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DEL.ICIO.USThe news from Iowa — via Georgia foot soldiers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Heard this morning from three Georgians — two Democrats and a Republican — who have spent the last three days or so trudging through Iowa snow for their candidates.
All seem to be concentrating their efforts around suburban Des Moines, where the votes are.
Steve Leeds, a Democratic committee member and close associate of Max Cleland, is up there on behalf of John Edwards — mostly around Indianola on the south side.
“I think it’s going to be close. There’s been a tremendous amount of voter contact,” he said. Amy Morton, the blogger from Macon, has been out there as well for Edwards, sending regular reports.
State Sen. David Adelman of Atlanta and his wife Caroline have been working the northern Urbandale area, but for Barack Obama. It’s an upper middle-class area that has begun trending Democrat. Not unlike Adelman’s senate district.
Adelman says he’s had a helluva good time knocking on doors — and being commanded by Obama’s crew of young volunteers. By young he means late 20s and early 30s — not college kids.
“It’s been a lot of fun. Serious voters. Very serious voters,” Adelman said.
Polling shows a higher turnout for the caucuses — which require an entire evening of commitment from voters — than normal. All along, Obama has talked of bringing new voters into the process.
“In a few hours we’ll know whether he has or not,” Adelman said.
Both he and Leeds plan on attending caucuses as observers this evening. So will Joel McElhannon, the Georgia GOP political strategist. He’s been up in Iowa since Christmas, working for the Fred Thompson campaign.
McElhannon said the Thompson campaign — a latecomer to Iowa, remember — has been relying less on door-knocking and more on events and phone banks. He’s been acting as an advance man for many of the events.
Today, he’s also been been combating the aftermath of an article in The Politico which says Thompson is close to bowing out of the race, and will throw his support to John McCain.
Thompson’s people, McElhannon included, are denying it.
On top of that, which McElhannon didn’t tell us: the Wall Street Journal reports today that the Des Moines Register made a decision not to staff the Thompson campaign in Iowa. It’s letting the wires bear the load.
The newspaper’s poll shows Thompson fourth in the Republican field.
Thompson has to finish at least third, says conventional wisdom, to stay in the hunt. McElhannon has pitched this for his bar bet tonight: Mitt Romney at 32 percent, Mike Huckabee at 27 percent, and Thompson at 15 percent.
Romney’s organization has been taking a toll on Huckabee’s understaffed surge, he said.
Comments
By Debbie
January 3, 2008 3:16 PM | Link to this
Judicial Watch Announces List of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians” for 2007
http://www.judicialwatch.org/judicial-watch-announces-list-washington-s-ten-most-wanted-corrupt-politicians-2007
Two GOP Presidential Candidates mad the list and two Democratic candidates made the list
By Debbie
January 3, 2008 3:18 PM | Link to this
A Plea from Arkansas: Christian Conservatives Need to Take a Closer Look at Mike Huckabee’s Record as Governor
by David Thompson
http://www.townhall.com/blog/g/33391ddb-ed1f-4bc3-9d19-cdca6181d5d4
By Debbie
January 3, 2008 3:25 PM | Link to this
I think Joel might be on target. Bo Novak predicted Fred would finish 3rd and Romney would win
By Ron
January 3, 2008 3:37 PM | Link to this
Go Mitt!!!!!
By Third Rail
January 4, 2008 8:28 AM | Link to this
Check out this awesome Iowa Caucus post mortem analysis at http://thirdrailradio.blogspot.com/2008/01/iowa-caucus-post-mortem.html