Why does Iowa matter?
With the Barack Obama campaign making a statement with his margin of victory in Iowa, a state where 2% of the voting population identifies as African-American, it brings for discussion why such a state is so influential in the race for the US Presidency? I’ve been to Iowa many, many times. I have known many Iowans over the years. And I don’t think the good citizens of Iowa are very representative of the population a US President would be elected to govern. So, who really cares what Iowa thinks anyway? I mean, if they are so important to the process, why did only 10% of eligible voters even participate in the caucus? You’d think, given their once-every-four-years moment in the national sunshine, more people would turn out? I used to be embarrassed and disillusioned when I would hear numbers like 40%, 50%, 60% percent turnout is expected in local elections. But really, just ten percent - and in a state that really is not very diverse as a whole anyway? What a bizarre situation.
That said, Obama definitely made a statement yesterday. I’m eager to see where he takes it from here.