Minus a thousand
Iowa - where I have just arrived - is a reminder of the clash in US politics between the homespun and the horribly over-sophisticated.
Our plane waits for half an hour on the tarmac because is, in spite of being a glamorous destination every four years, pretty low key. So when two aircraft arrive at the same time there is a delay while enough ground staff are found to cope.
And yet the entire political nation and half the political world is arriving or about to arrive - my flight alone contained a man from the , another from and the admirable from the and . At the hotel serious looking people are holding suit carriers full of TV anchor clothes to be stuck on top-halves at the last minute in order to stay warm.
A friend tells me the weather - it's minus a thousand, there is a freezing fog, and everything is covered in snow as hard as steel - is particularly bad at the moment but I suspect the locals have arranged it.
They love their , do not get me wrong, but it seems they like the old-fashioned variety not the hard-driven modern type where campaigns arrange "robo-calls" to drum up support, forcing many people here simply to refuse to answer their phones till 4th January.
A telephone pollster tells me his company noticed that Iowa had a reported death rate 20 times the national average: apparently when they called and asked for a husband or wife the spouse would say, "Oh they died!" in the hope of getting off the lists …...
Hello, I'm 
°ä´Ç³¾³¾±ð²Ô³Ù²õÌýÌý Post your comment
It does seem odd that Iowa with a 98% white population is more "politically" aware than its cosmopolitan heavy weights, has more polical nous and clout and has a real "voice". But it is also sad that once the Presidential caravan has come and gone, their views are silenced in the loud cacophony of the coastal "main stream" melee.
Shame that, however, there is a lot to be said for being unprentious....just try wearing an expensive thin Italian suit when it is minus one thousand. The locals in their unprentious, but very warm clothing, know a thing or two...
Minus a thousand, hmm? Betcha you are incredibly thankful that it isn't the Minnesota Caucus you're warming up for. (Minnesota: the only state in the union where, during winter, you have to climb up onto your roof so you can land on your front porch safely.
-1000! I didn't know they hold caususes on Pluto.
As I write this there are no comments on this article.
No doubt I'll return to find all sorts of pathetic comments questioning why a British journalist feels he is in a position to comment on the weather in America and condemning the partiality of news in Britain.
Isn't "admirable Howard Kurtz" an oxymoron?
According to a Pew study released a couple of weeks ago, about one in three likely voters contacted for their poll had already been polled at least once. One in ten had already been polled three or more times.
I lived in Iowa for a few years and have been through the whole caucus circus. It was interesting going to various events for the candidates and meeting them. I've met Al Gore, John Kerry, John Edwards, Al Sharpton, Dennis Kucinich, Joe Lieberman, often in fairly informal settings. You really do get a chance to talk to them. On the other hand there were nonstop political ads, telephone pollsters, door-to-door canvasing which was all a bit much. And the caucuses themselves are very informal which is refreshing in today's political climate.
Iowa will revert to being fly over country once the caucuses end. The snow is armpit deep to a tall indian & it's as cold as a judge's heart after hearing the excuse for missing child support payments in Jan. Why bother with going there save for the caucuses?
Iowa DOES NOT in any way represent the United States. Their African American population is 2%. 2%! Iowa's main industry is centered on hogs and corn. This does not represent America.
Why the media continues to focus on the Caucus is beyond reasoning. John Kerry, Al Gore, Walter Mondale, and "uncommitted" are all past "winners".
The worst part of the Iowa focus is that the candidates rarely (if ever) travel to my area nor do they even make an effort to run tv, radio, or print ads outside of a few states. Much of the US is neglected.
Welcome to Iowa Justin.
The Des Moines Airport only has about 30-35 commercial flights a day go through there, however, since UPS and Fed Ex fly bigger jets from there, it has all the perks of a larger airport but at home town price and convience. That translates to short lines, close parking, short walks to gates/baggage pick up, friendly TSA, etc. I fly all over the US and prefer the Des Moines Airport to just about everywhere else.
On Politics, laws and general governance, believe it or not, Iowa tends to be about 15-20 years more progressive then the coasts. We have been ahead of the curve since the 1860's. Alot of that is because for us, an election is not a spectator sport.
You have very appropriate comments in your blog. Thank you, and come back any time.
Iowa is pretty remote even within geographically-challenged America. I remember the old joke about the visitor to Dallas who tells a Texan that he is from Iowa. The Texan nods gracefully and then tells the man that "...down here we pronounce it Ohio".
Iowa is not representative, but it is just one example of ways we need election reform. No sense in just picking on Iowa.