The Democrat race in Iowa: Neck and neck…and neck
The lefty blogs are buzzing over the latest Lee Enterprises Iowa caucus poll showing a virtual dead heat among the top three Dem candidates:
A new Iowa caucus poll from Lee Enterprises newspapers shows the Democratic race is a virtual three-way tie, with John Edwards rising to tie Barack Obama for the lead and Hillary Clinton rising to just one point behind.
…There is plenty of room for shifts in the final days before the Jan. 3 caucuses, with 19 percent of Democrats and 31 percent of Republicans saying they are likely or very likely to change their minds.
Edwards, a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, has gained 5 points from the Lee Enterprises poll two weeks ago, while Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York, has gained 4 points. Obama, a U.S. senator from Illinois has seen his support drop 4 points. Richardson, the governor of New Mexico, has lost 2 points. The support for Biden, Dodd and Kucinich was unchanged.
Don’t worry, Denny K. The Pizza Hut ad referencing your UFO quip isn’t going to make a dent.
Are you all surprised at Obama’s four-point drop? Will he drag Oprah around for some last-minute vote-scraping? Or perhaps he’ll emulate Hillary and go mute?
As for Silky Pony, he’s ramping up his faux populist rhetoric, lambasting greed, and assailing “special interests”–while benefiting from gobs of special interest funding by a Mellon-backed 527.
Maybe he’ll throw another hypocritical hissy-fit attacking Fox News. That’s always good for a few, stray nutroots votes.
See what others have said
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Categories: 2008 campaign, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Edwards
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This whole Iowa is the center of the political universe confuses me. I thought someone on Fox News said that half of the dem caucus goers are women 55 and up. That sure sounds like representative democracy.
And now Hillary is avoiding questions from voters, seemingly without any penalty. After all these years so many fools continue to enable the Clinton arrogance and duplicity.
So the Dims are in a virtual “dog” race. And I have serious fatigue from the 3 of them. Not one of them, even if I haven’t been a long tome conservative, would seem like somone I’d want in charge. None have the experience or even potential to do anything helpful for this country.
My “team” has someone I’m not voting for in the lead. My choice is not even mentioned over there, again. I’ve been told from day one Hunter didn’t have a shot and I stayed with him. I thought maybe there’d be a grass roots effort by conservatives like there was with shamnesty. I thought maybe we could get behind the guy who’s done something about illegal immigration and terror. I guess I thought wrong. Sorry for rambling.
It is amazing that Mrs. Clinton has to quit answering questions for her pole numbers to go up. It must be that the voters like what others say about her more than her own ideas.
I thought the Pizza Hut ad was well done!
The more Obama speaks, the more unqualified he looks.
The more Hillary speaks, the more she reminds everyone of Klinton fatigue.
Silky Pony is there for comic relief.
Yawn, all the Dems are losers,whiners and cowards. I’m ordering a pizza today for the games….maybe two.
I think what may be happening is that as the voting time draws near, what is happening now is what alwasys happens: people simply wake up. They shake the day-dreamy idealism out of their heads and get with the program that this is serious. They see Hillary as dictatorial and untruthful and far left, Obama as well-mannered but entirely inexperienced window dressing and Edwards as too extremist even for the core base. As a consequence, this time around what we’re seeing is confusion. If the polls keep changing every 48 hours, then we know it’s true. It’s just a matter of statistical musical chairs that this latest one just happens to have them all nearly tied.
My feeling is that Oprah’s endorsement doesn’t have legs. He’s simply too inexperienced, and by becoming political for the first time ever and doing so for a black candidate since her rise to genuine mainstream power, Oprah tarnishes herself with appearances of racial bias. It was a bad move in the long term, because once the initial thrill wears off, the appearance of racial bias hurts them both.
The entire primary process is a joke … and that is even more true this time with this absurdity of a 2-year campaign …
All of the states should hold their primaries on the same day just like elections are held … the end of April would do nicely … and campaigning should not be allowed to start before January 1 of the election year … if you can’t get your message out in 4 months then I don’t want you as my President …
The idea of allowing the first group of states to determine the selection of the candidates is ludicrous …
It makes even holding primary elections in the remaining states a waste of time because you have already had a number of the original field drop out (which may include your choice) and you are stuck with those left in the races after only a few states, some very small in population, have been to the polls (or those assinine “caucuses” where the majority of people don’t attend anyway) …
We need a national primary election day to end this madness …
good morning dl, I agree on that except fot the 4months….its been fun watching Hillary go down in flames… lmao
Hi AJ! Your forgot that illary already resides in the flaming area! Pits of Hell.
Michelle forgot to add an adjective; Red necks and neck and neck.
Well said, DesertLover. look at Michigan; penalized for daring to try to have an early primary. Obama & Edwards not on the ballot. Like them? Vote uncommitted & let the party decide how to allocate the delegates. Vote in the primary and your name & address will be turned over to the parties so they can inundate you with campaign literature and requests for contributions.
Good morning all. DL I appreciate your concept and do agree with the national primary day. However, I don’t agree with the 4 month campaigning simply because there is no way to limit them to 4 months without a McCain-Feingoldesque constraint of free speech. Potential candidates can start campaigning the day after the previous election if they want to. It is the choice of the citizens and MSM if they get any attention though.
As to the dems – they sort of deserve each other and I’m really hoping that this nation doesn’t deserve any of them. Hillary is a corrupt, dangerous, power-hunger loon who would sell out America for a Klondike bar. Edwards is a typical liberal hypocrite who will push laws and policies to prevent anyone else from getting a Klondike bar now that he has a 20,000 sq foot freezer full of them. Obama, well, I think a relative of mine who is his constituent said it best. When asked by a friend what she thinks about Obama as a candidate, she said (paraphrasing), “I don’t know. I don’t even know what kind of Senator he would be as he has never done the job. He got elected and started campaigning for the presidency the next day. Realistically all we know about him is what kind of campaigner he is.”
I suppose I’m to dense to understand how Iowa is able to determine, in the minds of many, who the nominees will be. It’s a great state; love their corn and John Wayne, but there just aren’t that many folks up there.
Any way you flush the democrat toilet, they’ll still cover the country with crap.
Don’t tread on me. Molon Labe.
Morning all …
Deepdiver … the 4 month thing was an arbitrary value … it could be 6 or 8 or whatever … within reason … but the states could easily control some of this BS by not accepting any registrations for their primaries until that many months before the national primary day …
Also, I was leaving time for the conventions to still occur and then time for the general election campaigns as well … just trying to get it all into a single year of the election …
Glad to hear others agree with the single day for the primary voting concept though …
Oh, I understand what you mean now, DL. You were talking about restricting the campaign by primary registration dates rather than some other way of restricting presidential campaigning. I misunderstood what you meant and how that limit would be enforced. I could get behind a plan like you are proposing.
At the outside maybe allow primary registration starting on the second Tuesday of Nov prior to the election year, 50 state primary on the first Tuesday of March prior to the election. That gives 6 months to campaign for the primaries, and then 6 months for the 2 candidates to campaign against each other for the presidency. Still may be too long, but it is long enough that the politician couldn’t complain and short enough that we wouldn’t get so fatigued by it — especially if they have 6 months to spread campaigning over 50 states. Very, very interesting ideas to think about. I’m liking your concept!
Put ‘em in a sifter
put ‘em in a blender
Hillary still won’t come out any more slender
Send in the talent
Even Oprah the fighter
Obama’s star still won’t be brighter
comb the hair
powder the face
the trial lawyers conduct is still a disgrace
Definition of an Iowa tragedy: Three necks and no nooses. Oops, I said “noose.” Please forgive me, o sacred PHLEGMwads.
P=Poor
H=Handicapped
L=Lesbian
E=Elderly
G=Gay
M=Minority
I keep hoping the democraps will bolt the rules and caucus for Denny – bring on the mothership!
With all of the focus on every miniscule change in the rankings, polls, and whatnot in Iowa and New Hampshire, I’m really beginning to apprciate living in Florida – where the Democrats won’t roam during this primary election cycle and I won’t have to deal with political drivel locally.
[Rant ON]
This whole primary and presidential election cycle for 2008 is way too long in duration and way too short in facts.
I can’t wait for the tee-shirts that read “I worked for the entire 24 months of the 2008 election process and all I got was a lousy president”.
Me cynical? You bet. 300 million people and this is the best we can do?
And supposedly a lot hinges on decisions in two states whose cumulative populations and economic influence wouldn’t float New York or Los Angeles for 3 months?
Oh this whole process – and the reporting – is so out of whack!
[Rant Off]
Neck and neck by another name is “Dead even” which just about sums up the democrat’s chances at winning.
Having ranted, I would like to offer up my solution to the problem.
1. Limit the campaign season to 12 months with the primaries being completed no later than April 1.
2. Break the Primarys into four regional events – perhaps one per time zone with a duration of six weeks.
3. Select the region sequence randomly every election cycle so that there is a limit of influence one region has over another.
4. Every state in the region votes or caucuses on the same day.
5. Make the rules apply to all political parties and independent candidates alike
Let the real campaigns begin.
I am so utterly sick of all this that I hate to think what I will feel like by the time November rolls around. I agree with the thought that all primaries need to be held on the same day so we can get it over with and proceed. (I can no longer use the words “move on” without leaving a bad taste in my mouth.)
Whatever happens in Iowa, Bill Clinton will spin it into a victory for himself (er, Hillary) and the MSM will fall right into line. The MSM may not truly love Hillary but the MSM absolutely adores Bill Clinton. However he spins it, the media will follow his line. Remember, Clinton got whipped in 1992 in New Hampshire and the media, at Clinton’s insistence, spun it as a Clinton win.
I cannot wait for this trickle crap to end but I am excited for the general….all hell will break loose and we will have a nightly contest of nastiness…I personally look forward to the Republicans taking it to Hillary it is way to easy and she has not even begun to see the “war” that is coming her way.
The MSM may try to protect her but new media will crush her.
I don’t see Hillary not answering questions as a strategy that will fly if she does get the nomination. That part of the campaigning I will enjoy. You’re right…she hasn’t seen anything yet.
I am pulling for Silky. What could be better for us than to see Hill and BO going down in flames? This country will never elect a lawyer like Silky so…
Run Pony RUN!!!!
Silky is about the slimest attorney I have ever seen. His hair alone is enough to make one sick. That video of Silky preening in front of a mirror is so him. He’d probably have to wear a burka in Islamic countries because he is soooo pretty.
Bi-Partisan Bumper Sticker:
Democrats put it on the REAR bumper
Republicans put it on the FRONT bumper
This snip from an article from The New York Times online December 30, 2007
Candidates Digging for a Deeper Pool of Iowa Voters
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JEFF ZELENY
OK. What’s the Over/Under on candidates demanding numerous recounts?
Yeah, and the b!tch is winning!
Hillary will find a way to purchase her win one way or another. She’s desperate, determined, and needs this power. Power to rule her world. Guaranteed. Mark my words.
Chavez in a pant suit. Ugh, just the visuals…
Ummm…does anyone remember that there are Republicans running as well?
I am getting so tired of all the news stories being about the Democrats. I swear it is as if there were no Republicans running. It is as if there is some sort of subliminal attempt to discourage people from even acknowledging the Republican candidates at all.
We all know who the Democrats are. We also know what they are about. they are about taxing us all into the poor house and taking that money and distributing it amongst those people who would rather sit around and do nothing, waiting for those of us who work for a living to pay for their big screen TV’s and the lifestyles that they feel they deserve to live.
I am more concerned with what is going on with our team, and why they don;t have a fire under their butts. Why are they acting like George Bush 1 during the `92 election? Why are they not out there, every day, getting their faces in the media, stumping around, pounding the podiums, calling the Democrats on their crap and telling America just what we are up against and telling America that every time the Dems try to distract them with “Oh, it’s just scare tactics” that the Dems are doing them a great disservice because they not only do not understand the crisis, but they have no plan to defend us from this 1400 year old enemy who has finally come to a head!
THAT is what we should be talking about as we go into the primaries. We need to be getting the strongest REPUBLICAN candidate, not helping the Left get THEIR strongest candidate. This is just ridiculous.
Right now, the Republican candidates depress the utter heck out of me, especially Huckabee getting any kind of serious attention at all. The man is seriously flawed and certainly no conservative Republican. He is a lying and foreign policy challenged fool who brings back terrible memories of Jimmy Carter and 4 years of financial misery.
I cannot comfortably support Guiliani, Romney or Thompson for a variety of reasons. I really don’t know what to do at this point. I am waiting for something to get excited about. My fear is nothing will happen. I would be glad to find the strongest Republican candidate and discuss him, but who is it?
Why did Republicans act like they didn’t have the majority in Congress? Why do Republicans wimp out constantly? Why did so many top Republicans cozy up to the worst of the liberal Dems on immigration? The party is a mess. The politicians have lost their way, are not paying attention to their base and apparently have no guts. It’s insane. Republicans are rudderless and need someone strong to get them back together again and on the right track. We need a Ronald Reagan. Where is he? Or we need a Margaret Thatcher. Where is she?
Virtually all political analysts pay close attention to the Show Me State. After all, except for 1956, Missouri has picked the winner in modern presidential contests, often by a margin reflective of the national balance.
Primaries will be held in Missorui 5 Feb 2008. In Missouri the last poll taken was in November 2007,
Primary Poll
Billary 36%
Osama 21%
Silky 20%
Rudy 24%
Romney 17%
Thompson 16%
In the Presidential race
John McCain 41% against Billary 46%
Rudy 42% against Osama 46%
John McCain 41% against Silky 46%
Missourian’s are a strange breed when they say the Show Me State they meen it.
I really hope this is not reflective of the state and I really don’t trust poll’s mainly because me and 2 of my friends have been called and lied right through our teeth in this November poll I wonder how many other’s have done the same. LOL
How about letting them campaign any time they want, but if they miss a Congressional Vote that that has more than 50% attendance, they get slapped with a hefty fine or something.
I’d be alot less concerned about the 2 years worth of campaigning if they were still making all the votes. However, if you look at the list of of who isn’t voting (which, REALLY, is their only job) you’ll notice it’s the folks on the campaign trail.
I also agree that all the Caucuses should be on the same day. I think the reason they don’t is because the MSM couldn’t cover 50 states all at once and still convey the frenetic, world-changing importance at the same level it does now. That 1% of voters in Iowa hold ‘THE POWER OF THE UNIVERSE!!!’
And all this time I thought that was He-man.