Birdnow's Aviary

November 17, 2019

Buttigieg Takes Clear Lead in New Iowa Poll

Dana Mathewson

I don't know about you, but I regard this as Bad News. Mayor Pete However-You-Pronounce-His-Last-Name (and that ought to be a liability right there) comes off as moderate compared with Karl Marx Jr. and Big Squaw Spreading Bull, but he's not; he's an accomplished chameleon. Behind that Alfred E. Neuman "What, me worry?" face, he's just as anxious to take your guns, drive your taxes through the roof and take your individual liberties away as the others. Only he won't tell you about it. Plus, he is as anti-Christian as they come, and pretty likely anti-Semitic too.

A new Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll from Iowa shows South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg with a clear lead among potential Democratic caucus-goers. Buttigieg has the support of 25 percent of likely caucus participants while Senator Elizabeth Warren has 16 percent and Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders are tied with 15 percent.

Buttigieg has gained 16 points since the September survey.

Reuters:

Buttigieg, the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, Indiana, told the network the news was encouraging and his campaign felt growing momentum in the farm state, but there was "still a lot of work to doâ€ in increasing his name recognition there.
Buttigieg also led Democratic presidential candidates in Iowa in a Monmouth University poll released on Tuesday.

A New York Times/Sienna poll released earlier this month also showed Buttigiegâ€™s support surging in Iowa, but still behind Warren and Sanders. Nationally, he does not fare nearly as well, averaging around 8% in polls.

So what happened? Voters in Iowa and New Hampshire are different than voters from just about anywhere else. They take their "First in the Nation" status very seriously and make a genuine effort to weigh the qualifications and pluses and minuses of each candidate. And they take their time making up their minds.

I sure hope so! Look, I live in Minnesota, just a few degrees Fahrenheit north of Iowa, and I've heard all the jokes (What does "Iowa" stand for? Idiots Out Walking Around."), but their votes count just as much as anybody else's.

It's still 2 1/2 months before the caucuses in Iowa, leaving a lot of time for another candidate to impress. But Buttigieg has made the most of his opportunity and has impressed Iowans with his relatively moderate approach to governing. He has made a massive investment in the state, with more than 100 staffers. It is the largest operation on the ground in Iowa among all candidates and he has coupled that with a big ad budget and well-planned events.

The article is here: https://pjmedia.com/election/buttigieg-takes-clear-lead-in-new-iowa-poll/ Unspoken is the idea that many voters may very well balk, when they get to the voting booth, at pulling the lever or filling in the box for a guy who will bring a First Man to the White House instead of a First Lady. There -- it had to be said, because that situation does factor into the equation. Don't blame me for calling a spade a... funny-looking shovel!

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at 02:22 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 510 words, total size 4 kb.

1 The only bright spot is that this may be a signal that the endless clown parade of "free stuff for everybody" under the name of "Democratic Socialism" may be beginning to wear thin.

Posted by: Bill H at November 18, 2019 01:19 AM (vMiSr)

2 I worry about Buttycall more than any other Democratic candidate. He is from a small city - so he can claim to be outside the Establishment. He clothes himself in moderation. That could win a lot of the Blue Collar Democrats back. He's from the Midwest. He even spouts a lot of "family values" talk. I know his being homosexual may hurt him - especially with the Evangelicals - but I suspect a lot of Americans won't think of that until election night when they see him kissing his buck.

I don't know, Bill; I don't think the socialists are going away that easily. They'll get behind someone to avoid another Trump Presidency, but they will still be there. Like a temporary remission.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at November 18, 2019 07:57 AM (ztiAl)

3 I agree, Tim. I'm worried that Millenials may come out of the woodwork for the first time to vote, and we already know that lots of them truly think Socialism is great, because they've never learned that it's not. Our "education" system has failed us totally.

Posted by: Dana Mathewson at November 18, 2019 11:02 AM (9EUJB)

4 Amen to that Dana!

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at November 18, 2019 11:21 AM (YPn0d)

5 Yeah, well, sometimes even I fall prey to wishful thinking.

Posted by: Bill H at November 18, 2019 02:33 PM (vMiSr)

6 We all do, Bill. It's a tough thing to face reality when these people are themselves so out of touch with it.

Posted by: Timothy Birdnow at November 19, 2019 07:23 AM (RRum6)

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