Posted on 01/26/2015 7:56:33 AM PST by Kaslin
The best thing about Iowa's self-promoted position as the opening act of the primary season is: It's only four letters long. Thank God the center of the political universe isn't located in a place called Chickasawhatchee, Georgia.
I didn't go to the big rollout in Des Moines over the weekend, even though I knew I would pine for that unique feeling of the wind, having started on the eastern slopes of the Rockies, raced across the flat, Central Plains with nothing in its way until it slammed into my butt on Grand Avenue.
Next January in Des Moines will be soon enough.
The event was immodestly named "The Iowa Freedom Summit" and was arranged by the equally immodest Congressman from Iowa, Steve King, who was a central figure in the failed coup against House Speaker John Boehner's re-election earlier this month.
Although there will be grumbles and mumbles about the right wing of the GOP getting all the attention - again - it was a useful exercise to allow candidates not named Romney or Bush to get into the spotlight where a significant number of the national press could get a good, and in some cases a first, look.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, of course, is on a first name basis with many of the political press corps because Trenton, NJ is a stop along the Amtrak line between Washington, DC and New York City.
Even before the Curious Case of the Orange Cones.
Far fewer had ever seen Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker in his natural habitat which allowed him to come off, as Cameron Joseph wrote for The Hill newspaper:
"Wowing the conservative crowd with a passionate argument for small government and his own lengthy resume."
Sarah Palin, who has as much chance of becoming President as I do, also got a chance to do her act and maintain her speaking fees.
Most of the other speakers have been shining a light on themselves for some time, as well. Texans Senator Ted Cruz and Governor Rick Perry took their turns, as did former Senator Rick Santorum. Others were, according to the Des Moines Register's Jennifer Jacobs, Ben Carson, Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, and Carly Fiorina.
There were some 1,500 Iowans in attendance, which is a pretty good turnout for an event like this.
Before anyone complains that the "sample size" was too small, keep in mind that small sample sizes are a hallmark of Iowa politics.
All told, 121,503 Iowans voted in a Republican caucus. That was out of a total GOP registration (according to the Secretary of States' website) of 614,913, meaning slightly under 20 percent of eligible voters ventured out to their storied school gymnasiums and fire stations to participate.
That's what I mean about Iowa being the Land of Small Sample Sizes.
The Washington Post's Dan Balz and Robert Costa wrote in Sunday's editions:
"In the coming months, the large field of candidates will feel a strong gravitational pull to the right by activists in a party that has become more conservative over the past eight years."
True enough, but the presumed candidates who attended, plus the presumed candidates who did not, will not fully define the GOP field over the coming year.
As we have discussed before, every Senator, ex-Senator, Governor and ex-Governor - Republican and Democrat - is humming "Hail to the Chief" as they dress every the morning to see if they can make it fit.
Actually, I’m sick and tired of IOWA as a bellwether for GOP political gatekeeping. There aren’t enough of them to reflect what the rest of conservatives think, IMO. People LIKE being pandered to. That’s why we heard (and hear sometimes) so much about fricking “independents” and what they think. Flame on.
Idiot Out Wandering Around
Too bad Iowa isn’t much more of an antiestablishmentarian place.
I Owe World Apology
I once read that the trees in northern Missouri bend to the north because Iowa sucks and Missouri blows
Forget who wrote this article. The substance of it could have appeared in The WaPo, NYTimes or the New Republic. What an idiot.
Meh. It isn’t so much about WINNING Iowa as it is that you can demonstrate the ability to put together an effective ground game in a reasonably small state. A top-5 finish, especially anything with 10% or more, shows you’re someone to be reckoned with and helps with ground game and funding for later contests. A total bust in Iowa pretty much means you aren’t going anywhere - you can’t win the nomination there, but you can sure lose it.
New Hampshire is really the useless one - it’s basically a contest for the title of Chief Squish. South Carolina, on the other hand, generally crowns the main conservative contender.
So, in your opinion, all of what you say could ONLY be done for IOWA and such a small pandered-to electorate with nonstandard (compared to the rest of Red State America) straw poll histrionics? Meh from my POV.......
A little different perspective. Our job is to begin the process of vetting the candidates, not to pick the next one.
What the rest of you do with the info is up to you..............
No, most smallish states would do. But you’d run into the same problems unless you could find the “perfect” electorate mix and no local issues wanting a federal solution (in terms of $$$ at least).
As for those that don’t qualify, I wouldn’t choose a loony bin like Vermont, for example.
Four decades or so ago, they were actually fairly reliable bellweathers. Not anymore.
Normally you would be correct that Iowa was not important.
This next election will hinge on Midwest states from Ohio to Colorado.
Iowa and Iowans simple look at how life works will be center court.
Frankly, I don’t care about “the right mix of demographic anything” myself. Conservatives out here are pissed - both at Obama, AND at RINOs. I do not want my voting slate to be decided by a bunch of Iowans whose only wish it seems is to be first to be pandered to.
I agree with you. It’s a caucus anyway, and can be and previously has been bought.
It’s all about money, self-interest and prideful pandering, IMO.
I was somewhat annoyed when the Iowa pols (and others seeking to kiss their butts) wouldn’t shut up about Iowa’s alleged “common sense”. I wonder how voting for Obama twice factors into that.
Tooting their own horn to an excessive degree.
Of course, no mention of Carly Fiorina’s excellent speech:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bZBUCjMkJc
Well worth listening to. Here’s a very articulate woman. And she nails Hitlery towards the end of the speech as having no accomplishments.
Fiorina should be in jail. Jail for more than one offense. I guess this qualifies her for being a politician, but she won’t get my vote.
I remember the circuit boards melting in the Texas sun - As soon as the product ships, it’s booked, right? So they filled out a bunch of phony invoices trying to stuff the channel, and in the end they scrapped tens of millions in circuit boards.
That was her baby back at Lucent.
She’d be a disaster.
I was annoyed when the media wouldn’t shut up about “the Evangelicals” in Iowa, as if they’re the ONLY people who live and vote in the state. As I noted on another thread, pretending Iowa an entirely evangelical protestant state is like pretending Australia is a completely Catholic nation.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.