Tales of the Collegian Iowa Crew

Day Five - The Iowa Caucus

2008-01-04T04:41:00.001-07:00

This is, fittingly, one of the longest slideshows I've made to date... Which explains why I'm uploading it at 5:30am Des Moines time, despite our long drive home tomorrow, as it took forever to create. Hope everybody's enjoyed my audio/visual coverage of the Iowa Caucuses, have a good one.

-B.T.I.

You've got to wonder...

2008-01-04T01:54:00.000-07:00

You didn’t need any one to tell you how this statewide battle would end up.

No reporters from CNN, the New York Times, or even any of us here at the Collegian were really necessary in reporting this event. If you, the reader, took to the streets of any of the other mass of towns and cities around this state in the past five days, you would see that two specific candidates were poised to take the caucuses, and no polls or analysis would’ve been able to tell you that. People will tell you what they see when they look at candidates and when they look at the issues and you will hear different responses and points-of-views but you will see that only Huckabee and Obama truly represent the political philosophies behind their parties: Obama is all about energized change, something different, while Huckabee is a man of true Christian morals and as such strong foundations.

There are a couple of aspects/questions to consider as we evaluate the results of these caucuses,
-Has Giuliani fucked himself over?
As much as he’d like to pretend otherwise, coming sixth in Iowa simply says that a large quantity of the party does not condone him for 1) his character and 2) his questionable stances on issues of gay marriage and, more importantly, abortion. Huckabee may not appear to be as strong a leader as the former NY mayor, but that just doesn’t matter anymore: Giuliani has taken a step back, and is being quickly swallowed up by Huckabee’s shadow.

-How much does experience matter?
Do the American people really value experience as much as you might hear? I’m not so sure anymore. Many people say they value experience, but Obama seems like the kind of candidate who is wise beyond his few years as Senator. At least, he comes off as such; watching him speak the issues. And the final results raise that question. This reporter is not so sure what the answer is.

-Will Obama and Huckabee win their ticket? Can they win the presidency?
While its difficult to see exactly how the next month will unfold, both candidates have the strong potential to take their ticket, but should they both make it to the next level, only one will be able to get to win it: Obama.
Democrats backing Clinton, Edwards, and other Democratic candidates will often unite behind the same argument: Obama has promise, but is without the experience. After eight years under what truly was one of the most failed and despised presidencies the country has ever seen, very few Democrats will be willing to seriously consider a strong Baptist/former preacher who isn’t afraid to include God and his message in his campaign. Same goes for independents, and Obama has a considerable following when it comes to independent voters, so the pundits have noticed. Also, the Republican Party is been split at much more significant percentages than the Dems; would Ron Paul supporters be willing to give Huckabee the benefit of the doubt? Maybe, but don’t be surprised if a third party candidate is responsible for pulling a “Nader” and steal votes from Huckabee.

Most college students will be voting in their first presidental election this year; and its an exciting election to be a part of. But before hitting the booths, studnts ought to remember to research the issues, the candidates, and their own situations (so as to become fully aware of how their vote can affect them.) Support who you want; do not let Iowa results change your perspective. Vote for the man and woman you find to be the best president, not the best candidate.

Hours away from some big answers

2008-01-03T13:13:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to predict what exactly will happen today. After four long days of zooming across the state, meeting characters from both ends of the political spectrum, and achieving a new understanding of what people are doing here.

We’ve heard about the political game that campaign offices have been playing, and how the caucuses go down, but there’s quite a big difference between seeing and believing. We’re eager to hear the debate and the discussion, the tabulations, and the voices of the politically active Iowans who are looking to set the wheels rolling for the man or woman who might just be the next president of the United States with their decision.

It’s hard to tell who’ll be touting a 1st place position by the time this is all over. The final Des Moines Register polling showed that Obama and Huckabee lead their respective political parties, but that was January 1st: three days just might make all the difference in this state.

It’s certainly an exciting time to be here, the entire nation looking at the events tonight as a kind of super-special event. And yet, there will be no definitive answers by the end of tonight: a victory in Iowa will certainly help a candidate’s chances, but until answers arrive in New Hampshire and the swarm of primaries taking place on Super-Duper Tuesday, we’ll have to wait.

Iowa results cannot be completely depended on: In 1992, Bill Clinton pulled a 3% showing compared to Iowa Senator Tom Harkin, who won the caucuses with 76% of the polls.

But then again, a caucus can boost the little guy to the ticket: Jimmy Carter was something a pure no-name when he entered the 1976 race, and following victory in Iowa, Carter eventually rolled into the White House.

This year has seen a exciting presidential race thus far; we hope tonight’s caucuses will be informative and representative of the sort of direct democracy that we have heard so much about.
-E.M.

Day Four - Des Moines

2008-01-03T04:01:00.000-07:00

Kentucky group travels aboard "Huckabeast"

2008-01-02T22:31:00.001-07:00

Reverend John Brewer- followed by four young Southern Baptists- is low on funds, but high on love for presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. So much so, that Brewer sold his wedding ring for $150 on eBay, just so he could fuel a bus and bring his crew with him to Iowa from their home state of Kentucky. And it’s all in a show of support for the man they feel was chosen by God as the next president.

“We’ve driven this bus all around Iowa,” says David, who runs the team’s YouTube site: (http://youtube.com/profile?user=mtndewlover). “Everywhere we’ve gone, its been nothing but people waving. Its amazing to see the effect Mike Huckabee has had.”

These five ride the aptly titled “Huckabeast.” For the past two days, they’ve been following Huckabee from stops across Iowa: Ottumwa, Des Moines, and Fairfield.

For Carl, a 33-year-old college student at Boyce College, where he’s seeking a degree in youth ministry, Huckabee is the country’s only candidate that deserves consideration. He appreciates Huckabee and his strong stances on the moral issues (pro-life, the definition of marriage being between a man and a woman), but also truly appreciates Huckabee’s focuses on education and business.

“He wants to do help move the disabled into the mainstream,” Carl said. “I’ve always been put in a type of a situation where I was in a disabled classroom; I was never really given a chance to make it in the mainstream, into college.”

Carl hopes the country will see their story of grassroots determination and be inspired to become more involved with politics.

“The biggest thing we can do is get inspire other people,” Carl said. “If we can inspire people to the caucus, we’ve done our job.”

Day Three - The Campaign Trail

2008-01-02T02:44:00.000-07:00

-B.T.I.

Chuck + Devil's Music = Youth Vote

2008-01-02T02:37:00.000-07:00

Mike Huckabee is up on stage, tuning his bass guitar while the crowd waits. I’d squeezed into a nice spot among the crowd (100 people or so) in the Elks Lodge of Cedar Rapids. Huckabee would be strumming at his best today; the man who had just retaken the lead in the polls from Romney (according to the final Des Moines Register polling that morning.)

I felt a tapping at my shoulder, and was surprised to find a middle-aged mom staring at my sweatshirt.

“Are you going to school there?” she asked, referring to the crude golden and black bird I adorned on my chest. I held a groan; having had my jacket stolen the night before, I was forced to shell out some bucks for a brand new sweatshirt, so I figured getting one with the University of Iowa logo would make a fitting souvenir.

But now I was in a tough spot. This woman certainly had some kind of opinion when it came to the college scene, and expressed her surprise to me that a student would be here at a Huckabee event.

Jane, as she called herself, was a Baptist mother who had three children, two of whom also attended the university. With a nervous laugh that, she told me that the university really was something of a “devil’s playground”: a liberal campus set in a liberal town.

But talking around to others in the area, I don’t think that’s the case: a fairly young Iowa City couple told me that the Ron Paul following at the university was more active than any other. This campus, in fact, has a bevy of student groups centered around a single candidate: Paul, Hillary, Rudy, Giuliani, Obama…even Huckabee and Thompson have their own student groups.

Though a presence of youthful voters were extremely slim at Huckabee’s Cedar Rapids visit, his stop in Des Moines drew an energetic crowd of over 2000, 40 percent of which were mired from that attractive college-age population. This shouldn't be; trends show that young Republicans tend to lean towards socially-moderate candidates, certainly not the Southern Baptist who relies entirely on his faith when it comes to the issues. And yet, the final Des Moines Register poll shows Huckabee on the up in regards to support from college students, which has helped add up his new, comfortable lead in the polls.

Huckabee is certainly personable, but it’s Chuck Norris’ endorsement that has given him a firm backing of youth voters. His apperance at the "Huck n' Chuck" event in Des Moines confirms this. When comparing his Cedar Rapids visit to the one in Des Moines, its as if Huckabee can appeal to two different significant demographics...and, perhaps, political viewpoints. No one can deny that Chuck Norris is a figure of respect from many twenty-somethings, regardless of political preference. This reporter wonders if the Texas Ranger hasn’t been able to pull in some disgruntled Democrats into the pure conservative fold that Huckabee represents. Just having a chance to see a beloved star in person is too tempting for any moderate to resist.

And don’t forget the guitar- Huckabee and his band play some mean southern rock. The man is something bizarre: a Baptist preacher backed by everyone’s favorite ass-kicker, the populist who seems a better bar buddy than Bush ever could’ve been. And should he win the presidency, we might not be forced to think that his bass will get dusty.

“When we win it,” Huckabee said that night. “Well, first we’ll be playing a gig on the White House lawn.”

Day Two - Iowa City

2007-12-31T22:34:00.000-07:00

Happy New Years, all!

-B.T.I.

Searching for the Red

2007-12-31T22:04:00.000-07:00

The race for the GOP ticket is a tossup like none other. I’ve loved watching the twists and turns and drama bombs that have gone off and no single candidate has escaped the flak, and I love it.

The GOP wars are far more fun to watch than the plodding back-and-forth clashing that drags on between Clinton and Obama, with the occasional squeak from Edwards. That whole affair is summed up by media wizards as such: Clinton is a directionless ice queen with a shifty campaign staff, while Obama is a national politics virgin whose dopey idealism makes him fresh for the pounding. Meanwhile, the GOP race has become a dogfight for the ages, with Romney and Huckabee riding the roller coaster that is Iowa, while Giuliani and McCain making the retreat to New Hampshire where the action is picking up, all while Dr. Ron Paul prepares to unleash his army of scrawny libertarians upon us all.

But the action of the GOP race is nil in Iowa City, to my great disappointment. After a few hours of aimless scrounging, we came across the “New York Corner” of town: the strange neighboring offices of Clinton and Giuliani. We stepped into the Giuliani office first, where a team of supporters manned phone lines and filed forms with swift determination. The blare of Fox News was mere background noise to these young neo-cons.
As Iwamoto snapped photos, the rest of us struck up conversation with two volunteers as they marked up forms. I was shocked when the round-faced fellow told us that Giuliani’s office was the only (italic) conservative station in the city.
“Romney and Huckabee are focusing on Western Iowa, where the conservatives are,” he said. “You’ll find it’s a bit more left-leaning out in here, in the east.”
In the background, one volunteer muttered “awwwwk-ward” as she put down the phone, punctuating his point.

While our group has plans to check out Huckabee tomorrow, and hopefully Romney the following day, I’m disappointed with the lack of visible conservatives so far. Perhaps the silent majority is in full effect out here, or maybe everyone is too busy watching the Bowls to bother with this political shit (even though the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones are almost as shitty as the Rams). Even our excursion into a military surplus store this afternoon, one awash in “redneck and proud of it” gear, was managed by liberal-leaning mothers. There is a disturbing lack of Ron Paul in this landscape; I was saddened to read that the blimp’s floating above fucking Florida. YouTube videos of that grey creeper do not do my eyes justice.

I’m left to wonder if we’ll be lucky enough to hit a nice red splotch in this bluish territory we have pushed into; hopefully Huckabee’s presence in Cedar Rapids tomorrow will bring me a right-winger. As for tonight, the New Year brings new hopes and new surprises: The youth of the Rudy office seem to know Iowa City hotspots better than anyone else we’ve spoken with. We don’t know if these young locals know what’s up when it comes to getting down in this city, but I remain optimistic.

-E.M.

Audio Slideshow - Council Bluffs

2007-12-31T03:07:00.001-07:00

-B.T.I.

Our deserved caucus

2007-12-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

The city is not what we’ve expected. Council Bluffs reminds me of Greeley: dirty and shady, stacked with a few squares of forgotten eras. But there we were, disappointed and ready to get on to the next city.
The interview with the Ron Paul supporter went well, so Hedge says, but I have a feeling the bar excursion to Biggs was much more interesting. Biggs is a low-key establishment, generally quiet with exception to the jukebox lined with CCR tunes. The place had more plasma TVs than staff. This was a special event for me.
We sat at a high table with the anonymous staffer of the anonymous candidate (we’ll call him Skyler) who didn’t mind sharing his experience and insight with his younger peers.
Basically, Skyler has seen a shift from a normal, proud American life to a constant of 16-hour labor days for his candidate.
Once settled deep into the central cortex, politics can force the best and the brightest into harsh squatter-lives where they find themselves with few but their fellow junkies as chums, but when that’s only in the early stages of the game. Once this season rolls into gear, then those companions drift deliberately.

Skyler’s addiction is solely responsible for his recent life shift; you can tell by his jacket that his salary is jack-squat. And should Skyler’s candidate drop out of the race, well, it’s hard to tell where he’d go. Maybe back to his beloved home. Or, perhaps for the wiser, he’ll try to sneak into the winning candidate’s campaign headquarters, become absorbed into the fold, forgetting all about the man (or woman) whom he had been so dedicated to prior. This latter option won’t be the case, or so Skyler pledges. He’s got his candidate, and he backs him.
Besides, he’s too far in the muck now. His dues have been paid (hours spent in the call centers) and now he’s got a decent paying gig. Things are going his way as far as the internal affairs go, and he loves what he’s doing.

Like every other staffer that’s palavering around Iowa, Skyler is in it to win it. Living in the area for the past nine months has established insight in him, and he is happy to share it with us.
But I’m not quite ready to hear what he has to say. I don’t want him to tell me that he thinks Iowa deserves that first-in-the-nation caucus, which he does. What makes me so frustrated is that he has prepared a lengthy and compelling argument as to why this slice of “Cornhole USA” deserves first place each and every time.
Iowa is one half agricultural, one half urban; one half Republican, and one half Democrat, respectively. What makes this mixture boil is the caucus-going Iowan. Skyler says that these folk are a special breed when it comes to the political arena. It is conceivable. These people have been exposed to a thick storm of national attention every four years for their entire lives, and when this torrent peaks, it’ll stretch for as long as it can manage. Skyler estimates the average Iowan being bombarded with 300-400 political advertisements a day during the season. Any given man or woman, he suggests, actually gives a shit about the candidates, and is finely tuned to the questions of a candidate’s stances and character, unafraid to ask questions. From the little television we have watched, saturated with such ads, his point seems legit. The autistic TV enthusiast of this state is likely to know more about the current issues than your regular Nebraskan. The all-too-familiar faces of Huckabee, Romney, Clinton, and Richardson are emitted from the plasmas with a radial glow.

I seem to remember Obama wearing a cowboy hat as he stared down at me with his smile and waving hand. I felt ashamed, staring back at this blatantly false portrayal, especially with Skyler looking on.
“He’s too inexperienced,” he says.
I admit, I have developed something of a disgusting adulation of the senator, whose sincere image makes me doubt he holds any hidden evil. Any objectivity I had left in the discussion had been completely shed by this point.
“But what is so important about experience?” I ask, and then foolishly open myself to attack: “Are you worried he won’t be able to make the right choices when called upon?”
Skyler nods as he sips of his black whisky mix (I can’t recall what he was drinking exactly). “He needs more time.”
From there, he adds that heavy fundraisers, like Obama, would dominate the election if it weren’t for Iowa. The presidency would be won with TV ads, and the equation is too simple: more money = more TV time = more recognition. Here in Iowa, or so Skyler says, issues are examined more thoroughly in the caucus.

Whether Skyler’s argument holds true has yet to be determined. Sure, the man has sauntered around the state for the past nine months while we have barely gotten our feet wet, but it shouldn’t be too difficult to notice the cultural differences once we move eastward in the upcoming afternoon.
-E.M.

The journey to Council Bluffs

2007-12-29T20:09:00.001-07:00

The Collegian road crew pulled out of Fort Collins a little behind schedule. OK, maybe more than just a little.

At 11:19 a.m., two hours behind schedule, we pulled off from the newsroom in Erik Myers' Sienna, glassy-eyed, but full of the excitement only the start of the true election season can bring.

We hit the highway about 15 minutes later, and the timing could not have been more perfect. Erik Myers' mix CD plays AC/DC's “Highway to Hell,” and it seems fitting. (OK, it was planned, but it was still cool).

Exchanging one-liners and banter about the newsroom that would never be acceptable in mixed company, Nebraska crept up before we knew it.

“I've never been to Nebraska before,” Dave said as we crossed the Wyoming-Nebraska border.

“Well you're in for a fucking treat,” Erik Myers said, navigating the Sienna across the barren plains of the Great American Desert. Boy, was he right.

After our first gas station stop, we learned two things: 1) Junk food on a road trip is amazing, and 2) Nebraskans don't appreciate profanity.

The rest of the drive across Nebraska was much like the state itself – long and boring.

The only highlight came when Dave, noticed a slumbering Aaron Hedge and convinced Erik to pull the old “slam-on-the-brakes-and-scream-as-if-we-all-are-going-to-die” trick. It was hilarious.

At about 8 p.m., we reached Council Bluffs and pulled into the hotel. After Aaron checked in the “two guests” for our room at the Day's Inn, he and Erik led the rest of us and our luggage (mostly Brandon's) to our accommodations for the night.

Tonight, Aaron is going to meet with a Ron Paul supporter and a friend of Erik's is introducing the crew to all that Council Bluffs, the place Nebraskans go to sin, has to offer.

Let's hope we don't get in too much trouble tonight.
-S.R.

Prelude

2007-12-29T07:19:00.000-07:00

In the hours before the Collegian crew takes the road, the shakes creep in. I look at myself in the mirror, and right there, floating around in my own eyes, is the undoubted uncertainty.

I think:
What the hell are you doing
You think you’re something original, something funny? Wow a college road trip to strange new territory who cares if it’s been done a million times before in books/movies/TV because you’re something special but really you’re not
You’re a stupid college student who has signed himself up for six or so days with four assholes who are just as dumb as you and if you really think you know what you’re in for then prepare to meet the unsmiling backhand of reality
They don’t take kindly to your kind out there they’ll string you up the moment you make your first slipup

But this is just my own stream-of-consciousness. I do my best not to pay it attention, because Iowa won’t be anything like that; it’ll be a fun, once-in-a-lifetime experience shared by four respectable, enthusiastic, hard working, young men who are determined to make the absolute most out of the trip.
This isn’t work, this is adventure! Stuff like this that pulled me into newswriting, and by god, I have to make the most of it. I’m going to write like crazy and take risks and branch out and have fun. It’s hard to imagine this trip being anything but awesome, something I’ll always remember no matter how tough things might get to be out there.

There’s little to report outside of this early anxiety. Frankly, there’s little time available to write, as I’ve put off packing up to the last minute. Everyone plans on bringing necessities: recorders, batteries, lots of pens and paper, music and other unmentionable objects that we simply cannot do without. Clothes and hygiene products are important too, if I plan on talking with anyone out there.
There’s also car preparation to consider. We’ll be traveling in my 2001 Sienna, and while it’s ready for roads both long and icy, there’s still the matter of cleaning it up, so my companions won’t think less of me. No one, not even college-aged adults, appreciate a filthy car.

We leave at 9:00 a.m. from Dave and Sean’s house, and then its on to I-25 with AC/DC blaring from the speakers. Hedge and I have plans to meet up with various politicos down in Council Bluffs tonight, but from there on, it looks like we will all be improvising.

I only hope I’ll get to see the Ron Paul blimp.
-E.M.

Bhutto assassination heats up race

2007-12-28T14:34:00.000-07:00

As the most controversial opposition leader and who her supporters call the last bastion of peace and hope in Pakistan, Benazir Bhutto, was bloodily murdered yesterday immediately following a campaign event, presidential hopefuls in Iowa find themselves demonstrating their political savvy-ness – or ignorance – in the midst of what has become a much more sober campaign.

The front-runners in both parties issued statements decrying the assassination and some spoke publicly about their personal relationships with Bhutto, who was the first female leader of an Islamic state and removed from her position in 1999 in a military coup.

Hillary Clinton demonstrated her personal relationship, which has been called the closest one of all the presidential candidates, with somber condolences to the Bhutto family and Bhutto’s idealistic Pakistan People’s Party.

And some candidates were accused by news organizations and political strategists of receiving campaign boosts from the assassination, as each of them –– sans Chris Dodd and Fred Thompson –– released strong statements that outlined how they will handle the unraveling international crisis if elected president.

John McCain became the man of the hour in Iowa, citing his long political resume and the fact the Rudy “Giuliani has never been to Iraq.”

Mike Huckabee, lending a hand the border security cause, said the desperate situation perfectly illustrates the need for a Mexico border fence.

The politicians’ political game, played today on the desperate fight between Islamic militants and the PPP, has become a big weapon in the fight for votes, downplaying what is probably the most significant international crisis since 9/11.

Candidates face bad primary timing

2007-12-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

According to CNN, holidays and comparatively obscure sporting events could be of more importance to the American people than the political process that will dictate the directions of their lives for the next four to eight years.

In what my esteemed colleague cleverly coined the "Overprotective Boyfriend Act," the Republican and Democratic parties decided to hold their Iowa presidential caucuses in conflict with the holiday season and the Orange Bowl in what some call bad timing.

Maybe there is merit to their allegations – maybe American voters are more likely to sleep in from their holiday shopping hangover and not do their homework for the most intensely combative political event in 36 years and then abandon their caucus to watch the Orange Bowl (what is that again?).

But I would like to think that Iowans will be slightly more concerned with their country’s future than with the triviality of holiday shopping and watching athletes compete in bright shirts 1,000 miles away.

But the revamped timing of the caucus poses a more real problem for the candidates – especially the underdogs – for future state elections, however.

New Hampshire was forced by a desire to keep its status as the premier primary state in the country and state mandate to push its nomination date up to Jan. 8. New Hampshire legislation requires that the state hold it’s primary at least a week prior to any other state.

But the majority of primary states planned their elections on Jan. 15, making the Jan. 8 the last day New Hampshire could keep their top spot.

So as the presidential candidates have focused their campaign energies on impressing their prized Iowa voters over the past months, they will hardly have time to regroup in the five days after the Iowa caucuses and aim at issues that matter to New Englanders.

And candidates who will not place in the top three slots in Iowa will have to figure out what they did wrong in Iowa and reconfigure their entire campaigns, even though what they may have doing wrong in Iowa could be just what the doctor ordered in New Hampshire.

Thank God for the poll cushion.

But the front runners also face their own set of challenges.

On the Republican side, Mike Huckabee recently took an unprecedented lead in Iowa, running on the conservative fuel of his vehemently proclaimed religious convictions and hunting savvy-ness, while Mitt Romney is head of the pack in New Hampshire, playing the low-tax card.

For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton just lost top pick in Iowa and, more recently, New Hampshire, to Barack Obama as this last bad week was highlighted with vague positions on issues, according to NH lawyers who say her campaign has "no clear message."

And the sleeping giant who no one seems to pay attention to, John Edwards, is quickly and quietly catching up with the top dogs who are constantly at one another’s throats.

Obama gained even more support in Iowa today as he dispelled the rumor of his alleged faith-without-action technique, when he left his podium at a public appearance and hugged a voter who pleaded for better health care for war veterans.

So as the front runners are juggled from first place to second place to up in the air, they lose momentum in New Hampshire while underdogs, especially in the Republican Party, find solace in New Hampshire’s and other states' ignored prominence.

The convoluted nature of this competition between states is sure to put immense pressure on the candidates as the most confusing and diverse election since the founding of our country unravels.
-A.H

Tancredo Rolls Out

2007-12-23T13:37:00.000-07:00

Unyielding in his scorn for immigrants and the Spanish language, yet ready to resign to his fate, Tom Tancredo has announced his resignation from the presidential race. While Tancredo never stood much of chance against his fellow nominees, he did not go gentle into the good night. Tancredo squared his entire campaign on illegal immigration, and effectively used controversy to get his message out.

Tancredo has gone on to say that he had little intention of actually running for president but just wanted to pressure other GOPers to address illegal immigration, claiming to have gotten the ball rolling. This is a pretty broad claim, considering that the federal government had been dabbling in immigration reform since 2005. But it’s hard to deny that, as Tom said, his peers have been working to “Out-Tancredo Tancredo”: attacks on fellow candidates regarding the issue have stepped up in the winter months, McCain, Huckabee, and Romney making particularly soft targets.

So what’s next for Tom, as he’s not returning to his congressional seat? A quiet retirement to the foothills? Or maybe a comfortable executive position on an education board somewhere in the Springs? Perhaps he’ll pick up his rifle and walkie-talkie and take to the border, dispensing justice one 7mm at a time. With a number of possibilities abound, don’t be surprised if the congressman makes a surprise dash for Colorado’s empty Senate seat in 2008.

-E.M.

Our precious caucus

2007-12-17T14:04:00.000-07:00

Is there such a thing as too much love?
You could say so, judging by the creepy obsession states across the country hold towards their primary election activities.

First, we see a full month shift in timelines for primaries when 22 states pushed their primaries from early-March “Super Tuesday” to “Super-Duper Tuesday” on February 5th.
Democrat parties in Michigan and Florida were slapped in the face when they got too close to the objects of their desires, reaching out a few weeks beyond the limits, and they're still going ahead with their mid-January primaries.
Meanwhile, Iowa puts on the overprotective boyfriend act, clinging so tightly to the one thing that makes its existence worthwhile.

Driving this surge for earlier dates is the need to feel important, in terms of economy and appearance, and it’s gotten to the point where it’s uncomfortable for me to watch.
The state has been the first to hold its caucuses since 1972, and both Iowa’s GOP and Democrat parties have bitterly clung to their first-in-the-nation spot, as exemplified this election season.
Giving Iowa the starting bell makes some sense: the state has a history of swinging between parties when it comes to the final election, and there’s a long-standing small town charm that Iowa conveys beautifully. When I think of Iowa, I imagine the grinning 61-year-old truck driver sipping on some coffee at an old-fashioned diner, his corn-loaded Semi sitting in the parking lot.

But as All-American as that might be, it just doesn’t represent our country anymore.

Maybe Iowa has pulled an cultural update in recent years, but to me, the state will always be a part of “Corn Hole USA”, alongside Kansas and Nebraska. Upon hearing the name of these states, everyone living outside this trifecta is immediately filled with images of never-ending wheat fields and miniscule towns untouched by present-day society.
I’d say Iowa would like to escape that image; that’s why they so badly cling to these caucuses. Lord knows the Hawkeyes and the Cyclones won’t be bringing in a BCS National Championship anytime in the next three decades. Iowans need something to be proud of, I suppose.

It seems to me, however, that its time to give other states a chance to hold the first presidental caucus. New Mexico would make a perfect candidate for the position, in my opinion.
Like Iowa, New Mexico has developed a reputation as a “middle-of-the-road” state when it comes to politics. They too are chock-full of small aimless town and old people. If that weren’t enough, remember that they are a border state, which just screams present-day relevance; 10% of the population is (probably) illegal immigrants!
It’s time for the torch to be passed. Someone else deserves that attention, and the American public ought to have a more diverse representation in their early election activities.

Iowa can do without this extra attention for a decade or so. I mean, they are fairly well off with their agricultural exports. New Mexico, meanwhile, needs all of the national attention they can get. Financial experts there are still trying to make the state’s top export, dirt, marketable. An early January caucus would get that ball rolling.

-E.M.

WELCOME

2007-12-10T10:00:00.003-07:00

Greetings from your Rocky Mountain Collegian's Iowa Crew!
Pay attention: Above, you can see Mike Gravel, ex-senator and current nominee for President of the United States of America. Much like Gravel, we five at The Collegian look to, in a proverbial sense, “throw the rock into the lake.” We’re here to stir things up, make some ripples. Though we, like the good yet decrepit ex-senator, might just be a spot in the floating fortress that is Iowa in early January, we’re just another weird speck that’ll be worth watching for at least someone.
Weird is the buzzword of this year’s election; truly, there has been no election as bizarre as the one we are witnessing right now. Seriously; come next year we could have a woman, an African-American, or even a Mormon as our great leader. Just let that settle for a bit, and realize that those candidates are front runners in their parties, meaning they’ve got a pretty good shot. Then remember that YouTube AND Univision hosted presidential debates.
And frighteningly enough, there’s much more to watch in these strange times.
The hottest boy on the nominee block, Mike Huckabee, is as radical a Christian as he is a guitarist.
It's been reported that the tough guy, Chris Dodd, was last seen smiling in the early 1990s. The man has the biggest jowls in the race, and will likely do his share of flexing when he starts talking about Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and how he isn't that bad of a guy.
The class clown, Dennis Kucinich, has seen UFOs, but still wants to take away our guns. And, in a long time first for a candidate, his wife is actually kind of hot.
And as hard as he may try, Kucinich will never out odd the sensitive one, the die-hard libertarian (whose heart is literally 5% gold) known as Dr. Ron Paul. He’s fighting the war on the War on Terror alongside the war on the War on Drugs. Conspiracy theorist or not, the fine doctor just might surprise everyone and snatch a first place spot in Iowa, a charge fueled by a million YouTube videos.
Yes, 2008 will be the year of the weird, and the Collegian’s Iowa Crew plans to do little but bring it to your computer monitor, with updates every day, starting December 30th!
Stay tuned, all you students, faculty, and unemployed 45-year-olds! We here at The Collegian are here to serve you!