英美概况 (1)

The First Step for Choosing a U.S. President (2008)

Maxine and I were both interested in the outcome of the first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus which took place in our state of Iowa on January 3rd, 2008. A caucus is a meeting of like-minded (志趣相投的) people to determine policy or elect candidates for office, and we have attended some in previous years. I couldn’t attend unless I was willing to register as either a Democrat or a Republican, and that would cancel my registration as an Independent (无党派人士). Maxine and Kim planned to attend but the weather was bad and the roads and parking lots were icy. They could not do the caucus this year. Still, we think it a good idea, and we will continue to follow the results.

We were surprised that the young, black Democrat, Barack Obama, scored a victory over the popular politicians Hillary Clinton and John Edwards in a predominately (绝大多数的) white state with many conservative Republicans. We were surprised that a conservative, obscure, former Baptist (浸礼会教派) preacher from Arkansas (美国中南部的阿肯色州) defeated other Republicans who spent much more time and money in Iowa before the caucus (核心小组).

One might ask, “What significance does this have if any?” For us the answer is, “The Iowa caucus is the first step in the selection of a new candidate for determining the president of the U.S. Iowans have once more shown themselves to be among the best informed of any voters in the U.S.” Some other states and areas in the country might not agree with this, but Iowa is the first state to express their favorites in each party, and this creates lots of excitement.

Iowa held *primary presidential elections until 1972, to determine candidates for both the Republican and Democratic Parties. The final election takes place once every four years on the first Tuesday in November, and the president-elect (总统当选人) is ultimately determined by a vote of the *Electoral College, a group of people from each of the 50 states, their numbers based on state population. Presidential elections are not determined by *popular vote in the U.S.

In 1972 Iowa’s political leaders came up with a process which they felt would better inform both the voters and the presidential hopefuls (有望当选总统的人) about the important issues and policies involved in the presidential elections. They devised (设计、策划) a first-in-the-nation caucus, and scheduled it before any other state primary election or caucus. State leaders in Iowa noticed that there had been a decline of interest in primary presidential elections, and they hoped to encourage a closer, personal knowledge of each candidate before the *nominating conventions of both major parties. We feel it has worked well, because the interest is certainly greater than before.

Thirty-five years later, some other states and regions have challenged the wisdom of the Iowa caucus, claiming the Iowa state population is too small, it lacks diversity in minority populations, and therefore some people have suggested that the first-in-the-nation status be passed around (传送、分发) from state to state, or rotated on a regional plan (按地区轮流). So far this has not happened. In a state of fewer than 1.5 million voters, more than 350,000 Iowans participated in the caucuses. Party candidates met voters in literally all of Iowa’s 99 countries in schoolrooms, churches, community centers, small country stores, and in private homes as well as on the streets. They met, presented their views, and learned about what was important to the citizens of Iowa. The turnout (参加投票的人数) of voters this year was about 20% higher than for the last presidential election. One of the few complaints heard was that “There wasn’t enough room for the participants who attended.” Iowans insist that this shows the value of their caucus plans. People like it!