So the two leading republicans say they don't expect to win Iowa

[bigtree]

first Gingrich yesterday, and, Romney today . . .

"It's hard to predict exactly what's going to happen," Romney said on MSNBC. "I think I'll be among the top group."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2012/01/03/national/a053333S28.DTL


If I get 25 percent, if that turns out to be the case, that will most likely be the highest number, so winning is just fine. I’m not predicting a win. Maybe I get 20 percent, someone else gets 25 percent.
http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71031.html

[Jackpine Radical]

1. Somehow, an old Republican phrase comes to mind--

"The soft bigotry of low expectations…"

Actually, I think they're limbo-dancing, setting the bar as low as possible.

[HereSince1628]

2. Huckabee's win in Iowa said a lot about the importance and relevance of Iowa

The inability of 41% of republicans to have made up their minds as of last night says a lot about these candidates. None of the media are working that 41% into the percentages of support because when you do it, no one gets much more than 16% of the potential caucus goers.

With 41% undecided on the eve of the caucus it can't be predicted based on polling per se. The best guesses are based on the demographics of the caucus goers...whose largest constituencies are evangelicals and teahadists.

[rbixby]

3. I remember seeing some previous results

of the Iowa caucus, and they're not really even 50% right on who ends up as the overall candidate. I think they put too much time and effort into Iowa. Not that I mind, of course, just sayin.