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Iowa

By lex, on January 4th, 2008

I’ve only got two things to say about the Iowa caucuses:

  1. Thank God it’s over.
  2. Read Brooks.
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January 4th, 2008 | Tags: | Category: Uncategorized

11 comments to Iowa

  • Malderi
    January 4, 2008 at 10:32 am

    Obama is a populists’ populist. Huckabee is merely an idiot. It’ll be interesting to see how Giuliani’s strategy of ignoring Iowa will turn out. If he does well in New Hampshire, it will be vindicated. Otherwise, he may start having problems. Either way, this is probably Huckabee’s defining moment; it’s all downhill from here. At least, I sincerely hope it is.

  • AW1 Tim
    January 4, 2008 at 10:33 am

    Lex,

    I was born in Des Moines, although we moved from Iowa when I was 6. I’ve been back a couple rimes, and the strongest memories are the miles and miles of corn fields, and the incredible humidity. My dad used to refer to it as “3-shirt days”.

    I also remember Maid-rites, a tasty greasy loose-meat sandwich. Really, incredibly good with a cold beer to wash it down.

    As to the cacuses, they mean squat in the long term. In past Presidential elections, Reagn came in 2nd, Bush the Elder and Bush the younger were 3rd place finishes, as was Bill Clinton.

    Things won’t get interesting until super tuesday.

  • Jimmy J.
    January 4, 2008 at 10:48 am

    What irony. In actuality Dodd and Biden, who have now dropped out, are probably better qualified than any of the triumvirate of Obama, Clinton, and Edwards.

    Brooks seems so overcome by the mere fact that a black American could have come so far. I guess when you are ensconced behind the wall separating the NYTs from the rest of America, it would seem well nigh miraculous.

    Two very decent chaps have triumphed in the first of fifty steps in the nominating process. And Brooks finds it to be a new zeitgeist. If he’s correct, and I don’t think he is, we’re headed for a replay of 1976-80.

    Should that happen, my recommendation: Buy gold, favor cash over assets, hang onto your firearms, and start looking for a leader to guide us out of the malaise.

  • Nose
    January 4, 2008 at 11:24 am

    Not a fan of Leno, but he had a great line the other night (while in the midst of strike-breaking)

    Paraphrased:
    “Caucus” is from the latin for “the one time every four years that anyone cares about Iowa.”

  • EJ Smith
    January 4, 2008 at 11:57 am

    And Americans are not going to want to see this stopped. When an African-American man is leading a juggernaut to the White House, do you want to be the one to stand up and say No?

    One would think it would be more about the issues of the day, not those of race.

    I would “stand up and say No” based on the issues.

  • Andrew
    January 4, 2008 at 1:50 pm

    I’m very glad its over as well, but I think Brooks is in love with his dream of an Obama verses Huckabee, both are populist, both have feel good themes and both lack specifics on how they will deal with problems both foreign and domestic.

    I do not think MOST people will or will not vote for someone because of the color of their skin or their gender. MOST will choose based on the values/positions of the candidates.

    NH will be a different ball of wax because more people will participate and people won’t be pressured to support one candidate over another unlike caucuses.

  • Bill C
    January 4, 2008 at 1:56 pm

    It’s Iowa for God’s sake. Nothing more, nothing less. The 24/7 news pukes have got to have something to blather about other than some drugged out pop tart.

  • SeniorD
    January 4, 2008 at 3:05 pm

    Cap’n

    After reading multiple pundit explanations concerning the Iowa Caucuses, I can safely say ‘Who cares?’ My reasoning:

    1. The Empress has no clothes. Hillary has been revealed to be nothing more than a shrill, strident Socialist ego. She has no foreign policy experience, her understanding of economics is based upon questionable actions and her Advisors are the same people that advocate direct negotiations with the NORKs.

    2. Obama and Edwards have even less experience than HRC. Neither have the plans or proposals to move this country forward. Rather, they may well put us in reverse.

    3. Mike Huckabee is a flash in the pan. A good ol’ boy from the South without the experience or knowledge to be President. Sure, he’ll do well in the South, but get crushed in California and the Northeast.

    4. McCain/Thompson may be a winning ticket. Both can claim the ‘Outlaw’ brand with good thinking to back them up. However, the Political Masters won’t let them be the nominees.

    5. Romney and Giuliani will likely be the Republican choices. I’m not thrilled with either but at least they have the experience in running our largest city and highest tax rate state.

    I predict that, if HRC can’t get traction, we’ll see a Draft Gore movement. Then we’ll all be in deep kimchee.

    2.

  • el duderino
    January 4, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    I’d love to see a black man or woman elected president provided they were competent and ideologically sound. Unfortunately Obama appears to be neither.
    Huckabee’s early success in Iowa can be attributed to, among other things, evangelical Republicans engaging in identity politics. Sick of being told to plug their noses and vote for the inevitable candidates who may be a marginal Catholic or a disingenuous Mormon, they ignore Huckabee’s doctrinal weaknesses and focus on his religiosity and easy going personality.

  • MajHarvey
    January 5, 2008 at 12:24 am

    Hmm…
    SeniorD, you may have something with the McCain/Thompson linkup. I for one have been impressed with Thompson, a little less so with McCain tendency towards maverick-ism. But putting them together might be brilliant.

  • Steeljaw Scribe
    January 5, 2008 at 6:00 am

    The Empress has no clothes.
    Thanks (not) for that mental image first thing on a Saturday AM… :p
    - SJS
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