Tag: iowa

One more day!

And then comes the fascinating instant evolution (work with me, here) of Iowa from being the epicenter of the American political universe to a Midwestern state with a population of 3.1 million. I’ve seen it happen with political eyes for… I guess 2016 will be my fourth time… and it’s always amazing how quickly everything shifts. I’ve seen slower state changes from emergency cutoff switches.

As to the results? Well, I’m still mulling over my What To Look For On Caucus Night post. Or even to do one; I mean, everybody else will, and everybody else will be probably guessing, too. Besides, you all already know what to look for.

Tweet of the Day, This Is Not Compatible With Democrats Winning Iowa edition.

A lot of the discussion about the meaning of this Tweet will be about Trump – as Hot Air notes, it’s mixed news as best – but the real issue here is that there is a remarkable enthusiasm gap in Iowa when you compare 2008 to 2016: Continue reading Tweet of the Day, This Is Not Compatible With Democrats Winning Iowa edition.

I continue to oppose the federal government’s ethanol crony capitalism.

I do not like the idea of expanding, or even retaining, ethanol subsidies. I do not think that ethanol subsidies are good for the country, or for poor people, or even for our cars. And I am unconvinced of the wisdom of Republicans pandering to a state that votes Democratic on the Presidential level.

I am not going to keep my mouth shut on that simply because candidates disagree with me.  I never have. I’m not going to start now.

Tweet of the Day, Jindal Could In Fact Win Iowa edition.

And it’s not even implausible.

Which is not to say that it’s likely, either. Basically, it comes down to how much favorability ratings matter in the Iowa race: Bobby Jindal is well-liked in that state, and if Ben Carson and/or Carly Fiorina don’t catch fire with Iowa caucus-goers then Jindal stands a chance of getting an upset win, or at least a second-place finish. …And there are at least three assumptions in that sentence. Possibly five. So, it’s a possibility, but don’t bet anything that you can’t bear to lose on the outcome either way.

Martin O’Malley’s futile pander to Big Corn’s Renewable Fuel Standard.

Futile because Martin O’Malley’s not winning Iowa anyway. Or the nomination. Or a “Where Are They Now?” competition, come to think of it.  Seriously, what was the point of him pandering on the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) last month?

On the Democratic side, Martin O’Malley indicated his support during his announcement tour in Des Moines this weekend. “It’d be my hope that we continue to keep a high, renewable fuel standard, and that we move into celluosic fuels,” O’Malley told a crowd of Democratic activists. “The best way to do that is to keep the standard high. When you lower it, it creates all sorts of uncertainty about policy and direction.”

Continue reading Martin O’Malley’s futile pander to Big Corn’s Renewable Fuel Standard.

Iowa and New Hampshire GOPs starting to notice that they are not universally beloved.

I wonder how many people outside of Iowa and New Hampshire are upset by this?  I imagine, not that many: ” For nearly a half century, Iowa and New Hampshire have played a pivotal role in American electoral politics. But their top place on the nominating calendar is under threat like never before.” Certainly Republicans outside of those two states are going to default to not-caring at best.

Although the situation is particularly complicated this cycle by the continuing inability of Democrats to create an interesting primary season. As it stands right now, it’s still accurate to say that it won’t matter who will win the Democratic Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary; Hillary Clinton is still the front-runner, and they don’t have anybody better to replace her with.  Then again, it kind of doesn’t matter who wins the Republican caucuses and primary in those two states, either: the state GOP organizations in Iowa and New Hampshire cannot guarantee either state for the Republicans in the general election. That’s what gave those two states electoral clout, not some sort of inherent respect for tradition. If there’s no point to pandering…