Obama rides the wave
news.scotsman.com
<<...Mr Obama has managed, better than anyone else, to grab hold of the welling discontent building across America. And while Iowa seems untypical of the US demographically, politically its divisions are close to those of the country as a whole. Its preferred candidates have won both previous presidential elections, and many pundits think it is an important barometer of voter opinion.
"This is a bellwether state," Allen Steinberg, professor of history at the University of Iowa, said. "It is representative of the nation as a whole."
For Prof Steinberg, Mr Obama's win is a sign of changing times. "There's a generational shift taking place," he said. "Young people are really concerned. It's a big deal what happened last night, unprecedented in American history."
Democrats of all opinions are also taking heart after a bigger-than-expected turnout, despite freezing weather, with a two-to-one ratio against the Republican Party. Large numbers of independent voters plumped for Mr Obama, a key indicator for the Democrats' old guard that the Illinois senator may be able to win the US's precious middle-ground.
For Mrs Clinton, meanwhile, there is only bad news. Having portrayed herself as the all-but-inevitable candidate, based on experience gained with her husband Bill in the White House, she finds herself struggling to find a new message before the next primary, in New Hampshire on Tuesday.
The "safe pair of hands" from inside the Democratic establishment finds herself confronting an electorate determined to break the mould.
Pollsters have known of this discontent for some time. Congress – both the Democratic and Republican parties – scores even lower ratings that President George Bush, now one of the most unpopular US presidents.
But rather than opt for the Clinton "safe zone", Iowans have indicated a willingness for bold change. "Both parties have opted for change," David Yepsen, of the Des Moines Register, said...>> |
