Trump Triumphs in Iowa + Horrible Federal Laws on the Horizon

Mini Civics Lesson: Understanding Caucuses, Primaries, and the Impact of Iowa's Results on the 2024 Republican Race

Love him or hate him, Trump secured a resounding victory in the Iowa caucuses, surpassing all expectations and winning Iowa in a landslide, capturing 51% of the vote. This not only exceeded pre-election predictions but also marked the largest victory in the history of the Iowa caucuses.

I’m covering this story not because I believe a president can save us (I already have a Savior, thank you) but because presidential (s)elections capture the attention of so many, and I want to use this as an opportunity to point out biases and inconsistencies that inevitably will arise.

Plus, this is a good opportunity to review some simple civics concepts so we can slow the roll of the bad guys who want to bamboozle us right into socialism.

Getting back to Iowa, it’s interesting to note that Governor Kim Reynolds, who had backed Trump during his White House run, threw her full support behind Desantis early in November because she doubted Trump's ability to win the general election… so that apparently didn’t have much impact on the voters.

This article from left-leaning NPR highlighted Trump’s legal issues and inserted a mild race card:

Trump's lead in Iowa, not to mention nationally, has endured despite his indictment on 91 charges across four criminal cases. He also appeared to take no hit in recent polls for skipping all of the GOP presidential candidate debates.

Iowa has traditionally favored candidates like DeSantis, who make pointed appeals to white evangelicals in the state. In 2016, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz beat Trump in the state by 4 percentage points. In 2012, then-Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum narrowly edged out the eventual GOP nominee, Mitt Romney, in Iowa.

NBC News shared a recent poll that found that the charges against Trump were not an issue for these voters:

But more than 6-in-10 likely Republican caucusgoers — 61% — say that it doesn’t matter to their support if former President Donald Trump is convicted of a crime before the general election, according to the latest numbers from the new NBC News/Des Moines Register poll of Iowa.

By comparison, 19% of likely Iowa caucusgoers say a Trump conviction would make it more likely that they’d back Trump.

The Epoch Times reported that “President Trump’s 30-point victory is the largest in the history of the Iowa caucuses.”

Caucus vs Primary

Ever wondered why California has a primary, but Iowa has a caucus? I answer this briefly in my video below, but keep reading below the video for even more details.

States can hold either caucuses or primaries as part of the presidential nomination process and both of these allocate delegates based on the percentage of the vote received by the candidates. The candidate with the most delegates becomes the party’s nominee. The choice between a caucus and a primary often depends on state regulations and party preferences. The objective of both caucuses and primaries is to figure out who the people in a political party want to represent them in the general elections.

What is a Caucus?

Imagine a big community meeting where people gather to discuss and vote for their favorite candidate. It's kind of like a town hall where everyone talks openly about who they like. In caucuses, groups of people come together, and based on how many folks support each candidate, they get a certain number of delegates.

NPR explains it like this:

Iowa Republicans have caucus meetings at 1,657 caucus sites this year. These are essentially party meetings. They have party business they attend to, representatives of each campaign make a short pitch for their candidate and then attendees cast secret ballots.

The GOP caucuses are far less complicated than what Democrats do in the state. Democrats split up and vote by physically gathering with other supporters of a campaign. If a Democratic candidate is below 15%, then that person is eliminated and that candidate's supporters have to choose someone else.

What is a Primary?

Now, with a primary you go to a polling place, cast your secret ballot, and that's your way of saying, "I want this person to represent my party." In primaries, it's more straightforward. The candidate who gets the most votes usually gets the most delegates.

So the caucuses are run by the state party whereas primaries are run by the state.

Click here to view the 2024 State Primary/Caucus Calendar.

By the end of March, we will have a significant chunk of the delegate votes for each political party through these state caucuses and primaries.

Now, speaking of politics, you won’t believe what I’ve dug up since my coverage on Disease X… I've uncovered something even scarier: More public serpents at the federal level and their not-so-friendly agenda.

Horrible Federal Bills on the Horizon

In the video below, I dive into a couple federal bills whose names pretty much give away their intentions – and let me tell you, it's not about creating tax breaks or upholding the constitution.

The bill that really had me fired up was this one: Billionaire Minimum Income Tax Act.

This bill wants amendments to the IRS code that would slap a minimum tax on certain wealthy taxpayers. Now, hold up a minute… In the U.S., we've already got this progressive tax code nonsense, where the more you earn, the heavier they tax you. And for what reason? Don’t we already have enough money stolen from our paycheck every month going to fund outlandish programs in far-flung places? (Millions to Belize for gender equality, for example?)

Consider a basic flat tax scenario where if someone's pulling in $1 million annually, they're already forking over more in taxes than someone making $100k or $50k. Even with a flat tax across the board, 10% of a million is more than 10% of a hundred grand when it comes to what the government is getting from the taxpayer.

Unfortunately, it's not just a flat rate; it's a whole graduated system with different tax brackets based on income. So, you earn more, you pay more automatically in a flat tax system and then in a graduated system you pay EVEN MORE because you're earning more.

I get it; not everyone's a fan of paying taxes. Personally, I'm on the record – I pay my taxes, not because I'm thrilled about where that money goes, but because I'd rather steer clear of prison.

Are these millionaires costing the government more or something? Why should they be footing a bigger tax bill?

And what’s really rotten apples is these laws keep coming for the productive ones – the money-makers, small business owners, self-starters, and freedom enthusiasts.

I see a pattern where the government does not want anyone to be productive. Their strategy is to curtail individual creativity and enterprise and penalize the hardworking individuals. The public serpents want to suffocate us and strangle us financially. The endgame seems to be crafting a populace dependent on the government for everything – from financial support to essential services. By fostering a culture of dependence, the government can wield more influence and control over citizens' lives.

Control. That’s always been the goal.

So what do we do?

Stay educated, be informed, and share this information with others. You may want to contact your representatives and let them know what you think — again we need to do what we can to slow the roll toward bigger, more authoritarian government. Stay on top of these bills at the state and federal level. Attend your local town hall meetings and get involved with your community. We need to keep the pressure on and the conversations flowing. I’d love to hear your thoughts in a comment below.