Iowans Undecided As Caucuses Near

[rinsd]

By DAVID ESPO – 12/5/07

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Jane Halliburton dined with Joe Biden and conferred with Hillary Rodham Clinton. Talked with Barack Obama and met with Chris Dodd. Loved the pecan pie sent over by John Edwards' staff.

Any of the five "could be my candidate" by the time the Iowa presidential caucuses roll around on Jan. 3, she says. But only one of them will.

Even by Iowa standards, Halliburton's access to the candidates is unusual, stemming from her position as an elected supervisor in Story County in the central part of the state. Yet one month before the caucuses, she's typical of uncounted thousands of picky political shoppers, not yet ready to make decisions that will settle the first contest in the race for the White House.

Count Connie and Roger Maifield among them as they settle into their seats at the library in Allison, population 1,006 at the last census.

More at the link - http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gCcoIqeXoQ6dR6nok5XzVUR6ofBgD8TBFJE01

[geek tragedy]

1. Drudge Headline: Top Democrats Courting Halliburton's Support. n/t

[rinsd]

4. LOL.

:hi:

[geek tragedy]

5. She should favor Barack Obama, because he is

related to Dick Cheney.

[The Magistrate]

2. This, Sir, Is the First Accurate Head-Line To Appear On The Topic

Trying to poll the caucuses is a mug's game, not much of an improvement on the liver of a sheep spread on an altar...

[Cameron27]

3. lol

that's the truth.

[frazzled]

6. pecan pies, dinner with a governor of Maryland?

Gee, I wouldn't make up my mind either ... I'd be holding out for, I dunno, a ride in a private jet, a trip to the Bahamas, promise of a job in Washington.

Ms. Halliburton is not some average voter who hasn't decided: she's an official who is being courted, and in some cases, bribed.

[Debi]

7. I attended a Dodd event this morning and he asked if Iowa was locked up

or undecided. People called out or nodded their heads or clapped their hands in agreement. Iowa is undecided.

[Adelante]

8. We won't know until we know

Ain't that the truth.

[feminazi]

9. This part bothers me.

"It's anyone's guess how many Democrats will turn out on Jan. 3. The record is slightly above 124,000, and some strategists predict the intense competition could produce thousands more next month."

So about 125,000 people are locked in a room for a few hours in the evening and vote. What about people who work at night or have families or otherwise can't get to the caucus place during that time window? This suppresses the opportunity for everyone to have a say. How is that representative of anything?

I really don't get the emphasis on Iowa or NH. They aren't representative of the country as a whole (and I used to live in NH). I prefer the idea (I think it was Howard Dean's) that we have regional primaries.