“Is this heaven?” “No, it’s Iowa.” Ah, Field of Dreams.
Is there anything more Iowan – and American – than the movie Field of Dreams and the novel Shoeless Joe?
Alienation, autonomy, and ideology
“Is this heaven?” “No, it’s Iowa.” Ah, Field of Dreams.
Is there anything more Iowan – and American – than the movie Field of Dreams and the novel Shoeless Joe?
Coronavirus – and COVID-19, the disease it causes – is obviously the elephant in the room for anything right now. Including blogging. As of today, we have 145 confirmed cases in Iowa. And they come predominantly from my own county – Johnson County, home of Iowa City.
That said, everyone’s fine in my household. And we aren’t seeing anything like New York or Seattle. I plan to continue writing and posting, and I’m working from home at my main job. Looking at the post schedule, I’ve got some upcoming stuff on: the film Black Panther, the transition from social democracy to socialism, and public housing.
How are all of you doing?
Iowa and New Hampshire have voted already, and Nevada’s coming up! With a large field and more attention to diversity in the Democratic Party, we’ve heard a lot of talk about who people of color support. Some people – notably Julián Castro – point out the whiteness of the early states.
Castro’s right, but Iowa and New Hampshire aren’t 100% white. There are lots of people of color in each state, and they voted. Who did people of color vote for in Iowa and New Hampshire? And do those numbers predict how people of color will vote in other states?
Contrary to even the safest predictions, there was no winner on the night of the Iowa Caucus. Oh, there was a winner. The next day. In fact, Iowa was so generous it gave us two potential winners: Bernie Sanders in the popular vote and Pete Buttigieg in the delegate count. Or maybe Bernie in both. We’ll see. But the entire Iowa Caucus fiasco blunted its impact.
Let’s take a look at how the Iowa Caucus will impact the next steps.
There are many reasons to love Iowa: corn, bacon, cold winters, lovely people. One of my favorite reasons is the New Pioneer Food Co-op. Oh, and we get to vote first. Yes, that last one is controversial, causing much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Much of it justified. But I’m not here to discuss fairness in the nomination process. I’ve already done that. Today, we Iowans vote (actually, caucus). I’m voting for Bernie Sanders. When your time comes, I think you should, too.
Here’s why.
© 2025 Base and Superstructure
Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑