January 12, 2016 (Tuesday)
I’ve never been to Iowa, although my son, Dan, lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa for a while in the 1990’s. Council Bluffs is across the river from Omaha, Nebraska, which was founded by citizens of Council Bluffs. Dan’s daughter, Angela, lives in Omaha, where she has graduated from the University of Nebraska.
Iowa is in the news these days because it offers the first glimpse into who might become the presidential nominees later this year. Caucuses around the state are important to the candidates, and will take place this year on February 1. The New Hampshire primary follows on February 9.
The musical, “The Music Man,” pictured nineteenth century Iowa as a collection of very small towns and a mostly rural population. Iowa today has many faces. Take a look at the city of Des Moines, Iowa:
There is a lot of publicity about Iowa’s politics in the national news. This has been true since 1972. The Iowa caucuses have served as an early indication of which candidates for president might win the nomination of their political party. Some candidates may drop out due to poor showings.
As a nation, we have been hearing from the would-be presidential candidates for a number of months, but after Iowa and New Hampshire, the campaigns will pick up steam. By the end of summer, our choices will be definite and in November the election will decide who will be the next president.
A simple prayer that all of us should be able to offer is, “Thy will be done.”