The battle for Iowa
Posted: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 9:16 AM by Mark Murray
Filed Under:
States
Per the Des Moines Register's Beaumont, "Implicit in the closing argument Clinton plans to make across southern Iowa today is that her chief rivals for the 2008 nomination are inexperienced for the challenges she says await the next president." Clinton also tried "to dampen expectations" that she would win Iowa.
“‘I want people to imagine what is going to be waiting on the desk in the Oval Office ... the whole range of pressing issues that are going to bear down on the next president, plus everything we can't predict,’ Clinton said in the interview. ‘No one brings the mix of qualifications and experience, the vision and plan, that I do with a proven, tested record of being able to produce results.’”
The Los Angeles Times' Z. Barabak and Mehta curtain-raises the final 8 days of Iowa. "The closeness of the state's caucus contests increases the import of these final days -- and any verbal misstep, breakthrough TV ads or crystallizing moment on the campaign trail -- in what already have been exceptionally fluid races."
The Des Moines Register covers Clinton and Obama taking some shots at each other while campaigning on Sunday before the Christmas holiday. But it notes that "their tone was not notably softer than recent days.
The paper also wraps the back-and-forth between Obama and Edwards on the 527 group -- headed by Edwards’ former campaign manager -- running ads on the former North Carolina senator’s behalf.
And Edwards took aim at Obama, saying he might not be tough enough. “‘What Iowa caucusgoers are looking for - they're not looking for academic and they're not looking for analytical,' Edwards said on Iowa Public Television. ‘They're looking for somebody who speaks from right here, from their gut, and who believes deeply and passionately in what they're talking about.’”
The Washington Post's Mosk does a good roundup of what third party groups are planning for the final days -- including, for instance, a PAC dedicated to helping Alan Keyes. By the way, if you want to keep up with this stuff hourly, check the FEC.
Here’s one thing that hasn't been written about in a while: The rest of the Dem field, including Richardson and Biden, are fading in many late polls.
The Washington Post takes a look at the courting of students in Iowa. "Among the Democratic and Republican front-runners, only former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) does not have a specific program to reach out to student voters. Eric Woolson, who is running the campaign's Iowa operation, said, ‘I don't know if young voters are any different than any other voters.’”
“Huckabee's campaign and the rest are aware, however, that student enthusiasm usually doesn't translate into student votes. Former Vermont governor Howard Dean was a big campus favorite in 2004, but that year, 18-to-24-year-olds amounted to less than 4 percent of Democratic caucusgoers."
More: "Iowa's public universities have said they will open their dorms to out-of-state students who want to return to caucus. About 21,000 students from other states attend the schools. Many more Iowa students will be scattered around the state in their home towns, which could blunt their electoral impact. However, veteran caucus watchers suggest that, in certain areas, students could be a potent force."
Speaking of… The AP's Fouhy looks at the effort both Clinton and Obama are waging to lure first-time caucus-goers on January 3. The two candidates appear to be more reliant on newcomers than Edwards.
The AP's Quaid finds a lot of conservatives still undecided on the GOP side. Just askin': Aren't undecided caucus-goers unlikely caucus-goers?
