DES MOINES, IA –
Des Moines is hardly the most vibrant city among the 50 state capitals in the United States. In fact, it is often called the dullest city in America.
But every four years, Des Moines is in the spotlight because it is the epicenter of the Iowa caucuses, the unique voting system that has its fascinating rules and quirks. This quadrennial event launches the race to the White House and puts Hawkeye State front and center.r
This time around, the Iowa caucuses are only the concern of one party, the Democratic Party, since incumbent President Donald Trump is virtually unchallenged in the GOP and is guaranteed to become the Republican nominee in the summer.
The Democrats may have misfired by focusing their campaign on Trump and essentially doing all they can to go after him, to the point that they impeached him and forced the Senate to open a special trial for the third time in the nation's history.
The senators will render a verdict on Wednesday, and will most likely acquit him. A day earlier, Trump will deliver his State of the Union Address to a joint session of Congress. This means that tonight's voting in Iowa will occupy a mere few hours in the news cycle before the media shifts gears to Washington and resumes its coverage of Trump.
Tonight at around 7 p.m. local time, more the 1,600 caucuses will be held in various locations across Iowa, in what can be considered as the state's electoral championship, a day after the Superbowl determined the champions in the NFL.
Only about 15% of Iowa's residents will take part in the caucuses, in subzero temperatures. If the young party activists flock in droves to the local high schools and community centers, as they often do in this unique form of voting, US Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT.) is expected to win big.
If older voters show up, former Vice President Joe Biden will get a boost and possibly even come on top, gaining much-needed momentum to carry him forward.
In any event, because of the special rules in the caucuses, we may end up seeing a dark horse come out of nowhere and win second or first place, such as former mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
But in the grand scheme of things, the big winner is Trump, who managed to steal the 11 Democratic nominees' thunder for a while by holding a massive rally last week. In fact, it looks like his overall standing in the state and the nation has been unaffected by the Democratic infighting.
Buttigieg is by far the most interesting Democratic presidential hopeful, because of his background as mayor, his military service in Afghanistan, his youth (only 38) and because he is openly gay.
I attended his rally at the Lincoln High School in Des Moines last night. I could feel the electricity in the air. The crowd, which packed the gym, was ecstatic to see him, and roared when he asked, "Are you ready to get rid of Trump?"
This electrifying moment was in stark contrast to the low-key and almost depressing event Biden hosted a day earlier.
Kylee, a 22-year-old student at Drake University in Des Moines, is a marketing major. She was born in Ankeny, which is a 20-minutes drive from the capital. "The male students support Sanders because he offers free tuition, but women prefer Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) because she is a woman," she tells me. "But I think Trump will win here in the general elections because the economy is doing well. In 2016 I voted for Trump, because of my parents, and they are going to vote for him again this time around." Iowa is a purple state. Its electors went to President Barack Obama in 2008 and 2012, but in 2016 voters gave them to Trump, whose victory in the state was the largest by any Republican since Ronald Reagan.
Despite its alleged dullness, I managed to find a bustling venue in Des Moines: Waveland Cafe on University Avenue. The place has beautiful murals, and according to the locals, it serves the best breakfast in the state.
An African-American couple sits at the counter. Then another younger African-American man sits next to me. He tells me his name is Jason, and his vote could go to either party in November. "Of course I will vote in the caucuses. The Democrats are going to fight among themselves, but in November the Republicans will carry the state," he proclaims. "If Election Day was today, Trump would carry Iowa."
Outside the diner, John, who dons a cowboy hat and is walking his dog says "it's going to be close," referring to caucus night. "The turnout will ultimately decide the outcome," he says. When I ask him whom he would vote for, he pauses and then reveals that both Republican and Democratic candidates got his vote in the past, but in November he will vote for Trump. "He will be re-elected in November," John insists.
Not far from Waveland Cafe, lies the local Lubavitch of Iowa Torah Center, which includes Maccabee's Kosher Deli, the city's kosher restaurant. Three customers – a couple and a young man from New York – are having lunch.
Then another couple enters.
The local Lubavitch emissary Rabbi Yossi Jacobson greets me. Jacobson, who arrived in the city 28 years ago from Brooklyn, runs the place with his wife Chanie, who is the daughter of the emissary in Argentina.
The rabbi is in charge of the other Lubavitch shluchim who have been assigned to the four other chapters in the state.
There are only about 5,000 Jews statewide, about 1,600 in the capital. He tells me that the rate of assimilation worries him, claiming that about 80-85% of Jews marry non-Jews, despite the Jewish community being relatively conservative.
"Why," I ask him. To which he quips, "We are still trying to figure this out."
The young Jew from New York tells me that Jewish voters in America vote for the Democrats because they are associated with the Jewish concept of Tikkun Olam (fixing the world). "You see, I have just arrived from Nebraska, where I spent Shabbat," he tells me. "Nebraskans are as conservative as they get, but even there the Jews vote Democratic."
Video: Boaz Bismuth
Rabbi Jacobson chimes in and notes that these trends are changing. According to Jacobson, "observant Jews are increasingly pro-Trump."
Here in Iowa, it seems that the various Jewish denominations are a source of unity, not friction. Jacobson has only kind words to say about the Reform and Conservative Jews in Iowa. In fact, David Kauffman is the rabbi of Temple B'nai Jeshurun in Des Moines, a Reform congregation comes to the Lubavitch center for his groceries.
"David cares for Israel, and fights the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement," Jacobson tells me. Such good intra-Jewish relations and such warm comments are not obvious, but in Des Moines, it seems that all Jews are brothers.
Jacobson is all but certain that Trump will win Iowa. "He will sweep Iowa, because he is pro-Israel and because he is against abortions. We are effectively part of the Bible Belt."
Ariel Ruben, a Jew from Des Moines, tells me he is a Sanders supporter. "He is the only candidate who cares about social justice and equity for everyone. He underscores the Jewish notion of Tikkun Olam," Ruben says. "Sanders cares about social justice."
There is one thing we can be sure of: There are at least four candidates who can get a boost from Iowa, even if they come in second or third place. They have spent millions upon millions of dollars, and have practically lived in Iowa for the past several months, only to get a chunk of the state's 41 delegates.
