All in a Day’s Work

By: Lindsay Carter

Alas, the sun has set on the Hawkeye state and our first full day in Iowa has come to an end. Today offered a fantastic glimpse into the world of the Iowa Caucus and included everything from petting voters’ dogs to attending my first ever presidential candidate rally. Most of my day was spent canvassing for Elizabeth Warren’s campaign in suburban Des Moines. The neighborhood was a bit older and mostly working class, brought to mind images of the classic American Dream. You know the one; white picket fences and American flags on every porch, children’s toys scattered throughout the yard and dogs barking at the front windows. This sentiment was echoed in the fact that very few of the voters were home during the middle of the workday. Perhaps they were slaving away in a cubicle somewhere, or maybe they were just tired of answering the door for fresh-faced college students reminding them to go caucus on February 3^rd.

In total, I helped knock on nearly 70 doors and got my workout in for the month by walking over 4 miles. The demographics about Iowa don’t lie, as nearly all of the residents that answered their doors were White. The lack of diversity in such a working-class neighborhood is particularly interesting because I live in an extremely diverse working-class neighborhood in Raleigh. Speaking of canvassing, I was able to have many informative conversations with Iowans about why they are choosing not to caucus this year. Two different voters on our canvassing route, as well as our Uber driver, firmly expressed their desire to avoid the Caucus. One of the more interesting points made was that caucusing in Des Moines is totally different experience than caucusing in any smaller town. One resident told us that they felt the impersonal nature of caucusing in such a large city makes it a chore because they cannot fully discuss the candidates with their friends. Another resident stopped attending caucuses many years ago because they felt that they had no voice in the process. Only those with really loud support for a candidate are often listened to, and those who may have power on a paper ballet are unable to get a word in.

After canvassing and eating a hearty Scottish meal (I very highly recommend the fish and chips at the Royal Mile downtown), I attended the Bill Weld and Marianne Williamson rally/event/gathering. The biggest surprise of the day came in the fact that Bill Weld is such an intriguing candidate. Running on the Republican ticket, he holds many progressive views that can arguably be viewed as more liberal than those of Tulsi Gabbard. While he very likely won’t win the nomination, Weld has plenty of policy experience that may land him in somewhere in Washington. As for Marianne Williamson, her speech felt like a mix between a fever dream and a  1960s anti-war protest. Perhaps there is a place for love in this world to solve small misunderstandings, but large political crises are not solved by simply abandoning everything and loving one another. I can say for certain, though, that I am loving Des Moines so far and look forward to my time here and all of the crazy events that I am sure to experience.