As a result we are faced with an arcane, stupid, primary season and have been for some time. I am not saying this is how things started out, but what makes Iowa so special as opposed to Montana or North Dakota? Nothing! What makes going to county fair so special? Nothing?

We are in a transition period in the election. The Internet is changing everything. Candidates can no longer make racist remarks at a back woods event and get away with it. Hillary Clinton gets caught criticizing Obama for saying the same thing she did. What is said to the gay community is picked up immediately. Except for the smoke filled back rooms of republicans, where serious money is still passed around, almost immediately candidates are outed for pandering.

Where are we moving? We are moving towards Internet world. Slowly but surely Internet world is a world where substance will take over. Internet World is a world where there is transparency, and money will matter little. Are we there yet, no way; at least 10 maybe 30 years communications, computing and search technology advances are need to enable such a world. Technology is hard to predict (or I'd be rich) and the market place will play a big roll.

The times they are a changing. Pretty soon candidates will run Internet straw polls in all the states and communities without state intervention. Imagine a continuous straw poll for all the states run by the party, ending after the Iowa caucuses.