McCain eyes Iowa in general election
- Font Size:
- Default font size
- Larger font size
By Charlotte Eby | Sunday, May 11, 2008 |
For all the speculation that the 2008 election would look like a Democratic sweep, it’s now looking more like the presidential race will be a more evenhanded contest.
Republican nominee John McCain has a wider appeal to independent voters than many of the conservatives that had once crowded the GOP field such as Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee.
And now Democrats, who had been expecting a banner year, are fighting among themselves as the nomination contest between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama becomes increasingly
bitter.
That’s giving McCain a head start on making his case to voters while Obama sees his candidacy tarnished with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright distraction.
Iowa voters can expect to see themselves in the middle of the election fight once again.
Although the state only has seven electoral votes, it’s never a sure bet whether they will end up in the Republican or Democratic column. That’s helped keep Iowa in the spotlight long after the caucus campaigns leave town.
McCain already is gearing up for the general election contest in Iowa, with a campaign stop here Thursday. He’s also running a 60-second TV spot describing his plan to provide $5,000 tax credits for families to purchase health insurance.
It’s only been four months since the Clinton and Obama campaigns pulled up stakes in Iowa, but it will feel like longer now that McCain has made his way back to meet with voters.
Some will point out that McCain didn’t run an aggressive Iowa caucus campaign while he focused instead on winning the New Hampshire primary.
But it seems unlikely voters here will punish him for that when November rolls around.
What voters might punish him for is his stance on the Iraq war. McCain has been a staunch supporter of the military effort in Iraq, even as polls show a strong majority of Americans oppose it.
Last fall, McCain hit Iowa on his “No Surrender” bus tour and called setting a date for withdrawal of American troops a date for surrender.
“If we leave under those conditions, you will see chaos, genocide in Iraq, and we will be back. And we will be back because it will become a base for al-Qaida activities,” McCain said.
Those sentiments went over well with the crowd at an AMVETS hall, but it will be interesting to see whether he softens his stance when he’s trying to woo independent voters.
He could end up dogged by those earlier statements if he tries to inch his way to the middle.
McCain’s campaign event in Iowa Thursday coincided with the fifth anniversary of President Bush’s infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech where he declared that major combat operations in Iraq had ended. Democrats were quick to point out McCain’s support of a war that has killed more the 4,000 Americans.
But as the economy weakens, voters are more likely to turn their focus to pocketbook concerns than the conflict in Iraq.
Many of them will be looking for someone with strong leadership they feel they can trust more than any other trait.
That’s the type of shift that could give McCain an opening in November.
And it’s why the calls are growing louder from Democrats to settle their party’s nomination before their candidates end up significantly weakened for the general election.
Contact Charlotte Eby at (515) 243-0138 or chareby@aol.com
del.icio.us
Digg
NewsVine
Fark
reddit» More Columnists Stories
Highest Rated Articles from the last 7 Days
- Technology News Articles
- Computers, MP3, Phones & More. See Product Pics, Specs & Reviews.
- www.NexTag.com
- Discount Magazines
- Save up to 80% off the Cover Price. Select from your favorites.
- www.MagazineOutlet.com
- Cheap Airfare
- Compare multiple travel sites. Discount web fares made easy.
- www.LowFares.com
- Ads by Yahoo!
