Blog: Dan Power

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Iowa Caucuses and Decision Support

I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa and politics is center stage with the upcoming January 3, 2008 Iowa caucuses. In my youth I was a political organizer and activist so I have been involved with the Iowa caucuses since 1972 ... Muskie, McGovern, the anti-war movement.

Much has changed with the Web, information technology, email and political targeting. The automated phone calls are horrendous; the amount of money spent has increased tremendously. Today so much more information is available on candidate positions. With email, the candidates who have me targeted send me invitations to various campaign events. If I'm curious, I can check a candidate's schedule on the Web and drive across town or down the road and listen.

We Iowans like the attention and the face-to-face politics. The blog sphere is exerting more influence every day and the politicos in other states want the same attention Iowans get. This year may be the last actively contested caucus, but I hope not. Despite my grumblings about too many ads and too many phone calls and mailings, like other Iowans I am flattered to be involved. The candidates I meet are sincere and most are working hard to hone their message and influence people to chose them for the future of our country.

So what about decision support? Campaign decision support is getting better. Candidate organizations should have spatial DSS and CRM systems. The web-based document decision support is better at some candidate web sites than others.

Decision support for voters is limited and that is probably as it should be. The Iowa caucuses showcase how many factors influence an individual's decision making. Decision making is not really aided much by a computerized, multi-attribute choice model. This caucus process continually reminds me of how many different priorities, value systems and needs are influencing all of us.

None of us really want knowledge-driven DSS to help us make our choice and no model or simulation-driven DSS can help us anticipate the future with a new president.

I find myself looking at body language, how comfortable is the person, is the person electable and various intangibles. My intuition and emotional intelligence is stretched to get a "feel" for who the person really is ... I read the issue position materials and listen to the ads and debates when I can stand to do so. Rational decision making is so hard when choosing a leader for our great country.

Yesterday, I went with my wife and 2 sons to listen to John Edwards in a room at the University of Northern Iowa. Perhaps 350 people joined me. We listened to the local politicos and as usual everything was running late. Kevin Bacon sang for us and then introduced my congressman, Bruce Braley, an Edwards supporter. Then Edwards and his wife Elizabeth entered the room.

Elizabeth is a straight shooter, but she feels a need to get in her 2 cents worth. She told us John's life story by way of introduction, then John spoke. Sadly, John Edwards tried to arouse people's emotions rather than deal with the complexity of our current national situation. I realized I'm too much of what Edwards calls a "corporate democrat" to support him. I'm a business professor and I know that we need global corporations to provide people goods and services in a populous world. Some managers make mistakes, but we stockowners are the global corporations.

I'll keep watching the Democrats. Don't think I can support Pastor Mike, the "oven Mitt", or Rudy. I've always been a Clinton fan and I'd like to see a serious woman candidate, but Hilary's campaign is horribly managed and staffed. Too many political cronies perhaps. The state newspaper endorsed Hilary and John McCain. McCain is a non-factor and Hilary is fading. "And so it goes."

In the next few weeks, I'll watch Obama and Biden. Political choices are hard and it may be the best we can find in 2008 is a caretaker President.

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