Desmoinesdem, the proprietor of the most excellent Iowa-focused political blog Bleeding Heartland, had some words Thursday regarding the antiquated caucus system in the state. An excerpt:
Since 2007, I have been trying to raise awareness about problems with the Iowa Democratic caucus system: barriers to participation for many who want to have a voice in choosing our president; the fact that not every Democrat’s "vote" counts the same toward the delegate numbers; the lack of secrecy and potential for intimidation in caucus rooms; and the distorting effects of caucus math, starting with but not limited to the 15 percent viability threshold.
Again and again and again, I have urged my fellow Democrats to make our caucuses more inclusive and the results more representative of each candidate’s actual supporter numbers. I might as well have been pounding on the walls of a sound-proofed chamber, for all the impact my blogging has had on the Iowa Democratic Party’s leadership.
The slimmest margin ever between the top two Democratic presidential candidates lends new urgency to the task of cleaning up the caucuses. Yet state party chair Dr. Andy McGuire and others are holding the line against even a full review of the calculations that put Hillary Clinton ahead of Bernie Sanders by 700.59 state delegate equivalents to 696.82. They insist that any minor glitches on Monday night were resolved by 2:30 am, when the party sent out its press release declaring Clinton the winner. The results are final. Nothing to see here, folks.
The longer party leaders drag their feet, the more they will stoke conspiracy theories about the caucuses being stolen for the establishment’s favorite.
Consider the logistical challenges with organizing 1,681 precinct caucuses, electing 11,065 county delegates, which must be converted to 1,406 state delegate equivalents.
Now add to the mix an unusually high turnout (record-breaking in some areas) and too many precincts where hundreds of people were crammed into rooms not designed to accommodate those numbers.
Now add some inexperienced precinct chairs. A personal friend got roped into doing this job at the last minute and received virtually no training.
In all likelihood, well-intentioned human beings will make some mistakes. [...]
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At Daily Kos on this date in 2007—The Wages of Bigotry:
When they're trying to get you to vote for that referendum that bans same-sex marriage*, they tell you that it's all about The Sanctity of Marriage, and Protecting Religious Freedom, and that of course it's not about Screwing Over Gay People. It's not going to disenfranchise anyone, they say—it's about setting some common-sense limits.
Actions have consequences, though, and the people of Michigan are about to realize that their 2004 vote to prohibit same-sex marriage did, in fact, relegate an entire class of citizens to permanent second-class status. Because the Michigan Court of Appeals held today that the gay marriage ban also bans same-sex domestic partner benefits. […]
So even a quasi-autonomous public entity like the University of Michigan is now prohibited from offering some of its top employees domestic partner benefits. Unmarried opposite-sex partners, of course, can continue to enjoy the benefits. But gay employees and their families are SOL, even if they've been receiving family benefits for years. Is that what Michiganders expected when they passed their marriage ban? Who knows. But regardless of what they expected, <>this is what you actually get when you vote for a feel-good "protection of marriage" referendum. No matter what its purveyors tell you, if you read it closely enough, somewhere buried in the fine print, you'll find the wages of bigotry. Today, we're reminded that they eventually come due.
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On today’s Kagro in the Morning show: Transitioning from IA to NH, Greg Dworkin rounds up polling news & strategic analysis. The fight over “progressive.” MI update: Flint; ballot info gag law. What’s so bad about coin tosses? Trump discovers that politics sucks. Cruz will do anything to win.
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