Um, hello? New York Times? Washington Post? Your headlines are not too earth-shattering, you know? With none of the other "top tier" candidates participating, with the gobs of cash he spent in the state, with his kids criss-crossing its every hamlet and dale in their big bus and even on bicycles, was there ever any doubt that Mitt Romney was going to win the Iowa Straw Poll? Who cares? Even the Iowans don't seem to care--only 14000 participated this year.
The only headline out of the Iowa Straw Poll was Mike Huckabee's amazing 2nd place finish. He had no bus, little cash--only a coherent, well-articulated message in debates that almost no one watched--except it would seem for a few, die-hard Republican political junkies able to withstand the charms of the "Five Brothers" in this mid-western state that time and time again has come together to filter the politicians' hype for the rest of the Nation. Huckabee made the rounds on the Sunday talk shows today--either in person or through the conversation of the pundits who had no choice to remark about just how remarkable the guy's showing really was.
Then many switched to how well the still undeclared "is he Reaganesque? Is he the only truly Bush-Republican in the field, even though he isn't officially in the field, yet?" Thompson is doing nationwide. What is wrong with everyone? Keep talking about Huckabee--he actually doesn't suck, and people in Iowa have figured it out.
I know. I know. I'm a Democrat. I am a Biden-supporting Democrat, so why don't I just stay the hell out of it and let the Republicans self-destruct? Because before I am a Democrat, I am an American. And because I see the same thing happening with Biden that is happening with Huckabee. This culture of celebrity in which America has been living of late is bleeding into our politics. Even the news media is caught up in it. Even when Biden gets mentioned (except for his Obama is "clean" blunder, which no one could get enough of for a minute), it is a quick blip on the radar screen and then it is back to Clinton, Obama and maybe Edwards, when he's having a good day. And it seems to me that too often the blip that gets a second of coverage is somehow related to Clinton or Obama--Biden differs with their plan; Biden takes issue with their stand and so on.
Please! Today the headline is Huckabee. Tomorrow or the next day or whenever Biden finally officially unveils his health care strategy that he outlined on Charlie Rose last week, that should be the headline. We need to get these smart ideas from smart people out there. Go Joe!
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