Chronicle Editorial

Merry Christmas from the Chronicle!

     ‘Tis the season once again. It seems like just last week we were celebrating Thanksgiving, but Christmas is here whether we like it or not. Hopefully you’ve completed all your shopping and avoided the last-minute crunch.

     It’s easy to get caught up in the Christmastime rush. However, it’s important to remember the real reason we’re celebrating. Take the time to enjoy a Christmas pageant at a local church this week. There’s plenty scheduled throughout the area, and the kids and adult volunteers put in a lot of hard work preparing for the big night. You get to learn a pretty neat story, too, which is always a plus.

     Don’t forget about our friends and neighbors in local nursing homes during the holidays. These folks would love a card, visit or small gift from their friends throughout the community, and it’s a simple way to spread a little holiday cheer this time of the year.

     We hope you enjoy the holidays this week and are able to share them with loved ones. Merry Christmas from all of us here at the Hampton Chronicle!

Governor’s straw poll proposal makes sense

     Last week, Gov. Terry Branstad acknowledged the futility of one our state’s most frivolous political traditions – the Iowa Republican Straw Poll.

     This insignificant event has worn out its welcome and then some. It started in the 1970s as a summer precursor to the Iowa Caucuses, which are held in January prior to a presidential election. The Straw Poll orginally helped winnow the field of GOP candidates and allowed them to hone their message, greet voters and create some buzz before the state’s big pre-election event. However, its usefulness has waned significantly throughout the years.

     Cynics hold many qualms with the event, but one criticism seems to hold the most water. The poll’s results are easily discredited by the various tactics and gimmicks each candidate uses to coax voters to their camp. Numerous reports from the 2011 Straw Poll highlighted all the star-studded entertainment acts and free food each candidate gave away to visitors that endured their campaign stumps. The Straw Poll has turned into a game of one-upsmanship, not a credible political function.

     Branstad called for the complete removal of the Straw Poll, but his proposal didn’t come without caveats. He said the Iowa GOP should replace the poll with a similar event that doesn’t include a “vote.” This makes sense – it would still allow candidates to meet voters, solicit donations and spread their messages to Iowans prior to the caucus. This is the most vital aspect of the current event, and the “poll” itself only works to discredit those valuable functions.

     Branstad’s proposal faces an uphill battle with slim chances of adoption, however. The state central committee will ultimately decide the Straw Poll’s fate, and many political figureheads have expressed intrest in retaining the vote. The group will probably keep the poll as long as it doesn’t violate any federal Republican Party rules that would jeopardize Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus status. Like many other pointless political exercises, the Straw Poll will most like live on.

     The results of the 2015 event will most certainly get mocked and criticized by the rest of the nation if it’s retained this year. It happened in 2011, and there’s nothing stopping it from happening again. It’s time to sack the Straw Poll and implement something less laughable.