Democracy in action in Iowa

by J Scott Christianson, Columbia Daily Tribune Columnist

In less than a week, the presidential campaigns have shifted from the direct democracy of the Iowa caucuses to the “campaign as usual” format of today’s New Hampshire primary. Many candidates, especially the losers in Iowa, seem glad to return to the tried-and-true formula: raise more money than your opponents + test your messages with focus groups + run more negative ads than your opponents + wait for the ballots to be counted = win.