Iowa

In pro football terms you could say that Saturday's Iowa Straw Poll was similar to a pre-season scrimmage.

There was a mild contact drill in the form of a debate among the Republican candidates two days before the straw poll. And following the Saturday scrimmage, we've already had a roster cut in former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who finished third.

This was an opportunity for candidates to shore up a base of support by showing their organizing abilities. Loyal followers for each candidate were the boots on the ground, trying to drum up support from all-important donors.

No campaign can get off the ground these days without big financial boosters, evidenced by President Obama flying around the country for party fund-raisers, even though the country is engaged in a war abroad and the economic numbers have been dismal. Just a week ago, Obama attended two Democratic fundraising events in New York City. The cost to sit down and have dinner with the president was $38,500, a year's salary for many Americans, that's if they have a job to go to.

Michele Bachmann's victory in the Iowa Straw Poll wasn't all that surprising, considering she is a native of Iowa, a state with a strong conservative base. Texas Gov. Rick Perry's announcement to enter the race on the same day took some of the headline punch out of the Bachmann victory and Ron Paul's second-place finish.

It is interesting that both Bachmann and Perry are strong social conservatives who both command a following among Tea Party supporters. What all of the Republican candidates do have in common is their strong opposition to nearly all of Obama's policies, especially in economic policy. Each of the GOP contenders in last week's debate favor limited government and lower taxes, which they feel will allow businesses to regain their footing and grow jobs.

Restoring confidence in the people with a new direction will be the objective of that one Republican able to survive the next 15 months of campaigning and challenge Barrack Obama in the 2012 presidential runoff. With Pawlenty's withdrawal from the race, the winnowing process has begun, and it will continue right up to the GOP National convention one year from now in Tampa, Fla.

By then, both Republican and Democratic battle lines will be drawn and the objectives of both candidates will be better defined. Hopefully, voters will then have a clearer choice on what they want America's future course to be, and who they want to lead them on it.

By Jim Zbick

jzbick@tnonline.com