To the Editor:
Re “Take the Iowa Caucuses. Please” (Editorial Observer, June 12):
I agree with Michelle Cottle’s thesis that the Iowa caucuses are grossly unrepresentative of the Democratic electorate and should be replaced by a primary. She also questions Iowa’s “No. 1 spot.”
Should small states like Iowa and New Hampshire be relied upon to pick winners? I would argue “no,” but the early small-state primaries and caucuses do have an important function. They are an inexpensive way for marginal candidates to find out that they have no chance. They don’t (or shouldn’t) pick winners, but they do a good job of picking losers. Let’s face it: If you can’t poll 6 percent in Iowa, where is your campaign going?
If the early primaries were in California or Texas, those same marginal candidates would get the same bad news, but at far greater expense. So let’s see the early, small-state primaries and caucuses as a winnowing process, getting the also-rans out of the race early and at little cost to them, before getting to the serious (and expensive) business of actually choosing the candidate.
Albert S. Kirsch
Miami
To the Editor:
Just because Iowa is first doesn’t mean it is significant. In a rational world, the Iowa caucuses would be treated like a preseason baseball game or an out-of-town theatrical tryout, and Super Tuesday, when over a dozen primaries (including California and Texas) are scheduled, would be treated as opening day.
The Iowa caucuses are important only because the media treat them as important, like celebrities who are famous for being famous. Here’s a radical thought: Stop reporting on how candidates are doing in Iowa and start reporting on how they are doing in the Super Tuesday states instead.
Lawrence Peitzman
Studio City, Calif.
To the Editor:
Indeed, as Michelle Cottle says, arguments in favor of Iowa’s caucuses are “poppycock.” We should have a National Primary Day, and interested voters in each state would have an opportunity to have their voices heard.
Patricia C. Sympson
Lynbrook, N.Y.
Source: Read Full Article
Home » Analysis & Comment » Opinion | Does Iowa Deserve Its Outsized Influence?
Opinion | Does Iowa Deserve Its Outsized Influence?
To the Editor:
Re “Take the Iowa Caucuses. Please” (Editorial Observer, June 12):
I agree with Michelle Cottle’s thesis that the Iowa caucuses are grossly unrepresentative of the Democratic electorate and should be replaced by a primary. She also questions Iowa’s “No. 1 spot.”
Should small states like Iowa and New Hampshire be relied upon to pick winners? I would argue “no,” but the early small-state primaries and caucuses do have an important function. They are an inexpensive way for marginal candidates to find out that they have no chance. They don’t (or shouldn’t) pick winners, but they do a good job of picking losers. Let’s face it: If you can’t poll 6 percent in Iowa, where is your campaign going?
If the early primaries were in California or Texas, those same marginal candidates would get the same bad news, but at far greater expense. So let’s see the early, small-state primaries and caucuses as a winnowing process, getting the also-rans out of the race early and at little cost to them, before getting to the serious (and expensive) business of actually choosing the candidate.
Albert S. Kirsch
Miami
To the Editor:
Just because Iowa is first doesn’t mean it is significant. In a rational world, the Iowa caucuses would be treated like a preseason baseball game or an out-of-town theatrical tryout, and Super Tuesday, when over a dozen primaries (including California and Texas) are scheduled, would be treated as opening day.
The Iowa caucuses are important only because the media treat them as important, like celebrities who are famous for being famous. Here’s a radical thought: Stop reporting on how candidates are doing in Iowa and start reporting on how they are doing in the Super Tuesday states instead.
Lawrence Peitzman
Studio City, Calif.
To the Editor:
Indeed, as Michelle Cottle says, arguments in favor of Iowa’s caucuses are “poppycock.” We should have a National Primary Day, and interested voters in each state would have an opportunity to have their voices heard.
Patricia C. Sympson
Lynbrook, N.Y.
Source: Read Full Article