Iowa Shakes things up

Wow what a night.

I stayed up late and watched the results. I did that in part because of the horrible cold/sinus condition I'm suffering through. My head feels like it is as large as my living room.

Here are some links to stories about what happened. From the Post by David Broder. This story on the Democrats. This one one the Republicans.

What's interesting is going to both the Post and USA Today's webs sites they have stories on New Hampshire and the Iowa results are sort of buried. But I guess Iowa is so yesterday.

The best result of the night the defeat of Mitt Romney. A man who will say and do anything to become president. I'm hardly a fan of Mike Huckabee who sounds like he wants to create a Christian Democracy but I just can't stand Romney.

This goes back to the way in which Romney launched his campaign. He did so by bashing the people of the state of Massachusetts that someone he'd put one over on them. This sort of statements were made in large part to very very conservative crowds in Iowa and New Hampshire. It also goes to show that money can't buy everything. Romney is now in a close race with John McCain in New Hampshire. McCain has been surging there.

Huckabee does not have much of an organization in New Hampshire and the Christian conservatives are not much of a factor in the state so he probably won't do all that well. Huckabee will get a bounce but the battle will be between Romney and McCain. If Romney looses again I think he is out.

As for the Democrats this from a Post article:

Party officials said turnout exceeded 239,000, far above the 124,000 who participated four years ago and eclipsing even the campaigns' most optimistic forecasts.

Obama is running on change and hope which is obviously resonating with Democrats. He needs to define the "change" a little more at least for my thinking. As for Clinton, well she has a tough road ahead. She needs to win New Hampshire.

It will be interesting to see which primary contest the independents in New Hampshire decide to participate in. They could very well hold the balance of power in both contests.