Ready To Rumble: Iowa Caucuses Today

Alright, alright, alright. We're ready to rumble. The Iowa Caucuses are today, kicking off the 2008 Presidential race in earnest.

For us here at The Liberty Sphere, this is our area of expertise, our forte. And we are already excited about the drama of this race in both Parties.

First of all, our sources in Iowa tell us that we can safely throw out the window all we think we know concerning the polling numbers in both Parties. A trusted veteran GOP operative in Iowa tells us that never in the history of the Caucuses has a race been as wide-open as this one.

Never in his memory has a race been so tight, and this includes the Republicans as well as Democrats.

Within the GOP there are now four candidates that are within easy striking distance of first place: Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, John McCain, and Fred Thompson.

On the Democratic side the race fluctuates between three top candidates: Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards.

In addition, the thing for which Iowans are known when it comes to politics--changing their minds and deciding on a candidate at the last minute--is even more a factor this year than any before. A significant number of primary voters in the state say that they could easily change their minds. Some citizens even state that they have already changed their minds after they declared support for a candidate in the various polls that have been conducted in the last few days.

The process is expected to go on well into the night, particularly for the Democrats whose procedure is more complicated than the Republicans.' The Republican procedure is a straight straw poll. The Democrats, however, wheel and deal, negotiate, and vote at least twice before a winner is decided.

Nowhere in the country is the political process any more grassroots than in Iowa. Iowans commit much more than just a vote at their caucuses. They commit a significant amount of time to come out to the polling places to engage the candidates and their supporters.

This is the reason the Iowa Caucuses are considered to be so vitally important. This is the American heartland. This is the grassroots in the heartland. This is as close to the average voter as it gets.

And this is why Iowa will always be central to the American political process--as long as they keep their system close to the people.

So, my friends, it's time to rock and roll.