Home Sweet Home

Dorothy got it right when she exclaimed "There's no place like home." After three crazy weeks of class and traveling I am now home for a few days. My time out in New Hampshire was enjoyable but there is nothing better than being home. For those of you in New Hampshire you would be surprised to see how high the corn has grow in the last few weeks. Although as much as I love my family I am currently going through FIN withdraw. I miss my fellow peers, professors, and our political conversations already. It is amazing how well a group can mesh with each other after only a few weeks.

Did you know that, according to The Washington Post, there are 22 possible Presidential candidates, 17 of them have officially declared, while the remaining 5 are still unofficial. How is it that such a large field of candidates can be narrowed down? I have the answer for you, Iowa and New Hampshire. The Iowa Caucuses and New Hampshire Primaries are traditionally the first time candidates are weeded out. But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves, I feel the first official test for the Republican candidates is the Iowa Straw Poll which is held this year on August 11 in Ames. The Iowa Straw Poll has a long history of narrowing the field of candidates. One of the panelists mentioned last week that the Straw Poll is not the best indicator of where the candidates stand but due to its long tradition it is still a very important part of the election. The Straw Poll would not be viable in other states, but due to the rich history of the Iowa poll it has continued to be a large event that receives extensive media coverage. According to the Iowa Republican Party, in 1999 there were 600 journalists from over 250 news organizations with 23,685 votes casted. In that same year the first and second place winners took the Straw Poll momentum onto receiving over 70% of the Iowa Caucus vote.

The last few weeks the FINS have visited several campaign headquarters in Iowa and New Hampshire. For the Republican candidates it was interesting to hear how their campaign was planning for the Iowa Straw Poll. The lower tear candidates, such as Sam Brownback, are focusing 100% on the Straw Poll. The Brownback representative stated that Brownback will be in Iowa at least one day a week leading up to the Straw Poll. This poll is the make it or break it point for a small campaign. Past examples of this include Lamar Alexander and Elizabeth Dole, after a poor showing in the 1999 poll they pulled out of the race. Top candidates such as John McCain and Rudy Giuliani feel the Straw Poll is unnecessary for their campaigns, so they have chosen not to participate. Mitt Romney, the last top candidate, will take part in the poll and is expected to win. I think the Giuliani and McCain campaigns are making a mistake because Romney can take this momentum into the Iowa caucuses. Currently Romney is the Republican favorite in Iowa and he can easily win the state in the January caucuses. Only time will tell if my prediction is correct.

The next couple of days I will be enjoying 'Home Sweet Home.' Dyersville, my hometown, is preparing for the big 'Firework Extravaganza' that takes place on the 3rd. No matter what I do in life I will always be a small town girl who still enjoys reading the local newspaper and attending community events. Next week I start my internship with Senator Charles Grassley in DC so for the rest of the summer I will be writing from our nation's capital. Until Then...