A 3rd place finish for Clinton?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Remember when all we heard from Hillary Clinton was, "When I am the president… when I am elected president… etc.? Funny how things change. Don't hear that from her so much anymore. These days it's more like, "If I am the nominee…"
Ever since Hillary Clinton was asked if she favored giving driver's licenses to illegal aliens, she's been struggling.
And it couldn't be more obvious to anyone who is paying attention. Quick… Get mom and the kid out on the campaign trail. Try to convince the voters I'm all warm and fuzzy instead of the cold calculating political machine many of them think I am.
Is it working? We'll know if it's working in Iowa in a few hours. But going into tonight's caucuses, Hillary is nowhere near the juggernaut and presumed nominee she once was. In fact, one major national poll now suggests Clinton could finish third in the Hawkeye state behind Barack Obama and John Edwards.
Granted losing Iowa isn't like losing California, but consider this. Momentum's a funny thing. Have it and you can do no wrong. Lose it and you can lose everything. Hillary still has the lead in some New Hampshire polls, but Barack Obama is now leading in others. New Hampshire votes next Tuesday. That's where that momentum thing comes in. And what if she doesn't just lose in Iowa. What if she finishes worse than second, behind both Obama and Edwards?
Here’s my question to you: What would a third place finish in Iowa mean for Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Surviving Iowa & New Hampshire?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
The Iowa caucuses tonight could be a make-or-break event for some of the presidential hopefuls.
Even before Iowans make their choices, there are reports that Republican Fred Thompson may drop out of the race within days if he places a distant third, or worse. Sources suggest if he drops out, he will then endorse John McCain, which could shake up the race in New Hampshire. And Thompson probably won't be the only one to hang it up.
A piece in "The Politico" today asks if there really are three tickets out of Iowa. Although candidates like to talk about how winning "gold, silver, or bronze" is enough, a third-place finish in Iowa has almost always meant the end of the road for presidential wanna-bees. Sometimes, even a second place finish in Iowa isn't good enough.
Top tier candidates are likely to stay in the race if they don't do well in Iowa, but some of the others will likely vanish. The trick for candidates in the Iowa caucuses has always been to exceed media expectations, meaning if you can do better than expected, you're likely to still be a news story.
Here’s my question to you: Which candidates won't still be around after the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
Does $ talk in Iowa?
FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty:
Money can buy a lot of things, especially when it comes to politics... but the Iowa caucuses may not be one of them.
The Los Angeles Times reports today that although the presidential contenders have poured tens of millions of dollars into the contest there, history shows that the candidate who spends the most in Iowa doesn't always win.
We don't know exactly how much candidates have spent in Iowa this year. But we do know this: both Mike Huckabee and John Edwards are threatening to win Iowa despite being overwhelmingly outspent by their opponents. For example, Republican Mitt Romney spent about $52 million running for president through September of last year, much of it in Iowa. During that same period, Huckabee spent $1.7 million.
On the Democratic side, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton have reportedly spent about $20 million each in Iowa, compared to about $4 million for Edwards.
For years ago, Howard Dean outspent both John Kerry and John Edwards before Iowa, and we all know what happened to Dean. In 1988, Pat Robertson outspent several other Republicans in the running, but failed to win Iowa.
Here’s my question to you: What does it say about the Iowa caucuses that candidates who spend the most money don’t necessarily win there?
Interested to know which ones made it on air?
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