happy caucus day

Iowans are special, and just typing that made me think of that scene in The Help when Aiblileen the maid/nanny/self-esteem-instiller tells little Mae Mobley:

You is kind. You is smart. You is important.

Iowans, often overlooked {or flown-over} as we are, may need to chant a version of this to themselves in the years in between presidential elections.

Every four years, we are important come a cold night in January, and then every presidential hopeful and political analyst and journalist flies in—not over, for once—and tries to connect with the Iowa voter {and explain them to the rest of the nation}.

But in between those bouts of importance, Iowans may need to chant:

You is kind. You is smart. You is FIRST IN THE NATION: take that, New Hampshire!

Not that Iowans would be so combative, and actually, I'm doubting that many Iowans would see the need to chant this little self-esteem builder in non-election years.

We're not too concerned with puffing up our own importance; there are bigger things to think about than how other people see you.

I should get home now, not that I have a caucus to rush off to tonight. I live in Illinois now, in a state that doesn't caucus and is far from the first in the nation, but my Iowa roots run deep—so deep that I still use that inclusive "we" when talking about Iowans.

We're special, even in the years we aren't leading the charge into the presidential election season.

To honor Iowans and my inclusive "we," here's a video of the song "All I Owe Ioway" from State Fair. {Also to honor Iowa today, I'm wearing one of my Iowa shirts, but posting of picture of me in it is boring when compared to this technicolor wonder of singing about being Iowa corn-fed.}