As an Iowa Democratic caucus voter, even I think we might have too much power in elections
I remember the day that then-Sen. Barack Obama snuck into town. It was a sunny Saturday in 2007, I think it was September. Our daughter called from New Orleans to tell us that Obama would visit our local coffee shop in Grinnell, Iowa, that very afternoon.
Impossible, we assured her. How could a major political figure come to this town of a few thousand people, nestled amid the cornfields, without everyone knowing he would be here? True, he wasn’t as well known then as he would become, but he was still recognized as an important figure in the race.
But she was adamant, so we dialed the coffee house, prepared to ask a silly question: “Um, did Barack Obama stop in today?” It was the busiest time of the week and there was no answer. So, we jumped in the car and raced the four blocks to the shop, managing to glimpse the future president just as he was leaving.
Apparently he had come secretly, not to gather votes, but to organize and motivate the local campaign staff. Obama's campaign ended up building a formidable ground game in Iowa ahead of the 2008 caucuses: 37 field offices in 34 of Iowa’s 99 counties. For Democrats, not only is our little Iowa town worth visiting at caucus time, it’s even worth visiting on the sly.
For a few months every four years we rural town folk get to play an outsized role in the national politics, get to feel a little more important than usual, get a bit of media attention. And we should be happy about this, right? Well, lately, I’m not so sure.
A small state with a big influence
The 2020 Iowa caucuses are still about a month and a half away, but 14 Democratic candidates have visited Grinnell already this year, some more than once.
With less than 1% of the U.S. population, and just 1.1% of the electoral votes, Iowa punches way above its weight class in terms of influencing presidential elections and the candidates want to capitalize on that. As of October, South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg had 22 field offices in Iowa; while Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren had 19; and former Vice President Joe Biden had 17 offices.
A political culture to be proud of: Iowa Democrats' changes protect a piece of our political culture — the caucuses
Winning in little-old-Iowa gives a candidate a shot of momentum and allows him or her to stride into New Hampshire as the undisputed front runner in the race. In every election since 1992 — and that year was different because our own senator, Tom Harkin, ran — the winner of the Iowa Democratic caucus became the party's eventual nominee.
As an Iowa Democrat, I feel a little uncomfortable with this level of political responsibility. Should we Iowans really be the chosen people (or in this case, the choosing people)? Might we not be better off with a quiet, unobtrusive little caucus, tucked away on Super Tuesday? What if we Iowans pick the wrong person, and mess it up for the whole party — in this election? With each passing visit from a Democratic contender I feel the pressure building, and frankly, it’s starting to get me.
But why would we Iowans mess it up — we picked Obama, didn’t we?
'Iowa nice' has its drawbacks
Well, as everyone has noticed, the political discourse in this country has taken a turn toward the hostile and vitriolic. Iowans aren’t good with hostility, it’s not in our culture. Our unofficial state demeanor is something called “Iowa nice,” roughly defined as a friendly agreeableness and trust shown by people who are actually strangers.
A contributor to the Huffington Post wrote in 2017 that "'Iowa nice’ means that we pull over on the side of the road to help a stranger change a tire.” This is true. Thirty years ago, on our first night in Iowa, my wife and I stopped our car on a country road to sit and watch lightning bolts chase each other through the clouds. Every car that passed stopped to ask if we needed help.
They can't even be marginally reasonable: Democrats just might reelect Trump, and they'll have no one to blame but themselves.
But that author also criticized "Iowa nice" as leading to complacency. It's true that only a small portion of Iowa's population participates in the caucuses. In 2016, about 171,000 Democratic caucus-goes participated, less than 16% of the state's population. Are these the kind of people you want choosing a candidate to confront Donald Trump?
When I watch the debates I feel my inner Iowan coming to the fore. I get very uncomfortable when the candidates directly criticize each other and tempers flare. I like those moments when, for instance, former Vice President Joe Biden praised former Rep. Beto O’Rourke's response to the mass shooting in El Paso.
Am I suggesting that we Iowans hold our caucuses later in the election season, getting out of the limelight, avoiding this frenzy of candidate visits, taking the pressure off small towns like mine? No, can't advocate for that, even if it would make things easier, because if you want to see a group of warm, friendly, really “nice” people turn into a pack of rabid dogs, go into any Iowa coffee shop and utter the phrase, “I think we should move the caucuses back.”
Moreover, maybe in this political climate it’s entirely appropriate to have the first formal contest among people who know something about, and seem to value, simply being nice.
Mark Montgomery is the Donald L. Wilson Professor of Enterprise & Leadership in the department of economics at Grinnell College in Iowa.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2020 Democratic Iowa caucus: Immense political power, tiny population
