The myths of Iowa
Todd Purdum, NY Times:
"For Iowa Democrats, Senator John Kerry showed himself to be what he has argued all along he was: the reassuring establishment candidate with the war hero's record, solid policy positions and broad experience in government to be a strong challenger to President Bush. He shattered conventional Iowa wisdom that organization is all.
"But the race for the nomination has just begun. The surprise second-place showing by Senator John Edwards of North Carolina reflected similar judgments about how he would stand against Mr. Bush, and makes him a fresh force to contend with, especially in South Carolina, which votes two weeks from Tuesday. With little organization or name recognition in Iowa, the Edwards campaign caught fire in the last 10 days — a surge the senator attributed to his more optimistic message."
The candidates with organization faded. Howard Dean was a distant third and Dick Gephardt was so far back he will drop out of the race. There was always an anomaly in the precaucas polling. Votes strongly favored the positions on the war espoused by Kerry and Edwards, yet polls showed them voting for candidates on the extreme edges--Dean and Gephardt.
Todd Purdum, NY Times:
"For Iowa Democrats, Senator John Kerry showed himself to be what he has argued all along he was: the reassuring establishment candidate with the war hero's record, solid policy positions and broad experience in government to be a strong challenger to President Bush. He shattered conventional Iowa wisdom that organization is all.
"But the race for the nomination has just begun. The surprise second-place showing by Senator John Edwards of North Carolina reflected similar judgments about how he would stand against Mr. Bush, and makes him a fresh force to contend with, especially in South Carolina, which votes two weeks from Tuesday. With little organization or name recognition in Iowa, the Edwards campaign caught fire in the last 10 days — a surge the senator attributed to his more optimistic message."
The candidates with organization faded. Howard Dean was a distant third and Dick Gephardt was so far back he will drop out of the race. There was always an anomaly in the precaucas polling. Votes strongly favored the positions on the war espoused by Kerry and Edwards, yet polls showed them voting for candidates on the extreme edges--Dean and Gephardt.
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