We shouldn't quietly surrender a piece of our culture

For decades, small town Iowa fans were enthralled with six-on-six high school girls’ basketball, mostly played in towns with no stoplights. It was quaint. It was unique. It was fun to watch.

I was a fan.

The six-on-six game focused a spotlight on Iowa when many from the coasts couldn’t find the state on a map. We didn’t have mountains, or oceans, but we had a unique game that sparked national interest.

Despite rumblings from the Office of Civil Rights saying the game was discriminatory toward women as early as the mid 70s, the small-town, farm girls shooting at a hoop nailed to the side of a barn, didn’t feel discrimination. They felt empowered as local celebrities. Their games often drew more fans than the boys. It wasn’t until 1993 that six-on-six died.

But even now, around some small-town coffee shop tables there’s loud debates about the pros and cons of the six-on-six game. Some believed it was time to bring Iowa into the next century, while others believe we lost a vital piece of culture.

Currently, another unique piece of Iowa is disappearing at the hands of the Democratic National Committee trying to find the clearest path to the White House. The Rules and Bylaws Committee has bumped Iowa from first in the nation and replace it with South Carolina. Now, there’s an internal, Iowa debate about what needs to happen.

I’m a caucus fan.

Some Iowa Democrats are resigned to eliminating the caucuses and losing the coveted first slot. After all, they say, “Iowa’s too white, too rural, and we screwed up the last time around.” We’ve had a nice run, and all the selfies with wannabe presidents were cool, but now the caucuses should go the way of dial phones.

But before we bow to, “Those who always know best,” we should take a minute. There are four important things that will harm Iowa and the party when caucusing becomes dusty history.

First, Iowa is a cheap place to campaign. That means unknowns, who are not billionaires or haven’t been running since high school, have a chance. Iowa Democrats helped outsiders like Jimmy Carter, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and. Pete Buttigieg.

Organizing to win a caucus is different from organizing to win a primary. It forces candidates and their staffs to flex different organizing muscle and that helps test readiness for the biggest job in the world.

Secondly, I was an early supporter of President Joe Biden, but he didn’t get his act together early enough here, so he lost big.

If a party allows an incumbent president to choose his/her calendar for re-election, qualified challengers won’t have a prayer. It’s calendar gerrymandering, and it will weaken any party that allows it. This is not just an Iowa Democratic problem. Republicans could face the same issue.

Thirdly, rural voters already feel gut punched by Democratic candidates. This move could be a death blow for rural Iowa Democrats. Iowa is the place to test a cohesive rural message.

Finally, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it. The combination of Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina provided different audiences for the Democratic messaging. Candidates must organize for a caucus, be ready to confront independent Democrats, appeal to Hispanic voters, and gain Black support. That’s a good combination.

Yes, the caucus format can’t remain mired in the past. The math was too complicated, access was a problem, and reporting needed streamlining. But with the format changes already adopted, we should fight to continue to be first. I know New Hampshire will. So, shouldn’t Iowa?

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring.