Who'll get Des Moines Register nod?
Posted: Saturday, December 15, 2007 5:52 PM by Domenico Montanaro
From NBC/NJ's Carrie Dann
DES MOINES, Iowa -- The state of Iowa waits with bated breath tonight
for the Des Moines Register to drop its much-anticipated endorsement.
Once guarded about the timing of the announcement, the Register Web
site
now invites visitors to be "the first to know!" by signing up for the
DMR text message service. (Yes, I signed up.)
For context: the
Des Moines Register endorsement proved a key boost for Edwards in
2004. With a mere eight days until the caucuses, the nod to Edwards
super-charged his momentum to yield a surprise second-place finish. The
Register's endorsement has proved influential in three of the last
four cycles; they backed caucus victor Walter Mondale in 1984 and
second-place shower Paul Simon in 1988. (The fluke year was 2000,
when the Register's endorsement of Bill Bradley fell flat in the
two-man race with Al Gore.)
There's wide speculation on all
sides, although the loudest rumor appears to be a possible lean towards
Obama. The ed board's evaluation of the senator from Illinois was
among the most favorable.
Also, like any big paper, the Register hopes for maximum
kingmaker potential. A nod from the state's most-read ink could do the
same thing for Obama's upward thrust that it did for Edwards in 2004.
On the other hand, Obama took heat for skipping out on a number of Iowa
events earlier in the political season, and some might complain that he
hasn't been as committed to getting to know the state as much as other
rivals.
That said, people in the know have made
other predictions, with guesses at everyone from Richardson to Biden to
Clinton. As the New York Times' Jeff Zeleny noted today, the fact that the ed board's
membership is majority female isn't lost on most observers, nor is the
fact that the former First Couple shared a swanky dinner with the
papers' editors at fancypants Des Moines establishment Azalea a few
weeks ago.
Another candidate that there's some buzz about is
Biden. Knowing Team Biden, it's fair to say that there probably isn't
anyone who has lobbied harder for the Register's thumbs up. Biden's
Iowa strategy leans heavily on legislative endorsements, and if he's
worked the paper half as hard as he's worked the statehouse, he might
have half a shot at it. If the Register wants to crown kings, the guy
polling fifth in the state might not be the best bet. But if it wants
to make a choice no one can argue with, Biden's beloved status in the
state and respected foreign policy experience would make him a
reasonable choice.
As the sun sets over the Hawkeye state... stay tuned.
