Dear Iowa: I know you a little. I’ve been visiting almost every year since 1991. You house my in-laws. A lot in common with Arkansas: Mainly rural. Your shape. A prominent capital city instead of a tucked-away one like Jeff City or Austin (that’s a little joke).
You held on to your 19th-century populist style presidential party caucus system. People who say it’s undemocratic probably think the Electoral College is unfair, and that’s in the U.S. Constitution, hah-hah.
I want to make endorsements, and with my prominence I’m sure this will be heeded.
Pick a smart Democrat and a smart Republican. Oh, they’re all smart. George II is brilliant. There’s no other explanation for the past seven years. But pick party nominees who aren’t embarrassed by their intelligence, by their education, by their selection of friends and allies of equal or greater intelligence. Endorse brains.
Pick sincere nominees. That’s asking a lot of politicians. Am I wanting honesty? That’s not what we expect of our political leaders, truly. Eight years later people still get all hot about Bill Clinton because he lied. We didn’t hire him for candor. We elected him, twice, to keep the economy stable and to choose our foreign battles with care. An “ah shucks” demeanor goes with someone who grew up like that and it rankles when it’s put on. Clinton and Huckabee come from modest beginnings. Bush and Hillary Clinton do not. Endorse comfort-in-their-own-skins.
Endorse a wide scope. Iowa, tell your caucusers not to be so single-themed. No candidate, not even the pinkest (or bluest), is going oppose the Second Amendment and if they did, the repeal never would pass. The country has major issues, and using little strips of litmus paper on abortion or immigration won’t get the best candidate. Like guns, these issues take Congress and the courts to do over, not just the White House tenant.
Iowa, did I lead you to think I’d endorse a person? Brick is not comfortable with that. Nothing personal, Iowa, but as glad as I am for two strong and diverse fields, after weeks of watching them on TV move through your coffee shops and your halls, does anyone really see any of these jokers, at this point, taking over next January with confidence?
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