At the back of this community center, I ran into a group of Hillary Clinton’s law school classmates (including her own lawyer/friend/confidant David Kendall, to whom the Clintons turned during the 1998 impeachment ordeal). They are here from all corners of the country canvassing and phone banking for her, and have some interesting observations. One thing they are discovering as they call upon those who have indicated they plan to caucus for Clinton is that many households are split, with one member supporting Clinton and others supporting Edwards.
As Joe notes, there are many aspects of this exercise that suggest it is not the best way to pick a President. That is especially true on the Democratic side. Unlike the Republican caucuses, the Democratic ones require people to state their preferences publicly–often in front of their neighbors, families and even their bosses. Another is the whole question of requiring people to come out during a very limited window of time, effectively disenfranchising many Iowans. Jodi Kantor explores the implications of this in today’s New York Times.