Thursday, December 20, 2007


Yeah for Me! Iowa Impressions of the Candidates On the Way

I was trying to find another old post on the site and came across this post that I made after the Iowa Republican Straw Poll in August. I think my predictions have held up pretty well.

[By dumping big money into the state early, Romney] forced Giuliani and McCain to abandon the Straw Poll; he may well force them to abandon Iowa altogether, or simply put in token effort. If the other leaders--Fred Thompson, Giuliani, and McCain--effectively pull out of Iowa, conceding the state to Romney, they will also allow a space for Huckabee to finish prominently in the first caucus. If he were to finish a robust fifth place it would be no big deal. A second place finish could give him a big boost. But I think he has a shot at first, or a least a close second. He is an attractive candidate who typically appears thoughtful and comfortable in his skin. Romney comes across wooden and programmed. Maybe Iowa GOP voters will have a surprise in them come January.

Apparently the heavy lifting involved in making such prescient and weighty predictions left me so exhausted that I have only blogged once since August. So during the Christmas break (Yes, Mr. O'Reilly, I said Christmas), I will post a series on the Democratic Candidates, focusing on the ones I have heard in small-venue events. (I had to leave the Jefferson-Jackson Day dinner early for a late-night meeting between my car and an eight-point buck. I made it just in time.) I will offer an Iowa perspective on their campaigns, their advertising, and the impact they seem to be having in the state.

Teaser: Bill Richardson thinks my daughter is a boy.

[That's All Folks]