I had to smile. I was so thrilled to hear it. A van full of 6^th grade boys talking tax policy. Yes, you heard that right. Tax policy. I mean, what do 6^th graders know about this topic? As it turns out, a lot. Well, a lot more than most people. I was surprised, but then again I wasn’t. They weren’t exactly ordinary kids. They were all members of KidUnity, an after school leadership development program in Los Angeles that focuses on civic literacy, critical engagement, and community action.

We had just left the Jordan Creek School cafeteria in Polk County, Iowa. There, we witnessed a Democratic Party caucus; saw Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton supporters try to persuade undecided voters to side with them; watched each side choose its own delegates; and listened to those delegates introduce themselves and talk about what political involvement means to them. It was fantastic to witness this time-honored civic exercise–ordinary people engaged in a vigorous, respectable debate about the issues that affect our everyday lives. They were practicing what Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders had recently advocated to KidUnity participants when we saw him in the lobby of our hotel. Sanders told them to talk to one another about the issues; to engage their friends and neighbors; to think critically about things that matter to them; and to remember that politics is “serious business.” It was the kind of civics lesson a textbook cannot provide.

So the boys were talking about tax policy. One advocated a flat tax. Another said that was unfair to the poor; he suggested wealthy citizens should pay more. Another suggested there should be no taxes at all. That was followed by a flurry of guffaws and a pointed rebuttal: taxes pay for things we use everyday. As a history professor and political junkie, I was in heaven. Never mind that at one point they even sang the civil rights song We Shall Overcome. (Pure joy for this civil rights historian). But I digress. The point is they were having a serious conversation about important policies that affect our lives.

This was one of many inspired moments in my brief journey with KidUnity that I felt lucky to witness. I saw KidUnity cub reporters shake aside any fear, insecurity or bashfulness and elbow their way to the front of a press gaggle to ask candidates hard questions. It was an absolute delight, for example, to see Ben Carson squirm a bit when a smiling Sophia asked him how he would deal with ISIS if he became president. I’m sure he did not see that question coming from a 12-year-old.

I loved watching Will ask an elderly Sanders supporter sporting a vintage Clinton/Gore campaign hat why he backed a Clinton in 1992, but not now. Even better was watching as the kids earnestly listened to his answer.  Or how about when a handful of kids sat down at a campaign office and made cold calls to potential caucus-goers? Incredible! They were thrilled when a caller responded positively and disappointed if they couldn’t get through. And I really couldn’t get enough of the joyful, infectious bouncing and dancing KidUnity members displayed at the Sanders after-caucus party, which they nearly turned into a pre-teen dance party. I may have suggested they start a Soul-Train dance line, but given their age, they just looked at me with confusion and kept dancing.

Textbooks can tell us why voting matters and how community engagement and critical debate is necessary for the democratic process to work. But going to the Iowa Caucus, meeting the candidates and their supporters, talking with them about their ideas and thoughts, and being part of the excitement and the frenetic energy that goes into organizing and campaigning was something entirely different. It was the difference between telling kids about the process and showing them how it actually works. It is what inspired education looks like.  Experiential learning is transformative for everyone involved. I can’t wait to see what KidUnity does next!

The Iowa Democratic Caucuses are  a little different from the Republican Caucuses, and from primary voting. In the Democratic Caucuses,  you first  go to a certain corner of the room to show support for the person you want to win the Caucus. In the first round at Jordan Creek Elementary, Hillary Clinton received 117 votes, and Sanders received 84. That was  a difference of 33. There were also 14 undecided.

After, there is a 30 minute convincing period, where you try to get the undecided to come to your side. You can also try to get people from other candidates to come over to the side you support.

In round two, Clinton received, 130, and Sanders received 85. The difference was then 45.

Finally, the amount of delegates is decided by a large math problem that is set up like this: the number of supporters times the amount of delegates of that location(Which is found by population) divided by the amount of people there, which was 214. In total, Clinton received 4 delegates, and Sanders received 3.

The delegates join together and they officially vote.  They decide the real winners of the Caucus.

When KidUnity attended the Bernie Sanders party on caucus night in Iowa, the mood was very upbeat and positive. A campaign that had come from nowhere and was now in a dead heat with Hillary Clinton had much to celebrate.

But for me, this positivity was punctured by some of the very audible boos that erupted when Clinton’s image appeared on a big screen. To be fair, these came from a small number of people and they subsided quickly. And when Sanders spoke he praised Clinton and the crowd applauded.

Given our experience, I was intrigued by this Politico article alleging that Sanders’ rallies in NH are taking a darker turn. The article references the boos we heard and asserts that this prompted Sanders’ campaign officials to turn of the tv screens.

According to Politico –

“The boos are getting louder. The chants are getting more personal. The shouts from the crowd are getting more frequent.

Top Democrats supporting Hillary Clinton have noticed the disdain that some of Bernie Sanders’ most hardcore backers have toward her, and are beginning to worry about what it’s going to take to bring them into the fold in November, when they assume Clinton will be the party nominee.”

I am curious to hear what the students remember and feel about this dynamic at the Sanders event. To me the photo that I included above (from the Politico story) suggests something ominous, sinister or even dangerous. Do you agree?

The day before the Iowa caucuses a few kids from KidUnity went to Bernie Sanders headquarters. We made many phone calls to convince the people of Iowa to “Feel the Bern”.  Many of the people we called were already voting for Bernie Sanders, but there were some people that we were able to persuade. When we arrived, we spoke to one of the many Bernie Sanders supporters.  He said, “Bernie Sanders was the only good candidate to become president for this country.”

On February 1st at Bernie Sander’s after party, KidUnity was met by cries of, “We love you, Bernie,” and “Keep fighting,” and most of all, “Feel the bern.” Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders were in a virtual tie and the crowd was going wild. Bernie Sanders came up to the podium to speak, unleashing yells and claps from the crowd. First, Sanders thanked Clinton and O’Malley, and then went on to say, “We can no longer continue to have a corrupt campaign.” He spoke about how three and a half million people have helped volunteer. The average donation was $27. Sanders also didn’t use superPACs. He stated, “The American people are saying no to a rigged economy.” He also said that wealth is not equal, and he wants to create an equal economy. Sanders wants to raise the minimum wage to $15 dollars an hour. He also said that public colleges and universities should be tuition free and that he is against student debt. He also said, “Stop worrying about campaign funds!” He guarantees health care to all people. “I believe health care is a right, not a privilege,” Sanders stated passionately. “Enough is enough,” he said. “This country belongs to all of us.”

January 31, 2016 KidUnity met with United States’s 30th Secretary of Agriculture and Iowa’s 40th Governor, Tom Vilsack.

“Stay involved, dream big, and never give up.” shared Secretary Vilsack towards the end of the interview with KidUnity. KidUnity asked questions to both Governor Vilsack and his wife, Christie Vilsack.

Governor Vilsack believes that the US needs more rural communities, there need to be more small businesses, and that GMO’s are the base of US’s agricultural economy. While Vilsack was governor, those were the strongest six years of agricultural trading. The trading increased 180% since 2006.

Secretary Vilsack also thinks that conserving natural resources is a must. Resources is a long-term strength of the US’s economy. He has made over 500 investments into food companies.

Along with his wife, Vilsack is helping to improve school meals to make them healthier. He has also paired up with First Lady, Michelle Obama’s, Let’s Move campaign.

Vilsack likes a balance between GMO’s and Organic. Genetically Modified foods have been around for 3,000 years and are a big part of the economy. Genetic Modification is going to help when the climate is not going to. Genetically Modified foods have increased 170% since the 1950’s.

Meeting Governor Vilsack and Ms. Vilsack was an amazing experience that none of us will forget.

While in Des Moines, Iowa,  KidUnity visited the head Des Moines newspaper company on Monday, February 1. It was a really neat experience as we saw all of the technology used to report on the Caucus. We saw how people used social media and websites to spread the news. We saw how the websites were administered and controlled. One newspaper employee said that it was very similar to the movie business with the same equipment and the business runs the same way.

We even saw the stage where the reporters would be reporting from, and it was very cool to see the way that the news business runs.

That is it for now!

If you are still not sure about who you are going to vote for, we found a great website for you. It is called I Side With. What you do is answer a series of different questions about the issues that all of the candidates are discussing. There are approximately ten different topics that I Side With mentions. Each topic has specific questions, and the site asks how strongly you feel about the topic. After you finish answering the questions, you are able to submit this information. Then you can see which candidate you side with the most. It gives you a percentage for each of the top candidates you agree with.

I Side With:

https://www.isidewith.com/elections/2016-presidential-quiz

KidUnity celebrated Bernie Sanders virtual tie at the Holiday Inn. Sanders had lost by four delegates but that didn’t matter too much. What mattered was that Sanders fans put up a fight and now Sanders has the chance to be the primary democratic candidate. On December 15, 2015 the polls showed 52.7% for Clinton, 35.0% for Sanders, and 5.1% for O’Malley. The Iowa Caucus  showed Clinton had 49.9%, Sanders had 49.6% and O’Malley had 0.6%. Sanders went up about 15% in a month and a half.

KidUnity celebrated this amazing news. We held up signs and chanted with hundreds of other Sanders fans. They were so cheerful and passionate about their candidate. When they showed Clinton talking on the news, every time she said something everyone cheered “She’s a liar!” Sometimes the video turned off, which caused everyone to cheer as well. It was so much fun cheering for my candidate.

Over KidUnity’s days in Iowa, we had many opportunities to interview people from all over the USA. In this article we will talk about three people who were interviewed. Although some of these people were not from Iowa, they all supported their candidate whole-heartedly.

The first person we interviewed is named Megan on January 30th. She is from Northwest Arkansas and supports Ted Cruz. She loves him so much and she has been working in the Cruz Iowa Headquarters. “Cruz is the only true candidate that represents me,” stated Megan passionately. She agrees with Cruz’s homosexual, social, moral, abortion, and family beliefs as well as many others. She also agrees with Cruz’s strong relationship with God.

The second person we interviewed was named Cliff Maloney on February 1st. He is the National Youth Director and supports Rand Paul’s views fully. He talked about Paul’s views on the youth vote and how he has a liberty centered vision. He also showed us a video about the Youth Vote. A quote spoken many times throughout the video was, “I stand with Rand because Rand stands with us.” Cliff Maloney knew he would be working hard for Rand Paul for the next year, but he planned to go back to teaching 5th grade even if Rand wins the presidential spot.

The third person we interviewed chose to be anonymous and spoke to us on February 1st right after the caucuses. He supported Marco Rubio because he believes Rubio is “very civilized and a lot of fun”. When asked about the caucuses he said, “It’s really something to look forward to.” He also said, “You don’t caucus, you don’t vote, you don’t complain.”