Because we are first in the nation, Iowans take the process very seriously. Candidate rallies for Clinton, Sanders and O'Malley will be heavily attended by thousands of Iowans.
We don't give a rip who is "inevitable." We don't care who the media wants. We don't care which candidate is more charming.
We attempt to do our best to pick the best Democrat to represent our party. Obama was a total underdog when he began campaigning Iowa in 2007. He was 20 points behind Hillary during the spring (according to American Research group polling in May).
We listened to his speeches, attended rallies and made an informed decision. We picked Obama, and so did the entire Democratic party. He was our nominee. Beauty contest, indeed. 
If Iowa was a "beauty contest" as you said, we would have followed the media mandate--like a bunch of zombies and just voted for Hillary. We were constantly told that she was the most electable and that the inexperienced Obama (who was behind in every national poll) could not win.
The most influential and widely read newspaper in Iowa--the Des Moines Register--endorsed Clinton.
You are disparaging our caucuses, our state and throwing out a great deal of misinformation.
This is a telltale signal that the Clinton camp expects to lose Iowa. Fascinating stuff.
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