| Vote for Barak and he'll provide free
| |
| | No big deal!
|
| baby sitting. Isn't that illegal or at
| |
| | "It stinks," says veteran political
|
| least somewhat shadly? But alas, the Iowa
| |
| | reporter Jack Germond. "The voters ought
|
| caucus process isn't democratic anyway,
| |
| | to have time to make a considered
|
| so why does Iowa get so much attention-
| |
| | decision, and the press ought to be a
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| other than because of tradition. Why
| |
| | little less poll-driven, and we're not."
|
| aren't there 3 or 4 states that have a
| |
| | Between the coverage and the
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| PRIMARY (a democratic process) on the
| |
| | hyper-compressed campaign calendar, he
|
| same first day that's representative of
| |
| | says, "the whole system this year is
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| the nation.
| |
| | absolutely a disgrace."
|
| Why do various campaign aides need to
| |
| | The term of choice for the more
|
| show up at Iowan homes with DVD's that
| |
| | thoughtful reporters, in describing the
|
| explain how the caucuses work. Iowans
| |
| | Iowa rules, is arcane. With its arcane
|
| need help from outsiders to tell them
| |
| | caucus rules, Iowa remains a small
|
| about their process? Nobody needs a DVD
| |
| | battlefield. Only 124,000 Democrats voted
|
| to understand one-person-one-vote, a
| |
| | last time, less than a quarter of those
|
| level playing field, and a secret ballot
| |
| | eligible. So if Barack Obama, say, edges
|
| And we need to blame the MEDIA for the
| |
| | Hillary Clinton by 2,000 votes, he'll be
|
| hysteria that's a part of the Iowa
| |
| | hailed in headlines as a giant-killer
|
| insanity!
| |
| | despite the tiny margin.
|
| Every day there has been a poll as though
| |
| | Much ado about nothing- escept for what
|
| life and death hinged on what the latest
| |
| | hype the press makes it.
|
| trend was. If you look at the polls one
| |
| | When you read an honest reporter like Dan
|
| thing becomes obvious. There is no trend.
| |
| | Balz you appreciate the depth and extent
|
| Who cares about what Iowa thinks
| |
| | of the fraud that is being practiced on
|
| anything. I know, I know the MEDIA does.
| |
| | us all. "In a primary," as he put it,
|
| And so we see pictures of Huckabee
| |
| | "voters quietly fill out their ballots
|
| shooting a bird, praying on bended knee,
| |
| | and leave. In the caucuses, they are
|
| and running in the cold morning snow with
| |
| | required to come and stay for several
|
| reporters. Anything to get an angle on a
| |
| | hours, and there are no secret ballots.
|
| candidate that will sell tabloid or TV
| |
| | In the presence of friends, neighbors and
|
| commercials. Besides with all the 24 hour
| |
| | occasionally strangers, Iowa Democrats
|
| cable news networks, one has to fill the
| |
| | vote with their feet, by raising their
|
| air time with something- anything!
| |
| | hands and moving to different parts of
|
| What we have are less than 3,000,000
| |
| | the room to signify their support for one
|
| people offering their vote an attention
| |
| | candidate or another. For Democrats, it
|
| to whomever will give them the time of
| |
| | is not a one-person, one-vote system. …
|
| day while 300,000,000 other Americans
| |
| | Inducements are allowed; bribes are not."
|
| look on with doubts. And in a state that
| |
| | Maybe Rudy Guiliani was smart by staying
|
| 92% white, what does that tell the rest
| |
| | out of Iowa!
|
| of us across the United States? Rudy
| |
| | What the Iowa insanity-laced caucasuses
|
| Guiliani decided to woo the religious
| |
| | do is give the whip to the moneyed
|
| right from New York, rather than get
| |
| | political professionals, to the full-time
|
| involved in Iowa directly.
| |
| | party hacks and manipulators, to the
|
| Every four years the press has been
| |
| | shady pollsters and the cynical media
|
| promising to swear off the bottle and
| |
| | boosters, and to the supporters of fringe
|
| stop treating the Iowa caucuses as if
| |
| | and crackpot candidates. Remember that
|
| they were a primary, let alone an
| |
| | not Iowa but its "caucuses" put Pat
|
| election. Credit Howard Kurtz of the
| |
| | Robertson ahead of George H.W. Bush in
|
| Washington Post for being the first
| |
| | the race for the GOP nomination in 1988.
|
| writer this year to try to hold his
| |
| | So is there any wonder the Iowa now loves
|
| fellow journalists to that pledge.
| |
| | another ministger named Huckabee? The
|
| Listen, without that massive media boost,
| |
| | process might be a good way for Iowa to
|
| prevailing in Iowa would be seen for what
| |
| | pick its party convention delegates, but
|
| it is: an important first victory that
| |
| | it's an absolute terrible way in which to
|
| amounts to scoring a run in the top of
| |
| | select candidates for the presidency.
|
| the first inning.
| |
| |
|
