Caucuses draw large crowds

Local caucus organizers found themselves with an unusual problem Thursday night: Lots of voters and limited space.
It was a good problem to have, they said. Since it signaled a heavy turnout for Iowa’s first in the nation caucuses Jan. 3. Republicans and Democrats each recorded record turnout at City Hall, Clear Lake High School and Middle School.
Statewide caucus attendance was estimated at 239,000 Democrats and 115,000 Republicans.
By late evening, Iowans had chosen Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican White House hopeful Mike Huckabee in the nation’s first test of the 2008 election.
Locally, Hillary Clinton edged John Edwards as the local Democratic favorite with Obama finishing third. Meanwhile, Mitt Romney was a three-vote winner over Huckabee.
Clinton finished first in Cerro Gordo County, as well, collecting 97 county delegates (39 percent). Edwards and Obama each had 76 county delegates (30.5 percent).

Students enthusiastic about political process
It’s not too unusual to describe 17 and 18-year-olds as enthusiastic. But enthusiastic about politics?
You bet.
More than 40 Clear Lake High School junior and seniors not only attended local caucus gatherings, but were active participants. Some were even elected to serve as delegates and alternates at the county convention March 8 to help structure party platforms.
“They’ve got so much energy,” said Beth Ann Schumacher, a Clear Lake High School government and history teacher since 1980. “Some of these kids are so excited and impassioned about the process. It’s a great thing to see.”
Schumacher said her students anxiously anticipated Iowa’s first in the nation caucuses and were ready for them Thursday, Jan. 3.
“I’ve had lots of information available about all of the candidates; we’ve walked through the caucus process, and even ran a mock caucus so they would know what to expect,” explained Schumacher.
Apparently, the students were more prepared than the caucus workers, who found themselves swamped by large numbers of interested voters.
The majority of CLHS students said they were disappointed in the caucus, mostly because of lack of organization.
“It was very unorganized, out of order and hard to hear,” said Andrew Meester, one of those chosen as a delegate.
Nathan Youngblut agreed. He decided to speak in favor of Republican candidate Ron Paul. “It was hard for people to hear because there was so much going on all around us.” He was also somewhat disappointed by the majority of older voters who attended, many with their minds already made up.
“Some didn’t think we needed to talk about the candidates because they already had their minds made up,” said Geoff Delperdang, chosen as an alternate delegate.
Schumacher noted a good number of CLHS students attend caucuses, especially in presidential election years. Many prepared for the caucus by attending the Straw Poll event.
“I’m always interested in seeing what candidate and party appeals to the students,” said Schumacher. This year CLHS students were evenly divided between Republican and Democratic parties. Of the dozen talking about the caucus Monday, most said they favored Ron Paul because of his conservative stands in the areas of civil liberties, foreign policy, immigration and the economy.
“He tells you it all comes back to money. We must do something about all of our debt and not waste our tax dollars,” said Eric Brenton, who was also chosen as a delegate.
“He wants things to be like they used to be,” added Scott Demro, a junior delegate “Basically, his plans give everyone a chance to be a billionaire.”
Ryan Emerson and Alex Furleigh were both named as junior delegates for Mitt Romney. While they each liked Paul’s stands, they considered Romney a strong candidate based on the way he served as governor of Massachusetts.
“I was impressed that as a Republican he worked very well with the Democrats in control in Massachusetts,” said Emerson. Furleigh added that Romney helped to effectively solve the state’s budget deficit problems.
Despite a record turnout on caucus night, CLHS students said more participation is needed, especially from other young voters.
“Too many don’t realize it affects them. They think that it’s not important since it’s not an election,” said Meester.