AMY LOCKARD Iowans have held tremendous influence in the past with their Big Show, known as the first-in-the-nation caucuses. The caucuses are grassroots politics at its best, as Iowan as the Butter Cow. Besides putting our state in the spotlight, they pump millions of dollars into our economy and afford every citizen between our river borders the opportunity to meet and assess the presidential candidates. Who were everywhere. The Republican candidates still are, as their caucus has survived. The Democrats, not so much. This is largely because they bungled the results of the 2020 caucus, trying out a new app to glean additional information. Turned out it didn't give much information at all, including who the winner was. The world waited and watched and waited some more, but in the end, there were no timely or tangible caucus results to report. So, the Big Show is not as big this year, as roughly half of prospective caucus-goers are not traditionally caucusing. The Democrats are conducting their first-ever mail-in caucus, with the voting beginning in January (date not yet announced.) They will still hold a "traditional caucus," but to discuss party business only. The results of this mail-in caucus will be announced March 5, aka Super Tuesday, severely diluting Iowa's influence and basically treating it as one of many primaries that day. People are also reading... 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Teen arrested in knife robbery early Friday at Waterloo home Residents begin to connect to Waterloo Fiber, excited to switch Lest Republicans think they are above such snafus, let us remember 2012 when they, too, muddled their reporting and also threatened the legitimacy of Iowa's first-in-the-nation status. They, too, could not declare a winner and waffled between the top two, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, who each had garnered around 25% of the vote. In a preliminary report, they first declared Romney the winner. Two weeks later they announced the contest was, in fact, a draw. After that, they reversed themselves, and declared Santorum the winner. What? The rest of the world shook their heads in disbelief. The Iowa GOP then wrote off eight of their precincts' vote counts, memorializing the fact no one will ever know who did actually win. Yet, they held on. And on Monday, Jan. 15, all registered Republicans will have a chance to again caucus in person. Listen now and subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS Feed | Omny Studio So, what if both parties stepped up big-time in this election and turned in definitive and researched results? With or without a caucus, everyone in Iowa and in every state has the privilege of becoming involved. Not just in this election, but in all which impacts us and the issues and people we care about. Engaging in our own life and times and caring enough to affect positive change in the world changes it already. What if Iowans started the swing to another candidate besides "the usual suspect?" (Literally, in this case.) If they endorsed a fresh perspective and gave their "first-in-the-nation" boost to someone besides the polls' front-runner, refusing to accept his litany of legal entanglements and seemingly limitless propensity to create chaos? If we were not plunged back into "déjà vu all over again" and Republicans pushed forward a viable challenger to Joe Biden, one with real answers and a real plan? Nikki Haley would fit that bill. On Nov. 5, as we vote to choose the best person for arguably the most important job on the planet, let us not have to decide between despot and doddering. Let's show the world those caucus gaffes were aberrations, that we have the judgment and good sense to be entrusted with the job. Let's regain our status as a nation, beginning with our state. Iowans are leaders. Let's lead. Amy Lockard is a parent in Cedar Falls. 0 Comments Tags Commentary Coronavirus State-government Economy Ernie Goss Entertainment Law Theatre Politics Sports Literature Film Industry Armed Forces Concerned about COVID-19? Sign up now to get the most recent coronavirus headlines and other important local and national news sent to your email inbox daily. 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