(The Epoch Times)—The blizzard blasting across Iowa Friday is expected to taper off early Saturday and be old news by the time voters convene in caucuses at 7 p.m. Monday to cast the first ballots in the 2024 election cycle.
The deep freeze trailing in the storm’s wake, with subzero temperatures forecast all day and nighttime wind chills plummeting to -30—as in minus-30—on Monday, will, however, be very much in the news as Iowa Republicans bundle up and head to 730 caucus sites statewide to pick their 2024 GOP presidential candidate.
Whether Monday’s frigid temps will dissuade voters from getting to caucus sites, often within an easy drive of their homes, is a question many have been wondering since the National Weather Service forecast it 10 days ago.
Some say yes. Some say no. But nobody knows no matter how many hours of talking head speculation fills air time between now and Monday night.
Lee Stofer, of Camanche in east Iowa’s Clinton County, who will be hosting a caucus in the barn behind his Lee Stofer Music shop, said if it was snowing Monday night, that could trim turnout.
But cold? No. It’s Iowa in January, he told The Epoch Times.
“Bring a coat,” he suggested. The barn isn’t heated, which is why he expects it to be over with “within an hour.”
“The bitter cold on Monday may keep some people away,” Waterloo precinct captain Kevin Briden told The Epoch Times. “But people in Iowa are hearty souls who take this caucus vote seriously. So people may be surprised as to how many show up.”
They won’t be surprised in Bremer County. During a meeting in the Readlyn Library on Thursday, Bremer County GOP Committee Chair John Pentecost told 23 precinct and caucus captains to expect as many as 1,800 Republican voters to show up at the county’s five caucus sites.
That would be 350 more than the record 1,445 who participated in the county’s 2016 Republican presidential caucuses.
“With the temperatures they are forecasting for Monday night, I don’t think we’ll have that high of a turnout,” Mr. Pentecost said.
The precinct and caucus leaders mostly disagreed, noting Mr. Pentecost moved from balmy Minnesota to the east-central Iowa county a few years ago, so what does he know about locals’ commitment to caucus?
It’s the Democrats caucusing in nearby Denver, Iowa, who need to worry, they said. “I’d like to watch them getting there because most of them walk around barefoot,” one laughed.
In Mills County’s Silver City, Gary and Susan McNutt are hosting their precinct’s caucus in their family room—one of the few, if not the only one, that will be in a private home. In 2000, nearly a third were.
More than 50 showed up in her family room for 2016’s caucus, said Ms. McNutt, co-chair of the Mills County Republican Committee. She expects at least that many on Monday, regardless of how cold it gets.
“We’ll have everything all shoveled and put out cookies and coffee,’ Ms. McNutt. “We’ll squeeze everybody in with their big coats.”
Campaigns Disrupted
The storm, which had dropped about 6 inches of snow by mid-day Friday in the Des Moines area, is expected to make travel hazardous through Saturday when winds up to 35-45 miles per hour create ground blizzards, glazing roads in slip-streams of feathery ice and snow funnels.
While the Friday storm may not affect Monday’s turnout, it disrupted Republican presidential candidates’ stump schedules, prompting cancellations of planned appearances by former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, and biotech entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy.
Republican front-runner former President Donald Trump did not have any scheduled campaign events Friday. Kari Lake, an Iowa native who is running for U.S. Senate in Arizona, canceled an appearance on his behalf.
Mr. Trump’s Saturday stump stops in Atlantic and Sioux City and Sunday in Indianola and Cherokee remain on his campaign site’s schedule.
The storm and subsequent deep freeze are no surprise. It’s been forecast for 10 days. Mr. Trump called on supporters during a Jan. 5 rally in Newton to brave the cold and get to their caucuses on Monday.
“You just have to put on that warm coat and get out there,” he said.
Coffee the Christian way: Promised Grounds
Ms. Haley’s campaign canceled three campaign events in Fort Dodge, Le Mars, and Council Bluffs and is instead staging “telephone town halls.”
“Stormy weather won’t stop us from ensuring Iowans hear Nikki’s vision for a strong and proud America,” Haley campaign spokesman Pat Garrett said in a statement. “With only three days until the caucuses, we’re going to keep telling voters why they should Pick Nikki.”
Mr. Ramaswamy was sallying forth in his campaign, conducting a “Live from an Iowa Blizzard Tele-Townhall“ in his SUV between campaign stops.
“Ran into Steven walking into our 2nd event today, but he couldn’t join us because he is working today as a postal service worker delivering the mail,” he said in a mid-afternoon X post about meeting a mailman making his rounds. “If he’s working in the middle of the snowstorm, so am I.”
During a Free Soil rally on Wednesday protesting the proposed Summit CO2 pipeline, Mr. Ramaswamy said his supporters won’t be dissuaded by the cold.
“Human beings come out a little bit less when they’re cold,” he said. “I think this is going work to our advantage. Many of my supporters are not tepid supporters.”
Enthusiasm Tested
Mr. DeSantis attended his first event Friday, but his Never Back Down PAC canceled the rest of his slate for the day. He did, however, make an unscheduled stop at his campaign’s Iowa headquarters in Urbandale to thank volunteers.
“What it does for the overall turnout, I mean, nobody can forecast what the turnout is gonna be,” he said. “Anyone that tells you they can do that is not it’s not being honest. It’s a major wildcard.”
It’s a “wildcard” he, like Mr. Ramaswamy, believes could benefit his campaign.
“I know it’s going to be cold. I know it is not going to be pleasant,” Mr. DeSantis told campaign workers. “We don’t know what the turnout is going to be like. It could be much smaller than the 2016 cycle. That’s possible.”
So, he told his volunteers, “Bring four, five friends. That could make a big difference” if the turnout is lower than expected.
FAMiLY Leader founder, influential conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats, who has endorsed Mr. DeSantis, told CNN in an early afternoon interview that the Florida governor’s ground game is “the best I’ve ever seen” and will be “the difference-maker” on Monday.
Conservative WHO (AM) Des Moines radio host Jeff Angelo, in a later CNN interview, said he doesn’t “think we are going to have a record turnout. People have heard all the news reporting and the hype and maybe they were going to come out but, nothing like minus-30 degrees to encourage you to stay in your kitchen and have a little chili that night.”
It will be the “diehards” who show up, he said, and no one in the race has more “diehards” than Mr. Trump.
“Trump supporters will absolutely walk through snow” to cast their ballot, Mr. Angelo said, noting the “less enthusiastic” voters the other campaigns, especially Ms. Haley and Mr. DeSantis, are relying on could be no-shows for Monday.
The deep freeze is going to give others “more trouble” than it will for Mr. Trump, with the lower turnout favoring the former president. “The more the temperatures drop,” he said, “the higher the probability that Trump wins.”
That’s pretty much what a campaign staffer told Mr. Trump last week, he told supporters during his Newton rally.
“My people will walk on glass—they don’t care … right?” He said. “We love bad weather because the weather’s not going to keep our people away. The worse, the better. We won’t lose one vote.”
Janice Hisle contributed to this report
Five Things New “Preppers” Forget When Getting Ready for Bad Times Ahead
The preparedness community is growing faster than it has in decades. Even during peak times such as Y2K, the economic downturn of 2008, and Covid, the vast majority of Americans made sure they had plenty of toilet paper but didn’t really stockpile anything else.
Things have changed. There’s a growing anxiety in this presidential election year that has prompted more Americans to get prepared for crazy events in the future. Some of it is being driven by fearmongers, but there are valid concerns with the economy, food supply, pharmaceuticals, the energy grid, and mass rioting that have pushed average Americans into “prepper” mode.
There are degrees of preparedness. One does not have to be a full-blown “doomsday prepper” living off-grid in a secure Montana bunker in order to be ahead of the curve. In many ways, preparedness isn’t about being able to perfectly handle every conceivable situation. It’s about being less dependent on government for as long as possible. Those who have proper “preps” will not be waiting for FEMA to distribute emergency supplies to the desperate masses.
Below are five things people new to preparedness (and sometimes even those with experience) often forget as they get ready. All five are common sense notions that do not rely on doomsday in order to be useful. It may be nice to own a tank during the apocalypse but there’s not much you can do with it until things get really crazy. The recommendations below can have places in the lives of average Americans whether doomsday comes or not.
Note: The information provided by this publication or any related communications is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as financial advice. We do not provide personalized investment, financial, or legal advice.
Secured Wealth
Whether in the bank or held in a retirement account, most Americans feel that their life’s savings is relatively secure. At least they did until the last couple of years when de-banking, geopolitical turmoil, and the threat of Central Bank Digital Currencies reared their ugly heads.
It behooves Americans to diversify their holdings. If there’s a triggering event or series of events that cripple the financial systems or devalue the U.S. Dollar, wealth can evaporate quickly. To hedge against potential turmoil, many Americans are looking in two directions: Crypto and physical precious metals.
There are huge advantages to cryptocurrencies, but there are also inherent risks because “virtual” money can become challenging to spend. Add in the push by central banks and governments to regulate or even replace cryptocurrencies with their own versions they control and the risks amplify. There’s nothing wrong with cryptocurrencies today but things can change rapidly.
As for physical precious metals, many Americans pay cash to keep plenty on hand in their safe. Rolling over or transferring retirement accounts into self-directed IRAs is also a popular option, but there are caveats. It can often take weeks or even months to get the gold and silver shipped if the owner chooses to close their account. This is why Genesis Gold Group stands out. Their relationship with the depositories allows for rapid closure and shipping, often in less than 10 days from the time the account holder makes their move. This can come in handy if things appear to be heading south.
Lots of Potable Water
One of the biggest shocks that hit new preppers is understanding how much potable water they need in order to survive. Experts claim one gallon of water per person per day is necessary. Even the most conservative estimates put it at over half-a-gallon. That means that for a family of four, they’ll need around 120 gallons of water to survive for a month if the taps turn off and the stores empty out.
Being near a fresh water source, whether it’s a river, lake, or well, is a best practice among experienced preppers. It’s necessary to have a water filter as well, even if the taps are still working. Many refuse to drink tap water even when there is no emergency. Berkey was our previous favorite but they’re under attack from regulators so the Alexapure systems are solid replacements.
For those in the city or away from fresh water sources, storage is the best option. This can be challenging because proper water storage containers take up a lot of room and are difficult to move if the need arises. For “bug in” situations, having a larger container that stores hundreds or even thousands of gallons is better than stacking 1-5 gallon containers. Unfortunately, they won’t be easily transportable and they can cost a lot to install.
Water is critical. If chaos erupts and water infrastructure is compromised, having a large backup supply can be lifesaving.
Pharmaceuticals and Medical Supplies
There are multiple threats specific to the medical supply chain. With Chinese and Indian imports accounting for over 90% of pharmaceutical ingredients in the United States, deteriorating relations could make it impossible to get the medicines and antibiotics many of us need.
Stocking up many prescription medications can be hard. Doctors generally do not like to prescribe large batches of drugs even if they are shelf-stable for extended periods of time. It is a best practice to ask your doctor if they can prescribe a larger amount. Today, some are sympathetic to concerns about pharmacies running out or becoming inaccessible. Tell them your concerns. It’s worth a shot. The worst they can do is say no.
If your doctor is unwilling to help you stock up on medicines, then Jase Medical is a good alternative. Through telehealth, they can prescribe daily meds or antibiotics that are shipped to your door. As proponents of medical freedom, they empathize with those who want to have enough medical supplies on hand in case things go wrong.
Energy Sources
The vast majority of Americans are locked into the grid. This has proven to be a massive liability when the grid goes down. Unfortunately, there are no inexpensive remedies.
Those living off-grid had to either spend a lot of money or effort (or both) to get their alternative energy sources like solar set up. For those who do not want to go so far, it’s still a best practice to have backup power sources. Diesel generators and portable solar panels are the two most popular, and while they’re not inexpensive they are not out of reach of most Americans who are concerned about being without power for extended periods of time.
Natural gas is another necessity for many, but that’s far more challenging to replace. Having alternatives for heating and cooking that can be powered if gas and electric grids go down is important. Have a backup for items that require power such as manual can openers. If you’re stuck eating canned foods for a while and all you have is an electric opener, you’ll have problems.
Don’t Forget the Protein
When most think about “prepping,” they think about their food supply. More Americans are turning to gardening and homesteading as ways to produce their own food. Others are working with local farmers and ranchers to purchase directly from the sources. This is a good idea whether doomsday comes or not, but it’s particularly important if the food supply chain is broken.
Most grocery stores have about one to two weeks worth of food, as do most American households. Grocers rely heavily on truckers to receive their ongoing shipments. In a crisis, the current process can fail. It behooves Americans for multiple reasons to localize their food purchases as much as possible.
Long-term storage is another popular option. Canned foods, MREs, and freeze dried meals are selling out quickly even as prices rise. But one component that is conspicuously absent in shelf-stable food is high-quality protein. Most survival food companies offer low quality “protein buckets” or cans of meat, but they are often barely edible.
Prepper All-Naturals offers premium cuts of steak that have been cooked sous vide and freeze dried to give them a 25-year shelf life. They offer Ribeye, NY Strip, and Tenderloin among others.
Having buckets of beans and rice is a good start, but keeping a solid supply of high-quality protein isn’t just healthier. It can help a family maintain normalcy through crises.
Prepare Without Fear
With all the challenges we face as Americans today, it can be emotionally draining. Citizens are scared and there’s nothing irrational about their concerns. Being prepared and making lifestyle changes to secure necessities can go a long way toward overcoming the fears that plague us. We should hope and pray for the best but prepare for the worst. And if the worst does come, then knowing we did what we could to be ready for it will help us face those challenges with confidence.
