Dear Friends,
LISTEN TO THIS WEEK’S PROGRAM:
1. Biden, DNC kill the Iowa Caucuses (2:21)
2. Fruity Pepples: Poster child for what’s wrong with health and ag policy, with Mark Clipsham (21:59)
3. Biden shafting of rail workers will hurt Dems in 2024, with input from Ross Grooters (40:47)
4. Plan now to fix next year’s tomato problems, with Kathy Byrnes (54:19)
Democrats across the US are celebrating the demise of the Iowa Caucuses. That’s unfortunate, because the passing of the Iowa Caucuses is a huge loss to democracy. And President Biden and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are to blame.
Click the image to hear eight seconds of Biden claiming that Iowans are pains in the neck.
Iowa has never gone well for Biden. In 1988, Biden polled poorly even before dropping out after he got caught plagiarizing Neil Kinnock. In 2008, Biden finished fifth in Iowa. In 2020, fourth. Ouch.
It’s no surprise that Biden would love to never have to campaign in Iowa again. He made that clear at a 2019 forum when he said to me and others in attendance, “All you guys in Iowa are pains in the neck, you know that?” (View that exchange here, and related Bold Iowa “climate bird dog” interactions with Biden here.)
By ditching Iowa and vaulting South Carolina (the only early state Biden won in 2020) to the front of the pack, Biden has made it clear he intends to run for reelection in 2024. He’s also made it clear he doesn’t want to deal with voters he regards as “pains in the neck,” i.e., voters who challenge him on issues where he avoids clear and consistent positions.
The DNC bears equal blame for the demise of the Caucuses. The Shadow app the DNC required Iowa Democrats to use to tabulate caucus results in 2020 was never fully developed or tested. It was unleashed at the last minute by a company that had existed for only five months. Is anyone really surprised it failed? My guess is the DNC actually wanted the app to fail? (See Politico’s article on what was exposed by an audit.)
Why the heck is this toxic “food” product so heavily subsidized?
I understand why people are envious of Iowa voters’ access to presidential candidates. It is, indeed, a unique opportunity. It’s also a colossal responsibility. Iowans feel a distinct obligation to meet many (or even every) presidential candidate, often multiple times, and grill them on a wide range of issues — not just farm and food policy. (In retrospect, I wish I’d asked the 2020 candidates if they think it’s in the best interest of Americans’ health to subsidize Conagra’s Fruity Pebbles Syrup.)
It takes time, research, training, follow-up, and moxie to bird-dog politicians. Since 1972, Iowans have developed and fine-tuned effective strategies for engaging candidates. If this experience is lost as the baton of first-in-the-nation status is passed, democracy and the Democratic Party will suffer.
Let me refute and respond to the reasons given as to why Iowa should not be an early-voting state:
TOO WHITE. Sure, we’re 80% white. But that’s changing, and fast — especially among Iowans registered as Democrats. In Des Moines, non-white kids make up 70% of the K-12 student body. Even in rural Iowa, two counties — Buena Vista and Crawford — have seen the percentage of Iowans who are white drop to 62% and 68% respectively.
TOO RURAL. Really? That’s a problem? No, the problem is the Democratic Party continues to abandon rural America. Also, sorry to rain on your national narrative, but most Democrats participating in the Iowa Caucuses live in cities.
There’s more. Randy Evans, a respected friend and former editor of the Des Moines Register’s editorial page, wrote a column recently in support of ending the Caucuses:
RANDY: “Those who work on caucus night are left out.”
ME: I know plenty of voters who ask for the night off and get it. Sure, that might not fly for every job, but it would for most.
RANDY: “So were people who could not set aside two or three hours to stand shoulder to shoulder in a school lunchroom or a church meeting room.”
ME: Really? The average American spends three hours each day watching TV. Is it too much to ask people to commit two to three hours to grassroots democracy every four years?
RANDY: “Those who were out of town could not participate.”
ME: Plan ahead. If you can figure out in advance where you’ll be for Christmas, you can probably be in town for Caucus night.
RANDY: “[T]here were the problems for interested Democrats who could not drive at night.”
ME: Ask the campaign of a candidate you’re supporting for a ride. In my seven legislative campaigns, I was happy to provide that service to voters. There are also these things called taxi cabs.
RANDY: “[Those] who were fearful of venturing out in nasty winter weather.”
ME: Most Caucuses are held very close to where people live, often just a matter of blocks. Bundle up and enjoy a short stint in the fresh air.
RANDY: “[People] who were in poor health.”
ME: Ok, that’s legit.
There is one ray of hope here. Maybe Iowa Democrats will take the bipartisan advise of Senator Chuck Grassley (R) and Iowa DNC delegate Scott Brennan, who say Iowa Democrats oughta go ahead and hold their Caucuses anyhow.
I concur. Don’t slink off quietly into the night. Don’t let the DNC and President Biden bully Iowa. Schedule those caucuses even if the DNC strips Iowa of its delegates. Will presidential candidates come? Maybe. If they do, will the media notice? Hard to say. It’s worth a shot.
Regardless, I hope voters in states that lead off the 2024 presidential campaign will be as tenacious with candidates as Iowans have been.
I’ll leave you with this quote from a column by Barbara Trish and Bill Menner: “What mattered [about the Caucuses] is that the candidates showed up and listened to the concerns of average Democrats, including the rich pockets of diversity across the state. What mattered was that those Iowans even without wealth and power could be heard.”
Thanks for reading, listening, and sharing feedback. If you’d like to support our work, please visit this link or mail a check to: Fallon Forum, 735 19th Street, Des Moines, IA 50314.
Thanks! — Ed Fallon
*******
(2:21) Biden, DNC kill the Iowa Caucuses;
(21:59) Fruity Pepples: Poster child for what’s wrong with health and ag policy, with Mark Clipsham;
(40:47) Biden shafting of rail workers will hurt Dems in 2024, with input from Ross Grooters;
(54:19) Plan now to fix next year’s tomato problems, with Kathy Byrnes.
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Ed Fallon
I can’t disagree with you more, Ed.
I’ve hated the Caucuses since I caucused for Clinton in 1992. I was very unpopular because Senator Harkin was still in the race. I love Senator Harkin, but I didn’t see him as a good choice, and I didn’t think it was fair that he was winning simply because he was from Iowa.
Once I was involved in politics, I saw the corruption of the entire process because of the caucuses. Legislators working for candidates to get their next job and get a place in DC. Their choices had nothing to do with representing their constituents.
Access to candidates is such a rush. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting with President Biden and Dr. Biden at a brunch. My wife and I had their attention for 30 minutes. I met several D’s and R’s over the years. Quite a rush. Was it good for Iowa? no.
1. Caucuses are awful. The rules are outdated, hard to implement, and the app obviously failed last time. However, the counting has always been suspect, is only the first stage of the process, and has no real meaning. Zero delegates are awarded on Caucus night.
2. Access – it can be a real problem. You, of course, don’t look at it from a rural point of view. I never was closer than 10 miles – 15-30 minutes from my caucus. In college, I was 3 hours away. No chance of an absentee ballot. Iowans agree. On the best caucus night, less than 5% of Iowans show up. It’s usually less than 1%. That makes no sense. It provides too much power to a few people, and it causes campaigns to do too many shady things.
3. Rural voters – the precipitous decline in democratic engagement in rural areas is a real concern. You often have rural voters on your show, but you rarely have rural democrats on your show. What are their perceptions and ideas? Rural areas voted for republicans at an 75% clip. Seems like Iowa democrats need to do some work to change this. Rural voters are angry at the elite, coastal democrats that never consider them. That is despite the caucuses. Maybe something else is needed. What’s going on now isn’t working.
4. Most Iowans don’t go to the meet and greets. One example was in 2004 when Biden was running. He gave a speech at Okoboji High School. The person in charge couldn’t unlock the doors, so I did, and listened with the 20 people that came. I went to similar events for Kerry and Dean. Our son went to an event with John McCain, and only 9 people showed up.
5. Climate change – this is the major issue of our time. The candidate with the best climate agenda was Inslee, and he failed to garner any support in Iowa. At least he forced other candidates to take a position – Biden didn’t do enough! However, Iowa will never be the state where that issue will take center stage. Plus, all the issues wrapped up in ethanol will not be addressed as long as Iowa is first.
Corruption, anti-democratic, and devoid of meaning – that’s the Iowa Caucuses.
PS I also attended the caucus in Washington. It met most of your marks: I could walk from my home, it was quite diverse, no legislative candidates spoke, and it went quickly. The math was much easier, and the reporting system worked easily. Still a bit undemocratic, but it was on a Saturday morning, and day care was provided.