New Iowa Poll: Edwards Surges, Huck's Bubble Bursts

McClatchy:

John Edwards has clawed his way into contention to win Iowa's caucuses on Thursday in the first vote for the Democratic presidential nomination, gaining strength even as rivals Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama have lost ground, according to a new McClatchy-MSNBC poll.

At the same time, Mitt Romney has regained the lead among Iowa Republicans as Mike Huckabee has lost momentum and support, even among the evangelical Christians who had propelled him into the top spot just weeks ago.

Taken together, this first poll in Iowa since campaigning resumed after a Christmas break showed a dead-heat contest between the three leading Democratic candidates and a volatile clash between the two top Republican rivals here.

Read the whole story: McClatchy

Comments

[tbone99]

Enough corporate welfare already!

According to the Cato Institute, the U.S. federal government spent $92 billion on corporate welfare during fiscal year 2006. Recipients included Boeing, Xerox, IBM, Motorola, Dow Chemical, and General Electric. Remember bailing out Chrysler, the S&Ls,,Enron,and now the subprime mortgage lenders .Looming on the horizon is digging out slack business lenders .
Meanwhile welfare's been cut,food and safety inspectors are minimal, the repugs don't even want to ensure children's health much less other citizens,
we've spent a trillion in Iraq on no bid corporate contracts and the idea is to privatize evrything in sight including our schools.There is no oversight of a private company despite being taxpayer funded.Its a giveaway!

Why must everything we see in our civil infrastructure
bear a giant corporate decal?

. John Edwards deserves our support for changing the conversation from living in fear to the real problem.

[LadyXoc]

Edwards message re: poverty might not have resonated even last year - but now, with gas prices rising, over-65s set to lose their post-retirement medical insurance and get dumped on Medicare, housing and property taxes and college tuition up like balloons, even with miniscule downturns in the first of these, the former middle class can see itself as poor if current trends continue. Including and especially retiring baby boomers.

So: Edwards in '08! Not just in Iowa, but round the nation.

[Steamboater]

That schmuck Huckabee said on Russert's show this morning that women shouldn't have abortions because it's convenient. So women who are raped or victims of incest and teenage girls who find themselves pregnant yet are too young to raise a child, or women concerned about their own quality of life have abortions because it's convenient. What a nutcase.

[GrauWulf]

Americans beware! Remember, however unbelievable or even illegal it may seem, your country, my country, elected GW Bush twice! Beware Romney. Not because his stated (or actual) positions are same as Bush, but because he campaigns with similar ways and means as Bush II. He uses personal charm and a grin to disguise nasty, say anything or posture as anything to win or defeat, politics. He projects knowledge, stature, and positions that he actually does not have. Again, even accounting for mis-counted or un-counted votes, GW Bush did get nearly 50% of vote twice!!!! Most politicians are habitually, to a greater or lessor degree, disingenuous. I hope we pick one who is genuine, honest, and competent. Bush II isn't and wasn't. He had a record in Texas and a campaign that clearly showed this. More astoundingly, he had a presidential record and campaign in 2004 that showed how incompetent, divisive, greedy, callously cruel and ignorant of law or America's need he was, and he was elected again!!!

Beware of Romney. Beware of Huckabee. Beware of Guiliani. Democrats, Americans, beware nominating posture and not substance. Beware election fraud. Beware media complicity or incompetence. See beyond the nice smile or physical attributes of candidate, the kind or devious phrase of candidate or media, or the snap headlines outside of full context and purpose.

[kay]

Edwards is great for Democrats. He pushes Clinton, and he started the debate, by challenging her.

If Clinton wins Iowa, she's the presumptive nominee, and all the focus and coverage shifts to the Republican race. The Republicans will then set the terms of the debate, and garner all the coverage. Not a good thing.

The fact that there IS a race is good for Democrats going forward. Edwards and Obama have busted ass and made this competitive. I'm all for that.

[furion4865]

I live in North Carolina and every six years political pundits always predicted that our rabid racist senator, Jesse Helms, was going to get defeated and, every six years, our rabid racist senator, Jesse Helms, got re-elected. The funny thing was, you could never find any white person that admitted to voting for him. I predict that same type of closet racism will play out in Iowa and Barack will finish in third place behind John Edwards and Hillary Clinton, and it won't even be close. America is a racist/sexist country and there's no escaping that fact. The majority has proven time and again, it only believes a white man can run the country, even if the white guy is a blundering idiot like, George Bush. The only good thing that will come out of the Iowa caucus, is the shattering of the myth that America has moved beyond defining a person's character and abilities by some other factor than race. When Iowans go to select a democratic nominee for president, trust me, they'll "stay the course" and vote for the white guy; John Edwards will be the democratic nominee.

[NoFactsJustTruth]

I may not currently support him, but at least I would vote for Edwards if he's the dem nominee.

[JoAnnCr]

Edwards's momentum is amazing here in Iowa. Everyone loves the clear perspective and the realization that we can actually have a voice in our country's policies.

I also like Obama and would love to see him as Edwards's VP and the president in 2016. I would love to see Bill Clinton as Secretary of State. Bill Clinton could be a great mentor to a Vice President Obama on the foreign relations scene. Unfortunately Bill couldn't be Secretary of State if his wife was president but he could be if Edwards was president.

Finally, lets have Dodd be the Senate Majority Leader. It would be nice to have someone who has spine in that position.

[MNmommy]

I guess we'll find out Thursday night. Thank goodness, this horserace crap does nothing to further the discourse on issues.

[pythoncharlie6]

we have a christian in the white house now,

do we want another term like this?

chiristian is another code word for criminal

[hazmaq]

Well let's all try and guess then.

-A 5% margin of error among a small batch of likely caucus goers.. OK that might favor Edwards, he's such a nice boy.
-But all pollsters indicating about 20% undecided. These are the notorious fence sitters who usually fear anything 'new'. That's a good sign for the embedded Clinton.

This pollster also predicts Edwards (already making behind the scene deals) will get the majority of the under 15%'ers.
-Richardsons a fence sitter. His 12% and delegates won't go to Obamaa. ++for Clinton
and Edwards.
-The other 11% won't go to Hillary. ++ for Edwards and Obama.
-New voters. ++ Obama

So here's MY BREAKING 2CENTS WORTH OF USELESS NEWS:
1. Edwards -who is not electable anywhere else - will win Iowa. More by default than by voter choice.
2. Obama will -with a record turnout -win a close second. Making him a true Contender.
3. Hillary - and the Republicans will cry "wee wee wee" all the way home to Bill.

And on whheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee go to 2008!

Happy New Year everyone!

[clintonius]

What these polls tell me.

If you are an Iowan, own a landline, and are registered as a republican, it is highly likely that you are retarded.

[Qbear]

MotherHucker hang on long enough to damage Mittler...then both of you go to hell.

[snruB]

I love how the Democrats are all crammed together, poll-wise. It's going to make Thursday so exiting

[sonofloud]

Who cares who wins Iowa or any other little state that doesn't matter?
When all is said and done Hillary, who happens to be the best qualified candidate, will win the nomination.
Or don't you read your own political polls?