STEVE PIECZENIK TALKS

Iowa: The Day the Music… and The Presidential Caucuses… Died!

I have been monitoring the results of the Iowa caucuses-- both the Democratic and Republican races. I have never been to Iowa, nor do I have the vaguest idea as to how these convoluted caucuses work. All I know is that Clearlake, Iowa is where in 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and the Big Bopper died in an unfortunate airplane crash.

Subsequently, the talented musician/songwriter, Don McLean, wrote one of the most enigmatic rock ’n roll songs in 1971, entitled “American Pie”. In that song, McLean bemoans the sad state of America at that time, making subtle references to the Charles Manson murders of an innocent family in the following words: “….as helter-skelter in summer swelter.”

I found that these recent Iowa Caucuses also ended a period of clear, transparent election processes which might have been appreciated or understood by ignorant people like myself. In fact, I was not surprised when Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders, each accused their closest competitors of “cheating/stealing the election in Iowa”.
Whom were they taking about?

Bernie Sanders categorically accused Hillary Clinton of “stealing the election”. Are we surprised that Hillary, whose whole life has been marked by lies, deceits and conceits, should be accused openly by her opponent [who did not want to accuse her of irregularities concerning her private email server] of co-opting the normal process of determining the winner?
Of course, not! 

It’s not in collective Clinton DNA to be honest, forthright; or, concerned about anyone else, other than themselves.

Trump pointed the finger at Ted Cruz and said outright that he stole the election. How can I doubt an American self-made billionaire who has endured the hysterical rantings of a Cuban-Canadian, Cruz?  

The answers are self-evident.

For me, Iowa has always been a footnote in the history of the American election process. As far as I am concerned, it is not a state possessed of either heft, or gravitas. Iowa is simply a state where their shifty Senator Chuck Grassley’s [R-Iowa] showered them with useless, expensive pork-barrel gifts like the corn-grown ethanol industry.

The process of electing a President has become so convoluted, especially with the presence of an electoral college [whatever it is other than a mechanism to dilute votes?] that a plurality of votes in favor of a specific candidate no longer determines the winner.

Once again, we, Americans, are confronted with the dregs of politics. 

Cruz is to oil as Bernie is to Democratic Socialism [whatever that is]. And Trump is to entrepreneurship and independence as Jeb is to a financial fiasco and political cronyism.

Let us support Bernie or Trump who are shouting out from the rooftops that the American Pie has been dying a slow death terminating in a pile of insignificance/irrelevancy. 

Let me quote from the following lyrics of “American Pie”:

“The players tried for a forward pass…..”

In the 1960’s, protestors were the ‘players’ who were trying to change the corrupt political system. Unfortunately, they had failed and inadvertently they had given rise to the Clinton family/foundation.

I end with “Bye Bye Miss American Pie   …….can music save your [our] mortal souls?”

That’s up to you to determine!