Living in Iowa

I don't talk about politics here for a lot of reasons. Mostly because it's such a litmus test issue. I know folks that if you don't fall right into the exact ideology that they themselves believe, well, you're just not worth talking to (or worse yet, they hate you. For no reason other than you disagree on some particular issue). For the record, such that it is, I am an independent/moderate, currently registered as a Democrat. The reason I'm registered as a Democrat is because the last time I voted in a primary I voted for a Democratic candidate and I forgot to change my designation back to Independent afterward. I've voted for Republicans. I've voted for Green Party candidates. I've voted for Libertarians. I think I even voted for a Communist party candidate once because I saw them on an interview and liked them. I follow my gut, I follow my reasoning and core beliefs, and I really don't care what label a candidate has stamped on their forehead. I spend so much time straddling the fence between the two main parties that my husband insists I have a fence post up my ass. (Bill is not a moderate, btw)

Anyway. As a registered Democrat in Iowa, during caucus season, about three out of every five calls coming to our house are from candidates. Or people stumping for the candidates. Or people looking for money for the candidates. They want me to commit to their candidate and, sometimes, I can't get them off the damn phone. Especially stumpers for a particular candidate of the estrogen persuasion. Whom I will not be voting for at caucus regardless of her position on any issue because, well, she annoys me.

There. I said it. Hillary Clinton annoys the shit out of me. So stop calling me, already!

That said, I do like Obama. I do like Edwards. And I do like Guilliani. I have it narrowed down to those three. I think. The folks from the Obama camp have been incredibly nice on the phone, quite conversational, actually. They seem to be much more interested in what I think instead of what they think I should think, if that makes sense and I would like to see Obama talk, but they always schedule him on days when I have other things that I have to do, dangit. Edwards seems to be focusing on an older demographic - his group is courting my mom and Bill's dad. They've only called me once, but were very nice. And Guilliani's group doesn't even realize I'm here because of the big D on my voter registration, but he hasn't said a single thing to tick me off. Yet.

One particular Republican candidate's camp called the other afternoon and the woman asked to talk to Bill - he was asleep - and she INSISTED that he was a confirmed supporter of their cause. I'd never heard of them - seriously, I hadn't, and I've been following news from both parties in a general sort of way - and told her that, no, I didn't think that Bill had decided on anyone in particular yet. She ARGUED with me about it, insisting that 1) he DID, by golly, endorse her figurehead and 2) I should wake him up because it was vital that she talked to him so that he could prove to me how wrong I was. I ended up hanging up because I couldn't get the woman to shut the hell up. Fwiw, I saw the candidate on the YouTube debate and, um... No.

I am going to caucus next month but I'm still undecided. Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one. The pressure to pick is only going to get worse as January draws near.