Iowa Could Make or Break Democrats

AP via SFGate ^ | 12/29/7 | BETH FOUHY and NEDRA PICKLER, Associated Press Writers

[SmithL]

Des Moines, Iowa (AP) --

Iowa could make or break a Democratic candidate on Thursday. The question is, who?

While the state has long played a key role in choosing the Democratic presidential nominee, it has unparalleled influence this year, even after several larger states moved up their contests to try and muscle in. Those efforts have done little more than compress the calendar into a five-week sprint that ends with the multistate primary Feb. 5 — strengthening Iowa's position as the leadoff caucus state rather than diminishing it.

Even New Hampshire, which holds the first primary of the season, has seen its once-mighty position diminished somewhat by Iowa's outsized role this time.

Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards are locked in a tight three-way contest in Iowa just days before voters attend their precinct caucuses on Thursday. And while all three have strong organizations in other early states, the best laid plans in those places could come apart depending on what happens in Iowa.

Only Obama and Clinton have raised enough campaign cash to be sure of being competitive through Feb. 5 and beyond. Edwards has agreed to accept federal matching funds, which will constrain the amount of money he is allowed to spend in each state.

Trailing in the polls, Bill Richardson, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd have also concentrated nearly all their resources in Iowa in hopes of scoring an upset.

The impact of unexpected news events, such as the assassination of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, may further complicate a fluid situation.

[Dragonspirit]

It doesn’t matter, because what Iowa doesn’t break now we’re going to break in 08.

REPUBLICAN VICTORY 2008!! YEAH BABY!! :)

[Bon mots]

The revolution has begun.

                                                   (Above image courtesy of FReeper CA Schack)

[Old Sarge]

All street drama and theater. Hollywood wishes they could write scripts this good.

She Who Must Not Be Named is the Chosen One, and all this is to make it look like it wasn’t a lock, that She actually had to work at it.

[taxcontrol]

I personally think that a 45/45/10 split (Clinton / Obama / others) would be about the best possible result for the GOP coming out of Iowa. This would put Clinton and Obama into a spending frenzy to try and win the next, and next and next primaries. This would drain much of their funds and leaving them weakened in terms of dollars.

Unfortunately, it also looks like a 30/20/15/10/... split for the GOP as well.

[goldstategop]

Its not good for Hillary. She's fighting for political life there.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus