After months and months of voluminous insults, haranguing, posturing and far fewer insightful, intelligent or inspirational comments during the three-ring circus otherwise known as the 2016 presidential campaign, some voters at last will get their chance to weigh in Monday.

The Iowa caucuses, only slightly less difficult to understand than, say, Ovid’s “Heroides” published in the original Latin, are the first steps in a long road leading to Election Day, Nov. 8.

Along the way there will be other state caucuses and primaries – Connecticut’s is scheduled for April 26 – followed by party nominating conventions in July and then a nonstop onslaught of speeches, rallies, debates, county fairs, chicken dinners, polls, endorsements, political advertisements and assorted other campaign activities. The process is so exhausting that Congress should declare Nov. 9 a national holiday, or at least a day of rest.

That said, few Americans would want their unique method of electing a president to change. It took a Brit, Winston Churchill, to say it best: “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.”

Given the volatility of this political season it’s unlikely that a decisive frontrunner in either party will emerge after Monday’s caucuses, or even after the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary Feb. 9 or South Carolina’s primary Feb. 20.

Ideally, though, at least for Republicans, these contests will winnow the field down so that there is more support for alternatives to the angry, misanthropic candidates now dominating the race.

Donald Trump, the billionaire businessman and master showman, has certainly made this season’s campaign one of the liveliest and least predictable ever, especially spurred by increasingly acrimonious interchanges with Texas Sen. Ted Cruz. But even though he’s been leading the Republican pack almost from the beginning polls have Mr. Trump only at about 40 percent, with the rest of the support divided among a dozen other candidates, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio.

Though far from endorsing them, this newspaper would like to see less-dogmatic/divisive candidates such as Governors Kasich or Christie present more formidable resistance to Mr. Trump or Sen. Cruz. This would take place only after less-popular candidates dropped out.

As for Democrats, we acknowledge that Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has tapped the party’s progressive vein, but traditionally the path to victory in November has followed a more centrist route, such as the one followed by former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. However, this season has been anything but traditional, so much can change between now and Election Day.

Unless he stages remarkable showings in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina, it may be time for former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley to end his longshot bid for the Democratic nomination. In what has been such a close race between Sen. Sanders and Mrs. Clinton, he could be relegated to little more than a spoiler.

While we eagerly await the results of Monday’s Iowa caucuses, if for no other reasons that the race will finally be lumbering toward the finish line, it’s worth noting that campaigns never really go away.

Sen. Rubio has the distinction of being the first candidate to appear in Iowa, having delivered a a speech there in February 2012.

That was only two weeks after the last GOP presidential caucus.

By that measure, it's almost time to start thinking about the next race.