Dear Shreveport, We Need to Talk

DES MOINES -- Dear Shreveport-Bossier, we need to talk.

It's time to see other people.  While I love you, and have spent my entire life with you, you are not making forward progress to the degree that you should; you're not working up to your potential.  You could do so much better.

Nobody is perfect, and I don't expect you to be perfect.  But...

Let's look at Des Moines, Iowa, for a moment.  So often, people around the country laugh at and scoff at old Des Moines.  But Shreveport, let me share a secret with you; I've been having a little affair with Des Moines for several years now.

You see, Des Moines is about the same size as you, generally.  It has suburban areas just like you do.  There isn't a whole lot of difference in the population numbers:  As of 2014, Des Moines had a population of about 209,000 and in 2013, Shreveport had about 200,000 and Bossier City has a population of about 70,000.   Roughly even; at least comparable.

So why does it seem like downtown Des Moines is light years ahead of you, Shreveport?  What gives?

Downtown Des Moines is a thriving, busy, happening place where people live, work, and play.  There are many, many restaurants, cafes, and bars with outdoor seating:

There is one...

...right after another...

I realize it's a lot hotter and it's more humid in Louisiana, but look Shreveport, your neighbor in Dallas has a lot of outdoor patio areas, too.

In downtown Des Moines, there are old buildings that have been converted to apartments; something that you are beginning to do, Shreveport-Bossier.  These lofts and apartments are filled with young people that work and play downtown:

There are even little grocery stores here and there so if you need to pick up something, you don't really have to leave downtown.

And Shreveport, in downtown Des Moines, they restore old buildings, not abandon them and let them rot until they just fall down.  You have so many fine buildings downtown that have fallen into such a sad state of urban decay.  What business wants to come into a town like that?  Why can't your leaders find a way to preserve instead of ignore?

Even the littlest flaws are addressed and marked for repair.

Yes, Shreveport, downtown Des Moines is lovely with its flowers...

...and plentiful green spaces that enrich downtown living.  And it's so clean -- the people take pride in their downtown and so trash and litter is almost non-existent.

But Shreveport, even more than that, and this is where we need to talk, Des Moines has a Triple-A baseball team.  Now, think back to those population numbers I referenced, and let me reiterate:  Des Moines has a Triple-A baseball team.  And don't tell me that you can't have that because "the wealth isn't there."  Band together with your surrounding communities, work together.  Shreveport, Bossier, Benton, Haughton, even Minden.  It's there.

The Iowa Cubs play at Principal Park in downtown Des Moines in a lovely little stadium right on the river.

Principal Park seats 11,500 and replaces the original stadium that was built there in 1947.  The new stadium was completed in 1992, just six years after old, abandoned Fairgrounds Field,  and has gone through some upgrades since then, like the addition of sky boxes, etc.   I've been to see the Texas Rangers in their stadium, and let me tell you, there isn't much difference other than size.  The fun, amenities, and activities are all there.

Even better, the stadium is within walking distance of that busy, thriving downtown that we just talked about.  You can park your car at the stadium, walk two blocks, have lunch in a German bar/restaurant... (because you can only eat so much Mexican and Asian food which is about all you have, Shreveport...I know there are Italian restaurants and steak places, but let's get some variety, eh?)

Have some authentic German food,

...go to a first-class science center:

Then walk over to the ballpark and see a great game.

The tickets to these games at Principal Park are quite affordable.  For less than twenty bucks for two people, you can sit right behind home plate;  look at that view, too!  The beautiful capitol building is lovely all lit up at night.

A person might even be lucky enough to get an autograph from a visiting retired major league player like Lee Smith.

Shreveport-Bossier, why in the world don't you have baseball?

It's a great thing to be able to take the family out to a ball game.

Why, Shreveport, why can't you do this?

And if baseball isn't your thing, Shreveport, Des Moines has two hockey teams - The Iowa Wild which is American Hockey League, and the Des Moines Buccaneers which is the United States Hockey League.  You remember hockey, don't you, Shreveport-Bossier?  There's also basketball, soccer, and pretty much whatever other sports you'd like to see.

And guess what, Shreveport?  Des Moines also has a zoo - a really fabulous zoo.

Like I said, I love you, Shreveport; I really do.  You've been my home my entire life, and that's why I hate to see you languish.  There's more to life than casinos, really!  There's got to be a better tourist draw than the Boardwalk, don't you think?  So, what's the problem?

It looks like people have already given up on you, Shreveport-Bossier.  Given up.

That is heartbreaking.

Iowa State University to Remove Gideon Bibles from Campus Hotel

Last week, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal gave a speech at the Reagan Library in which he warned of a silent war on religion in our country;  he said:

This war is waged in our courts and in the halls of political power. It is pursued with grim and relentless determination by a group of like-minded elites, determined to transform the country from a land sustained by faith — into a land where faith is silenced, privatized, and circumscribed.

This is playing out all across our country. Prayer is forbidden in schools.  It is forbidden at most sporting events.  Creches are not allowed without other secular symbols.  Courthouses across the country have been stripped of displays of the Ten Commandments.  "Happy Holidays" is the greeting you get in shops now instead of "Merry Christmas."  It goes on and on.  We have become a nation of political correctness run amok.

Now we get a report that a guest in an Iowa State University hotel was offended by the Bible in a drawer in his room and has filed a complaint with the Freedom From Religion Foundation.  As a result, the hotel will have all Bibles removed by March 1:

Rooms at Iowa State University’s Hotel Memorial Union will no longer contain Gideon bibles, after a guest complained to a watchdog group about “unwelcome religious propaganda in the bedside table.”

The Bibles will be placed in the hotel's browsing library.

The basis of the complaint seems to be in part that the university is state run.  In that case, why not remove the Bibles from the library, too?  Isn't it also state run?

In his speech at the Reagan Library, Governor Jindal referenced a famous quote by Margaret Thatcher:

Margaret Thatcher famously said, 'Europe was created by history. America was created by philosophy.’ The secular elites understand this just as well as she did. And they know that to take over America, they must make war on this philosophy.

Part of the rotting of the moral fabric of our country occurs in liberal universities.

As far as I can tell, Iowa State University put up no fight whatsoever to this complaint.  Last year the campus hotel at the University of Wisconsin-Madison also removed Bibles from their rooms.

How can one Gideon Bible in a drawer be so offensive?  If I saw a Quran in a drawer would I file a lawsuit or a complaint?  I'd like to think not.  I'd just close the drawer.

Governor Jindal noted in his speech that our founding documents were designed to protect people of all religions.  It just seems that the Christian religion is the one under attack these days, from the Duck Dynasty flap to the Hobby Lobby case, Christians are constantly having to defend their rights to express their religion.

To the spineless administration at Iowa State University, I would leave you with this story about how a Gideon Bible saved one man's life.

Crunchy or Smooth?

This all depends on what kind of jelly it was and if it was crunchy or smooth peanut butter  Via The Des Moines Register:

A man was arrested Friday after an angry confrontation with his brother over his eating habits, according to a police report. 

The two brothers, in their 50s, live together on Des Moines’ East Side. 

The victim told police that his brother, Jerome Davis, “made three peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ate them in the living room. Within the next hour, the suspect made another 3 of these peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, bringing his total consumption of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to six. This angered the victim…”
The victim confronted Davis about over-eating, which quickly escalated. “Both victim and suspect began yelling about the other being lazy and ‘eating again,’” police reported. 

Davis then pulled out a folding knife and held it to the face of his brother, threatening to cut him, according to the report.

Best comment from the Des Moines Register site:  "Imagine if he had six Steakumm sandwiches."

Indeed.

Cabin fever or just hungry?

Tornadoes Devastate the Midwest: April 2012

We've been watching the tornado coverage today: Mr. SIGIS is from Iowa and has lots of friends and family there.

An aggregation of coverage:

From the Des Moines Register, here's a photo gallery of damage and cleanup in Des Moines.

The damage in Creston, Iowa was pretty serious.  Here is the Des Moines Register gallery of Creston damage.

The Creston News Advertiser reports that the sirens never had a chance to go off:

The sirens never went off.
“We didn’t receive any warning,” said Creston Police Chief Paul Ver Meer. “The first call came in that the hospital’s been hit when the tornado was on the ground.”

Thankfully, no fatalities have been reported.

This photo is from a friend who works in the hospital in Creston:

It's a real mess in there:

Here's one more:

There's more on Creston and more photos here, at the Facebook page for Creston News.

It has been reported that 75% of Thurmon, Iowa was destroyed by the storms.

More on Thurmon here, and video.

Go HERE to see a huge aggregation of photos of damage in Wichita, Kansas and in Thurmon, Iowa.  Video also.

Oklahoma wasn't spared either; here's video of two tornadoes in northwestern Oklahoma yesterday:

Meteorologist Jim Cantore is tweeting from Thurmon, Iowa and shares this picture of a "storm weary beagle" resting in their satellite truck.

Here are some wicked AP photos of yesterday's storms.

This video was shot in south central Kansas by Greg Johnson at Torndao Hunter:

More as it develops.

Back to Regular Programming

I'm back at work now - we had inservice today and the kids come tomorrow so my blogging will be light for a day or two.  Some quick links to check out:

On Obama's recess appointments - check out Doug Ross:

In other words, through his blatantly lawless activities, the President has initiated a Constitutional crisis.

And we all know that if a Republican President had even publicly considered this option, legacy media would be beating the war-drums for impeachment.

It's high time the clueless John Boehner and Mitch McConnell started playing hardball. Real hardball. Impeachment-style hardball. Heaven knows, there are enough charges to impeach five or six presidents at this point.

This is a big deal, folks, but you won't likely hear much about it from the legacy media.  If there's a Republican candidate worth his salt he'll take this drum and bang it through the election.

Professor Jacobson has something to say about the appointments as well.

Speaking of elections, check out Pundette's coverage of Rick Perry's indecision; and ironically, it's the second reference to "Casey at the Bat" that I've heard today (on totally unrelated stories).

Stacy McCain had terrific coverage of the caucuses last night. 

Obama felt the need to speak to Iowa Democrats last night in a weirdly sketchy video feed; he's trying to reinvigorate his base from four years ago:

"[O]ne of the things that we learned four years ago was that when people at grassroots level are getting involved and they're getting engaged, and they're feeling empowered and they're joining hands with each other -- that's a powerful force," the president said.

A group at "grassroots level" is empowering and wonderful as long as they're for him; if it's the Tea Party, well, that's something else again...

Donald Douglas has his own ideas about Michele Bachmann's collapse.

Hang in there.  I'm busy getting to know 65 new sophomores and teaching them the lay of the land in room M205, but I'll be back online shortly.

Iowa Caucus Day: News, Aggregation and Updates

Scroll for updates throughout the day.

Iowans are heading out to the caucuses tonight.  The weather is beautiful and should not be a factor in keeping folks from going out.  The governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad said on Fox News this morning that he is expecting record turnout.

One thing to remember about Iowa is that the percentage of people that go out and caucus is relatively small.  I have several family members in various parts of Iowa and I asked them about the phone calls and the caucuses.  Only one of them even knows anyone who actually goes to caucus.  All of them have been barraged by phone calls and most of those have been robocalls.  The robocalls are not particularly effective: it's easier to hang up on a computer than to a person.  As for support for a particular candidate, I got a variety of answers, including undecideds. 

That is the thing about this particular caucus event, I think, that is interesting.  There are so many undecideds.  This thing could be a blowout for one candidate or a photo finish among three.  Who knows?

Throughout the day I'll be posting updates and linking to others who are covering the event.

Legal Insurrection is doing the same thing and he will have a live event tonight.

Stacy McCain has been traveling through Iowa with the Santorum camp and he has terrific coverage and photos.

Real Clear Politics has an Iowa Caucus Primer on how the process works.

Here is Rick Perry's latest ad hammering Rick Santorum on earmarks.  Effective or no?



Stay tuned for updates.

If you're blogging the caucuses, let me know and I'll link you.

Update 1:  Yet another reason why the caucuses are so unpredictable:

Update 2:  Pirate's Cove has analysis of what comes after Iowa.  I don't necessarily agree with this, but we shall see:

By Wednesday, we could see Bachmann and Perry out, though they say they are going to South Carolina and bypassing New Hampshire. Santorum should survive. When it comes to Newt and Paul, we’ll have to see.

It will be interesting to see if the surge of volunteers that arrived Friday in support of Rick Perry pays off.   Also, Perry has the cash to stay in for a while.  I don't think Iowa will be his Waterloo.

Update 3:  Megyn Kelly is broadcasting today from the Iowa state capitol building.  It's one of the most beautiful state capitol buildings I've ever seen.  Here's a YouTube video someone shot of the inside.  

And, speaking of looking past Iowa, the GOP brain trust is already considering VP candidates:

While over a dozen names were suggested by the strategists, some with the campaigns, four top the list: South Dakota Sen. John Thune and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, both surrogates for Romney, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, the most talked-about Hispanic in Washington, and former Secretary of State Condi Rice.

Others receiving multiple votes were Ohio Sen. Rob Portman, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum.

"Romney is likely to have to go right," said one former Bush aide. "He'll need somebody to generate enthusiasm from the base. Rubio fits the bill."

What do you think?   They're writing off Santorum as the nominee, obviously, as assuming it's Mittens even before a single vote is cast.

Update 4:  The Des Moines Register has a handy guide and graphic to keep a vote tally.  But...notice the ad at the top of the page.  A glimpse of what is to come:

Update 5:  Rush Limbaugh replayed the audio of Perry's smack down of Mike Allen.  "This is NOT somebody stupid," he said.  Rush said, "I LIKE Rick Perry!"  Rick Perry makes him smile, he says.  Rush also said he LOVES Rick Santorum and says that any of these contenders would be great.  (Even Ron Paul?)

The Perry camp is fired up.  He gave a motivational speech to his volunteers this morning:

“This election is about stopping a president of the United States and his administration that is abusing the Constitution of this country, that is putting America on a track to bankruptcy, and folks, we’re going to take America back. That’s what this is about,” Perry told the crowd as it gave him a standing ovation. “It is a powerful moment in America’s history, and you are on the front lines.”

Of course, then he compared it to Omaha beach which is, I think, an unfortunate comparison.   He's trying to make the case that this is historic, critical even.   Considering the catastrophic losses on D-Day, this might be an overreach.

Update 6:  Ed Rollins, talking to Shepard Smith on Fox, says Michele Bachmanm will come in last tonight (no organization and no money, he says) and that the winners will be Romney and Ron Paul.  Santorum has momentum "but no organization" he says.  When asked about Rick Perry, Rollins says if Perry comes in 4th, he actually stands the best chance to challenge Romney because of his money and organization.  Perry may come in first or second in South Carolina.  "His campaign is very alive," he says.  Rollins says Perry has done a much better job than people recognize.  He doesn't see much for Santorum after Iowa.

As for Newt, Rollins says Newt isn't raising money and is going to have a hard time in New Hampshire.

Rollins predicts Ron Paul will stay in the race to the end and should be treated with respect, but there's no path to the win for him.

Update 7:  Ouch.  Stacy McCain:

"...the Perry campaign is a lamentable joke here in Iowa. I’ve been talking to experienced Iowa Republicans during my travels the past week, and experienced observers are united in the opinion that Perry has wasted millions of dollars on a campaign that has done him more harm than good."

Stacy is, of course, in the Santorum camp and is not a Perry fan as you can tell.

Update 8:  Left Coast Rebel has a live-updating event going on as well.

On Fox, Shep Smith talks to Debbie Wasserman Schultz who says the Republican field is "interchangeable" and "lackluster".   Shep points out Obama's broken promises and DSW says that is "simply not true."  She says he ended the Iraq war which was one of his promises.  He passed Obamacare, she says, yet Shep points out it isn't a single payer system that the base wanted.

The woman is delusional.  She says Obama has turned the economy around and that unemployment is declining.  The Republicans have embraced the Tea Party and "out right winged each other" throughout the campaign.

She says Obama will win "handily."

Silly.

Update 9:  Today's Gallup poll:

Update 10:  Rick Santorum's sweater vest is the new fashion icon.  You too can have a sweater vest:



Update 11:  Rick Perry's just released video:



(H/T: Pundette)

Update 12:  One of our local news stations is conducting its own "caucus," sort of like the Drudge Caucus, I guess.  The results so far?

Update13:  Michelle Malkin has a great Iowa caucus day post.

Phew. Are you ready? There are an estimated 614,000 active registered Republicans in Iowa. A small fraction of them will turn out tonight to vote in the first-in-the-nation GOP presidential caucus. The anticipated top three placers are a toss-up. Sunday’s PPP poll had it 20/19/18 for Paul, Romney and Santorum.

She links to Stacy McCain's Santorum coverage.  Both Malkin and Stacy are NOT Rick Perry fans which might explain why they don't link me. (Just kidding - Stacy has linked me often in the past.  It's been a while since I got a Malkin link.)

Update 14:   Rick Perry gets emotional during a speech today praising America's veterans:

Perry was joined on Tuesday by supporter Dan Moran, a Marine veteran who suffered third-degree burns on his body from a bomb explosion in Afghanistan. Perry, a former Air Force pilot, commended Nationwide for its focus on hiring veterans before turning to Moran.

“He understands the importance of selfless … selfless sacrifice,” Perry said with a pause, wiping a tear from his left eye.

Emotion.

Update 15:  As the caucus results come in, here is a live, interactive map.  And remember, Professor Jacobson will be hosting a live event. SIGIS will continue posts as well.  The Des Moines Register also has a place where you can watch results come in but you have to put up with all the Obama advertising on the page.

Update 16:  Here is a timeline of the upcoming primaries.  Next event:  January 10 - New Hampshire.

Update 17:  I'm closing out this post now and heading over to Legal Insurrection to participate in his live event.  Follow me over there.   And thanks for stopping by this post today!  I appreciate it.

Caucus Crash Course

If you're wondering how the Iowa caucuses work, The Washington Times has a primer for you:

Only registered Republicans may participate, but with an ID that shows Iowa residency and age, voters can register at door, allowing for crossover participation. Democrats are known to have switched sides, if only for a night, to caucus with Republicans. And vice versa. And it’s legal.


The Democrats have a convoluted caucus process that involves good old-fashioned arm-twisting and can run into the wee hours of the night. It won't this year because Obama has no challenger.  The Republican Caucuses, however, are a hybrid: part poll and part GOP meeting. Designated supporters of each candidate are allowed to campaign vigorously, making a speech on why their candidates deserve to win that evening’s votes. This is to convince the fence sitters to go with their candidate or to win over someone who is torn between two candidates.

Then Iowans vote by secret ballot. They are given blank sheets of paper with no candidate names on them. They write down their choice and the GOP at each precinct tabulates the results as they are phoned in. The results are then released to the media.

Mitt Romney seems pretty confident.

Newt says "I don't think I'm going to win," and then says it was a "compound sentence structure" that the media just didn't get.  I've been teaching English for almost 20 years and I'm not aware that "I don't think I'm going to win" is a compound sentence, but hey, Newt is the intellectual.  Not me.

Michele Bachmann won "the coffee bean caucus" but Sarah Palin says it's not her time.

Rick Perry is still hammering Santorum and is looking at this think like a long distance race.  Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal is with Perry tonight and says:

“It is time for us now to take all of this excitement and energy and turn it into real work,” Jindal said. “It is time for us to get our neighbors, friends, family, everybody we know out and make sure that we help to elect Rick Perry as the next president of these United States of America.”

The Duggar family has joined the Santorum camp and the media is thick around the candidate.

Ron Paul is oozing confidence .

All in all I'd say there's a lot of nervous energy in Iowa tonight.

Stay with SIGIS tomorrow for caucus coverage and up to the minute reports.

"Governor Perry is Going to Do Better Than Some People Think."

The final Des Moines Register poll to come out before Tuesday's caucuses did not reflect the uptick that the Perry camp was probably anticipating given his grueling schedule, multiple appearances, and extensive advertising.

Yet don't count Rick Perry out just yet.

Perry is drawing huge numbers at his appearances around Iowa:

Rick Perry’s events have taken a turn for the crowded. He’ll arrive, typically, to find that a coffee shop built to accommodate 75 people is crammed with up to twice that many, spilling out the door and jammed into every available corner.

And while Santorum's audiences seem to be comprised of as many reporters as supporters, those at Perry's appearances want to meet the candidate.  They want to hear what he has to say.  There are a large number of undecideds in the audiences that Perry draws but he is winning some of them:

Conversations with voters suggest Perry’s rising numbers are a result of his 14-day bus tour across the state, which gives him a chance to display his famed retail-politics skills. Some showed up to his town hall in Marshalltown with a number of candidates in mind -- but left the event saying they were sold on him.

Molly Ball at The Atlantic suggests that Perry could be the dark horse in Iowa:

As the days to the caucuses wane, Perry has things other candidates would kill for: Crowds who want to meet him, ads all over the airwaves, a decent ground organization, an anti-Washington message people are hungry for, and terrific hair. The question is whether it's too little, too late, to get through the crowded pack ahead of him.

The Des Moines Register poll, as we all know by now, has Romney once again in the lead with 24%, followed by Ron Paul at 22% and Santorum in third with 15%.  Perry holds at 11%, not that far back from Santorum.

The poll covers four days:

Santorum's surge is clear; so is Ron Paul's decline. 

The poll closed on Friday, the same day Perry's Strike Force began arriving in Iowa.  He's got at least 400 volunteers working the state right now going door to door, talking to caucus goers, and manning phones.

The results of this Strike Force won't be known until Tuesday.  Meanwhile, Perry continues to work the state with at least six more appearances before caucus day.  Nate Silver points out:

But for those looking for a glimmer of hope in Mr. Perry’s numbers, I was able to identify one. Mr. Perry was fairly often named as a second-place choice in a Des Moines Register poll released on Saturday. His campaign may have some hope of converting those second-place votes into first-place votes because it has a large number of precinct leaders, who under Iowa caucus rules are allowed to make a speech in favor of their candidate before the voting takes place.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad says "Governor Perry is going to do better than some people think."

Tuesday will tell.

More on the poll at Memeorandum.

Jon Huntsman Doesn't Have a Clue What Happens in Iowa

If Jon Huntsman was ever going to get any votes at all in Iowa, I'd say he just lost most of those:

"They pick corn in Iowa," Huntsman said on CBS' The Early Show, "and pick presidents here in New Hampshire."

Seriously?  Jon Huntsman doesn't have a clue about Iowa (and neither do many of those folks leaving comments at the CBS link, either).

Mr. Huntsman might be interested to know that Iowa is home to over 4,100 manufacturing firms that employ over 198,000 people;  in 2008 the total GDP for Iowa's industries was over $135 billion.  According to this report from Iowa State University, "Iowa ranks 2nd among all states in the percentage of total GDP derived from the manufacturing sector."

Rockwell Collins has its headquarters in Cedar Rapids and is a leader in aerospace and defense engineering.  They employ about 7,300 people.

John Deere has divisions in Dubuque, Urbandale, Davenport and Waterloo Iowa.  The Waterloo Division alone employs about 4,700 people.

Alcoa has an aluminum manufacturing plant on the Mississippi River in Davenport which employs about 2,200 people.  This plant develops the metal for America's aerospace program and for America's major aircraft for Airbus and Boeing.

Certainly Mr. Huntsman has heard of Winnebago?  They're headquartered in Forest City, IA.

Vermeer Company is in Pella, IA and makes agricultural and industrial products that are distributed worldwide.

Has Mr. Huntsman even been to Des Moines?  What a beautiful, wonderful city that is!  There's a world class art museum, a top notch science museum, and any number of four star restaurants and fine dining at your beck and call.  The city sports modern displays of public art, fountains, and sports events.  The state capital is one of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  Blank Park Zoo is one of the finest zoos anywhere with everything from birds, to bald eagles, flamingos, monkeys, elephants, lions, seals, you name it.

Do they grow corn in Iowa?  You bet they do.  But is that all there is to Iowa?  No way.

No wonder Mr. Huntsman is polling 3% in Iowa.

I bet it's less than that after this boneheaded statement.

(H/T: Sara)

It Might Be Part of Her Bus Tour...

...but it sure looks like a campaign ad to me.

Rick Perry is In and Ames Tallies Poll Results

It's a huge day in the political world today between Rick Perry's announcement and the Iowa straw poll.  As of this writing, the votes in Ames are being tabulated and are expected in about an hour or so.  Stacy McCain is doing the best live coverage he can in a place where his bandwidth sucks. 

There is much debate about the timing of Rick Perry's announcement.  Iowans are peeved that he's stealing their day.  Huckabee just explained to Brett Baier that Perry's timing is unfortunate in that all the A-list reporters are in Iowa and he is relegated to B-reporters. 

I don't think that's going to matter in the end.  We've got a long way to go.

The Obama campaign pretends to be unconcerned about Perry.  We'll see how much by the level of their attacks in coming days.

Intrade has Perry as the nominee at 33.7% right now, higher than Bachmann or Romney.  Wonder what the odds are of a Perry-Rubio ticket?

Expect updates as the straw poll results come in.

Full Metal Jacket Reach Around: The July 4, 2011 Edition

For this week's FMJRA I'll share a few of my favorite pictures of a previous Iowa Fourth of July.  You know, those darned Fourth of July parades are only for Republicans anyway and darned if you don't go into one a Democrat and come out a Republican, at least according to that Harvard study that came out this week.  Lamoni, Iowa has a nifty little July 4th parade and Allendale, Missouri (pictured left) has a super nifty July 4 breakfast every year.  If I leave now, I can probably make it for pancakes and home made sausage! 

I don't want to belabor the point but Obama's press conference this past week was simply astounding and I guess I'm not the only one who feels like that.  Professor Jacobson is still shaking his head about it too, as is Bob Belvedere.  And at Frugal Cafe, Rep. Joe Walsh says Obama acted like a 10 year old.

Be sure to read "The Sermon on Iwo Jima" at Doug Ross's place.

Bride of Rove has the perfect explanation for my ankle injury.

Troglopundit has a post about the firefighters union vs. a float here and an update here.  It seems the firefighters union in Racine is protesting a float honoring 9/11 firefighters.

In the spirit of July 4, hop over to Pecan Corner for John Wayne and the Pledge of Allegiance.

The Other McCain reminds you that Obama just wants to raise your taxes.

Donald Douglas updates on the Amazon tax in California.

I can't even begin to fathom site stats like this.  Seriously.  Somewhere along the line I lost my obsession with site stats, and for that I'm glad.  It makes blogging more fun.

Saberpoint posts an open letter to Pamela Geller.

Be sure to catch the recap of Obama's weekly address at The Pirate's Cove.  Priceless.  And then go over to Reganite Republican for Reagan's 1986 Independence Day speech. 

When you're finished with this round-up be sure to check out Adrienne's round up and then Paco's.

Mind Numbed Robot reminds us to exercise caution in picking the Republican nominee.

Bungalow Bill is wondering if Herman Cain's campaign is falling apart.

Pundette has a guide for the Fourth of July, starting with Nanny State Rules from Huff Po.  Doug Powers at Michelle Malkin follows suit.

Ed Driscoll posts on Obama's fall to earth.

Is Obama going to skirt Congress on the debt ceiling issue?  Lonely Conservative posts.

Backyard Conservative posts on the Dems and class warfare.

And that's about it for this week.  I'm off to refill the ice bag and see if a beer helps the old ankle.  What are you doing for the holiday?

It's Cold in Iowa

Steve's niece sends these pictures from northern Iowa.  I can't even tell what some of those ARE!  I've got to say, when I look at these and then I look at what we close the entire city for down here for "inclement weather," well, good grief.

Anyway, I believe this must be her deck.  The chairs are a hint.

This must also be the deck and I'm just going by the rail, here.

The sidewalk?  Something is under that drift.  I have no idea what.

Pretty!

Gorgeous:

I'm running out of superlatives:

She tells me it was a windchill of -25 today.  Omigod.  Do people actually go to work in that?

The Des Moines Register Poll - Obama Losing Independents

Update: Welcome Instapundit readers; thanks Professor Reynolds for the link!

Obama is back down to -19 in the Rasmussen Daily Presidential Tracking Poll; the only time his rating has been lower was on December 22, 2009 when he hit -21.

Part of this trend can be attributed to Obama's continuing loss of support from independents. The Des Moines Register explored the downward spiral:

A sharp drop in approval for President Barack Obama from Iowa's political independents has pushed the Democrat's approval further below 50 percent in the state and below the national average, according to the latest Iowa Poll. Approval among Iowa independents has dropped 10 percentage points since November, to 38 percent.

It is quite a shift from his position in November:

Forty-six percent of Iowans approve of Obama's handling of his job, according to the poll taken Jan. 31 to Feb. 3. That's down from 49 percent in November. It is also 22 percentage points lower than Obama's Iowa approval of 68 percent around his inauguration last year.

And on domestic issues:

In Iowa, views of Obama's handling of key domestic issues remain a problem for him. No more than 40 percent of Iowans approve of his performance on the economy, health care and the budget deficit, although the rates are essentially unchanged since the Register's last poll, taken in November. What has changed: The fractions of independents who support Obama's handling of all three of these issues have shrunk in the past three months.

Not so good.

The comments that follow the Register's article are particularly entertaining. A sampling (names removed):

It took a poll to tell you this?

I agree with that one!

I switched to Independent when the Republicans went squishy as compassionate conservative. When a party and it's [sic] candidates get serious about significantly shrinking the size, scope and power of federal government I'll support it and them.

I think that's why some folks are looking at The Tea Party as a third party or registering as Conservative. So many people are just sick of both major parties.

Independents are pulling away from Obama and the democrats just like they pulled away from the republicans and for the same reasons. Party politics and special interests both subscribe to the theory that enough money will purchase any election. Maybe they are going to learn that money is not necessarily votes. Independents are not allowed to participate in the selection of party candidates but they can and do pick the elected official. They are the votes that swing the election. So Dems and Reps if you want to win and keep it get off your far left and far right positions and run a moderate candidate.

Some folks are slow learners, fella. Don't get your hopes up.

It is quite embarrassing that Iowans are perhaps responsible for electing Obama to the presidency. I implored my fellow Iowans to look beyond flowery speeches devoid of substantive content. I will always believe that Hillary was the smart choice despite the media's brutal attacks upon her. Unfortunately we will have the choice of Obama or probably an extreme right winger in 2012. Here is hope that the Republicans or moderate minded independents will deliver a candidate that is a real alternative to Obama that common sense moderates can support-- someone who does not just talk about hope and change but can deliver change.

Another one looking for a moderate.

Oh and one more:

Obama is failing because he thinks we need to be herded not heard.

There are about 217 comments on that article when I last checked. It's interesting to see what Iowa voters are thinking right about now. I sifted through a large number of them - a lot of it is snarking back and forth, as one might expect in such an open forum, but many of those who left comments are looking for a true moderate, which is what, it seems, that they thought Obama would be.

He isn't.

(Graphic: The Des Moines Register)

More Iowa Snow Pictures

Steve's family sends snow snapshots; the first two are in south central Iowa and the last one is Clear Lake. Now THAT'S some snow! In Clear Lake, they're running out of places to put the stuff; the snow blowers can't blow it over the drifts.




Related:
Spring in Louisiana, Winter in Iowa (Feb. 20, 2010)
More Iowa Snow Pictures (Jan. 7, 2010)
Snow (Jan. 4, 2010)