The good news for Senator Hillary Clinton is that she received the Des Moines Register endorsement. The bad news is that she got it a full 18 days before the Iowa caucuses. Four years ago, when the Register's support helped kick-start John Edwards' campaign into a surprise second-place finish behind John Kerry, the endorsement came only 8 days before the vote. That's a huge difference. By the time January 3rd rolls around, the December 16th Des Moines Register will be lining bird cages all over Iowa.
Here's what to look for...assuming that Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Senator Tom Harkin (who found himself standing behind Howard Dean on election night -- that was his frozen smile during Dean's voluble not-quite-victory speech) both remain above the fray, there are only two big "gets" remaining in the Democratic presidential race, each of whom could have a major impact on Iowa voters. Picture this Register headline on January 1, 2008: "John Kerry Endorses Hillary Clinton; Chooses New York Senator Over Former Running Mate John Edwards." That's a late game changer.
What could top it? How about this: "January 2, 2008 - Former Vice President And Nobel Peace Prize Winner Al Gore To Campaign For..." Senator Barack Obama? Senator John Edwards?
Now that's Tom Brady to Randy Moss...
Your assumption is like water poured in a basket made with straw.
FACT 2:
Senator Barack Hussein Obama knows that he cannot win the presidential election and his presidential campaign is just a political gambit to checkmate Senator Hillary Clinton.
Have you checked his donors and sponsors?
FACT 3:
The endorsement of the Des Moines Register will remain front page news till January 3 and after and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has the best network in Iowa and the senior high school pupils are fully involved in mobilization and sensitization and the Bald Eagle Blog on the Des Moines Register keeps the momentum going. The HillRaisers are the most circulated in Iowa and New Hampshire.
It would be good if you go to Iowa to see how the campaign is going.
Close up shots of the situation would be more realistic.
Facts do not lie.
We must be smart enough to see the endorsement for what it is. The newspaper prefers the man who buys the ads to the man who buys the paper.
It always has been a balancing act and, therefore, the endorsement belongs on the bottom of the bird cage, as you say.
From the article:
CONCORD, N.H. (AP) " Barack Obama picked up an endorsement Tuesday from filmmaker Ken Burns, who said he was disappointed in what he called the negative tone of Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign.
Burns, a Walpole, N.H., resident, said the back-and-forth between Obama and Clinton shows the country needs "a leader who calls upon on each and every one of us to heed the better angels of our nature and not " and not " our basest fears."
"At a time when our politics has descended into cynical slash-and-burn character attacks, Barack Obama has steadfastly presented a positive, unironic agenda for this country," Burns said in a conference call with reporters.
By J. Patrick Coolican and Michael J. Mishak
Published in the Sun on Dec. 18, 2007
Some commentators have begun to refer to it as “The Obama Trick,” which goes like this: Even though Republicans disagree with all of the policy positions of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, they still like him. Most recently, this was seen in a sympathetic profile by Stephen Hayes in the pages of the conservative magazine The Weekly Standard.
Now Obama’s presidential campaign is turning that into a vote or two, announcing Monday that 659 Nevada Republicans will caucus for Obama, and there’s now a Republicans for Obama group in the state.
More than 100 are allowing their names to be used publicly. (Obama has a bit in his stump speech when he talks about Republicans who support him; he says they whisper to him for fear of letting their Republican minders know.)
The campaign used Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine, who endorsed Obama early on, to make the announcement. He and his predecessor, Mark Warner, created the model for Democrats winning in Republican states.
But, I don't think Gore would endorse either, just to maintain his image of being above the fray to keep his access to legislators who will work for climate change.
But, as far as the "MONUMENTAL GET" quality of your premise, you're absolutely right. It would be HUGE! And likely to sway voters.
Obama's wife tells us he ties his own shoes......."That's our Guy!!!! Mr. President
Ever since Gannett put their stranglehold on that paper, people pick it up because it's the only newspaper with LOCAL news available, not because it has it's "finger on the pulse of Iowa".
Thirty years ago it did. Not now.
In essence The Register is the USA Today with local stories and local advertising.