Campaigns and Elections
10-05-07
Political Junkies, Rejoice, Caucus Iowa' Opens Today
By: Justin Schardin
If you can't get enough of presidential politics, past and present, tell your travel
agent to get you to Des Moines for the winter. Then tell her again if she doesn't
believe you. Because beginning today, the "Caucus Iowa" exhibit is open for
business with 10,000 square feet of history and immersion into the first-in-thenation event that can at times baffle even long-time caucus-goers.
"If you're a political junkie...[Iowa] is kind of the Mecca and Medina of modern
American politics," said Steffen Schmidt, who is both an Iowa State
University professor and member of the exhibit's board of directors.
Welcome
While campaign history and memorabilia displays will bring people in, many will
be drawn to the exhibit's attempt to place them in the midst of the process.
Attendees can walk through a campaign stop in a fully-realized coffee shop set,
and then head to caucus night itself, which includes both Democratic and
Republican caucusing events, as well as a print media newsroom and television
studio displays.
Cut-out human characters guide attendees through the process from the
campaign to caucus night. Each is festooned with a "campaign button" explaining
who each character represents, with titles like "first-time voter," "precinct
organizer," and "Independent." The experience is enhanced by the realistic
quality of the character displays, something many of the visitors to the exhibit
commented on last night.
"I thought it was really terrific because it did emphasize the theme that the
caucuses are about people standing around. And that's what they are," said
Schmidt. "It's not quiet, it's not impersonal, and at each stage it captured that."
Lest you think that sounds stultifying, there is drama to be found in those high
school gyms.
Campaign Stop
It's where one sees the Democrats' more raucous caucus, where rules require
candidates to receive at least 15 percent of any individual caucus' votes to win a
delegate. Displayed participants stand in their respective voting corners exhorting
other caucus-goers to come over to their patch of electoral ground and support a
different candidate.
The more orderly Republican process takes place in a living room where caucusgoers discuss their candidate preferences. Vintage campaign yard signs adorn a
snowy, coniferous front-yard lawn outside.
Perhaps the most impressive room is the coffee shop, where a candidate and
spouse are shown meeting with locals and being followed by reporters. One feels
like ordering pie from the chalkboard menu on the wall.
First-Time Caucusgoer
Near the end of the exhibit, visitors walk through a section devoted to recaps of
caucuses since 1972. Former President George H. W. Bush is there in 1980
talking about the "big mo'" he ended up not getting from Iowa, and Howard Dean
is there screaming at them from beyond the 2004 political grave.
A final hallway contains information on 2008 caucus contenders. Scattered along
the way are voting kiosks that allow visitors to cast their preferences on
contemporary issues like Social Security, taxes and Iraq.
Schmidt said while the exhibit is nice, he's most excited about what's going on in
the background, where the effort will be collecting artifacts, oral histories, and
other pieces from past campaigns to be archived.
"You get a chance to see the scope of it, and see that it has been valuable and
pretty complex," said Schmidt. "Even if the caucuses are never the same in the
future, they've made a major impact on American politics."
The exhibit will remain through January at the State Historical Museum, located
at 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines. Admission is free, and the museum can
be visited 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Monday - Saturday and noon - 4:30 p.m. Sunday.
Justin Schardin can be reached at jschardin@politicsiowa.com