“It’s time to dump the Iowa caucuses,” writes columnist Kevin Cooney in the Des Moines Register.
“There. I said it.
“The Iowa caucuses are the greatest PR event ever. They draw the world’s attention for the better part of a year. Images of quaint cafe chats and hay bale babble bring White House wannabes and journalism’s elite, not to mention the hundreds of staffers and volunteers all convinced their candidate is the second coming of a savior.
“The trouble is the Iowa caucuses are a sham.
“This mockery of democracy wasn’t always a bad joke. There was a time when Iowans gathered in Mr. Hogan’s living room in Beaverdale and discussed politics, had some cookies or beer, elected a couple of delegates to the county convention and went home. They did NOT express presidential preferences.
“After the disastrous 1968 national convention, Democrats looked to open up the process. Iowa grabbed at the chance!
“The result was a prejudicial, convoluted, secretive system of expressing a ‘presidential preference’ without actually calling it a primary, because that would upset New Hampshire, a place that actually understands the concept of ‘one person, one vote.’
The rest of the article is here.
And The New York Times: “Waiting years for this night, then hours for an Iowa winner”
“Every four years since the 1970s, the political gods have smiled upon Iowa, endowing its residents with uncommon power to set the course of national politics as the first nominating contest,” the New York Times is reporting
“For that privilege, Iowa has found itself — more this year than ever — in the position of defending its perch. Why should a state so disproportionately white take such a leading role, especially for a Democratic Party that prides itself on its diversity? Why is a hodgepodge of gatherings in school gymnasiums the pinnacle of American democracy?
“On Monday evening, as the byzantine system left results unreported well after state Democrats had predicted being able to lend some clarity, Iowa’s precarious standing appeared to take another hit.”
The rest of the article is here.
Jeff Pelline's Sierra Foothills Report 
Iowa? Why? So every four years we hear about the importance of how mostly white people from the State of Iowa view a group of candidates for President of The United States. Yet this from “What is a Rethuglican” is really what the Midwest is like.
#5- You believe that your little Midwestern s***hole town is the “real America” even though your children can’t wait to escape, and towns like those have been steadily depopulating themselves for the last 35 years. 65% of the nation’s population lives within 50 miles of the 15 largest metro areas in the country (13 of which voted Democratic), and yet you’re convinced that the real America is a place most Americans actively shun. Iowa anyone? Who cares?