I love Iowa. I really, really love Iowa.

This morning I was thinking about that early January night almost 10 months ago when Obama won the Iowa caucuses. I watched it over at a friend's house on C-Span. The Christmas tree and all the holiday decorations were still up. Two of us were for Obama, 1 was for Hillary and two were Edwards supporters. I really didn't have much hope that Obama would win it, and I thought that if, as I expected, he lost it, his campaign would more or less be over. I still believe that.
I was so happy and so surprised when he won it.

Without Iowa Obama would likely not be the democratic candidate. I honestly believe that he's the right person at the right time. So thank Iowa. You guys are the ones that made this all possible.

She observed that the old folks all went for Hillary, while the young folks and forward thinking mature types went to Obama. She sensed then the excitement and energy around that campaign, and felt like it was bound to take hold across the state and the country. Looks like she knew whereof she spake!

I saw ads in November for a rally in center city Philadelphia for Obama. I had read his book, and was a big fan, so I checked into it, but I thought "with such a crowded field, does the young guy stand a chance?" and opted not to go.

Grrrrrrrrrr. Wish I had your aunt's prescience.

should after winning the election hold a rally in Iowa and thank them for all their support and for being visionaries.

There was a major shift in the national gestalt the night Obama won Iowa.

Shortly after he won, DUer TwoSparkles had a post describing what had happened during the candidates' campaigns there, and how and why Obama won. I am looking forward to a documentary or movie on Obama's campaign for the White House. Truly we live in interesting times.

That's why is still campaigning there, despite losing by double-digits. :bounce:

I can't figure it out. Why is he not trying to defend NC or MO or IN?

:bounce:

Iowa smashed the Hillary inevitability perception, and for that we owe that state a debt of gratitude. I don't think Hillary would be doing nearly as well as Obama is now.

Than they already have. It will be an overwhelming democratic majority in both houses.

they deserve that honor.

I was so expecting to be disappointed, mostly because I felt that, of the Democratic candidates, only Obama really stood a chance of winning in October. I checked the papers the next day and said, "holy shit, he won!". Then I started volunteering for him for Super Tuesday! :D

I get emails from her daily... she's on fire for Obama! And she is keeping the pot stirred in Iowa:)

Now I am NOT about to count my chickens until they've hatched - McCain keeps coming back here for a reason and I get uneasy every time he is here trying to mine for votes. (Does his campaign know something we don't? Are they focusing somewhere we aren't?)

BUT....

The polls here are showing that Obama is VERY strong with the Democratic base - (More strong than McCain is with the republican base) - and that Obama is up with the 'no party' or Independent voting bloc as well. That makes me optimistic.

I have also heard two stories that the McCain campaign is attempting to hire people to go door-to-door and to make calls for the campaign. I don't know what the Iowa Democratic Party or the Obama/Biden Campaign is doing with regard to hiring folks to do these things but I can tell you from my own volunteering experience that (at least in my part of the state) it isn't necessary. These guys have a consistent flow of volunteers coming through headquarters that are giving their time.

I hope all these polls hold and Obama does defeat McCain by double digits here in Iowa - b/c that would mean that our Congressional races/legislative races/Board of Supervisor races and local races will benefit from such a strong showing. *sigh* to see Iowa really really blue would be a beautiful thing!

or taking away Iowa's first in the nation status.

the Iowa/NH first thing, but I don't think it's going to continue.

... that allow still a lot of potential election fraud happening. Having a state like Iowa go first with a caucus that takes the Diebold machines, etc. out of the equation helps prevent those in power pull even bigger election fraud schemes early on to manipulate the voters to different candidates.

If we can move towards public campaign financing instead of the massive amounts of special interest donations that leave us with a heavy marketing campaign to help those special interests, that will also be needed to counteract the "direct" campaigning that caucus allows that brings more consciousness of the issues and the different "grass roots" perspectives of voters amongst themselves that caucuses provide. I would argue that the more personalized and heavily marketed campaigns that are in primary states currently helps manipulate the vote more by comparison

Once these issues are solved, then I'm less inclined to feel that caucuses need special placement or treatment. Until then, I think caucuses help protect our democracy, even if they aren't the ideal democratic mechanism for getting the people's votes.

Instead of "Republican handicapped" government that has lead to messes in Katrina, etc.

I think Iowans (and I used to live there too, so I am also proud of them), will become solidly blue this time around. They already made the rep at University of Iowa a Democrat for the first time since I was in college in 1976 there when they threw out Leach in 2006. Sounds like Leach has learned he was in the wrong party when he spoke at the Dem convention too.

That was 10 months ago. I still remember Obama's speech after he won. Where does the time go? Thank you Iowa!