, it is interesting that those I interviewed didn’t talk about the Republican candidates; those such as Mike Huckabee who dominated the Republican candidates or Mitt Romney who came in second. This may be an indication that these caucuses or primaries are just for popularity and not how or what a person has in his/her span of working in politics.Speaking with some of the student body, I discovered that most only knew of the Democratic candidates Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama because they are different, big and changing in America. Most Americans tend not to become knowledgeable in politics and pay attention to top candidates, however this time the top competitors are causing more of a commotion then ever before. On the night of the Iowa Caucus, history was made when voters decided to take the government into their own hands after many years of hiding in the shadow. A tidal wave of voters rushed to the polls to voice out who it was they wanted. The two victors were Barack Obama of the Democratic Party and Mike Huckabee for the Republicans, whom which came out of no where and dominated their opponents.. Even though I was extremely surprised with the results, I was quite pleased with it. I do believe that Iowa caucus proved that with something new, people get intrigued and want to know more and do more, which was what happened. Seeing as how anything can happen in the primaries and caucuses, I can't wait to see the results of which two will face off for the final prize of being named president of the United States of America. For more on the results, go to http://www.kcci.com/politics/14973253/detail.html.