The results of the Iowa caucuses are news everywhere around the world. The victories of Barack Obama and Mike Huckabee are heralded on the front pages of The Times of London, Le Monde, The Guardian and Al Jazeera.
Perhaps at this time next week no one will even be talking about Obama or Huckabee in the wake of the New Hampshire Primaries. But today it is the top story because Obama and Huckabee victories are unlikely plots in the greater story of a sea-change in American politics. Obama and Huckabee are improbable victors in that they both, in their own way, bucked the establishment trend of American politics. This is by no means an original thought on my part but it is an interesting and exciting point.
Huckabee knocked off Mitt Romney, the most well-funded of GOP candidates. Romney is the protypical GOP candidate in that he is backed by large amounts of money, is by all accounts an efficient and effective campaigner, if appropriately tagged with an "opportunist" and "disingenuous" label. The people of Iowa chose to look through the facade of the Romney campaign and look to Huckabee--a candidate that is homespun and genuine (and also very shrewd at tapping into the populist desires of Iowans). The real trick for Huckabee will be making his message portable. . . and answering the question of what really is his message?
Obama was a well-funded candidate in Iowa but is for obvious reasons (age, cultural background, experience), an atypical candidate for President and yet, he knocked off one of the most well-known political machines in the Clintons. His message has been hope and he has brought hope to his supporters around the country with his commanding victory in Iowa. This will likely galvanize supporters and donors nationwide adding to his already stellar war chest in New Hampshire and beyond. I think it is still too early for an Iowa victory by Obama to mean he has swewn up the nomination. It is important to remember that the Clintons never had their strongest organization or parts of their machine in Iowa. Yes, they were the national front runner but it was always close in Iowa. If however, Obama can take the momentum into Iowa (and the amazing turnout of independents and young voters that he got there) into New Hampshire and get another victory--then I think it would be safe to say the nomination is his.
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3 comments:
I happen to think John Edwards is the most lack-luster, boring candidate and HE beat Hilary! I L.O.V.E. it!
Poor Hillary. How did she mess this up? Maybe she's hormonal. It's not her fault. There isn't enough chocolate in Iowa...ribbit.
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