Friday, January 04, 2008

Progressives Sweep Iowa


The two leading progressives on the Democratic side come in first and second - final results. Even the Republicans picked a conservative who speaks for the middle class and shows compassion. Ron Paul, not a progressive but against the war, gets 10% of the GOP vote.

Democracy For America ran a Unite for a Progressive President educational campaign for the Democratic caucuses urging support for Obama, Edwards or Kucinich.

Big Winners - Obama and Huckabee, the big wins transform the race. Democrats because of the huge Iowa turnout. Almost twice as many as last time which then was considered a very large enthusaistic turnout.

Perhaps a Winner: McCain by coming in tied for third without really campaigning while Romney lost to Huckabee showed that McCain has recaptured some of his viability.

Big Losers - Dodd and Biden dropped out. Richardson and Gravel should. Hunter on the GOP side should.

Other Losers - Edwards does not have a path for victory now except for a brokered convention or a huge misstep by one of two experienced politicians. Romney also has huge problems finding a winning route now. Thompson is still sinking. Maybe Rudy, because it still looks like his "wait until Florida" strategy could be a disaster.

Screams of pain and outrage - The Democratic and Republican establishments. The Club for Growth and other wealthy Republicans will spend millions to see that Huckabee, a skilled politician but considered by them to be a hick from the wrong side of the tracks, doesn't get the nomination. Clinton and her allies are looking for a Plan B to victory. Both establishments have plenty of money and will fight dirty.

Best Speeches - Barack Obama on the politics of hope.
"They said this day would never come. They said our sights were set too high. ... But on this January night, on this defining moment in history, you have done what the cynics said we couldn't do. You did what the state of New Hampshire can do in five days," Obama said.

If elected, Obama vowed, "I'll be a president that ends this war in Iraq and finally brings our troops home, who restores our moral standing, who understands that 9-11 is not a way a way to scare up votes but a challenge that should unite America and the world against the common threats of the 21st Century."

"Hope is the bedrock of this nation, the belief that our destiny will not be written for us but by us, by all those men and women who are not content to settle for the world as it is but who have the courage to remake the world as it should be," he said. "That is what we started here in Iowa and that is the message we can now carry to New Hampshire and beyond."
Huckabee on Hope, optimism and love:
Now, ladies and gentlemen, for the same reason that our founding fathers and those before us saw what was behind us and gave it their best, I ask you to join me across Iowa and the rest of America to look out there in front of us and not to hate those, but to look behind us and to love them so much that we will do whatever it takes to make America a better country, to give our kids a better future, to give this world a better leader.

And we join together tonight for that purpose. God help you and thank you for all you've done. I'm so grateful for the support, the incredible work that you've done. And now we've got a long journey ahead of us.
Hillary Clinton was gracious and optimistic about the race still after her disappointing third place finish:
There will be a lot of people who will get involved, as they have here in Iowa, of all ages. That is what we want, because we’re not just trying to elect a president; we’re trying to change our country. That is what I am committed to doing.

I have set big goals for our country. I want to rebuild a strong and prosperous middle class. And to me, that is the most important job the next president will have here at home, because if we don’t begin to pay attention to the people who do the work, and raise the families, and make this country great, we will not recognize America in a few years.

And I want to make it absolutely clear I intend to restore America’s leadership and our moral authority in the world. And we’re going to tackle all of the problems that are going to be inherited because of the current administration, including ending the war in Iraq, and bringing our troops home, and then giving them the support that they need.

And we’re going to reform our government. We’re going to make sure that it is not the government of the few, by the few, and for the few, but it actually works for every American again.
More results from Iowa.

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