The Franchised

Caucuses Give Iowa Influence, But Many Iowans Are Left Out -Tomorrow evening the thousands of Iowa voters who are not otherwise engaged will pick their candidates for President. The caucuses begin the Presidential selection process with a state that is already light on minorities and heavy on farmers, then exclude anyone who can't get out for a few hours on Thursday evening. The disenfranchised will include important groups, people in Thursday night bowling leagues, people who just spent their life savings on a baby sitter for New Year's Eve and can't afford to do it again for a caucus, people with work assignments that have taken them out of state (to Iraq, for example), people who work in the evenings, people who are still hung over from New Year's Eve, people who think Ugly Betty, Grey's Anatomy and the Orange Bowl are must see TV, people who can't bear to listen to any political discussion of duration exceeding one minute - really, it's amazing anyone shows up at all.

So, do we pity the poor, disenfranchised Iowans who will be otherwise engaged tomorrow night? Not for one second. A vote in a New Jersey Presidential primary is like a write-in for George Washington. You can pick the right guy, but the choice is already history. Iowans, those of you who are free tomorrow night, choose wisely. We are counting on you. Think of yourselves as the smart kid that gives his homework to the football team. We don't understand what you are doing and we don't really like you, but we know we can beat you up if things don't go well for us.