Word: caucus
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...down to a more reasonable size. Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, Rep. Richard Gephardt (D.-Mo.), and Sen. Paul Simon (D.-III.) came out as frontrunners. With a commendable fourth-place showing, Rev. Jesse Jackson proved once and for all that his appeal was not limited to Blacks. Meanwhile, the caucus-goers effectively eliminated two men whose presence only obscured the Democratic field, former Arizona Gov. Bruce Babbitt and former Colorado Sen. Gary Hart. Thanks to the Iowans, the Democratic party can now sport a few candidates who have received someone's stamp of approval besides Snow White...
Instead, the caucuses gave definition and interest to a race seriously lacking in either. The Republican voters focused the race on three men--Vice President Bush, Sen. Robert Dole (R.-Kan.), and former evangelist Marion "Pat" Robertson. By demonstrating that the rest of the pack couldn't gather many delegates, the Iowa caucus at least condensed the crowd to the candidates with the greatest popular support...
This year's caucus shows the importance of an initial testing ground for the candidates, and Iowa is as good a state as any to sponsor this test. A majority of Iowa's population lives in cities, and the per capita income is close to the national average. Over the years, the Iowans have shown themselves to be a people very serious and conscientious about their politics...
...rest of America can watch a very informed electorate size up the issues and candidates, without committing an overwhelming amount of delegates--there are only 52 Democratic delegates in Iowa. Were it not for Iowa, Democratic voters would still be floundering with seven indistinguishable candidates. Likewise, the Republican caucus-goers showed the nation that Pat Robertson is a serious candidate--and threat--with a legitimate base of support...
Arguments that the caucus results too rigidly constrain national debate are unfounded. The caucus may trim the fat but it certainly doesn't cut back the beef--indications this year are that all three of the top Democratic runners will maintain momentum for some time to come. With Bush still leading the polls in New Hampshire, Dole's glory ride could be short-lived. Virtually no political experts interviewed by the press would dare make predictions based solely on this week's results...