Iowa is a right-to-work state, and you are correct, Maytag is no hero.
Back to the jist of the article - my parents are lifelong Dems and are voting R this time around. Same with my sister and b-i-l. I know of 8 or 9 Obama voters in my inner circle that are voting R this time. None of them are involved enough to choose between the various R candidates, though. They will not caucus.
I don't know of anybody, and I have a hard time imagining there are many, people that are going to switch from R in 08 to D in 12. Of course there will be those that stay with 0bama--but really who that voted against 0 is going to switch to him this time around?
The question is, how many switchers will there be, and will they be in the spots to flip the election.