Center of the Earth
columnist: DigitalBob

Topic: Ron Paul
Ron Paul Iowa Caucus Goers Well Prepared

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After surveying the websites of GOP candidates, the Ron Paul campaign gives very specific instructions, not just for the precinct polling, but for the whole caucus process.

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by DigitalBob
(Libertarian)
Sunday, December 23, 2007

Not living in Iowa, I had no idea what it took to vote in a caucus.  I'm used to showing up at a polling place, casting a secret ballot and walking away.  In Iowa, it's a very different process.  Here in Michigan, you can't campaign within 100 feet of a polling place.  In the Iowa caucus, you're expected to say something in support of your candidate in front of everyone at the precinct, before the vote is taken.

This got interesting, so I had to dig a little deeper.  I figured each of the presidential candidates would have clear instructions for first-time Iowa voters.  After looking at the Republican candidates for president, I found just the Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee campaigns had videos that talked about the Iowa caucuses and how to vote.  The Mitt Romney campaign had a sign-in form, an e-mail for you to bring 5 Friends, and other helpful information, including a link to the Iowa State GOP precinct locator.  Duncan Hunter's Iowa page has a generic video that he wants Iowans to support him, but nothing further.

For Rudy, Thompson, and McCain, I didn't find an Iowa-specific page.  I heard Fred was stuck in a snowstorm there this weekend.

Whether in the Boy Scouts, business or politics, the "Be Prepared" motto is always a good idea.  However, the Ron Paul Iowa website has all its bases covered. First of all, the training video knocked my socks off.

If you've never heard of Ron Paul, the first three minutes are excerpts of speeches Paul has given this past year.  This should give you enough material for your 2-minute speech, if you have to give one.  The rest of the video explains what an Iowa caucus is, what steps you need to take to make your vote count, and then what additional steps can be done to ensure that the Ron Paul Revolution continues onto the convention.  The video encourages you to register as a Republican ahead of time.

As a victim of many corporate training programs, I was impressed how on-topic it was.  During the video, you get clear, step-by-step action items to ensure Ron Paul gets the vote.  If you're serious about participating in the Paul campaign beyond just casting your vote, you need to watch the video with a pad of paper.  I didn't realize that the polling is done and over with in perhaps the first half hour.  After that, you have the opportunity to establish the platform for the Iowa GOP and selected delegates to the county and state conventions.  The Iowa chair emphasizes that you can become the future of the Republican party.  This sounds much bigger than one election.

In contrast, the Huckabee video gets right to the point about voting, but not much else.  The state chair even says that you don't have to be a Republican to vote, just a resident of Iowa.  The Paul video stresses registering early as a Republican so that there is no question about your party affiliation.  The Huckabee video invites you to just show up on caucus night.

Beyond the video, the Paul Iowa page has a caucus Handbook.  It reinforces many of the same points in the training video.  It goes into detail about all the duties involved as a Temporary Chair.  By having this information, not only are you voting that night, but you can actually end up running your precinct for a day.

And then the rest of the Ron Paul Iowa page goes into detail about voting in the caucuses, calling up registered Republicans, becoming a delegate, and participating in Christmas Vacation Iowa canvassing.  It's thorough.

There are over 1,700 precincts in Iowa.  By watching the video and following the handbook, you too could be a Temporary Chair for a night.  If each precinct has one prepared Ron Paul voter, that might be enough to win the first state.

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2007 DigitalBob, all rights reserved.
Published: Sunday, December 23, 2007
Last modified: Sunday, December 23, 2007

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