Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

January 18, 2005

Iowa Leadoff Could Be Bad for Vilsack

David Yepsen says Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack (D) may not want the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination to start in Iowa. "Reason? He might run for president himself in 2008. Instead of being a springboard for the hometown boy, Iowa's caucuses could be a deathtrap."

"Here's how it works: The conventional wisdom is that if Vilsack ran for president in 2008, he would be an early front-runner in Iowa because it is his home state. Everyone would 'expect' him to do well and even win big."

"As is often the case, he could be victimized by that expectations game... if he lost, or just won a narrow victory, it would be seen as a huge political defeat."

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Taegan D. Goddard is the creator of Political Wire, a political column updated around the clock with the most interesting news, buzz and commentary.

Goddard is also co-author of You Won - Now What? (Scribner, 1998), a political management book hailed by prominent journalists and politicians from both parties. In addition, Goddard's essays on politics and public policy have appeared in dozens of newspapers across the country, including the Washington Post, USA Today, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Chicago Tribune, Philadelphia Inquirer and Christian Science Monitor.

This is a personal site and does not necessarily reflect the views of any company, political campaign or advocacy group.

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