The Johnson County Republicans’ website proclaimed the somewhat un-Republican exhortation, “Rock out with your caucus out!” I can’t imagine a Michelle Bachmann supporter writing something like that. It read more like an overzealous college-aged Ron Paul supporter.
The caucus-goers in my precinct were less brash than that: a good spread of ages but otherwise the usual well-behaved Iowa crowd. Nobody was visibly armed or foaming at the mouth or turning red with anti-everything rage. There were 200 or so folks in attendance. Like me, a number of people there had caucused with the Democrats in the past and changed registration to participate in the competitive Republican vote this year.
The Republicans caucus a little differently from the Democrats. They have no preference groups or 15 percent viability threshold and the precincts do not elect delegates. Representatives of the candidates are each allowed a short speech before a simple write-in vote which the precinct officers tally and report to the party. Mitt Romney won in my precinct and Paul came in second. My preference tied for last, as usual. I stayed for some other business of approving nominations for the Central Committee before I left.
Waiting for the tally
I probably won’t vote Republican in November. I gave John McCain a fair shake in 2008, but they’ve gotten far too extreme for me to even consider them. Problem is, I won’t vote for the dishrag-like leadership of Barack Obama either. Hope and change indeed.
Interesting to read I had no idea how it worked. Let’s hope in the following months you reconsider and things continue to improve.
Thanks. I assume you mean reconsider voting for Obama, not Republican. I will not. A few days ago, Barack Obama signed a law permitting the indefinite imprisonment of anyone from anywhere without charge or trial. I am already disgusted by his inability to lead this country against Wall Street, Fox News pundits, and the Tea Party. This law was the last straw for me. I expected some change from the Bush administration, and all I got was capitulation to the same crowd. Change? Hope? There has been none and I have none left.
Having you and others feel that same way may be just what the tea party was looking for be careful Adam we may wind up with far worse.
I’m sick of voting for the least bad choice and others probably are too. It’s on Obama to win our votes, and if he wants them he’ll have to earn them.