Posted on 01/31/2016 7:49:39 AM PST by jimbo123
After more than a year of prognostication and punditry, the Iowa caucuses will finally get underway Monday night.
But don't expect Republican candidates Jeb Bush, Chris Christie or John Kasich to linger over the results. They'll already be in New Hampshire.
-snip-
Bush, after predicting an Iowa win back in May, denied his travel plans had anything to do with his plummeting poll numbers, saying his flight out of Iowa was "just a matter of logistics."
"You guys control expectations. I can't control what I can't control," the former Florida governor said.
Bush tersely noted some reporters were already referring to his Iowa results in the past tense.
"Jeb is running a national campaign," stressed Bush spokeswoman Allie Brandenburger. "We are confident he can build off of Iowa with momentum in New Hampshire, and that will carry him to the nomination."
(Excerpt) Read more at abcnews.go.com ...
Lord I love that photo and caption. lol
I have always maintained that Iowa means nothing except to the Press.
Pretty hard to believe Iowa sets the tone for N.Y & Calif
I don’t think it does. I REALLY think it’s canard press and ‘consultants’ use to fool candidates into thinking they have a chance IF ONLY they do well, sometimes in either one!
False hope, disingenuous expectations and analysis by many who have ulterior motives gives them importance.
Frankly, I think both are pandered to way too much. Their delegate count means nothing, a lot of the voters are so used to getting their butts catered to and pandered to every 4 years, and in the end, they mistakenly convince fools that believe their consultants that they STILL have a chance.
All states should hold a closed primary on the Tuesday after Memorial Day.
I'm sick of politicians kissing Iowa's ass.
TUE, FEB 2 AT 12:30 PM, WINDHAM, NH
Windham, NH Town Hall Meeting with Ted Cruz
Ha! You ain’t the only one.
I’d doubt he would leave and miss the chance to bask in a great win if h was expecting one.
The main thing I think Iowa does is it makes many non-politically involved people aware that the election season is upon us, so they can officially start griping about how sick of it they are. It’s also a great economic development tool for the State of Iowa, which doesn’t get much tourism or media attention the other 3 years out of 4.
But are San Fransisco and Albany waiting to hear what people in Maquoketa think? I don’t think so.
I agree.
It far past time for some sort of consolidated process. This relic of a process should have been left in the 20th century.
Nevadans know how to handle snow.
Nah-- that will sully the events and invade the observance of Memorial Day. Hold it one week later or before.
Politics isn't "orderly". Within a framework of law and tradition, it's a combination of conflict (sometimes bordering on open warfare), negotiation, jawboning, pandering, and compromise. Always has been. As the saying goes, if you can't stand the heat stay out of the kitchen.
The reason for eschewing a national primary is the same as for keeping the electoral college. These are the United States of America and each State is (or is supposed to be) a sovereign entity whose populace exercises a large degree of self-determination as to how to organize their governmental structures. As such, national candidates must earn their positions by making their case to these individual sovereign entities and their populations.
Moreover, having a national primary would in effect be having a two-round national election, requiring any candidate to have the resources to mount a national campaign from the get go. The result would be to further restrict potential entrants to a handful of pre-selected "approved" candidates, with the occasional rogue billionaire thrown in as the only wildcard. In this case, that would mean it would be Hillary vs. Jeb from the outset with little chance for anyone else other than someone like Trump.
I would (almost) KILL to hear what these ‘moderate’ GOP candidates REALLY think of Iowa and Iowans after this primary season.
There has to be SOMEONE with a recording device near these people.
After all is said and done it’s the Electoral College that determines the final outcome.
Financially it is great for these states. I personally think it’s a way of “firing up” the voters.
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.