Iowa Results Analyzed

In the din and dither which was the run-up to the Iowa Republican caucus process, any semblance of rationality was hard to come by. Sometimes rationality comes from surprising sources. The Hay Ride, a web site devoted to Louisiana and national politics, has a feature article analyzing the results of the Iowa caucuses in a factual and intelligent way. Though the writer's perspective is from the right, he is in the know when it comes to Republican Presidential politics this year.

One factor in the low turn-out in Iowa could be the event's closeness to the holiday season. Coming only two days after New Year's Day, a major political event of this nature doesn't need to follow so closely on the heels of Christmas. More time in between would help to achieve a better focus and stir greater interest.

More importantly, the candidates this year are largely unworthy of serious consideration. The only one of these visible candidates with any serious credibility at this point is M. Romney owing mostly to his stint as a governor and his success in avoiding major pratfalls. Among the others, only John Huntsman has a solid enough state of intellectual and mental health to be President. Unknown to most voters is former governor Roy Barnes who has been left out of the televised debates. (This is arbitrary and unfair to be sure.)

As a campaign the Republican business falls flat. I would even go so far as to say it falls out of the mainstream of American thought. Americans may be many things but basically they are not raving lunatics. Too many Republican candidates, while not raving mad, are nonetheless touched with the faint rays of lunacy. This does not bode well for politics in the year 2012 A.D.


http://thehayride.com/2012/01/a-terrible-night-for-the-republican-party-and-america-as-a-whole/