Polls suggest Dean has peaked in Iowa, Gephardt frontrunner...

[wyldwolf]

Not good news to me. Rather have Dean than Gephardt.

Two new polls of likely Iowa Democratic caucus-goers indicate Howard Dean has peaked here and that Richard Gephardt has dug himself out of a summertime hole to reclaim his position as the front-runner in the state.

There's also interesting evidence showing Gephardt's centrist views on Iraq are more in tune with rank-and-file Democrats here than Dean's strong anti-war positions.

* A poll conducted by a group of Democratic political consultants called the "Democracy Corps" shows Gephardt with 27 percent; Dean with 26 percent; John Kerry with 16 percent...

Another survey taken Tuesday through Thursday of last week for WHO-TV in Des Moines shows Gephardt with 27 percent and Dean with 22 percent, while Kerry had 15 percent.

http://www.dmregister.com/opinion/stories/c5917686/22544658.html

[Renew Deal]

1. It would be a surprise if...

Gep didn't win that state. He has won it once before in an election that he did nothing nationally. Besides that, Gep is from a neighbor state. He can dump his machine in there. I don't think it is unreasonable to believe that he is the favorite in Iowa and Dean is the underdog.

[trogdor]

6. Agreed.

Gep should be 20 points ahead in Iowa. He isn't. That means he's in deep shit. Think Al Gore, Tennessee, Nov. 2000.

[Composed Thinker]

7. Why should Dean be 20 points ahead?

[NewYorkerfromMass]

2. and meanwhile in New Hampshire....

?????????

[DemocratSinceBirth]

3. I Like Gep....

He may not be my favorite but he has excellent working class creds.....


If he got the nomination I think he would be a strong opponent for Chimpy....


His biggest liability is he has been around the block so many times... I am afraid he could be our Bob Dole....

On the proverbial other hand he brings alot more passion to campaigning than Bob Dole....

A Gephardt-Edwards ticket has interesting possibilities...

[papau]

4. Seems like no change for last 2 months

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uslatest/story/0,1282,-3295220,00.html

Gephardt, Dean Close in Iowa Poll Wednesday October 22, 2003 1:46 PM WASHINGTON (AP) - Dick Gephardt and Howard Dean remain close atop an Iowa poll released Wednesday, but half of the voters who say they're likely to vote in the Jan. 19 Democratic caucuses think it's likely that President Bush will win re-election (Asked whether they think Bush will win re-election, 49 percent said they think that is at least somewhat likely).

Gephardt, a Missouri congressman, had the backing of 22 percent in the Zogby poll and Dean, former governor of Vermont, had 21 percent. Dean was slightly ahead in a Zogby poll out in early September and they were tied in a poll last month by another organization. About a fourth of the voters, 26 percent, were undecided. All the other Democratic candidates were in single digits in the new Zogby poll.

When retired Gen. Wesley Clark and Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman were removed from the choices, Gephardt and Dean were still tied.

<snip> John Kerry, a Massachusetts senator, was at 9 percent, while John Edwards, a North Carolina senator, and Clark were at 7 percent.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

5. I Don't Have A Clear Favorite....

I don't see any candidate distinguishing himself on the issues so I'm looking for electability....

That being said this campaign will largely be a referendum on Chimpy....

[tinanator]

8. I've got an idea!

Let's VOTE on it! Rather than prescreen and attempt to discourage candidacies before a single vote is cast, let's just let the voters decide. It is ANYTHING but democratic the way these horse race afficionados want to predetermine the nominee before all (or any) of the votes are counted (or miscounted, more likely). If the citizens had the sense to ignore polling "information" for what it is, we would be that much closer to a functioning democracy.
Of course, if people are allowed to vote, free of the BS constraints these "polls" and their makers and minders attempt to enstate, well, it's Kucinich by a landslide!

[realFedUp]

9. This is a Yepsen opinion piece again

He doesn't seem to like Dr. Dean....

[DemocratSinceBirth]

10. He Didn't Like Wes Clark Either....

He's a very unpleasant fellow...

[mrgorth]

11. Iowa is ALL Gep

is gonna win. He's giving everything he's got to winning there. If it wasn't for Gep's machine Dean would be killing him.

[MercutioATC]

12. Gee, I thought he "peaked", "ran out of steam" and "collapsed" months ago.

...I wonder what he'll be doing two months from now....