The Iowa caucuses, the first-in-the-nation presidential nomination contest, died this week after a brief and sudden illness in Des Moines. The cause of death was sheer ridiculousness. They were 48 years old.

One of the most peculiar public rituals in U.S. politics, the Iowa caucuses had developed a sterling reputation for picking candidates who would not go on to become president (Barack Obama’s 2008 victory and George W. Bush’s in 2000 serving as exceptions). Past Iowa winners on the Republican side include Ted Cruz, Rick Santorum, Bob Dole (in 1988), and George H.W. Bush (in 1980). On the Democratic side, the winning losers include Tom Harkin, Richard Gephardt, and “Uncommitted,” the plucky noncandidate who won back-to-back victories over George McGovern in 1972 and Jimmy Carter in 1976.