Iowa Caucuses: A Family Affair

This morning’s Ron Paul event was packed. So packed, in fact, that an air wall had to be removed to accommodate the crowd.

Whilst waiting for the wall to be assembled, I had the opportunity to speak with a family from Earlham, Iowa. Sherri Wisecup and her daughter, Emily, were caucusing together for the first time. For Emily, an eighteen year old high school senior, this was her first opportunity to vote. For Sherri, it was this fact that led her to participate in her first caucus.

Emily and Sherri Wisecup wait to see Representative Ron Paul.

Emily was particularly excited by Ron Paul’s emphasis on personal responsibility, his deficit reduction plan, and his consistent conservatism.

Representative Ron Paul addresses a crowd in downtown Des Moines, Iowa.

Next year, Emily plans to attend Iowa State University, a public school, which worried her about Paul’s position on government-funded education; but she said she would like to see student loans distributed through banks, not the government.

Caucuses are truly family affairs. One group had five kids dressed in Ron Paul sweatshirts at the event. Parent chaperones led school trips from out-of-state. The Wisecups felt a sense of responsibility as Iowans to participate, a responsibility they took quite seriously. Emily’s parents indicated the fact that they wanted her to become well-informed, while not influencing her decision.

These crowds of Iowans are well-informed, political savvy and eager to participate. In a time when politics are increasingly partisan, the Iowa Caucuses are still working to bring people together.