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Opinion
The Clarion \ February 12, 2020
The Iowa Caucus: A comedy of errors
By Julie Carter
Opinion Editor
On Feb. 3, the all-important Iowa Caucus
was held across the state. The primary event
offers the nation a peek as to what the months
prior to the upcoming election may look like,
demonstrating which candidates might win
the nomination. This process, in presidential
elections, is vital for the party seeking to oust
the sitting president.
However, such an important event quickly
dissented into chaos for everyone, most notably
the Democratic Party.
The collection of the opinions of citizens about
who they supported within the primary went
fairly standard. The commotion came when
precincts began reporting their results.
A new app meant to aid in the reporting of
results failed. Phone lines were busy. Precinct
reporters were hung up on. Math errors were
made. Three data sets needed to be collected
which left the party completely overwhelmed.
Anything that could go wrong did.
Now, over a week later, the nation is wondering
what Democrat took Iowa. Based on the iffy
results determined in the days following the
caucus, the Democratic Party declared Pete
Buttigieg the victor, giving him the most
delegates at 13. However, multiple sources,
including the Associated Press, are withholding
an official victor declaration for the caucus, due
to the jumbled handling of the event.
The Democratic Party has been struggling to
collect themselves after their massive defeat in
the 2016 election. Their blundering of the Iowa
Caucus offers yet another harbinger to the fact
that, perhaps, they will not win the election
coming in November.
The comedy of errors that occurred in Iowa
only tells us that the Democrats are disorganized
and lack true unification, the qualities essential
to further processing a movement. An app meant
to make things easier for them crumbled, largely
because it went untested prior to the night of the
caucus. They underestimated the sheer volume
of calls they would get. Caucus night failed
not because of happenstance but because the
Democratic Party failed to plan.
The Democratic Party cannot go on running
under the assumption that everything is going
to be fine for them. When November comes
around, they must be prepared for the fight of
their lives if they truly want one of their own to
sit behind the desk in the Oval Office.
Don't be bitter, pick up your iitter!
By Eli Goodhew
staff Writer
Brevard is cherished by locals and tourists
alike for its immaculate scenery, small town
charm, progressive community and a universal
respect for the environment. If only Brevard
students shared that same respect toward our
campus...
Littering has recently become a topic of
concern for many BC students and faculty
members. While great efforts have been
made to institute sustainable and eco-friendly
practices on campus, it is the carelessness of
some that set us all back.
“Trashing this place makes it less enjoyable
for all of us. Take care of our home,” BC
Student Michaela Lemmon said, and she’s
right. This is our home, and we should treat
it as such.
Putting trash where it belongs is not difficult,
and if you find that it is then you are trash
yourself
It’s sad to know how often we take our Earth
for granted. We need her, not the other way
around.
Brevard College’s incredible maintenance
and house-keeping staff have enough of their
plate. It is certainly not their job to pick up
your garbage.
Though it should not be an inconvenience everyonejust did their part to dispose of trash
to walk to the nearest dumpster, I believe that properly. It would make all the difference,
adding more trash and recycling bins around Together let’s stive to keep Brevard’s
campus would lessen the issue. But imagine if campus, our home, clean and beautiful.