What’s Really Behind This?
Word has been leaked that the Democratic National Committee is pushing hard to bump Iowa from the “first in the nation” status it’s held for a half century.
That’s no surprise, given then-chair Tom Perez’s work to undermine them in 2020, leading to the counting disaster. Perez personally hated caucuses, and did everything he could to interfere with the process in Iowa and Nevada, two of the “first four” and both caucus states. This includes pressure, requirement of new rules, imposition of an untested app developed by a friend of the party…we’ve gone through all that before.
So beyond all that, what’s behind it? Supporters of the dump-Iowa movement suggest there needs to be a change to give others a chance to be first…or that direct vote primaries are fairer…things like that.
It might actually be because Iowans take the responsibility seriously and don’t just vote lockstep with the party hierarchy’s favorite candidates.
Remember, it was Iowa that torpedoed Hillary Clinton’s chances in 2008 by giving Barack Obama the win and putting her third. Then in 2016, the field has basically cleared out of her way, but Iowa got in the way again by putting Clinton and Bernie Sanders in a dead heat. Then in 2020, again the Sanders forces were too strong for those in charge’s liking…all of which soon led to the deal-making to make Joe Biden the candidate by Super Tuesday.
In other words, the party pros like to pick their favorite candidates—whether for U.S. House or Senate, as they’ve done in this midterm in Iowa, or for president every four years. Voters having the audacity to not go along is a problem for them…so get rid of the pesky voters and their influence.
Ah, but the primary is a wide open process for voting, you say. But if the 2020 election proved anything, it’s that caucuses are a lot harder to cheat at than primaries or general elections. Bags of votes don’t just show up at a caucus in the cover of overnight darkness…the process is open and done in bright light.
I could give plenty of positive reasons why Iowa should remain first in the nation. But I think it’s enough to note that if those on the national level are so eager to chance the process right after winning the White House three of the last four cycles…there’s got to be some reason for it. And “election integrity” may not be it.
