Okay, who fared well this time in Iowa? Ted Cruz won the Republican caucus; Trump came in a distant second and almost tied with Rubio, who came in third. Of course, there are no second place winners, even in Iowa caucuses. So, “The Donald”, in true narcissistic form declared Ted Cruz “stole” the election and demanded a do-over. Ben Carson wasn’t too happy about his placement either and stooped to throwing accusations too.
One thing this Iowa caucus has portended is the sour grapes anyone not coming out on top will have.
As for the Democrats, well it was a coin-toss – literally – between the only two remaining candidates, Bernie Sander and Hillary Clinton. Yes, it was reported that several caucuses had to literally toss a coin to make a decision. You can’t make that stuff up! That’s how close it was. In the end, Hillary was declared the winner by a couple of votes. Well, gee, does that surprise anybody? After all, Mrs. Clinton is the anointed favorite of the Democratic Party.
Of course, and in true socialist form, Bernie said they would look at those coin toss caucuses. I am surprised he didn’t point out that this is not the way it is done in other socialist countries. Well, no, Bernie, they only get one candidate in those countries.
On to New Hampshire. As this is a weekly column, the voting there will be settled by the time you read this. The favorites in that state, according to polls, would be Sanders and Rubio. If it does come out this way, what will the winners of Iowa say or do?
And Trump? Well, I am sure he will throw one of his tantrums – Trumpterums is what Cruz calls them. And it will be YHUGE!
As for Clinton, well, it will be a treat to see her beat down a notch or two.
But who were the losers in Iowa? On the Republican side, Rick Santorum, Mike Huckabee, and Rand Paul all announced they would end their campaign. For Paul, this was no real surprise. He had failed to generate much enthusiasm among Republicans in any polls. The Santorum finish was interesting since in 2012 he beat out Mitt Romney in Iowa. I guess even Iowans can be fickle.
Why Huckabee didn’t make a better showing is a mystery to me. Maybe Iowans just don’t trust candidates from Arkansas. After all, they went for Bill Clinton in ’96 and look how that turned out.
Martin O’Malley never really had a chance for the Democratic nomination. He knew it and dropped out the day of the Iowa caucus.
Stay tuned, folks. This is only the beginning. In this horse race, anything can happen. And you can bet whatever does happen will be accompanied by a whole lot of fireworks and mud.
