Today's New York Times has a story on Hillary Clinton's frantic attempts to interest Iowa voters in her campaign. Barack Obama has the lead here, John Edwards is neck-and-neck with Clinton, yet the Democratic party machine clearly backs Clinton, the worst possible choice.
Her behavior in Iowa shows why. While other candidates travel the entire state, stopping at small town cafes and family farms, Clinton focuses on more populated areas, hanging out with people with better educations and higher incomes--people more like her. She has no interest in relating to the masses, and when she makes the effort, condescension drips from her every pore. She doesn't care about the poor or the middle class. She may be running with the mules, but everything about her behavior and bearing suggests she'd fit in just fine with the Republicans.
Speaking of which--Mike Huckabee? Iowa has to take the blame for this one. Granted, the Republican contenders are among the sorriest bunch of creepy white guys you'll ever see, but the inexplicable surge of enthusiasm for Huckabee largely results from peeved Iowans not getting enough visits from Giuliani or Fred Thompson, and so turning to a guy who's spent way too much time here. Instead of appealing to their better angels, Huckabee exploits the latent xenophobia of the rural masses by spinning immigration horror stories, while simultaneously spouting Christian pieties. (Incidentally, did I miss something? Is there some lost gospel depicting Jesus as a fence-building racist? Or is Huckabee just a two-faced huckster?)
So as an Iowan, let me apologize in advance for the outcomes of the caucuses, whatever the results may be. On the other hand, there's only so much we can do with a two-party system offering a parade of mediocrity.
