“Are you going to write about the caucuses on your blog?” asked one of my friends a couple of weeks before January 3.
“I really can’t think of a way to tie it to gardening or cooking,” I said. “I really do try to keep things, you know, topical.”
“I just thought you might have started a blog called The Inadvertent Caucuser,” she said.
If I had thought of it sooner, I probably would have, but I didn’t. However, there are plenty of other blogs covering the caucuses, and if you head over to Blog for Iowa, you can read all about my first caucus experience. Looking to get super-granular? I live-blogged the whole thing by text message throughout the event, and subsequently pulled together a summary of the messages.
So, the Iowa Caucuses. It’s not gardening, but the event was an awful lot of fun.
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Topical,schmopical! Without agriculture and cooking there wouldn’t be any politics so I’m glad you’re mixing it up. The Caucus process is fascinating.
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 1:08 pm
Steven, well, there is that theory… and yes, it’s definitely a fascinating process. I’m not sure it would work anywhere urban — Iowa definitely has the right balance of nice people who are willing to set differences aside after a night of debate.
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 3:36 pm
Genie- I write about politics for BlogHer- I hope you keep blogging about the race post-Iowa- and come join the conversation at http://www.blogher.com/special-events/election-2008
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 4:35 pm
Those of us who don’t live in Iowa only know what we read/hear from the media, so more information, especially inside information, is always welcome!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 6:15 pm
Very cool. In Utah the democrats can all fit into a phone booth, so it’s not quite the same. I’m still keeping my fingers crossed for Edwards!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
I don’t know I think caucuses are a lot like either composting or cultivating but I’m not sure which just yet. Too early in the campaign for me to stake either claim! This is why I’m leaning Green Party simply so I can post my rhetoric to your site and have it maybe take root! Love ya cuz!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Could we get a penny in my box on this blog? That would be so cool!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
I was just saying to my husband I wasn’t sure if I wanted those crazy Iowa people to help decide who my nominee would be. Getting together and negotiating for votes is kind wrong, while being kind of totally right. I’m reassured to “know” one of the caucusers and “know” that she’s not that crazy. I am personally supporting Clinton, but would be okay with Edwards — I am not a fan of Obama and hate that Oprah is helping to shape presidential politics.
Also, I think politics is very key in gardening. Environmental issues abound and if we see someone like Huckabee elected we’re all going to need the stress-relief we get from gardening — and possibly the food that our vegetable gardens produce when the world goes to hell in a hand basket.
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 9:46 pm
Go Edwards!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 10:33 pm
Morra, thanks for the invite — I’ll definitely be by there to check out everything that BlogHer’s doing to cover the elections — it’s such a great resource!
Lydia, I’m glad to hear it.
Kären, you crack me up! To get a penny in your avatar box, you’ll need to register with Gravatar — once you have an account and image registered with them, you’ll have an image along with your comments on any Gravatar-enabled site.
Heather, you’re right about those environmental issues…sheesh…scary stuff. Glad I can be one less crazy person to worry about!
Tom, thanks for stopping by!
on Jan 5th, 2008 at 10:34 pm
Kalyn, a phone booth, huh? I’m guessing there are a fair number of Romney supporters out your way…
on Jan 7th, 2008 at 12:40 am
American politics are fascinating to me – so different from Canadian politics. I finally understood this year exactly how the Iowa caucus process works. It must have been interesting participating in it.
Those pokeweed berries are cool!
on Jan 7th, 2008 at 12:53 am
Kate, I should get a lesson in Canadian politics from you, because I’ve never understood them! It was definitely interesting participating — I enjoyed it. And thanks for the comment on the pokeweed berries — I like them, too!
on Jan 7th, 2008 at 11:45 am
I loved reading about your experiences! It was almost like being a fly on the wall!
on Jan 8th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I’ve been meaning to write and tell you how cool I thought it was you were participating. But I think I have to agree with Karen in her analogy! Although with all the democrats talking about “change” I think there is something blogworthy in there for Karen too!
Katherine
on Jan 8th, 2008 at 10:11 pm
Katherine, I think you’re right! Thanks for stopping by — I’m glad you enjoyed the info!
on Feb 13th, 2010 at 11:54 am
Valuable advice on note taking