Rep. Dennis Kucinich Thows His Support Behind Sen. John Edwards for Iowa Caucus

MSNBC Live ^ | January 19, 2004 | Lester Holt

[smoke filled room]

Rep. Kucinich of Ohio just said on MSNBC that if he hears from the early estimates this afternoon that he is not getting 15% that he will throw his Iowa support to US Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.

He did not comment about if he was dropping out of the race or not.

[Howlin]

I forgot that!

[joey9004]

I think it's mostly a wash.
The 10 Carol Mostly Fraud supporters will vote for Dean and the 10 Gremlin supporters will vote for the Breck Girl.

[Iowa Granny]

If they announce the returns tonite on a County by County basis, watch for Story County (Ames -Iowa State University) and Johnson County (Iowa City - University of Iowa). These two counties will be Democrat strongholds where Dennis should do exceptionally well. Edwards delegates could easily find it necessary to join the Menace.

There are plenty of other D counties in Iowa, but they are more prone to be Union Counties ie: Scott (Davenport), Marshall (Marshalltown) Polk (Des Moines) would be good examples.

[Miss Marple]

Thanks for the information! I am going to watch closely. This is a fascinating development!

[Howlin]

I'm glad you're here; can you kind of explain how this "thing" works?

What should we be looking for? What time does it start?

[George W. Bush]

This is Kucinich's inside bet. He won't win any delegates anyway. This is his bow-out and Edwards will indirectly help pay off his meager campaign debt in return for this so-called vote swap.

Kucinich's support, about 2%, will either stay home or, if they do attend, go with Dean overwhelmingly.

Kucinich might as well have invited his little cult to vote for Lieberman. The results will be about the same. Even Kucinich's supporters can figure this one out and will see that they will get nothing but humiliation out of this 'deal'.

This is a non-story on a slow news afternoon.

[Iowa Granny]

It starts at 6:30 Central. Earliest results could possibly trickle out by 7:30.

[Howlin]

Is there a site we should watch?

And I heard something about if there aren't enough of a particular candidates' voters they have to LEAVE, could that be right?

[Iowa Granny]

Here are a couple of good primars to explain the Caucus. The Drake University link is full of history on the Caucus, too.

http://www.drake.edu/journalism/CyberCaucus2000/history.html

The Polk Co. Auditor's site, has fairly good info, too. Des Moines is the County Seat of Polk Co.

http://auditor.co.polk.ia.us/caucus.htm

I hope this helps!

[truth_seeker]

"I believe that Dean is a prop candidate designed to speak hatred against President Bush and catch flak."

Really? A planned situation? He's sure a good actor. He had me convinced he was really angry, and answered to no established power (DLC, etc.).

You need to enlighten me about the "plan" cuz I miss that part.

FYI I think the only "plan" is for Clark to enter because the Clinton party forces favor a perceived centrist-national security type candidate, with a chance to win.

But even Bill-Hillary-Terry McAuliffe can't win the primaries for Clark.

But for my money Dean is no part of anybody's plan, but his own.

[Hand em their arse]

Rush had a great point today regarding the changing in the polls. It's amazing how the libs just change their mind on a candidate the minute they say something they might not agree with, they just JUMP to someone else.

Would'nt you tend to do your homework before you pick "your" guy and stand behind him throughout. These guys change their mind like they change their underwear.

[Iowa Granny]

And I heard something about if there aren't enough of a particular candidates' voters they have to LEAVE, could that be right?

If a particular candidate doesn't have 15% of the people who have signed in to that precinct caucus, they may move to another candidate's corner or leave. They ARE NOT required to leave. (This is a Dem rule, only. Pubbies do not require people to select a Second Choice or leave)

[Howlin]

Here's a quote from the Time article today:

"The old playbook won't work anymore; the landscape is changed, and this George Bush is building a legacy of his own. Whatever their differences, Clinton is talking to all the candidates because, his friends say, they share one goal: ensuring another one-term Bush presidency."

That's the MAIN thing going on here; they will vote for whoever they think can beat Bush.

[Hand em their arse]

And Karl Rove's.... How great a move to announce Pickering just in time to piss off the democraps enough for them get their hatred of Bush peaked so high they go to the caucus with fire in their eyes to get the person that is so far away from Bush on their ticket.

Not realizing of course that that same guy is the one with worst possible chance of winning in November. That could be one of his finest moments!!

[Howlin]

You mean, say, that if a precinct doesn't have enough Edwards' delegates, those delegates have to pick another candidate?

[Hand em their arse]

Look at my #134 post, what are your thoughts??

[Iowa Granny]

Iowa View: Caucus-goers gave Bush 'Big Mo'
By KEN QUINN

01/19/2004

---

Struggling through the cold and over snow-covered roads to get to the Register's Democratic candidates debate in Johnston on Jan. 4, I thought back to the 1980 Iowa caucuses. On an even more frigid night slightly more than 1,000 caucus-goers set in motion events that continue to have a profound impact the world in 2004.

The 1980 caucuses had contested races in both parties.

On the Democratic side, President Jimmy Carter was challenged by Senator Ted Kennedy and California Gov. Jerry Brown.

On the Republican side, conventional wisdom and polls had former California Gov. Ronald Reagan seemingly far out in front, but with other prominent party leaders in pursuit.

In this group were Senators Bob Dole and Howard Baker; former Texas Gov. and Secretary of the Treasury John Connally; Illinois Congressmen Phil Crane and John Anderson and former CIA director and U.N. Ambassador George H.W. Bush. Endorsements by Iowa political figures were split. As memory serves me, only Congressman Jim Leach was backing Bush, who had not stood out from the pack nor garnered much press attention when he first arrived in Iowa in 1979.

But he was indefatigable - constantly knocking on doors and meeting with small groups in living rooms all over the state. In our neighborhood on Des Moines" west side, he was at events on our street on three occasions. One press account said he had shaken more than 10,000 hands in Iowa during the campaign. This "retail politics" approach gave Bush a significant lift, especially after Reagan chose to not participate in the Register's Republican candidate forum. That decision caused a precipitous drop in the polls for Reagan and ultimately cost John Sears, his campaign manager, his job.

In the last two weeks before the Jan. 21 caucus, Bush's energy and organization combined to press for a large turnout. In 1976, only about 650 people had participated statewide in the Republican straw poll at the caucuses, according to stories in the Register. Four years later, more than 100,000 turned out to vote their preferences.

On the evening of Jan. 21, he went from one Des Moines caucus to the next asking for support. I recall the great surprise when he ran onto the stage at Merrill Middle School asking residents of our neighborhood to support his candidacy.

All this work paid off in a dramatic fashion. In a stunning upset, Bush finished first with 31.5 percent of the vote, barely edging out Reagan. About 1,400 votes gave Bush his margin of victory.

Bush's "Big Mo" propelled him to being Reagan's chief rival for the nomination. Reagan defeated Bush in the New Hampshire primary and several other races, but offered him the vice-presidential slot to unite the party in the November election.

Just consider the likely implications if those 1,400 Iowa voters had stayed home on caucus night.

If Bush had not finished first here, it's much less likely he would have had the vice-presidential nomination.

And without eight years as vice president, it is reasonable to assume that Bush would not have been the Republican candidate for president in 1988 and elected to our highest office for one term.

And without those 12 years when Bush was vice president and president, it may not be unreasonable to ask whether his son, George W. Bush, would have been well enough positioned politically to be elected governor of Texas.

And with all deference and respect to our current president's very considerable political skills, it might have been much more difficult for George W. Bush to secure the Republican presidential nomination in 2000 if he were not serving as Texas governor.

Whether you are a supporter or a critic of President George W. Bush, the world of 2004 would be quite different if he were not president.

It is intriguing to contemplate the linkage between where America is in the world today and that handful of Iowa voters who bundled up and went out to vote for George Herbert Walker Bush on Jan. 21, 1980.

While they did not realize it then, that small number of Iowans could and did alter the course of history.

---

KEN QUINN is executive director of the World Food Prize Foundation, Des Moines.

http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c5917686/23279008.html

[Hand em their arse]

Look at my #134 post, what are your thoughts??

[Miss Marple]

My, God, EUGENE MCCARTHY is on Cavuto now!! My entire youth has now flashed before me!!

Ha...he says he might have won if Kennedy hadn't "cluttered up the contest."

Man, this is like the parade of the democrat dinosaurs!!

NOW Cavuto has GARY HART!!! Another blast from the past!! Hahahaha!!

[Iowa Granny]

You mean, say, that if a precinct doesn't have enough Edwards' delegates, those delegates have to pick another candidate?

Yes. Any candidate who fails to receive 15% of the delegates who have signed in is declared "Not Viable" and must move to a different candidate.

The references in my post #129 explains it better than I can. I am at a disadvantage because I have never attended a D caucus.