There is no question that Walker is the Republican to beat in Iowa: He is practically a local.... It might sound trivial, but in Iowa politics, feeling comfortable with a candidate is paramount. Walker “talks like we do,” [said Matt Strawn, a former Iowa Republican Party chairman]. “He drinks the same beers we do. The most important thing to be successful in caucuses is, you need to be accessible and authentic,” Strawn added. “The last few caucus winners have been people Iowans found relatable.”
July 28, 2015
"I can’t say [young Scott Walker] was an angel. He was a little mischievous. He liked to talk. You could just see the gleam in his eye then that you see now."
Said Walker's 3rd grade teacher, quoted in "Scott Walker's Iowa."
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
18 comments:
I am an Iowan. I want Walker to win it all.
Where are the quotes from Obamas 3rd grade teacher?
"He drinks the same beers we do."
Oh Lord, this again.
Trump is no Iowan in manner, dress or any way whatsoever. Probably not a Bud Lite drinker either. Surely he has never eaten at a Pizza Ranch. What explains The Donald's numbers and crowds in Iowa?
harrogate said...
"He drinks the same beers we do."
Oh Lord, this again.
Jack Handey said...
Democracy is a beautiful thing, except for that part about letting just any old yokel vote.
"Democracy is a beautiful thing, except for that part about letting just any old yokel vote."
Yeah, if we don't keep finding ways to imagine candidates hanging out with us drinking beers, then we can kiss voting goodbye.
As my godmother said when the subject of letting me select the menu for my wedding reception came up:
"How can we let her choose when she doesn't know what we want?"
(For the record, I let my mom and her sisters choose. They clearly cared way, way more than I did and I earned a solid decade of good relations from it.)
When are we going to shitcan the Iowa caucuses anyway?
Iowa is not very representative but early primary voting depends a lot on personal contact so it involves small states. Iowa has two demographics that I see, Republicans who are very religious and Democrats who are very left wing. That tends to skew the choices a bit but Democrats are almost all very left wing these days so it affects them less.
When you see the words "this is what Democracy looks like" remember "Democracy is mob rule with a ballot box".
How a mob responds to leaders depends on the makeup of the mob. While Iowa trends Democrat in national elections, many (if not most) of the people are actually quite conservative. Iowans have been treated like rubes by the right and left coast people for decades. They tend to appreciate politicians that share that "rube" treatment form the media. Scott Walker is a perfect fit in Iowa and has Iowa roots.
He drinks the same beers we do.
With the evolution of the craft beer industry I wonder how this shakes our with yokels today? Are you expected to drink the local mass produced swill or is there an appreciation of quality amongst the masses? Does my love of Founder's Breakfast Stout get me elected only in Michigan? Does Bernie win in a landslide with an appreciation of Heady Topper? What's the new math?
My Dad grew up in Iowa. He doesn't like Scott Walker.
Of course, one of Dad's Dad's friends was Henry Wallace.
Trump is no Iowan in manner, dress or any way whatsoever. Probably not a Bud Lite drinker either. Surely he has never eaten at a Pizza Ranch. What explains The Donald's numbers and crowds in Iowa?
I remember an episode of The Apprentice where the contestants had to do some kind of charity fundraiser. One was an outside event, involving outside seating. He had a major hissy fit that the seat reserved for him had dirt on it - would not sit down until someone took care of it. In the wrap-up he ripped into the team for not having seen to that detail.
Have also seen the stories about how he hates to shake hands, always has the hand sanitizer with him.
The true test will be seeing him make an appearance, in his street shoes, on a rainy fall day in a Iowa hog feedlot.
You know they think you're serious when they interview your third grade teacher.
"Yeah, if we don't keep finding ways to imagine candidates hanging out with us drinking beers, then we can kiss voting goodbye."
In first past the post systems (Britain and the US), as opposed to party list systems, it was always necessary to campaign down in the weeds. Parliamentary campaigning in Britain always had the local gentry wannabe MP buying beers at the pub - this isn't something new, it is very very old. In a sense such local in the weeds campaigning keeps the rep "real" and personal.
US congressional campaigns are failing here (in the sense of maintaining a personal connection) because the constituencies are too large for personal knowledge. US political campaigns are now much more ideology/tribal matters because they are more like the European party lists.
Good democrats simply can't vote for someone who isn't respected by his third grade teacher. Or someone who spells"pantsuit" with a hyphen. Or someone who winks.
The last few caucus winners have been people Iowans found relatable.
It's so reassuring that our next president will be someone Iowans find "relatable." Because the 21st century is all about corn.
What explains The Donald's numbers and crowds in Iowa?
He's fighting back.
Post a Comment