are there any advantages to caucuses?

Turnout determines the portion of delegates awarded and it determines the total number of delegates to be awarded in the next election. Unfortunately an area can have a lot of sway on the candidate choice while not being able to carry those precincts in a general election.

They identify volunteers for party committees and county party officials. The candidate preference portion is only part of it - and nobody paid any attention to it until McGovern and Carter took advantage of the preference results in the 70s.

Either would have a fit if someone dared take 'first caucus' or 'first primary' from them.

Primaries and elections should be weeks long to give everyone a chance to vote.

Every state primary should start on March 1st and end on March 31st. (and the caucus should die)

Every Fall election should start on the last Tuesday in September and end on the last Tuesday in November, the week before Thanksgiving.

The caucuses are so unfair to people who can't get to them at one specific time - for instance people who work in places like hospitals and who can't leave their shifts. I heard some college professors on NPR who said they didn't get time off from their classes for the caucuses. Seems wrong.

that's all we got....I'm only kidding...kind of

Interstate 80, Iowa. Mississippi River ... Davenport ... corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, What's that smell? Corn, corn, corn, Iowa City. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, look, a tree! Corn, corn, corn, Des Moines. Corn, corn, corn, corn, corn, there's that smell again. Corn, corn, corn, Council Bluffs ... Missouri River!

He got lost driving in, and called the company for directions. They asked him what landmarks were around him and he said "Corn".

I will give equal time to an equally dismal stretch of roadway in my own state:

The Ohio Turnpike: cop cop cop cop cop cop cop cop "Road construction!" cop cop cop cop cop cop cop cop.

Pennsylvania: pothole pothole pothole pothole pothole "DEER!!" pothole pothole pothole pothole

in my description of OH highways as well.

I believe that years ago NH passed a law requiring that, so Iowa get to have the 1st caucuses. If Iowa changes to a primary then they lose the power of going 1st.

based on a lottery-type drawing?

This year over $100,000,000 was spent on tv ads alone not to mention all of the full hotels and restaurants in the dead of winter.

about a phenomenon known as 'primary tourism.' Interviewed some people who had gone to NH to experience the process firsthand.

My feeling is that the super close election this year might be a motivator for the Iowa Democratic Party to change it up and just use regular voting.

I seriously think that is why.

The diffance was just 3.65 delegate equlvalents less than the coin flips that Hillary won.
Or as Bernie said it was a virtual tie.

they need to release the raw vote count as the Sanders campaign has requested so we can see how they are getting these numbers. Why would they refuse to comply with a reasonable request given the widespread reports of voting problems. Or else someone needs to file a lawsuit or make a request under the Freedom of Information Act or something.

Too many power brokers have too much to lose if Bernie gets in. The knives are out and they will stop at nothing. A sham democracy....

Bad memories

In republicanese.

It's funny watching it.

You are extrapolating. basing your supposition on one caucus where the results were separated by a percentage of one percent, and where there were documented issues at several sites, makes your petulant claiim both silly and the result of obviously faulty logic.

conspiracies." It's simply called paying attention.

We've seen how the establishment has become overly horrified that the mighty Hillary may fail, yet again.

There is ALWAYS a reason people do things in secret.

his supporters move on.

...I've been waiting for the Des Moines Register to report it is completed.

It says Bernie gains a part of a delegate, but Hillary gains a part of a percentage point.

...and for the life of me I can't figure it out.

I just want them to fix this so the next time we don't have an issue like this.

And just what is a partial delegate?!