The results did not surprise me. I think it was apparent that Huckabee was the front-runner on the Republican side, and I've thought for some time now that the Democrats are going to shun a Clinton nomination.
I think the big winner tonight in Iowa was Rudy Giuliani. Romney appeared to be coming on strong, and I think he ultimately might have been the biggest challenge to Giuliani. I may be wrong, and I may change my opinion by next week, but I just don't really think that Huckabee can withstand the rigors of the primary season in order to emerge as the victor. The more I learn about Huckabee the more questions I have about supporting him, and I think a lot of others are probably thinking the same thing.
But the biggest loser in Iowa was obviously Romney even though he finished second. He spent all those millions in Iowa . . . and for what? Nothing. Now he stumbles into New Hampshire, where Huckabee is going to be riding a wave of momentum and McCain is coming on strong, and it's conceiveable that Romney may finish no higher than third there. If that happens, then he's swaying on his feet as he goes into South Carolina. McCain is probably going to do well in SC, so will Huckabee, and Fred Thompson will likely do well there also. If Romney finished third there as well, that would probably the TKO. Giuliani will start picking up steam big time with Florida, and possibly with South Carolina, and unless Huckabee can really pick up even more momentum between now and then, I think Giuliani took a big step towards the GOP nomination tonight, which is pretty darned ironic.
On the Democratic side, I think Clinton is slowly but surely self-destructing. She was the heir apparent to the throne. I have thought all along that Edwards is the most electable among the Democratic front-runners, but perhaps Obama will surprise me. Maybe America really is ready to vote for a minority. An Obama win by itself wouldn't have been too surprising, but did anyone really expect him to win by the margin he won by? Probably not. Most surprising to me was the exit polls that found young women supporting Obama. I suppose that isn't too surprising in a way; he's idealogical, young and handsome. But I really figured that young, liberal women would go for Clinton hands down.
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The results did not surprise me. I think it was apparent that Huckabee was the front-runner on the Republican side, and I've thought for some time now that the Democrats are going to shun a Clinton nomination.
I think the big winner tonight in Iowa was Rudy Giuliani. Romney appeared to be coming on strong, and I think he ultimately might have been the biggest challenge to Giuliani. I may be wrong, and I may change my opinion by next week, but I just don't really think that Huckabee can withstand the rigors of the primary season in order to emerge as the victor. The more I learn about Huckabee the more questions I have about supporting him, and I think a lot of others are probably thinking the same thing.
But the biggest loser in Iowa was obviously Romney even though he finished second. He spent all those millions in Iowa . . . and for what? Nothing. Now he stumbles into New Hampshire, where Huckabee is going to be riding a wave of momentum and McCain is coming on strong, and it's conceiveable that Romney may finish no higher than third there. If that happens, then he's swaying on his feet as he goes into South Carolina. McCain is probably going to do well in SC, so will Huckabee, and Fred Thompson will likely do well there also. If Romney finished third there as well, that would probably the TKO. Giuliani will start picking up steam big time with Florida, and possibly with South Carolina, and unless Huckabee can really pick up even more momentum between now and then, I think Giuliani took a big step towards the GOP nomination tonight, which is pretty darned ironic.
On the Democratic side, I think Clinton is slowly but surely self-destructing. She was the heir apparent to the throne. I have thought all along that Edwards is the most electable among the Democratic front-runners, but perhaps Obama will surprise me. Maybe America really is ready to vote for a minority. An Obama win by itself wouldn't have been too surprising, but did anyone really expect him to win by the margin he won by? Probably not. Most surprising to me was the exit polls that found young women supporting Obama. I suppose that isn't too surprising in a way; he's idealogical, young and handsome. But I really figured that young, liberal women would go for Clinton hands down.
I saw Huckabee clinching it, but Obama surprised me. I agree that Clinton has not been able to garner the kind of support she was expecting, but I still saw her taking the win over Obama, if only by a few percentage points. I have not been following the race all that closely as of yet, but the way that the AP and even Reuters were reporting it, Iowan woman were mesmerized by Clinton. Ha. I really doubt that she will win the national nomination, though. It is simply too easy for her to alienate most of American voters to risk it, and I think the Dems know it, or are at least starting to think about it more critically.
McCain's holding his own, Giuliani has something up his sleeve, and Romney is too Mormon. I really don't think Americans want a member of LDS in the White House right now. All of the stories about fugitive polygamists have left a bad taste in people's mouths, their bicycle-based proselytizing is annoying to just about everyone, and Americans are generally ignorant, or at best apathetic,of the religion. We'll see how McCain and Giuliani do in the upcoming caucuses. They have the potential formass appeal, but they've got to prove themselves, obviously.
Still, asearly as it is, I'm going out of a limb and callinga general election with Huckabee vs. Obama.
Ben: I'm not sure I'm seeing a big win for Giuliani. I understand that Romney took a bit of a hit, but it's been predicted this way for at least a couple of weeks. Giuliani garnered less than 1/3 of the support of Ron Paul. That's hardly a victory. He can't win by writing off the heartland.
I'm ecstatic to see Clinton take a third, given that the media had already anointed her as the next president. Let's hope she continues a downward slide into the pits of hell where she belongs. And, gun control poster boys Biden and Dodd are out of the race.
Iowa surprises?
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