Blog Entry #3

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/la-pn-des-moines-register-endorsement-20111217,0,1894956.story

The title of this article is, “Mitt Romney Wins Endorsement of Des Moines Register,” and was written by Seema Mehta. It was posted on December 17, 2011 on www.chiagotribune.com. This article is mainly about how the Des Moines Register decided to endorse Romney because they feel he should be the Republican candidate that runs against Obama for the presidency. The Des Moines Register also endorsed John McCain roughly four years ago. The newspaper believes that Romney offered, “sobriety, wisdom and judgement.” They feel that Gingrich, when he was speaker of the House, had a lack of discipline and Ron Paul’s isolationist policies make Romney the better choice of the candidates that are the top three in the polls. They also feel that Romney has matured as a candidate. Since the top priority of the nation is to fix the economy, the Des Moines Register feels that Romney is the best candidate can be successful in rebuilding the economy. The paper also encourages people to understand that people can change their thoughts about certain things therefore urging people that Romney’s tendency to flip flop on issues may not be the worst thing a candidate could do. This endorsement could mean that people now believe that the GOP nomination has become a competition between only two people: Romney and Gingrich. Although Romney was able to win the Des Moines Register endorsement, Gingrich won the Union Leader in New Hampshire which is right after the Iowa caucuses on January 3. This is significant because before, it seemed like Romney was losing popularity in the polls while now he could possibly become the Republican candidate who will run against Obama for the presidency. It also seems that the other candidates need to work extra hard to even be considered.

http://caucuses.desmoinesregister.com/2011/12/17/santorum-pursues-iowa-crown-old-fashioned-way/

The title of this article is, “Santorum Pursues Iowa Crown Old-Fashioned Way,” and was provided by the Associated Press. It was published on December 17, 2011 on the Des Moines Register newspaper website. Throughout the entire process that leads up to the Iowa caucuses on January 3, Santorum has experienced neither sharp rises nor sharp falls. His old-fashioned way of campaigning, by going to living rooms, coffee shops and town squares, may actually pay off in the long run. Tom Clark, a West Des Moines Republican who heard Santorum speaking at a Des Moines restaurant, said, “Rick Santorum is the best-kept secret in the campaign.” The only problem is this supporter fears that Santorum may not be able to win. This statement could be the reason for why Santorum is at the bottom of the polls according to national GOP surveys. Santorum has been the most aggressive campaigner in Iowa, despite the fact that he is behind Romney, Gingrich, and Paul. Santorum seems to be the “underdog” of the situation. Although he is behind, he is still in the race. Back in October, Herman Cain was leading in the Iowa polls, but recently he dropped out of the race. Michele Bachman and Rick Perry have also been at the top, but have only been at the bottom since. Although he does not have the same amount of national standing that Romney has, Santorum is still the social conservatives’ favorite. When he was introduced at a Des Moines forum, he received the loudest applause from his supporters which happened to be more applause received than Bachmann, Gingrich, and Perry. Santorum believes that the reason everything in the nation is rough now is because the moral issues are not being focused on. Once the people can decide what is morally correct, then it will be simpler to fix the economy and other problems in our society. This idea is giving Santorum the support he needs from Iowans. Santorum was also able to gain the support of the newly elected Secretary of State Matt Shultz as well as some evangelical pastors. Although Santorum has support, he does not have the money to fund certain campaigning techniques such as television advertisements. Those who support Santorum could provide him a passageway into the New Hampshire primary on January 10. This is significant because while many believe that Romney, Gingrich, or Paul could be the Republican candidate to run against Obama, Santorum could actually come out on top. Santorum has the support of the people, even though it is rarely publicized. If Santorum is able to keep up the rate he is progressing through this process, he could become the Republican candidate to run against Obama.