A week before Iowa’s January 3 caucuses, the outcome of the Republican contest is hard to predict: Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney all stand a chance at winning. But something else already seems clear: Iowa has blown …
2012 Election
8 Days Till Iowa: Make Up Your Minds, Already!
Nothing much happening today. Just a tiny shiver in the zeitgeist…could it be Rick Santorum, after all? He hasn’t had his surge yet. He’s been the tortoise, campaigning slowly, patiently, throughout the state. He’s been extreme on some issues–homosexuality, Iran–but he hasn’t made a fool of himself. He’s been solid in the debates. He …
9 Days Till Iowa: Merry Christmas
Not much happening today, of course. A very wise Santa left me some warm Iowa-wear, sweaters and gloves, for the coming week. But we do have my old pal David Yepsen’s evaluation of the campaign so far, from his new perch at the Paul Simon Institute at Southern Illinois University, alma mater of Walt “Clyde” Frazier who brought so much …
10 Days Till Iowa
After a week rummaging about through eastern Iowa, chasing the candidates, I’ve noticed a few interesting policy trends this year. Here are two:
11 Days Till Iowa: Less Paul
I can’t write about politics without actually hitting the trail and seeing the candidates work, and I’ve learned a lot these past few days in Iowa. (Actually, over the years, I’ve found that I’m better off writing about anything–from inner city schools to the war in Afghanistan–when I go out and experience it directly.) But there are …
Ron Paul Is Not a Politician
Washington, Iowa
I watched Ron Paul deliver his stump speech — to large and loving crowds — twice on Wednesday, and he did a very strange thing for a political front runner. He emphasized the things traditional Republicans …
Perry PAC Accuses Newt of Supervillainous Plot
The Super PAC supporting Rick Perry is airing a new ad bashing Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich in familiar terms. But it does so through a whimsical, old-timey newsreel device which I assume is meant to make the message feel less nasty. The Perry camp is probably mindful of the double-edged sword of going negative–namely that attack ads …
13 Days Till Iowa: Remember Rick Perry?
Davenport, Iowa
Is it elitist to expect that a candidate for President of the United States have a passing familiarity with the English language? Rick Perry is a mud-track biker when it comes to fluency, slipping and sliding …
Can Well-Heeled Insiders Create a Populist Third-Party Sensation?
In a city that thrives on power, being attacked is often a sign that you have some. So in mid-December, when President Obama’s advisers took aim at Americans Elect, a bipartisan clutch of political elites planning to bankroll a …
Mitt Romney: Mr. Plurality
Adam mentions below that the prominent Iowa social conservative Bob Vander Plaats has endorsed the fervently pro-life, “values”-centric Rick Santorum. My first reaction is to shrug, because Rick Santorum is not only a virtually hopeless contender for the GOP nomination, but also an extreme long shot even to win Iowa, despite the slightly …
A Day of Iowa Splintering
The Iowa caucuses are unlikely to deliver any candidate a clear mandate in the Republican presidential nomination contest in two weeks. In fact, if anything, the chances for a split decision are growing every day — as today’s campaign highlights make abundantly clear.
14 Days Till Iowa: Newt Crushed
Hiawatha, Iowa
“I was chatting with some young people on my way to the podium,” Newt Gingrich told about 100 people at a rally near Cedar Rapids last night, “and it was clear how our campaign differs from the other campaigns …
Newt Gingrich Falls Back to Earth
The overall primary picture is still muddy, but several surveys released over the weekend found Newt Gingrich’s lead erased in Iowa and lessening nationwide. If current trends continue, Ron Paul seems well poised to win a split …