I don’t know about how Iowa is, but I know here in Hawaii, it’s virtually impossible to poll due to small population combined with a mix of rural and urban voters and mix of ethnicities (the latter may be less of an effect in Iowa 
). As a result, there are rarely any two polls that are within 15 points of one another, and if one is within 10 points of the outcome it’s probably an accident.
I’ll drink to that.
Oh good, they photoshopped the teeth out of a different celebrity’s mouth for their clickbait “people with fake teeth” nonsense at the bottom of the page. It seems oddly appropriate, after reading this article.
Well I’m bored. No idea what the author wanted to say - nothing worth reading in the first two paragraphs. Sorry.
He shouldn’t do the hitting. That is something for the party to do. That said I agree Democrats are simply too nice. You can bet the Koch funds will paint a very bleak picture of Braley.
I don’t understand this column. According to our media, there’s no such thing as a right wing extremist. Anti-government guy with guns who murders cops? “Survivalist.” Set off bombs at abortion clinics and Olympics? “Survivalist.” Asssemble a rabble of armed goobers to threaten federal officers attempting to enforce law? “Land rights activist.” Blow up a federal building, murdering hundreds, including children? “Who?”
But “terrorists?” No, only skaree mooslims and Bill Ayers can be terrorists.
Call it skewing or unscewing, polls are for influence.
Shuckin’ and Fermentin’ and Jivin’
“skewing” is a loaded term, but by not doing basic reporting where false statements and extreme positions are exposed, the local electorate being polled has less of a rational/factual basis to make decisions then they should. Not everyone has the time or inclination (or in some cases, the ability) to research and fact-check politician’s positions and claims. The fourth estate is supposed to fill that role, but has sadly come up increasingly short over time.
The previous poster makes a good point to tie the mainstream media’s shirking of its duty to the influx of cash from CU, which provides additional motivation to not “offend” either paying customer by pointing out actual facts.
Extremely unfair to bulls.
Michelle Bachmann and Scott Walker were also born in Iowa.
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Joni Ernst may have walked back her vote for the Personhood Amendment, but her rationalization for doing so does not seem genuine. Perhaps she did not understand what it entailed – that it would make all abortion illegal, for example. Or perhaps, she supported it to please her base and she really did not believe in it, after all. Or perhaps, she wholehearted supported it, but now realizes that it is now a political liability.
But whatever the reason for her waffling on this issue, it is important that she explains why she has changed her mind, or indeed, if she were presented with the same opportunity to vote on it, that she would not support it this time.
Ernst has promoted a number of extreme positions, and yet she seems to avoid being described as an extremist. Now, it is possible that she does not believe half the stuff she spouts, but even if that were true, it would mean that she is a cynical political operator.
She began her rise in the political world with a gruesome metaphor of castration of pigs, as if she is going to Washington and metaphorically will castrate the big spenders. One wonders if instead she had spayed cats. How would that work as a metaphor for working in Congress?
But please note, Ernst says nothing about how she would cut spending. That would take analysis and political courage. Certainly, she would never dare speak about cutting the farm subsidies.
At any rate, from my vantage point, Joni Ernst is eerily very much like another charismatic political operative and media star who speaks very little about policy and principles and a lot in sound bites and ad hominen attacks. Indeed, it makes sense that her champion is Sarah Palin. In other words, she could not hold a candle to our Founding Fathers who were concern about policies and principles. God help us if she is elected.
The question is not is EXTREMISM a character issue but INCOMPETENCE.
Isn’t that an interesting factoid. Very interesting.
She believes Agenda 21 is a real thing…thats moronic from the start. Its a Bircherism…its about time these Birchers were called out in debates.
To be completely honest, I am not convinced that she does believe it…but she knows that a lot of her base does believe it…and firmly believes that it is morally wrong to allow a sucker to keep his money or his vote. So she brays on with exactly what they want to hear.
The more telling factor to me is how she dismisses her Agenda 21 comments now…not by saying its nonsense, but by saying that Iowans are far too savvy and tough to be at risk…for now. And she got a complete pass from the MSM with that response. Palin, on her best day after a full nights sleep, couldn’t pull off a comment like that.