Zed?

Back to lurking…

FunnyDiva

Thanks, Jane, for freezing for us, and keeping us so incredibly well informed. Go Edwards!

Are we there yet?

It’s so hard to wait! Thanks for the live report.

Thanks for being there so I don’t have to.

Where is Jane? Which town?

“What I was going to say,” said the Dodo, in an offended tone, “was that the best thing to get us dry would be a Caucus-race.”

“What is a Caucus-race?” said Alice: not that she much wanted to know, but the Dodo paused as if it thought that somebody ought to speak, and no one else seemed inclined to say anything.

“Why,” said the Dodo, “the best way to explain it is to do it.” (And, as you might like to try the same thing yourself some winter-day, I will tell you how the Dodo managed it.)

First it marked out a race-course in a sort of circle (”the exact shape doesn’t matter,” it said) and then all the party were placed along the course, here and there. There was no “One, two, three, and away!”, but they began running when they liked, and left off when they liked, so that it was not easy to know when the race was over. However, when they had been running half an hour or so, the Dodo suddenly called out “The race is over!”, and they all crowded around it, panting and asking “But who has won?”

This question the Dodo could not answer without a great deal of thought, and it sat for a long time with one finger pressed upon its forehead (the position in which you usually see Shakespeare in the pictures of him) while the rest waited in silence. At last the Dodo said “Everybody has won, and all must have prizes.”

Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
http://www.amazon.com/gp/reade…..eader-link

Anyone notice how the Huffington Post is pushing Obama. Arianna must fear Edwards as much as a withered Republican dowager.

Des Moines

yea, Jane!

Scarecrow,
Looks like Des Moines…

((((Jane!!))))

FunnyD

Awesome! Jane, You Rock! ‘Packed’ as in hundreds, or, even thousands…? *g*

Des Moines.

Curious about something — how do the Kucinich, Richardson, etc. supporters feel about the marching orders they’ve been given to throw their second votes to Obama? Are they so loyal that they’ll follow orders, or are they likely to go their own ways? Do they seem at all resentful about it? And has Dodd given supporters any orders?

Hundreds.

Lots of Obama stickers

Hi Jane! I just got the totally insulting Facebook invite where they ‘allow’ you to vote in their version of the IA caucus….

If you are under 35.

No comment by me on this as I just got off being Trollrated by hordes of Obama cultists at dKos so I’m….well, I’m trying to behave!

But I did put together my own poll, includes Dennis the Menace and Gravel, so us ‘older folks’ kin have some fun. There is also a RePuke poll. So…..

You’re all invited to vote!

Des Moines

And the song, eCAHN:

Forward, backward, inward, outward
Come and join the chase
Nothing could be drier
Than a jolly caucus race

Backward, forward, outward, inward
Bottom to the top
Never a beginning,
There can never be a stop

To skipping, hopping, tripping fancy free and gay
Started it tomorrow
But will finish yesterday

‘Round and ’round and ’round we go
Until forevermore
For once we were behind
But now we find we are be-

Foreward, backward, inward, outward
Come and joing hte chase
Nothing could be drier
Than a jolly caucus race!

I think we’re waiting for the jetway, and then for everybody in the front of the plane to get their crap out of the overhead bins, etc. etc. Worst part of the journey, IMO.

FunnyD

Lots of Obama stickers

*groan* I don’t like the sound of that…

Thank you very much. I don’t own the book, and the passage I cited was the one I could find online. Wanted the one you put up too. I wonder if any of the caucusers brought Through the Looking Glass with them tonight. It has that feel, at least on the R side.

A Des Moines, Iowa native here. Jane is at Hubbell Elementary School in Des Moines.

Well, we’ll see who grows larger and who grows smaller, huh? And who goes down the rabbit hole.

Happy Unbirthday, all!

Stickers don’t caucus, people do.

When we were kids going to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade if it was very cold we’d run aimlessly around in the park, just trying to get warm, and that was always called a “caucus race.”

Heh, On Air America, they’re interviewing Rick Tuttle outside of a precinct in Iowa, I seriously need to school him tho… He’s a Hillary fan…

Thanks so much, Jane!

Jane, what is the general age range of the people who have turned up?

LOL. Did you know the origin of the phrase caucus race, or did you just pick it up and run with it?

Hey!

It’s colder in NW Arkansas than Iowa tonight.

We knew the phrase from the book (we were about 7 or 8) but we clearly understood that it was aimless motion with no particular beginning, end or defined rules!

Hay is for horses… ;-)

I LOVE the sound of that!

It’s colder in midtown Manhattan, 18 degrees, 5 with windchill.

Thanks Jane and all who are helping this evening to bring us the best reporting on the web of the caucus!!

Edwards is the one!!
I hope!

Come on, now — “Hey” is how we say “hi” down here! Spelling is everything!!

Are we supposed to lay off the chit-chat here or what?

Smart kids. I didn’t know that at that age.

Rachel Maddow is on the Tweet.

But better for cows!
What are we going to use nursery rhymes tonight to describe the events of the evening??
Oh Well it will back old memories:):)

Closing the doors soon. It’s pretty chaotic, no PA system, a million cameras and everyone is screaming.

here’s some music for manipulated iowa sheep for tonite: robert preston singing trouble in river city

Yes’m, my bad! *g*

Jane, thanks for being there. I’ll be watching all night.

I don’t get the Kucinich thing. Why Obama? Dennis royally pissed off the Dean supporters 4 years ago by cutting a quid pro quo deal with Edwards (whoever doesn’t get 15% throws his support to the other), but this seems out of character. Especially considering there’s no chance that Obama will recipricate.

I just don’t get it.

Ah well, like Hunter S. Thompson said, “Politics will always break your heart!”

I guess we’ll go “chit-chat-free” when the process actually begins. Doors were just closed…

As usual, Rachel outshines all the boot lickers of the MSM.

Pins and NEEDLES!!

yowsa!

What are the age demographics, Jane?

Rachael is simply great

Getting out the chocolate supplies. This is going to be a long night.

And very tasty ones at that.

I liked her smack down of Pat Buchanon! She has a leg up on the whole bunch, she’s right 98% of the time… *g*

On Hardball, they’re debating which of the Republicans is a real Christian. So far, several of the candidates do not appear to be viable.

Tonight we begin the end of the long reign of terror of King George.

So it’s a good night. :)

KO!!!

KO is up!

Huckabee/Romney
Obama/Clinton

“Real Christian?” Don’t see any in this field. Haven’t seen any in politics in a long long while.

Keith is on Yeah!!

Trivia on Roosevelt High School:

It’s Theodore Roosevelt High School, built during the WPA (thank you FDR). When I lived in Des Moines (1985-1991) it was a lovely building.

It’s also located in the OLD money section of Des Moines. Should be a very interesting crowd who shows.

BTW: Roosevelt HS was at the center of the US Supreme Court Case, “Tinker v. Des Moines,” (1968).

Signed, A Des Moines refugee living in NJ

I’ve got the cspan on…

All ages. Little kids, teenagers, old people. All over the place.

A bit on the etymology of the Caucus and it’s roots in Algonquin Consensus politics

http://community.middlebury.ed…..aucus.html

Getting out the chocolate supplies. This is going to be a long night.

I’ll just happen to be in the neighborhood in a little while, mind if I stop by? *g*

Any time.

Mahalo! Nice to have the young’uns see the process firsthand…

A bit on the etymology of the Caucus and it’s roots in Algonquin Consensus politics

Now that’s interesting.

Billy on Keith looks like he has dipping in the bottle!!

Maybe it s the cold??

Okay. Can anyone explain Timmeh’s hair to me?

I don’t even know who I want to win.

lots of Biden people

will Teefs ‘n Tufts be the sleeper candidate of Iowa 08?

In this room, it’s an Obama landslide.

yup,and she hates HRC

Dodd has specifically stated that he is not pushing anyone for second choice; that his supporters are adults capable of thinking for themselves.

Oh dear…

Thanks!! I was pretty sure it was the Algonquin tribes that used this method for electing leaders.

ouch

Just how much chocolate do you have? Enough to share?

maybe not a “real” christian but surely a “reel” christian

Making my day!

First results – official:
Edwards : 48.98%
Obama : 29.20%
Clinton : 17.01%
Richardson : 4.81%
Precincts Reporting: 3/1781

In this room, it’s an Obama landslide.

Wow! Does Hill and/or Edwards even cross the viability threshold?

Here’s how Salvador Dali sees the Caucus Race.

Is there some kind of visual reporting mechanism? Or it is like a typical election poll station?

Is your Obama landslide based on the Obama stickers and signage? or something else? just curious. thx Jane.

Keith: the number of people are way up! Good for the Dems and bad for the thugs.

Here’s the site for the results as they come in. Updated every 30 seconds.
http://www.iowacaucusresults.com/

Wow! Thanks Siun. where did you get these numbers?? sorry, I’m the slow learner. thanks.

Probably, but hard to say.

It’s a half hour til they vote so I put Teddy up in the meantime.

Care to elaborate on how much of Iowa that is? those kinda numbers would match your name, Stun

Jane, when they break into sub-caucuses, could you do an estimate on age and gender in the different groups? Just do it rough, Women over 60, women 35-60, women 18-35. Just a rough count, but it is a test on predictions.

First results – official:
Edwards : 48.98%
Obama : 29.20%
Clinton : 17.01%
Richardson : 4.81%
Precincts Reporting: 3/1781

Oh, yeah. The Obama landslide thing was really making me feel overwhelmingly cranky, all of a sudden.

Thanks! Numbers sure are changing quickly!

latest numbers from media feed:
Edwards : 39.24%
Clinton : 32.43%
Obama : 26.14%
Richardson : 2.19%
Precincts Reporting: 13/178

Gosh Hillary and Bill look awful! So tired

Senator John Edwards : 37.01%
Senator Hillary Clinton : 30.46%
Senator Barack Obama : 28.07%
Senator Joe Biden : 2.10%
Governor Bill Richardson : 1.57%
Senator Chris Dodd : 0.45%
Uncommitted : 0.34%

Precincts Reporting: 76 of 1781

When the second choicers are counted, it could be HRC third place.

Suni, these early percentages probably come from very small rural precincts in heavily Republican Western Iowa, where the caucus is in a farm living room, and they really don’t have to move around to count their sub-caucus numbers. The large precincts won’t come in for at least an hour…probably longer.

Remember, what they are doing is establishing proportional representation for delegates to the higher conventions, which will in turn select delegates to the National Convention. DNC rules are such as to require proporational representation of viable delegations in the delegate selection process. Delegates also have to be gender balanced.

I believe those began in apporx 1972 and were knwon as the “McGovern rules.”

ACitizen,
I tried to take your poll but it said I wasn’t recognized as a registered voter. ???

Sigh. I knew there was a reason I liked him. Wish more people did too.