It looks like 2016 will be a Bush v Clinton rematch. But the primaries are full of angry alternatives representing different ideological responses to the same problem - the impoverishment of American ideals.

The prize for bravest face in the US presidential contest goes to Rick Santorum. The ultra-conservative running for the Republican nomination visited Iowa this week and only one woman showed up to say hello. But the candidate still called the event a success. Iowa is a state that you win one vote at a time. Just 30,000 more meetings like that and it’s in the bag for Rick.

The Republican and Democrat races supposedly have their primary frontrunners already: Jeb Bush and Hillary Clinton respectively. Both are deemed winnably moderate, both wallow in cash. But things are more complicated than they seem. The determination of little guys like Santorum reflects an electoral cycle full of ideological turmoil and possibility.

--SNIP--