And the Caucus is over.
It was a pretty phenomenal 6 months. I would say we spoke pretty loudly on Monday night. Most notably, Donald Trump lost. And he lost bad. I was happy about that, although I wish it wasn’t Ted Cruz who beat him. Still, if you aren’t first, you are last. (Thank you for that Ricky Bobby)
In all seriousness, the Iowa caucus makes me proud to be an Iowan. I’m sure many of your precincts were like mine: the room was over flowing, students were lining up outside to register at the door, and everyone was buzzing around, just wanting to get their vote on a ballot.
We started out saying the Pledge of Allegiance. Everyone in the room was looking at each other while we stood there, trying to hide our awkward smile-y excitement, watching democracy in action. It was almost like reliving the elementary school years when we used to say the Pledge of Allegiance every morning. There was a lot of respect and pride in the room. It sounds cheesy, but there were more hopeful Americans who seemed to believe in the future of the country rather than cynics.
We elected a precinct chair, everyone was enjoying the process of saying “aye” with awkward laughter. Our ballots were literal ripped piece of paper, we all shared pens and passed around the ballots. Everyone was cordial, people were saying thank you and offering up their chairs.
When it was time for representatives for the candidates to speak, people were polite. We clapped after every candidate, even if we didn’t like that candidate. Everyone had their shot, we even cleared the floor to make sure no ballots fell on the ground. Passing the ballots back, a few lingered to see who would win our precinct. About six people huddled around the table, triple counting the ballots. When it was announced Rubio won, there were muffled cheers, but everyone was respectful. There were no protests or fights, we continued on with the rest of the caucus business. It was a humbling experience.
When people say the American political system is broken, I would tell them to stop complaining and participate.
The system didn’t seem broken at my precinct, I can tell you that for sure. Despite the negative campaign ads, the never-ending fearful rhetoric, and the media hey-day, I have so much faith in my peers and this country. I met many of the candidates, they are in this election because they believe in their ideals. Many voters just want to make a difference, caucus-goers showed up to participate in our democracy. To me, that was what the Iowa caucus was about. I am so grateful for the opportunity to watch democracy in action and watch it work.
