>> for the better part of 30 years. >> we are goingng to take back america. >> stand up iowa. >> iowans have judged presidential candidates first. >> iowa does a good job of this. >> but seems like every four years someone is trying to take it away. >> we have to fight for it. >> tonight cbs 2 and fox 28 presents your voice, your future, the iowa impact a town hall discussion between voters and our expert panel whether iowa caucus should stay the first in the nationon our panel includes university of iowa professors of politics,

and the chairs for the parties, dr. mcguire for democrats and jeff kaufmann for the gop. >> good evening, we welcome you to your voice, your ture, the iowa impact. while our panel is important to tonight's discussion, so you are at home. >> i will be manning the social media news desk and we want to invite you to tweet or send us facebook questions to our esteemed panel and they will ask for those at home. and for those in the audience, that goes for you as well, tweet or send a facebook message. the hashtag you need to remember is #yourvoiceyourfuture. and i will watch for them on the participating. >> our live broadcast is originating from public space 1 in the wesley center in downtown

and we have a lot to talk about, and tonight introduce you to moderator for tonight's town hall, mark hyman. >> thank you, scott and karen. from the great bicycle ride to the tailgating games, and from the iowa state fair. from the auditorium and venues throughout the state are throughout the campaign leading to the presidential process. good evening, i am mark hyman, thank you for joining us. the iowa caucuseses won't b b until next month but tonight we talk about them. you have met in the introduction our expert panel of guests that will discuss the issue and we have a great audience that will ask questions. and as well as you at home, let's go ahead and get started.

about gettttg o o questions answered. the first question is from the live audience, i would like you to respond with the applause. respond to this statement, the iowa caucus should continue as the first presidential process. for those voting yes, please [applause] those who believe no, please applaud. i guess that was a loaded question. and keeping in with the caucuses and standing in one corner of the room. and the same to our guests, if you believe that the caucus should remain, raise your hand. and sir, tell us who you and are

>> pat hardy, from iowa city, iowa. >> your question. >> my question, over the years theaucuses have provided a great exposure for the candidates to be exposed nationally. and my question, some candidates have chosen not to come to iowa, and is that diluting the process? >> let's talk to professor covington. >> the candidates not coming to iowa [inaudible] puts you in a hole, as far as the whole nominating process. remember that john mccain didn't want to come in iowa in 2011 and i don't think he recovered from that. i think it's important for candidates to come and media attention and a place to express their views.

>> to follow up on that, mayor guilana did the same in florida, and how this disables a candidate as candidacy if they don't look at iowa. >> as professor covington said, the candidates not meeting here miss out on exposusu. and as a a sult it hurts them down the line, and guiliana in florida and looked not to do well and decided to pull out. and that's the problem that candidates face. if you don't do well in iowa, will that hurt me in the long term. and if they don't compete here they won't do well in later states. because of the way that the republican and democrats electoratete are here but usually can.

mcguire, both you and your counterpart, the two partyty chairs. is there often a conversation with candidates. doctor, what is my chances, is this a good placefor me or my strategy why i shouldn't be here. >> i offer, come early and often. and that's wh i have told people. the convnvsation is not should i come or shouldn't, but when i should come. we told people to come early. the more iowan they can talk to, the better they will do. and this year all three of our candidates have done a good job of getting all over iow and build t tt foundation. >> doctor, let's follow that and often candidates talk about the 99 pointnt strategy.

not every 99th county has to be visite but to go from every part of the state, from the missouri river to the mississippipi river. i think whathey are doing is sending a message. we're not just talking to urban. we're not just talking to rural. we will talk to the entire state. and senator grassly have had the grasly. one of our politicians thatt has the longest tenure, and has done it in part because he has visited all 99 counties every year. and the candidates are taking a papa out of the playbook. >> one follow up, do you have an example of candidates in other states and how they performed i i that state. if they roll in and do advertising in the major cities.

perhaps the uniowa campaign or anti-iowa campaign and not going to the diners and shaking hands. examples come to mind? >> what i remember about iowa, before steve forbes ran in the 80's, there was few politics. and small settings. and steve forbes pioneered to campaign on television ads. and didn't do well here but it can help you if you do both. not one or the other. >> back to the live audience. >> i am ken riser. i am a state representative here in iowa. and my question is, when i talk to a lot of my friends from the service, because i served 25 years in the air force.

what is it about iowa, and iowan iowans that make us worthy of this responsibility to be the first in the nation? >> professor hagle. >> the story it started in the early 70s and iowa jumped ahead of the other states. and it didn't seem to get a lot of notice until 1976, when a governor from georgia, by the name of jimmy caer, manageded to finish firstst in the caucus. and went on and got the nomination and won the general election. because of that, that put iowa on the map. and each year sincnc t tn it's grown for both parties. that we have more and more candidates coming here. and in some sense the process

every cycle but how we got here. >> dr. kaufmann of the iowa caucuses that we addressed, that people are pressing the flesh, going to the diners and the puffer belly days, and they are out for people to see them on ththflesh. how important is that? how does that differ from california where people lay advertising in san francisco and l.a.? >> first of all if we started with l.a. or new york, we would start with three candidates that have super pacs with hundreds of millions of dollars. starting here inowa is simple, we are not supposed to predict the winner or any task but to provide an equal playing field. if we believe wt we are

government class, that you can become president some day, you iowa. where it's relatively inexpensive to campaign here d you can get to all 99 counties, and look people in the eye. and the reason that the president is removed is because the secret service and not able to talk to the people. but we want a president that knows how to do that and a president that sees the every days trials and situations. and iowa allows us to look the junior high kids in the eyes and anyone can become president, because you can start here, and that president bonds through the hoops here in iowa, in nevada and new hampshire and south carolina. there is nothing more grassroots, nothing more democratic or american than

>> dr. kaufmann, there was a time when presidential candidates would start the process before the election year. now spent a number of years. is there a point it's too much? if we are looking at 2016 election is it too early for someone to campaign for 2020 now? >> it may be early for 2020, but i agree what dr. kaufmann said, getting out face-to-face. i would hate to see a time when sound bytes and someone on just tv is going to be our president. and no onenehas asked them those questions. asked them those follow-up questions or looked them in the eye. seriously. they come and see the candidates and come to forums like this. this is what iowans do so well and more need so w know thehe

what they say. and not just an easy answer to the question, but the follow-up answer. i think this is a great place we have here to do this. i think we take it very seriously. and as jeff said, it's the right size. it has the right rural versus urban. it has very interested citizens and i thinin we do a great job. >> one follow-up professor covington, there is before the caucuses people perceiveded as the clear frontrunner and by the time the caucuses come around they are not a part of the conversation. is that part of the process? it's a marathon and some don't make it? >> the political science we talked about name recognition. the early polls tend to reflect the politicians that voterss knowowthe nameshey recognize.

rudy guilana or ted kennedy. but name recognition is not enough, in iowa you have to go out and shake hands and judge the character, you may have name recognitioio but if you don't connect with people. you are not going anywhere in iowa, and that is what happens. >> tell us what your name is. >> i am carter, from iowa, and a student here at the university of iowa. my question reflects the politicalness of iowa and the importance of the caucus? does that have any effect? >> dr. kaufmann what do you think, on one side of that purple color. >> it's very important, if you lay the ground work and the organizational framework as a candidate here.

each of the two parties are able to utilize that again. one thing for sure about iowa it's a contest in the general election. i think you will have more emphasis and more money and time spent to put that organizational structure together. because you know you will be back, we w wl see individuals back in july or august and doing it all over again. but this time they will have name recognize and narrow that. >> before that comment, we have a lot of people weighing in on this topic and check in on the social media and your answer. >> jeff stated it, it sets up well, and these people are coming back and setting up for that fall election. and caucuses are about party

building we do, i know that we pick a presidential and we do party building, and that is very important for the candidates. weell them all the time, don't forget that this is a prize. a lot from the purple color. >> our viewers throughout the state have been weighing in for days, , eck in with social media, karen, what do you have? >> several comments and remind you that it's #yourvoiceyourfuture. and you can send in through facebook, kgancbs2. one from kim, if you ask i iowa what a caucus is and what does it mean, most people don't understand and won't go. >> that's a great question, professor hagle, what exactly is a caucus? so many primary states people

way from work to home, and in and out in a matter of minutes it's a litite more convoluted here. >> basically you have people in each neighbor that come together from each party, democrats and republicans that want to talk about who they want to represent their party as their nominee for the general election. and yes it's involved and whether convoluted -- that may be said by national anchors. but you come in and representatives for the candidates running for the two parties. get up and give a speech for their person. and this is where it's a bit of a difference between republicans and democrats. but you go through a process and you say who you want to be your

and then usually the cauaus goes to other business, and as said the party building aspect selecting delegatesnd platforms. but the essence is discussion of people in your neighborhood and some local location have about who they want to represent them me november. >> dr. mcguire, can you tell us for a moment how there are differences and what the differences between the two parties and how they caucus differently? >> absolutely, i always say that ours is more fun. right, jeff. ours is interactive, you go physically to where your candidate would be. it's democracy in action, as democratic as you can get. you get up and go there, and we head count, very old fashion, this many people are for this candidate or this candidate. and you have a chance, if

candidate, they are not viable, usually under 15%, they can rearrange to other candidates or change their mind and go to different candidates. very interactive. but what he said is important, this is a time that you talk to the neighbors about issues and where you want this country to go. that's what happens at a caucus and it's interaction and then we take the count of the delegates. >> dr. kaufmann, thessue of neighborhood is pretty important, 1600 precincts throughout the state. it's a neighborly process; correct? >> absolutely. and you are around people that you lived around and baby sat, and that could be your family members your entire life. and the other thing about these caucuses, you grow local leaders there. i have seen many, many times the first speech that person makes, is the speech when they stand in

that can be pretty intimidating. lot of time iowans don't like to talk religion or politics and now you stand up and why you are for this person, knowing that you may get people mad. . once you h he done that first time, a lot of people are hooked and get involved in schools and city councils. that neighborhood aspect is very important and comfortable for a lot of peopop. and i think it's a sea bed for themselves. >> a quick follow-up on thth, after every caucus there is a whisper campaign of the out-of-state buses, of that sense that they know each othth 's a process. >> we will recognize in sugar creek township there is someone here from chicago, yes. there is the megasites, to be

you could have 3,000 to 4,000. i suppose something likehat could happen, and there is double checks about that. to be honest i don't spend time to think about that at all. >> back to the live audience, tell us who you are. >> i am kim ream, i am the vice president of the federation of women. i know with the eyes of the nation upon us, as first we have to get it right. i wonder if you share with us the hard work of reporting results from the caucuses in 2016. >> dr. mcguire, you want to jump in on this. >> i would love to. one thing that people may not understand, our first in the nation status is very bipartisan, we d this together, if somethingng happens to him,

and same for him. and we work together and on a project with microsoft to be sure that our reporting is state of the art. we are cutting edge and something that the caucuses are famous for. we havevecutting-edge technology and it's terrific. it has an app that help us with different things, and safety checks. very efficient. and you can't really break into itit it's very good. we have been doing that together and i think that will help our reporting that night. >> professor covington, i i want bring you back in the conversation. 49 states watch the caucus and this is not wo-year process but it happens every year, and what happens in the off-year elections? >> mostly how many people show up.

die-hard republican to go to the off-year caucuses. it's much more of a party affair. and i want to point out about the caucuses that is eluded to, this is something thathe parties putt on, and not run by state. the primaries are state elections, and the government sends people in to run. these are leaders in the party of the state run as an organizational manner. and a lot of credit goes to them for the work and effort they put in that they come off s s well. >> professor hagle, some people criticize as primaries and caucuses to be the most political and the extreme of the two parties. let's say for the sake ofof argument that's true, is that necessarily a bad thing? >> not necessarily and when you

are not the samemething. extreme is the far left and right and people on those edges are perhaps more committed. but you have people that are moderates that are committed. they want to win in the general election as well, and pick the best nominee and so fort you have certain aspects to that. but on the other hand everyone can participate in caucus. and we get criticism when it's a lok turn out. but we do everything we can to get as many people to participate. and of course the candidates do as well. and up for the people to choose, do we want to do this and committed enough and enthusiastic enough. and hopefully they are and come out. >> dr. kaufmann, for our viewers in the from iowa.

if i moved to iowa on january 1, can i caucus? >> if you have status and party affiliation, you can turn from repuican to democrat or indendent, you can caucus. the e ectoral rules in iowa have made that aspect very easy. >> you toowo are too friendly, it's worrying me. we want to see more fighting going on. >> we will turn on each other. >> or give us an issue. >> back to the live audiencece >> i am brett, from cedar rapids, iowa, my question is if caucus did not exist, how would a voter get his voice heard? we would live on sound bytes and advertising. >> professor hagle.

the way that the caucus campaign unfolds, it forces the candidates to deal with voters. to go to small places and shake hands and answer a couple of quick questions on what issue is important to that voter. infofoation. we didn't have thehe caucus, and as stated before, if you started in a state other than iowa, where you do advertising. all you get is mailers and maybe the phone call and door knocking. but you wouldn't have that personal experience that we get. and i add that persona experience is reall important to the candidates as well. it gives them an idea both of how voters think of a variety of issues. what is in the news at a particular period of time. but it alsoimprovov their political skills. they have to deal with people

gotten better at the retail politics as it's gone on. >> in a previous election that may be a good example of a change thisere? >> jeb bush's dad was not good at this thing. he was stand offish and reserved. and it doesn't work in a situation to reach out to people and talk to them. i think he had a more difficult time with that approach. >> at the national levels i have heard the jokes made of candidates wearing plaid shirts and jeans and boots, and people say they didn't own that two months earlier. >> back to the audience.

often it's vital to engage the millinials -- millennials and how do we capture as participants as volunteers but to build the bench of both parties and establish themselves as future leaders of the party through elected offices. >> i will go on a limb and sby everyone on this stage is over 35 [laughter] [inaudible]. >> i almost said 30. all right. dr. kaufmann, what do you think, gaging millennials? >> i have been teaching 18-22 years olds and teaching government to tho individuals. first of all, if you look for instance, at the house republican caucus, we have people that are in upper 20s and 30s.