In poll after poll, voters are saying they want new ideas as opposed to experience.
From Bloomberg:
If the desire for dramatic change is on voters’ minds over the next 11 days in Iowa and New Hampshire, Obama enjoys real advantages.
Democrats in both states say the need for new ideas is more important than experience. In [...]

(AP Photo by Evan Vucci)
Joe Biden is sort of like the anti-Obama. He’s deeply entrenched in Washington, is a firm believer in the process and has a boatload of national legislative experience.
So will that help him make an impact in Iowa?
Well, if you ask Joe Biden…
DES MOINES - - Joe Biden is talking. “Barack [...]

Bloomberg breaks down the realities…
Caucuses make far greater demands of voters than primary elections, which usually only require the pull of a lever or push of a button to cast a ballot. On Jan. 3, Iowa caucus-goers will need to travel to their precincts, possibly through a snowstorm. Then, they will engage in a multiround [...]

Recently, Barack and Hillary were tied and Huckabee led Romney. Well, things have changed, at least according to one poll.
From CNN:
In the new ARG survey, conducted December 20-23, she leads the Illinois senator by 15 percentage points, 34 to 19 percent. Obama is now in a statistical tie for second place with John Edwards, who [...]

So I was out a local brewery in downtown Des Moines last night, and I randomly met three women who have known Governor Bill Richardson for 30 years. Two of them are deputy Secretarys in his cabinet. I just happened to have my camera with me, so I interviewed them…

My video tomorrow should be pretty [...]

Hey Donklephant… My name is John Tomlin, and I am a student at Union College in Schenectady, New York. I recently launched a video blog called Meettheprez.net as my senior project. For the past two weeks, I have been going to campaign events in Iowa and reporting what I observe every day on my website. [...]

The original record was set in 2004 by John Kerry to the tune of $5.7 million. And that was after the Democratic convention. Think of all the press surrounding that event. Think of the drive to try and get Bush out of the White House.
And yet with very little fanfare, Ron Paul has gone over [...]

DMR outlines their reasons:
Beyond their personal appeal, the candidates have outlined ambitious policy proposals on health care, education and rural policy. Yet these proposals do little to help separate the field. Their plans are similar, reflecting a growing consensus in the party about how to approach priority issues.
The choice, then, comes down to preparedness: Who [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net]
2:00: And we’re here. First question about balancing the budget. Richardson shockingly talks about being a governor. Biden blames bad Republican priorities. Dodd talks about how everything is complicated and there needs to be [...]

Folks, it was part of her strategy. Seriously.
And that has a lot of people wondering if her lead campaign strategist, Mark Penn, should be put out to pasture.
From NewsDay:
“There are two people who have come up with this strategy — one Hillary Clinton and one Mark Penn,” said a top Clinton ally, speaking on [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net]
The Des Moines Register is having a Republican debate in Iowa today beginning at 2pm eastern. It is being aired on Iowa Public Television, as well as Fox News and CNN.
2:oo: Yup, we’re live [...]

Danger, danger. Flashing red lights. Unreliable. Unexperienced. Danger, danger!!!
From Politico:
The Obama campaign sees a treasure trove — and not just from young supporters. Aides intent on marshaling the forces of the Obama universe are trying to energize other niche groups, from veterans to African-Americans.
But the campaign is putting a particular focus on youth — and [...]

[Re-published from 2008Central.net. We will update this post on Donklephant periodically, but for the latest check out the live blog at 2008Central.net]
We’ll be live blogging the event.
2:07: Only 3 topics will be discussed during the debate: (1) Iran and the lessons of Iraq, (2) relations with China and how they affect us here and [...]

In a response to Obama’s contention that he hasn’t been planning to run for President, Hillary’s team put out a press release that detailed five instances where he said something to the contrary.
I will focus on the last two (emphasis theirs):
In third grade, Senator Obama wrote an essay titled ‘I Want To Be a President.’ [...]

Hillary…what in the hell were you thinking?
From Washington Post:
Clinton, campaigning across Iowa on Sunday, appeared to be spoiling for a fight with her chief Democratic rival in national polls — even at one point describing the battle as “fun.”
“I have said for months that I would much rather be attacking Republicans, and attacking the problems [...]

Some more insight behind that recent Des Moines Register poll:
In the new poll, Obama leads with support from 31 percent of women likely attend the caucuses, compared to 26 percent for Clinton. In October, Clinton was the preferred candidate of 34 percent of women caucusgoers, compared to 21 percent for Obama.
Women represent roughly six in [...]

Inevitability is dead.
Marc Ambinder has the numbers:
Obama: 28 Huckabee: 29
Clinton: 25 Romney: 24
Edwards: 23 Giuliani: 13
More from The Corner:
The new poll from the Des Moines Register shows some dramatic changes in the Republican race in Iowa. The headline is that Mike Huckabee, who was 17 points behind Mitt Romney in the paper’s October poll, [...]

A new poll says he’s leading. And folks, he’s for real and the support he has is real too.
I’ve gathered this not only from the thigns I’ve read, but also from talking to family members who live in Iowa and are going to vote for him. This is grassroots, “we trust this guy” type [...]

I ran across this quote over at Political Wire from a Clinton spokesman:
“Our definition of success doesn’t necessarily mean coming in first.”
It’s pretty obvious what’s going on here. She’s losing ground in the polls so expectations are being set accordingly. Because the only way she can mute Iowa’s effect on the rest of the race [...]

From the Politico daily newsletter:
Fractured results in the initial primaries and caucuses disrupt Mitt Romney’s plan to rack up a series of convincing wins ahead of the big states where Giuliani expects to run well. It’s harder to build a head of steam when you’re fighting gnats, and any success the also-rans achieve will dilute [...]