February 2004

James Ehrmann • Caucus Fever

I saw a sign in downtown Iowa City that said "(Howard) Dean is top choice for caucus." Sure, and after that top finish, Dean will go mount his trusty unicorn and return to his castle on Venus where he will continue to govern La La Land.

As you’ve gathered, caucus fever has hit Iowa. I opted to caucus for the Democrats since theirs was a competitive caucus—and the Republican precinct was about a mile walk off campus in blistering cold weather. My precinct had more than 250 caucus-goers, which was three times more than in 2000. With only four delegate spots available, how does a conservative supporter of President Bush manage to grab one from 248 avid Democrats? Read on.

The caucuses started about half an hour late, after a representative for each candidate got a chance to promote their candidate. True to my Republican form, I opted to say a few words on Al Sharpton’s behalf. "Many people think Al Sharpton’s campaign is a joke," I said to the crowd, while standing on my chair. "To that, I say, shame on you, Democrats of precinct 03! Since when has this party been one that shies away from difference and change? Vote Sharpton for the party, for your morals, and if nothing else, do it for the hair."

There was applause and laughter from the caucus-goers but, unfortunately, not enough enthusiasm to make Sharpton a viable candidate. Many other camps needed people to gain viability, however, so my friend Jason and I spent the next hour being courted by other campaigns. They answered our every question and made every attempt to woo two “undercover Republicans” into their camp. It was all we two Bushies could do not to smirk. Eventually, we joined John Edwards’ camp, and he ended up gaining enough people to earn a delegate, as did Dean, Kerry, and Kucinich. Part of the deal for me joining Edwards’ campaign was that I would get to be the delegate representing Edwards at the county, state, and perhaps even national Democratic conventions. I was eerily excited for this chance at Democratic prominence, but that quickly turned to doubt when a friend asked me how I would explain this to Republicans if I ever ran for office.

Sure, records would indicate that I was a Democrat in January, but I just think along the lines of Will Rogers when he said, "I do not belong to any organized political party: I’m a Democrat!" As of now, me too, Will!

Back to James's Index

Back to "My Life as a Student" Index