Should the Iowa Caucus Be Abolished? David Yepsen Weighs In

CHRISTIANE AMANPOUR: But as you heard Axelrod say, what about the people of Iowa? What about the voters? How are they feeling today after this night?

DAVID YEPSEN, HOST, “IOWA PRESS”: Well, I think it’s a combination of sadness and anger. Now, sadness because this problem is likely to end the caucuses as major political events certainly as we’ve known them and there’s — and maybe it should. They’ve had troubles for many — several cycles. And I think there’s also an element of anger in this. A lot of people in Iowa and American politics put a lot of time and energy and money into this campaign. And then to have it — the results implode is just incredibly frustrating and exasperating. And so, there’s sadness and I think there’s anger.

AMANPOUR: So, you know, I just want to pick up where you said. There have been issues in previous recent cycles. Of course, those are, for instance, in 2012 when Mitt Romney was declared the Republican winner until he wasn’t. And then in 2016 the results of the Sanders/Clinton race was close, took a long time to declare. And Sanders and his camp sort of, you know, started talking about a rigged situation. Has it been sort of — has the well been poisoned for a long time? Has anybody before now thought about abolishing it as an important first contest?

YEPSEN: There’s been talk about abolishing it as an important first contest since its existence. You know, and this trouble with the count is — goes back even farther. I mean, in 1980 the Republican computers crashed, computers were a new thing, and as the vote was coming in. And Reagan trailed George Herbert Walker Bush and then the computers crashed and there were no more results. And, you know, they went back years later and figured out, yes, Bush probably did win. But at the time, the Reagan people were very frustrated. In 1984 the party — I can remember covering a story where the party said, well, we’re sure Mondale won and we’re pretty sure Gary Hart came in second. But after that, we’re not sure. Oh, my gosh. That just crushed John Glenn’s hopes of becoming the Democratic nominee that year. So, every cycle there’s this controversy over how the results are reported, are they fraudulent. And after 2000, as we all know, the sanctity of the ballot and the veracity of American elections has become a major issue and even more so after 2016 and the Russian intervention. So, this is — this rap on Iowa has been out here for a long time, it’s been controversial and I think this is the thing that tips it over the edge.