While you wait for caucus results, come on in, I’ll be live blogging from an actual caucus site. Not that our caucus really means all that much, because we are a small precinct in a small county in a small state. Our precinct is so small that they had to combine us with two other precincts to get a caucus.
So, grab your beverage of choice and join us on the caucus floor while we wait for the media to tell us Iowans what we think. I read somewhere that results would be available one half hour after the start. I can’t see that happening. Democrats can’t sign in and get seated in a half hour. There are all sorts off things that have to happen after we get seated, before we get results for this one little caucus site. I’ve heard that big caucus sites are chaos. Half an hour for the entire state? No, I’m not seeing it. Get another beverage.
Not only are we a small state, but the delegates are assigned proportionately, so the “winner” may only get one or two more delegates than the “loser”.
Why does the big media care so much? The Iowa caucuses really haven’t done much since Carter used us to pull himself up by the boot straps, out of obscurity. Caucuses are still fun, but they were more fun when nobody cared but us. It was sorta’ a Mr. Smith goes to Washington thing.
I remember one year that a particular candidate was declared the winner by media, only to have someone else come out on top at the county caucuses where delegates were actually decided. The original (non)winner gained all of the momentum from media coverage before the real result was announced. By then it was too late for the real winner. Yeah, we’ve been turned into little more than a media circus.
As you can see from my tittle image, I’m still supporting Warren. Pretty clever way to mount a yard sign when the ground is frozen by the Iowa winter, no?
This diary is sorta’ the finale to the diaries I’ve been doing of various candidate’s rallies. In addition to the ones that I went to, I really wanted to go to the Bernie rally in Iowa City yesterday, but I wasn’t feeling well. Besides, I saw Bernie a couple of times last time around. One thing I gotta’ say about Bernie, is that he doesn’t change much.
The only change to my preference list after going to all of those rallies was that Klobuchar moved up to second place on my list. That shoved Biden down to third and Sanders down to forth. That may not bode well for Warren, as I have a terrible track record for supporting the winner of the Iowa caucus. I supported Bernie the last time around.
T-1:00
Supposedly, the doors open at 6:30, but I got here at 6:00 to get a good seat and the doors were unlocked and they are already signing people in.
The crowd is still thin, but people are wandering around, greeting neighbors, chatting. I’ve seen several people that I know, even if this caucus seems to cover about half of the county, area wise.
I bought a costume just for this caucus.
I just had a discussion with a Pete supporter about M4A. She’s made up her mind. Medicare is socialism. Logic wasn’t carrying the day. She had a look of horror when I said that she’d be on Medicare some day and it’d still be socialism.
T-0:30
A Bloomberg supporter just showed up and staked out a table. I didn’t know Bloomberg was even running in Iowa. Somebody claimed the other half of that table for Patrick. I have a tough time imagining ether of them getting the 15% to be viable.
The room probably isn’t half full yet. In the past, it has gotten crowded by show time.
This is the best part of caucuses in my opinion. People are wandering around,, talking. Pete folks talking to Warren folks. Amy folks talking to Bernie folks, and so on.
I just showed Warren’s precinct workers my picture with Bailey from Davenport. She melted. She did show me her and her daughter getting a selfie with Elizabeth. I also got a chocolate chip cookie. Yes, caucuses are good.
Show time
The room isn’t full, but it’s better than half. The registration table is inactive, so I don’t expect many more. If my memory serves, we have had much better attendance in the past.
Nobody seems in any hurry to get things on the road.
Okay, we are into prelims. Begging for money for state Dems, money for county Dems. Having people sign their voter registration if they forgot. Looking for volunteers for county central committee. Looking for volunteers to run for office. Looking for volunteers for… blah, blah.
Viability number is twelve. Total attendance is 82. Just looking around, Amy, Bernie, and Elizabeth are viable. Rest are also ran. We’ll soon see how well I’ve eyeballed it.
Preference cards have been distributed. We enter our name, address, and preference. Then we hand them in. Yes, this is total opposite of secret ballot.
One minute speeches have started. One per campaign. Bernie’s rep was well prepared. Well received. Amy’s rep up next. Biden. Pete. All positive.
Now we are electing chair, secretary. I’m guessing they are counting preference cards. Eighty-two total attendance.
Warren — 16
Klobuchar — 20
Sanders — 26
That’s it for the first round. Those three were viable.
Biden and Pete looked close, but no cigar.
T+0:30
We now have twenty minutes for the people from non-viable groups to join up with someone else. Either two non-viable groups join to become viable, or joining an already viable group. Those in the viable groups must stay in the group of their first choice.
The wheeling-dealing has started. Right now, it doesn’t look like the Biden and Pete groups are budging. Are they getting the Yang, Bloomberg and Steyer supporters? Seems odd, but maybe so. Eyeballing says they are both viable now. Amy may have gained some. Warren doesn’t look any larger to me.
The Pete group just caved. I think most went to Bernie. Lots of clapping. Some went to Amy. Lots of clapping.
The Biden leader tells me “We just made it”.
Somebody broke in and said, “we always round up, they should need 13.” People went off to check the rule book. These things happen, but jeeze folks, it’s just math, ya’ could have figured this out before the caucus started.
Yep, the rules say 13 to be viable. We are taking another 10 minutes to keep dealing.
Now someone else is parsing the rules and claims a different result. Luckily, the Warren group has cookies. I won’t starve. Of course, if you’ve ever seen me, you’d know I haven’t done much starving in my day.
T+1:00
Now we really are just milling around, talking about the weather. Or what is that song that says “old men talking about the weather and old women talking about old men.” Somebody give me an answer in the comments?
Also, has anyone heard any state wide result of the caucus?
The Biden group feels the rules were changed mid-stream. They worked hard to get enough converts to make viability. I understand their frustration.
The Biden group is now filling out their second round preference. Grumble. Grumble. If I was allowed to change, I’d change to Biden just because I think they got a raw deal. And I really don’t like Biden all that much.
T+1:20
People are leaving, but no final results have been announced. Odd.
The rumor running around the die hards that are staying is that the delegate counts are two for Amy, two for Bernie and one for Elizabeth. But supposedly there were eight total to be assigned. Aw, c’mon folks, it’s just math.
Okay here we go:
Warren — 16 with 2 delegates
Klobuchar — 28 with 3 delegates
Bernie — 29 with 3 delegates
You‘ll note that Warren did not pick up any votes from any of the non-viable groups from the first round to the second round. I’ll also note that there were only two males in her group. Of the rest of the group, the women, most looked middle age or older. I hope that our caucus is not representative, because you can’t get elected if you only get votes from mature women.
Amy picked up most of the Pete supporters. There were lots of younger folks in both groups. They look like the future to me.
Several of the Biden group were stubborn and refused to support anyone in the second round, if they couldn’t support Biden.
Okay, that wraps up my Iowa caucus reporting. Here’s hoping that I don’t have to do it again for eight years because we’ve elected a Democrat whose term runs eight years. Vote blue no matter who.
I’ll be back to check the comments when I get home in about 15 minutes.
IanA