The Iowa Caucuses

Jeremy and I were debating last night about what a caucus really is. We both should know this seeing as how he taught U.S. politics and I minored in it however, it is tricky to understand and apparently details from college are a little fuzzy. I will blame that on baby brain. Well, instead of rambling I will get to the point. Tomorrow are the Iowa Caucuses. Apparently, the Democratic caucus is like sorority rush. You walk around from "interest group" to "interest group" trying to decide which group, or in this case, candidate will best match your values and interest. In both a campaign and a sorority rush the experience can be quite shallow and selfish. However, if we stop, as responsible citizens and decide which candidate is best for the entire country then the experience can be less shallow than rushing a sorority. Now, when it comes to the other elections they are not in this caucus style but I still urge all of us to take the time to think about which candidates are best for those who are among the least in our country. As a Christian I believe at the very least we should be trying to understand who will champion the causes of the least among us, (I don't think this always means I will vote for the candidate who can talk the Christian language. After all a Christian vocabulary and a Christian life are often quite divergent). Now, I believe that is a very complex question to search the answer too. I describe myself as a pro-life democrat. However, in this election I am all over the board. I challenge each of you to do some research, if you have not already, and really think through who will look out for the meek.

I am not endorsing one candidate. I am not even sure who I will vote for but here are some of those who have really impressed me:

Barack Obama:

Early Childhood Education: from his website

* "Zero to Five Plan: Obama's comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan will provide critical support to young children and their parents. Unlike other early childhood education plans, Obama's plan places key emphasis at early care and education for infants, which is essential for children to be ready to enter kindergarten. Obama will create Early Learning Challenge Grants to promote state "zero to five" efforts and help states move toward voluntary, universal pre-school."

Reform No Child Left Behind: "Obama will reform NCLB, which starts by funding the law. Obama believes teachers should not be forced to spend the academic year preparing students to fill in bubbles on standardized tests. He will improve the assessments used to track student progress to measure readiness for college and the workplace and improve student learning in a timely, individualized manner. Obama will also improve NCLB's accountability system so that we are supporting schools that need improvement, rather than punishing them."

This is an issue Jeremy and I have talked about and lived through after teaching high school and Elementary School in Bed-Stuy Brooklyn.

Mike Huckabee

#" I believe that every child should have the opportunity for a quality education that teaches the fundamental skills needed to compete in a global economy."
# Music and the arts are not extraneous, extra-curricular, or expendable - I believe they are essential. I want to provide every child these "Weapons of Mass Instruction." from his website

"I opposed the teachers' union and got the Fair Dismissal Law passed, which allowed us to terminate poorly performing teachers. To attract top talent, I raised teachers' salaries from among the lowest in the nation to among the most competitive. I created systems to make our schools accountable to both parents and taxpayers by insisting on transparency in how money is spent, efficiency in putting money into classroom programs rather than administrative costs, and clear responsibility of all employees for the tasks assigned to them".