What is a caucus?

[cassiesmom]

http://www.chicagotribune.com/media/cartoon/2008-01/34548790.gif

[trayi52]

Thats what I say!

Willie :)

[lvpets2002]

;) Thank you & I so do ask the same question..

[Edwina's Secretary]

I had a job where I covered Iowa. Some of the most bizarre employee problems I had occurred there (downstate Illinois too!) I thought perhaps it was for some excitment...a break in the monotony of life in the cornfields....(before anyone blasts me...yes...it is a lovely place! and wonderful people!)

Anyway...do you think Iowa makes their primary process so complex, involved and interactive for the same reason? A good reason to get out of the house and see you neighbors in the deep of winter?

[Lady's Human]

I wish I could find a copy of the 1984 Bloom county strip about caucses? Caucii?

[koxka]

Acording to the inbuild Dictionary and Thesaurus on my Mac:



caucus |ˈkôkəs|
noun ( pl. -cuses )
1 a meeting of the members of a legislative body who are members of a particular political party, to select candidates or decide policy.
• the members of such a body.
2 a group of people with shared concerns within a political party or larger organization.
• a meeting of such a group.
verb ( -cused, -cusing) [ intrans. ]
hold or form such a group or meeting.
ORIGIN mid 18th cent.(originally U.S.): perhaps from Algonquian cau'-cau'-as'u ‘adviser.’

-Thesaurus
caucus
noun
1 the conservative caucus members, party, faction, camp, bloc, group, set, band, ring, cabal, coterie, pressure group.
2 caucuses will be held in eleven states meeting, assembly, gathering, congress, conference, convention, rally, convocation.

But it so remain me the word *cacao* (cocoa) that we, catalan not sure about in spanish, people use to express in an informal language chaos, like *¡Quin cacao! (what a chaos!) LOL

By the way which candidate used that word? :D

[Grace]

From ThisNation.com -


Iowa's process for choosing between presidential candidates is unique among the fifty United States. Every other state has a more traditional primary election in which registered voters can cast their ballots for the candidates they prefer. In Iowa, however, voters in each political party attend separate, small meetings, or caucuses, in towns and neighborhoods across the state. Caucuses are held at the precinct level in schools, fire stations and sometimes even in individual's homes.

At the caucuses, those in attendance indicate their support for the candidates competing for each party's presidential nomination. In the Democratic party caucuses, votes are cast by raising hands, a sign-in sheet or by splitting into groups supporting each candidate. In the Republican caucuses, votes are cast by secret ballot (each eligible voter in attendance is able to select the candidate of his or her choice on paper without others in attendance knowing how he or she voted).

The results of the caucus voting, however, do not directly determine which candidate will win the support of Iowa's voters for the presidential nomination. In fact, the caucuses are just first step in the process. Each caucus selects delegates to send to each of the 99 county conventions, which are held in March. At the county conventions, Democrats select delegates to district conventions where delegates to the state convention are chosen. Republicans bypass the district convention stage, choosing delegates to their state convention at the county conventions. Both party's state conventions are held in June. Only then, when state convention delegates cast their votes for delegates to the national party conventions, that Iowa's preferred presidential candidate's in each major party will be determined.

So why do the Iowa caucuses get so much attention from the candidates and the media? First, Iowa is largely viewed as a "bellwether" state because it represents a cross-section of America in terms of ideology and party preference. Perhaps more importantly, the Iowa caucuses traditionally provide the candidates with their first real test. Candidates focus their energies and attention on Iowa because a win or even a better-than-expected performance there can provide or sustain the critically important early momentum all presidential hopefuls crave.

I sort of like the idea - instead of casting a ballot, the Democrats go and stand under the basketball net.

[RICHARD]

Easy,

the remnants in a babie's diaper.

Caucus!