Magazine says Iowa doesn’t deserve its role
An article in the new issue of The American Prospect magazine says Iowa does not deserve its prominent role in nominating presidential candidates.
“What no one involved in any campaign will acknowledge, and few commentators will either, is that this system is not merely curious or even unfair, it is utterly perverse,” says the article, written by media critic Paul Waldman.
“This isn’t just because the rest of us get virtually no say in who the parties’ nominees are. It’s also because of this simple fact: No small group of Americans deserves this power, but if any does, it sure isn’t the citizens of Iowa.”
Waldman says Iowans are apathetic about the caucuses, as shown by the fact that only about one in 10 eligible voters participate.
“As you read this, some of the most important and powerful people in America are crawling through the Hawkeye State on their knees, pretending to know more than they do about corn, pretending that the deep-fried Twinkie they had back at the state fair was just dee-licious, pretending that ethanol is the key to our energy future and pretending that every precinct captain and PTA chair they meet is the very heart and soul of our nation, whose opinions the candidate is just dying to hear,” Waldman says.
“The American Prospect” is a left-leaning journal, which lists a print circulation of 55,000 and online readership of more than 300,000.