Iowa Republican Caucus

The Iowa Republicans finally certified the results of the Iowa caucus this week. Rick Santorum won the state by 30 plus votes overturning the previous totals which showed Romney winning by 8 votes. The results in Wellman were, Ron Paul 46, Santorum 33, Gingrich 28, Perry 14, Romney 12, and Bachmann 11. Kalona finished in much the same order with Paul at 36, Santorum 20, Gingrich 19, Bachman 11 and Romney 11. Washington County was one of the few counties in the state won by Paul, partly because he had the best organization in the county.

As best as I can tell from talking with some folks who went to the caucus, local Mennonites split their votes between Ron Paul, Santorum, and Perry. The ones who voted for Paul tended to be younger and were attracted by his foreign policy positions. The Menno's who focused on abortion, gay marriage and homeschooling split their votes between Santorum and Perry with perhaps a couple throwing a vote towards Bachmann.

The confusion around the results raises a couple of questions. One is the status of the Iowa caucus as the first in the nation. The second is about the qualifications of the Republican party to run anything. The criticisms of Obama for his community organizing seem a bit laughable when they couldn't pull off an accurate vote total. The Democratic party may not always be the most organized group either but four years ago, the major candidates - Obaman, Clinton, and Edwards all had strong organizations. This included recruiting volunteers and people to serve as precinct captains and to serve as the precinct chair. At least a couple of training sessions for these were held to either make sure that you knew what you were doing, or that you could make sure the precinct chair knew what he or she was doing. I was given a copy of the rules long before the actual caucus night and at one of the training sessions we reviewed a variety of scenarios and the way they should be handled.

In any case, the process continues though the attention has shifted from Iowa and it feels a bit like your girlfriend dumping you. For six months we were bombarded with commercials, phone calls, emails or text messages. Candidates came and groveled in front of us at diners, library meeting rooms or coffee shops, these guys would never step into in their normal lives. Then one day, no more commercials, no phone calls, and a lot fewer emails. If you call the numbers they gave out for more information you hear, "this number is no longer in service." Somehow we will survive. For those who like the attention, they can look forward to September and October when we figure the candidates will be back. Iowa is a swing state so the candidates will be back. President Obama is getting a head start, flying into Cedar Rapids next week. In the meantime we will look forward to spring and warmer weather.

"unconformity" Non-conformity

Recent chapels have reflected on the theme “unconformed.” Students were introduced to the concept of non-conformity and the idea of living a transformed life as described in Romans 12:1-2. Students were asked to think about the values of today’s society and to compare them to the fruits of the spirit described in Galations. Kindness, gentleness, self-control, humility and peacemaking are not often the characteristics celebrated by our contemporary culture.

The theme of “unconformed” fit well with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. On Monday students watched Invictus, which tells the story of Nelson Mandella’s use of rugby to reach across racial lines and bring some healing to the nation of South Africa. Though he had been imprisoned for years by the apartheid government, Mandella did not seek revenge when he was elected President. Rather he sought to find ways to bring his country together.

Susan See, shared in chapel about Martin Luther King Jr. and focused on the role children played in overturning the racist structures of Birmingham, Alabama. Susan talked about the preparation and work which went into maintaining the nonviolent calls for change. The nonviolent witness was maintained in spite of mass arrests, beatings, and persecution. King called for the United States to live up to the best of its ideals arguing that “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”

King’s words have the ability to provoke us today. His observation that “A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual doom,” is certainly relevant to our discussions about the country’s future. When we reflect on our recent past we would do well to remember “that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.” As an educator I am challenged by his thought that “Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” If that was true in the early 1960’s it is certainly more true now.
It is our hope that students will leave IMS knowing how to think. In refusing to accept “easy answers and half-baked solutions,” we also hope students will show evidence of the fruits of the spirit, sharing their transformed lives as they go into the world. As translated in The Message Romans says, “Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out.” King adds to the challenge of personal change by asking us to work to better our society. In doing so may we all by “unconformed” to this world.