Politico: Iowa 2016 GOP forum - 10 takeaways

Statistikhengst

Diamond Member
Nov 21, 2013
45,564
11,756
2,070
deep within the statistical brain!!
Iowa 2016 GOP forum 10 takeaways - James Hohmann - POLITICO


Interesting is the very populistic sounding sub-headline:

Republican contenders take aim at corporate America.

:eek:

From the link:

Evangelicals are likely to stay splintered for much of this year, and it’s difficult to see the influential bloc of voters coalescing behind a single favorite before next February’s Republican caucuses.

A forum that drew nine likely presidential candidates and 1,200 activists to a church here Saturday night, along with a dozen other events around the Hawkeye State this weekend, reflected how crowded the competition already is for the support of social conservatives.


Former Baptist pastor Mike Huckabee, who won the 2008 caucuses, still has deep appeal in this community. But there is lots of interest in first-time candidates, like Ted Cruz, Scott Walker, Marco Rubio and even BobbyJindal. And retreads like Rick Perry and Rick Santorum should not be totally written off; each could become a factor.

A splintered religious right could allow a relative moderate like Jeb Bush or Chris Christie – both of whom skipped the cattle call at Point of Grace church – to win the caucuses with a plurality, a fear expressed quietly by leaders of the movement.


There are 10 points listed at the article. Discuss.

Pick one of the 10 and run with the ball!

I personally liked points four and five (Huckabee, Jindal) and found them to be enlightening.

And there is also this:

Israel is more of a litmus test than ever before for evangelicals

This crowd has always felt a special bond with Israel, inspired by Biblical passages that say the land belongs to the Jewish people. Four years ago, it was a box all the candidates checked. Now, it is consistently one of the biggest applause lines in their speeches.

Contrary to most coverage, it’s not just about appealing to megadonors like Sheldon Adelson. The Republican Jewish Coalition meeting was running simultaneously in Las Vegas this weekend, and speakers like Cruz and Perry addressed both.

There was a booth called “Iowans for Israel” near the entrance to the sanctuary, where attendees could get free lapel pins that show the Israeli and Iowa flags crossed over each other. A man in the audience waved an Israeli flag every time a candidate said anything good about the country.

“How can it be that our president shows more respect for the Ayatollah in Iran than our allies in Israel?” Rubio asked to loud cheers.

Walker brought the crowd to its feed when he brought up Israel near the end of his speech. “We need a president who recognizes that Israel is an ally and starts treating it like one,” he said.

Fiorina said she’s visited more countries than any of the other GOP candidates. “I remember sitting in Bibi Netanyahu’s office five years ago,” she said. “There were only three people in that office: me, my husband Frank and Bibi Netanyahu. And Bibi Netanyahu wanted to talk then about Iran.”


So, discuss...
 

New Topics

Forum List

Back
Top