Breaking MSNBC...Iowa Polls...

[deminflorida]

Front-runner’s lead at 2 percentage points 8 days before caucuses

"The survey began Thursday as four-year-old tapes surfaced showing Dean criticizing the Iowa caucuses as dominated by special interests, and continued Friday when Iowa's most influential Democrat, Sen. Tom Harkin, endorsed Dean."

Before and After the Harkin endorsement!



http://msnbc.msn.com/id/3931342/

[jpgpenn]

1. Thanks for the post

[deminflorida]

2. Gephardt's backers least likely to change their minds...

"Gephardt's backers were the least likely to change their mind, with 31 percent calling their support "very strong." Twenty-six percent of Dean's support was "very strong," with Edwards at 18 percent and Kerry 14 percent."

A National Poll showing Clark becoming the front-runner would be huge for the Clark Campaign...

Dean/Gephardt 1st/2nd
Kerry Edwards 3rd/4th
Clark 5th

In a state where he has not had to spend any money or campaigned in...

A smart move for Clark would be to fly to Iowa for a visit just before the voting begins....

If the national polls change this week a High-Profile one or two day sweep thru the state could upset the apple-cart.

14% of voters are still undecided....give them a clear choice Wes.

[deminflorida]

4. The Grass Roots are already in place...

http://sodbuster.org/

http://www.iowansforclark.net/news.php?item=52

[MoonRiver]

6. A visit like that is a great idea.

Hope he does it. If I lived in Iowa he'd get my vote. Even if he's not campaigning there he's been in the debates and is all over the media. It's impossible to miss his appeal.

[Bucky]

7. We're gaming the system to much when the "real race" is for 5th place

5th place is 3%. I mean, Lieberman's in 5th place too. Can we make the same statement about Lieberman's chance to "upset the apple-cart"? Is fifth place EVER a moral victory? No, going to Iowa now would risk too much to gain too little. Clark's central virtue is his discipline, not his spontaneity.

[Jerseycoa]

3. This is great

I'm growing to love Iowa :loveya:

It's got such drama.

[AP]

5. Here are the numbers (Edwards is making a move, I think)

1/8-10

Dean 25%  
 
Gephardt 23%  
 
Kerry 15%  

 Edwards 14%  
 
Lieberman 3%  
 
Clark 3%  
 
Kucinich 2%  
 
Sharpton 1%  
 
Moseley Braun 1%  

Undecided 14%  
  
  
 

[BootinUp]

8. Yes Edwards is making a move

He is passing Kerry in Iowa and Clark is passing Kerry in NH. The last three standing are going to be Dean, Clark and Edwards.

[johnfunk]

10. The last three -- or four -- standing

"The last three standing are going to be Dean, Clark and Edwards."

It might be four, with Kerry still standing -- but barely. My gut tells me that Dick "Pink tutu" Gephardt comes in second in a squeaker -- and as the "local favorite," that'll mean he's toast on a stick. He will have only himself to blame -- for not borrowing Nancy Pelosi's cojones the minute it was clear that El Smirko was going to seize 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

There's a reason I like both Dean and Clark in particular -- not only are they taking on that arrogant Bush boy, but they are also bitch-slapping the SCLM* whores, particularly those on "cable news." They are unafraid to challenge this pervasive and subversive media bias -- and therefore challenge the GOP-media hegemony that played a factor in fixing the 2000 election in favor of the unelected fraud and his minions squatting in our White House.

Either way, with the contenders whittled down, it's time for the finalists to train their attention on the number one issue facing the nation: the miserable failure that is former Texas governor George W. Bush, an empty flightsuit of a man whose every decision plunges this nation deeper into distress and danger.

Democrats should stand proud. We have a clutch of smart, motivated, bold and visionary candidates who do our party proud -- all far more ethical, qualified and intelligent than Smirky W. McChickenhawk could ever dream of being.

* SCLM stands for "So-called liberal media."

[leyton]

9. Endorsement

Edwards got a glowing endorsement from the Des Moines Register today, I believe.

"Democrats could nominate any of those candidates with confidence they had chosen a worthy standard-bearer with the potential of being a successful president. The abundance of well-qualified candidates makes choosing among them difficult.

Until Edwards is given a closer look. The more we watched him, the more we read his speeches and studied his positions, the more we saw him comport himself in debate, the more we learned about his life story, the more our editorial board came to conclude he's a cut above the others."

There's more... http://desmoinesregister.com/opinion/stories/c2125555/23214048.html