02/01/2008 / UNITED STATES
Today I'm
going to Obama's and Edward's meetings. At the moment, the candidates are
touring the state meeting supporters. Even the small towns. Tomorrow the
caucuses begin. Each party has reserved rooms in primary schools and
universities. Supporters come
and discuss events. It's quite festive. At first, they try to convinve
the others. And then they vote.
There's no political leader, just public supporters. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow...
The opening caucus in Iowa: how does it work?
The whole world is following the first round of the American elections, which begin tomorrow in the state of Iowa. Everyone's talking about...but does anyone know what it really is? Our observer in Iowa city, Sam Sadden, will go to the caucuses. He explained to us today how the elections will be held. We also show you the campaign videos of the leading candidates. Sometimes funny, often too kitsch.
Contributors
"It's quite festive"
Sam Sadden is a law student. He's staying in Iowa, the state's student city, during the caucuses.
Today I'm
going to Obama's and Edward's meetings. At the moment, the candidates are
touring the state meeting supporters. Even the small towns. Tomorrow the
caucuses begin. Each party has reserved rooms in primary schools and
universities. Supporters come
and discuss events. It's quite festive. At first, they try to convinve
the others. And then they vote.
There's no political leader, just public supporters. I'll tell you more about it tomorrow...
Even thought it's a small state, the preliminaries in Iowa are very important. Results can be fatal. That's what happened to Howard Dean [Democrat candidate in 2004]. Although they worked really hard, they hardly got any votes in Iowa. After that he was out of the race. The candidates who come in the top two or three have a chance of going on to win the election. For the others it's over. Personally, on the Democrat side, I bet on John Edwards. [The polls disagree, they show Barrack Obama leading]."
Hillary Clinton (Democrat)
"Exercise is hard. Dancing is hard. Singing is hard. Caucusing is easy."
Rudolph Giuliani (Republican)
"When you challenge Americans there's no country that stands up stronger and better than the United States of America."
Barack Obama (Democrat)
"Have you made a decision on who you're going to support at caucus?" "I'm for Obama." "That's what we want to hear!"
Mike Huckabee (Republican)
"The real genius of America's not in its government- it's in its people."
Mitt Romney (Republican)
"Unlike Sen. McCain, Gov. Romney supports the President's tax cuts, opposes McCain-Feingold and opposes any amnesty immigration plans. As the National Review wrote, Gov. Romney is "a full-spectrum conservative."
John Edwards (Democrat)
"In a world where corn grows tall and hope grows taller. Where people have a special power to decide the fate of a nation. In our most desperate hour, one man can clean up George Bush's mess"
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Update
Submitted by Sam Sadden on Thu, 03/01/2008 - 18:02.The last days leading up to the Iowa caucuses have seen a surge of candidates crisscrossing the freezing state of Iowa. The university town of Iowa City has seen multiple democratic candidates appear in anticipation of a close caucus race on January 3. The latest Des Moines Register poll has Barack Obama at 35%, Hillary Clinton at 25% and John Edwards at 24%. On the Republican side, the frontrunners are Mike Huckabee at 32%, Mitt Romney at 26% and John McCain at 13%.
Hillary Clinton appeared with her daughter Chelsea late in the evening on January 2 at a downtown hotel ballroom. In front of a crowd of nearly 500 people, Clinton spoke of the downfalls of the "No Child Left Behind" program and her plans for ending the War in Iraq.
Barack Obama spoke to a crowd of over 1000 cheering voters at a large hotel ballroom. Obama focused on his ability to bring change to Washington. Obama made a plea to those in attendance that if he is not their first choice, make him his second choice.
John Edwards spoke in a crowded coffee shop. His focus was on reducing the powers of large corporations. Edwards was on a "Marathon for the Middle Class, 36 hours, 36 Ideas" He was the only democratic candidate to address questions from the crowd.
Bill Richardson spoke late in the evening on January 2 at a local bar to a crowd of 200. Richardson was quick to say that his campaign will remain positive but he did state that he could bring more than change to the White House but change with experience. He was the only democratic candidate of the day to directly refer to the Kyoto Protocol and a promise to sign it upon becoming president.
On the morning of the caucuses, two candidates will make last stops in Iowa City. Chris Dodd will make an early morning appearance at a local coffee shop and John Edwards will be at a restaurant/bar to meet with patrons. The candidates are hoping for a large turnout at the caucuses on Thursday evening. Large turnouts are expected from independent voters and first time caucus goers. The Democratic caucus begins at 6:30 PM and the Republican caucus begins at 7:00 PM. Results could come as early as 9:00 PM.
Sam Sadden
See photos of the meetings here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/16953228@N07/sets/72157603624130497
Photos / Hisham Kassim
Sam Sadden
Still do't get it...
Submitted by Dom (not verified) on Thu, 03/01/2008 - 21:52.I still don't understand how these caucuses work. For example : do party members vote for candidates, or do they vote for "representatives", as for the presidential election? And is Iowa worth the same as California?
Unregistered user
Confusing Caucuses
Submitted by Sam Sadden on Fri, 04/01/2008 - 01:12.I found this link to be very helpful to sort out the confusing and complicated democratic caucus process. The Republican process is quite straight forward.
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071219/NEW...
I can tell you that the votes today at the caucuses are for the candidates, but delegates are chosen. Party members form groups at the caucuses based on their choice of candidate. Within that group, representatives or delegates are chosen. Eventually delegates will decide the candidate at the national convention. Iowa does not have as many delegates as California. Although the numbers can change, Iowa has 56 delegates and California has 441.
Sam Sadden