Opinion: Steak fry vs. straw poll? No contest

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Don’t worry if you’re a Democrat and couldn’t make it to the field outside Des Moines (after all, football was on). Our Mark Z. Barabak was there, and filed this story in today’s paper. If you prefer your news a little more raw, the folks at IowaPolitics.com have all the links to YouTube videos of each of the speeches.

As Barabak reports, there wasn’t a lot of disagreement over visions of the nation’s challenges. There was a little more variety in what to do about them, including the war in Iraq, but the overriding concern for the audience seemed to be picking a winner from among the candidates arrayed on the stage under a clear, late-summer sky.

As a follow-up, the good folks at the National Journal’s Hotline, the electronic roundup of political news available via subscription, offer a useful compare-and-contrast between the steak fry and another famed Iowa political rite, last month’s Republican straw poll in Ames. Here’s Hotline’s take:

‘DES MOINES -- What can a steak fry tell us about the GOP struggle to hold the White House? Well, if you needed any proof that Iowa Dems are fired up about their prospects ... you just needed join the 15K activists in the Indianola balloon field on 9/16 -- if you were able to endure the 4-mile traffic backup, that is.

‘The overflow crowd stood in stark contrast to the below-average showing at the straw poll. Sure, there were more heavy hitters [among the candidates] in Indianola than Ames, but activists in the state will tell you that it also reflects a fundamental enthusiasm gap between the parties. Does this endure through ‘08, or will conservatives ultimately rally around one candidate in January? Does the lack of consensus candidate lead GOPers to stay home? Can a non traditional [Rudy] Giuliani expand the base beyond its conservative core?

‘It was also clear that while many Iowa Dems may be undecided, they are not unhappy. The six Dem stump speeches differed in emphasis but not agenda. This means that the nominee won’t have to work to unite a fractured base. Will Republicans be able to say the same thing?’

-- Scott Martelle

* photo by Charlie Neibergall/AP