It's finally here. Today officially starts the presidential race, as the Iowa Caucuses start.
Over the next few weeks, people are going to be shouting, yelling, fighting and generally unpleasant as caucuses and state primaries begin choosing delegates who favor a particular candidate within a particular party to represent party interests on the national stage, via the Office of the Presidency. It is usually an absolute mess, but I have a feeling this election is going to be a bloodbath because of the type of candidates involved.
The election of presidential candidates within a particular party is an interesting process. Basically, party-registered voters choose delegates (who usually openly favor a particular candidate) to go to a national party convention where the candidate is selected and nominated. The Iowa Caucuses are incredibly important to the process, as they usually set the tone and momentum of the actual election. These caucuses are vital to political campaigns because whoever can win the support of these Iowans is almost always guaranteed the party nomination. The caucuses usually consist of die-hard party members. However, the influx of younger, independent voters will be the deciding factor.
Party loyalists in both major political parties are split between those candidates who advocate radical reform and those candidates seeking much more mild improvements.
For example, take the Republican field which has a wide variety of candidates, each representing a different faction: Rand Paul as a Libertarian, Ted Cruz as the classic Conservative, Mike Huckabee and Rick Santorum as Evangelicals, Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio as (kind of) moderate Republicans and Donald Trump as, well, let's face it, a fascist.
In the Democratic Party, you have Martin O'Malley, who represents this kind of green-party faction, Hillary Clinton as the guardian-watchdog of democrat policy platform and the infamous Bernie Sanders representing progressives, Socialists and Social Democrats.
With such a wide array of candidates (and policy choices), it's going to be interesting how voters will react. Are Iowans willing to support the old order, embodied in people like Clinton or Bush? Or, are they going to throw their support behind candidates who advocate for aggressive change like Trump or Sanders?
Whether you are in Iowa or not, you have a voice in how this all plays out. You have the vote and that is something that cannot be bought.
This election will be a decider on many things such as healthcare, education, campaign finance reform and criminal justice reform, just to name a few. That is why it is so important to find out where to vote and when. The greatest threat to democracy is voter apathy.
As we go and argue among ourselves about the what the future of America looks like, let's realize the privilege we have in doing this. Let's take a moment to reflect on the fact that there are so many people in this world who wish they could vote. Let's remember that there are many people in some countries who have acid thrown on their faces if they are caught with voter's ink on their fingers.
Happy Primaries! It's feeding time, and believe me, we aren't at the zoo.
