Supercommittee Approaching Deadline

Tick, Tick, Tick: It's not that clock on "60 Minutes". It's not the debt clock striking $15,000,000,000,000 (I think that's 15 trillion). It's the time ticking away until that Congressional "supercommittee" faces its deadline to agree on at least $1.2 trillion in cuts over the next decade. The deadline is set for November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving. It will likely be comical (except for the fact that it will be so sad) to watch the fighting to reach this agreement over the next week or so. I mean, sure, $1.2 trillion is a TON of money, even more than Albert Pujols will get in his next baseball contract. But let's be honest here, the country's debt is nearly 15 times the amount the supercommittee is trying to reach. 15 times! If it is this difficult to agree on this piddly amount (relatively speaking), how on earth will our country's leaders agree to wipe away that debt? And if we "only" do $1.2 trillion over 10 years, it would roughly take a century-and-a-half to clear away the rest of our debt, right? Maybe my math is way out of whack here...I hope it is...but that's the way it adds up to me. This surely can't be what's best for us, is it?

Branstad Birthday Bash

Turning 65: Next Saturday looks to be a busy day in Iowa for the Republican presidential candidates, most of them, that is. Bob Vander Plaats' group, The Family Leader, holds its Thanksgiving Family Forum at First Federated Church in Des Moines. Later that night, friends hold a 65th birthday party for Iowa Governor Terry Branstad at Adventureland in Altoona. Do you think they'll all get wild and crazy and take over the Tornado? OK, probably not. 6 candidates have confirmed for the BVP event and 6 candidates have confirmed for the birthday bash. They are the same 6 candidates: Herman Cain (his return to Iowa), Rick Santorum, Michele Bachmann, Ron Paul, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry. Mitt Romney hasn't RSVP'd for either event. You know, gov, it's rude not to at least let the host know you can't make it. Miss Manners wouldn't approve.

South Carolina Debate

What to Watch: The Republican 8 make another appearance tonight for a presidential debate. This time they appear in Spartanburg, South Carolina, for the CBS/National Journal Debate (hosted by fellow Mizzou grad, Major Garrett).

Here are my pre-debate questions:

How will Rick Perry attempt to recover from that horrendous performance in the CNBC debate in Michigan Wednesday night? Humor? Ignore the historic gaffe? Focus on Mitt Romney?

How will Newt Gingrich act? Now that he's essentially tied at the top for the "front runner race" with Romney and Herman Cain, will he behave differently? Does he keep coming after the moderators to score a few cheap claps from the crowd or does he try to show that he is a serious contender for the nomination?

Does Mitt Romney keep surviving? His challengers primarily left him alone in the CNBC debate. He really got rattled when Perry came after him in a previous debate. And call me crazy, but even this last time in Michigan, I think I saw a few hairs out of place. He's been "steady as he goes" for the bulk of these debates. But I wonder what would happen if Gingrich turns it up a notch on him?

What about the Hermanator? The audience booed moderators' attempts to get that sex harassment scandal into the Michigan debate. Does everyone move on this time? Will we see any other candidates vaguely hint at the allegations in their responses, or do they feel Cain's already had his high point in this race? Will Cain himself bring it up? He seems to like to do the "me versus the machine" bit. And his followers sure seem to like it.

And the rest? Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum didn't seem to hurt themselves any in Michigan. But they also aren't moving the numbers. Can either find a standout moment that will get played and re-played on the Sunday a.m. talk shows for a much-needed attention boost.
Ron Paul is another who isn't moving his numbers much. Since this debate is about foreign policy, Paul, if given the chance, will stand out from the crowd with his anti-war, bring 'em all home stance. Will he get that chance?

Speaking of chances, Jon Huntsman keeps getting the chance to stand with the others in the debate, even though his poll numbers barely beat...well, no one, in the national polls. As the former U.N. Ambassador to China, he should have some thoughts to add to this debate, but will the moderators leave him mostly out of this conversation?

Perry's Oops Moment

Perry's History: We won't soon forget Rick Perry's "moment" at the CNBC debate, will we? I think people are still wincing at the thought of it. Perry's inability to recall the 3rd of the 3 federal programs he wants to eliminate will go down as one of the most blunderous (yeah, I may have made up that word) times in debate history. Social media and the internet will almost single-handedly make sure of it. The YouTube clips of it may soon reach 1 million hits. Water-skiing squirrels could only dream of viral fame like that. Here's the clip if you want to feel better about your own memory issues today.

But give Perry's campaign credit (unless you're one of those who maintain his campaign is now finished), it has tried to make a positive of this. The campaign's website gives you the chance to vote on which federal department you would like to forget. Someone thought of this pretty quickly, huh?

Cain Commercial and Lying Expert

Where There's Smoke, There's Cain: The Hermanator is coming to a tv near you, as long as you want your news fair and balanced, that is. Herman Cain is running tv ads in Iowa on Fox, perhaps, thanks to the $9 million his campaign says it's raised since October 1st (the start of the 4th quarter fundraising period). Cain's campaign features the "smoking tractor", as opposed to the "smoking chief of staff" in his web ads. The federal government believes Cain's campaign is blowing smoke when it claims the EPA is trying to regulate dust farmers' tractors kick up. I remember U.S. Secretary of Agriculture shooting down this rumor during his stop at an Iowa farm earlier this year.

Rick Perry and Ron Paul remain the only candidates on the air (outside of Fox) in Iowa right now.

Cain's people continue to push back on the sexual harassment story. I received this email today from a John Yob. And he used a gmail account, not a campaign account. After a little Google search, I see that Yob works for Cain in Michigan. Here's the email:

Friends,

I hope you will consider reading this article and watching this YouTube regarding Herman Cain.


Thanks,
John Yob

-----

LINK: VIDEO SEGMENT

ARTICLE: ATLANTA (CBS ATLANTA) - CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Investigator: Herman Cain innocent of sexual advances
By Mike Paluska

Private investigator TJ Ward said presidential hopeful Herman Cain was not lying at a news conference on Tuesday in Phoenix.

Cain denied making any sexual actions towards Sharon Bialek and vowed to take a polygraph test if necessary to prove his innocence.

Cain has not taken a polygraph but Ward said he does have software that does something better.

Ward said the $15,000 software can detect lies in people's voices.

CBS Atlanta's Mike Paluska played Cain's speech for Ward into the software and watched as it analyzed Cain's every word.

If he is hiding something this thing would have spiked way down here," said Ward. "He is being truthful, totally truthful. He is a man with integrity and he talked directly about not knowing any incident he is accused of."

The software analyzes the stress level and other factors in your voice. During the speech, when Cain denied the claims, the lie detector read "low risk." According to Ward, that means Cain is telling the truth.

Strategic National
190 Monroe Ave NW
Ste 500
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

CNBC Debate

Quick Thoughts...Another debate down and, what, 20 or 30 to go?

The Perry Bomb...wow, what can you say about it? Even his critics have to feel bad, don't they? That was...brutal. Perry isn't doing himself many favors in the debates so far, but this one? Again. Wow.

Angry Newt...Gingrich loves to come after the media again and again and again. He gets praised for being an "ideas guy". Why does he waste his limited time coming after the questioners? But maybe I'm biased on this.

Rick Santorum...probably the only one on stage coming after the others. Probably has to with his poll standing right now.

Jon Huntsman, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul saw little action and few chances to stand out, although that Paul claw may make it on the late-night talk shows (as he tried to help Perry out during his moment of forgetfulness).

Herman Cain...Of course, THE question had to come, didn't it? The audience booed. Cain used the night to mention 9-9-9 999 times. I was counting. He's moving on...until all those accusers stand side-by-side in a news conference.

Mitt Romney...He passed on the chance to weigh in on Cain's situation, although he did earlier this week. Once was enough? I may be in the minority here, but I thought it was a legitimate question for him to answer that whether as a CEO, he would hire Cain, taking into account all of those sexual harassment allegations.

Bachmann and Paul will be back in Iowa campaigning in the next few days. And the rest of them?

Surprise Developments

Surprise, Surpise, Surprise... Hello, Gomer Pyle!



What's your biggest surprising development of the night?

Eastern Iowa Senate Candidate/former longtime tv anchor Liz Mathis' butt-kicking over Republican challenger/Cedar Rapids businesswoman Cindy Golding in the special election, 56-44%. Looks like former Lt. Governor Patty Judge's prediction on Channel 13's "Insiders" a few weeks ago about a "landslide" in the election was dead on.

Joe Paterno announcing his retirement after a legendary career as the head football coach at Penn State. What we don't know as I write this, is whether I should say he announced his "retirement". Joe Pa may have been about to get canned for failing to do more to get the authorities involved in that horrific case (allegedly) of his former defensive coordinator showering with and sexually molesting boys he was supposedly "mentoring". The entire story, if true, is revolting. If it's true the administration tried to cover this up and make sure it didn't go public and didn't go to authorities...well, I just don't see how those responsible have a soul. They're children for crying out loud. Sickening. And sad.

Iowa Governor Terry Branstad just tanked his plans to push for raising the state's gas tax. The Gov put together a Iowa Department of Transportation commission to look at the matter and yesterday that group recommended adding a dime to the gas tax. But the gov has now backed off after Iowa Tea Party Chairman Ryan Rhodes asked him to pull back for a year to give leaders time to find some other solution to pay for the improvements the state's roads and bridges need so badly.

The Hermanator...Herman Cain/his campaign denied the story, blamed the media, blamed Democrats, blamed Rick Perry's and blamed the son of one of the accusers (this latest claim the accuser's son works at Politico, the organization that broke details of the first 2 sexual harassment allegations, proved to be untrue.) I believe the list of women is now 5, who claim Cain harassed them in one form or the other. This doesn't count Iowa conservative talker, Steve Deace, who said he witnessed Cain's inappropriate behavior in front of two of Deace's female co-workers. Cain has now all but challenged the media to find proof he attacked/groped/assaulted/whatever the right term would be one of his accusers, Sharon Bialek, of Chicago. Cain maintains not did he not do what the woman claims (she also said they went to dinner, he upgraded her hotel room and he tried to reach under her skirt and grab her in the car and force her head into his lap after she asked for help in getting her job back at the National Restaurant Association.) There is now another report that Bialek and Cain saw each other far more recently than 14 years ago.

Then, there's our snowfall last night. Some parts received nearly 7 inches. It was November 8th. Way too early.

My pick...

I thought the senate race was supposed to be more competitive. I figured Paterno might have to go. I didn't think the gov would punt on the gas tax so soon. I definitely didn't expect so much snow. But my vote for biggest surprise is the Cain story. If Cain didn't do any of these things, he is really getting screwed every which way by quite a cadre of conspirators. The national media sense blood in the water on this. And his challenge for reporters to find proof will only embolden them to try to do it. Just ask Gary Hart.

State Senate Special Election

Ready, set, vote: Charles Dickens wrote the classic, "Great Expectations" but politicians are notorious for their own expectations' games. You know how it works, the politician tries to lower expectations on the outcome of an election. And then the media get all fired up when that politician exceeds those expectations. But I found it curious this week just how much Iowa Governor Terry Branstad tried to lower expectations for that special election for Senate 18 in eastern Iowa. I think the basement is still one level about these expectations. The Republican's name on the ballot today isn't the one the Gov wanted. He wanted Cedar Rapids businesswoman, Mary Rathje. Instead, another Cedar Rapids businesswoman, Cindy Golding, earned the party's nomination. And longtime Cedar Rapids/Waterloo tv anchor, Liz Mathis, gets the Democrat's nomination. The only poll I have seen on this has Mathis up 6%.

The gov talked up Mathis again and again and downplayed Golding's chances.

Here are some of his comments...

Mathis advantage: She "had been on tv for a long period of time".

Golding disadvantage: "Considerable name recognition disadvantage. Also, the Democrats have way outspent the Republicans in this special election."

What the outcome of this race means: "When you look at special elections, they're not much of an indication." They're an indication of that particular district at that point in time. So I don't think people should read too much into it."

On Golding getting the nomination instead of Rathje: "I respect the right of the community to choose their own candidate." "I'm very satisfied with the candidate that was chosen."

Perry's Tax Plan, Class Warfare

Perry's Plan--Texas Governor Rick Perry often accuses President Obama of pushing class warfare by calling for increased taxes on wealthier Americans. Perry is pushing for tax cuts, with the largest tax cuts benefiting wealthier Americans, according to an analysis by the non-partisan Tax Poilcy Center. So does that mean he, too, is guilty of class warfare?

Missouri Joins SEC

M-I-Z-S-E-C: This hardly comes as a surprise, but my alma mater, The University of Missouri-Columbia, just officially joined the SEC. So much for more than 100 years of history for Mizzou in the Big 8-turned-Big 12. While at one point early in my career I wanted to be a sports guy, I now lack the knowledge to know whether this move is good for Mizzou sports. I'm sure the revenue side is better, especially on the football side, since the SEC is home to powerhouses like Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Florida State. But, of course, even bringing up the question of money is a dumb one, because it is soooo obviously the main factor for all of this. It would be nice if it also somehow benefited the students, too, wouldn't it? Novel concept, perhaps.

No Post-Game Celebration Call from the president to the Cardinals

Where's the love, Mr. President? Missouri is one of those battleground states year after year, election after election. It's also home to my World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. But President Obama apparently broke with tradition by not calling the World Series' winning manager, in this case, Tony LaRussa, after his team's win. According to this story by my former radio station, the president's staff even did the legwork ahead of time to get the number the president needed to make the call after the last out. But that call didn't come. The prez is a big Chicago White Sox fan. LaRussa used to managed the White Sox.

One other thing...LaRussa did speak at that Glenn Beck rally last year...Does that matter? I highly doubt it. Just a random tidbit for the conspiracy theorists.

http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2011/11/04/cards-snubbed-by-obama-no-traditional-white-house-call-following-game-7-win/

Iowans Design Apps

So now that you've watched our story on the Channel 13 News at 10 on Iowans getting into the app craze, which app is the best? Vote in our poll at the side of the page. May the best app win!

Here's the video:

Des Moines Register Iowa Poll

Poll Power...The key to popularity in Iowa right now is to rarely come to the state. O.K., I doubt any political scientist could prove that, but the new Des Moines Register Poll might give that thought to someone. Herman Cain finished at the top of the new poll. Mitt Romney finished one point behind in the poll of likely Republican caucus goers. Neither has been blazing any trails across the state this year but both enjoy a strong showing in this poll.

The Register last polled Iowans about the field in June (Perry wasn't in the race yet).

My thoughts on the numbers...then and now...

Romney 23% June...22% Now --Steady Eddie. Not losing, not gaining. Holds support from 2008. Good enough showing that we shouldn't expect him to pick up the campaigning in Iowa?

Bachmann 22% June... 8% Now --Flamed out? Needs major momentum reversal. How does she win people back after losing them? Cue Eric Woolson, Mike Huckabee 2008's Iowa miracle worker, who has taken over her efforts in the state.

Cain 10%...June 23% Now --Smoking hot. But...who keeps 'em burning with little Iowa campaign infrastructure? Romney already had a built-in base here. Where's Cain's?

Gingrich 7% June...7% Now --Hanging on. Gets praise for debate (mostly outbursts about the media) but not translating into growth here yet. And will he put together a staff to get the needed caucus turnout to allow him to continue?

Paul 7% June...12% Now --Mini-revolution. The Ron Paul revolution isn't storming the castle yet, but it's growing nicely. Can it grow enough for a caucus finish that will get national attention beyond Iowa?

Pawlenty 6% June... Dropped out. Endorsed Romney. Will he campaign here to help Romney?

Santorum 4% June...5% Now. Little Engine. He is about to complete his tour of all 99 Iowa Counties. But when will all that work show some better numbers?

Huntsman 2% June....who?

Perry....not yet a candidate in June. 7% Now. That's 5th in this poll if you're keeping score. Lot of work to do to make Romney sweat. Running tv ads (Paul is, too). Will reading scripted comments make up for the unscripted problems he has during debates?

So...you have the two businessmen at the top, then Paul's anti-governmentals and social conservative-favorites split the rest. Will all these candidates survive long enough to get to caucus night?

And for a dose or reality...O. Kay Henderson who reminds us who looked good in the Register's poll in October of 2007. Cue the Law and Order theme music now...

Bachmann Campaign Names Eric Woolson Iowa Campaign Manager

Back at it...Michele Bachmann has been struggling for traction. She is turning to an Iowan who took a different candidate who was low in the polls all the way to an Iowa Caucus win. Eric Woolson will be named as Bachmann's Iowa campaign manager and continue to oversee communication, as well, according to two sources close to the situation. The announcement should come Thursday. Woolson held the same role in Mike Huckabee's seemingly improbable (at the time) win in the 2008 Republican caucuses. Woolson has been helping Bachmann's Iowa communications efforts after serving in a similar role for Tim Pawlenty, before Pawlenty bailed out of the race following a disappointing 3rd place finish in the Republican Party of Iowa's Straw Poll.

By the numbers, Woolson has some big work to do. A new Time/CNN poll shows Bachmann in 6th place with just 6%. And even Bachmann's most die hard supporters would have a hard time spinning how a 6th place caucus finish in January would be enough for her to continue towards a successful path towards the nomination. It's hard to see how she would even go forward at all with that kind of finish, especially as the native daughter in the race.

Interestingly, Bachmann has been working to connect with the church-going folks during her frequent weekend visits to Iowa. She's doing another one this weekend.

Saturday in Iowa

Saturday Supper: College football, my Cardinals' World Series and presidential politics...that's what this Saturday brings.

I copied this schedule from Politico's presidential candidates' schedule for today. As you can see, it's very "heavy Iowa" for most candidates.

8:00 AM
Rick Perry
Participating in the Col. Bud Day pheasant hunt with Congressman Steve King
• Loess Hills Hunting Preserve, 19813 C43, Merrill, Iowa

Maybe Perry will shoot something. He hasn't been exactly on target with Iowans so far, according to the polls. Isn't Iowa a must win for Perry, or at least close to it? Perry hasn't been here much lately. If he looks to get thumped in New Hampshire, doesn't he really need to up his efforts in Iowa?

10:00 AM
Ron Paul
Hosting a town hall meeting at Embassy Suites on the River
101 E. Locust St., Des Moines, Iowa

Paul is pushing numbers this weekend. The campaign claims more than 1,200 supporters at his events so far this weekend and it is also spending about $2 million to take on Perry, Romney and Cain for supporting the bailouts (a little Cain vs. Paul tea party tempest?)

12:00 PM
Michele Bachmann
Hosting a town hall meeting at Madison County Dessert Factory
57 East Jefferson, Winterset, Iowa

Bachmann needs some post-Straw Poll win mojo in a hurry. As I write this, her campaign is pushing back against stories her New Hampshire paid staff just bailed on her. And ABC reports other staffers haven't been paid in a month. Tough times. Tough times.

1:00 PM
Mitt Romney
Visiting Romney for President New Hampshire offices
361 Elm St., Manchester, N.H.

Romney just held his first Iowa stops since the Summer. But he's back in New Hampshire, even as 5 other presidential campaign in Iowa. Some things don't change.

2:00 PM
Michele Bachmann
Hosting a town hall meeting at the Creston restored train depot
116 W. Adams St., Creston, Iowa

All aboard? Or derailed? What will the headline be from her efforts this weekend?

2:00 PM
Rick Santorum
Attending the Iowa State University homecoming football
1800 South 4th St., Ames, Iowa

The little engine that could needs steam fast. He better hope he gets a better reception at the Cyclones game than Bachmann. Bachmann's half Cyclone/half Hawkeye jersey didn't go over so well with some of the fans.

5:00 PM
Speaking at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition fall banquet
3000 E. Grand Ave., Des Moines, Iowa
Michele Bachmann
Herman Cain
Newt Gingrich
Ron Paul
Rick Perry
Rick Santorum

5 candidates, 1 meal. But which can add to his/her faithful?

Iowa Sets Its Caucus Date

Caucus Time: Iowa Republicans could have waited and waited some more to decide when to hold the 2012 Iowa Caucuses. They could have waited for Nevada to budge and move its January 14th caucuses back a few days (to make New Hampshire happy). They could have waited for New Hampshire to finally set its date, which as of right now, may or may not be January 10th. They could have waited until some other rogue state tried to jump into the "first 4" (IA, NH, NV, SC). But, no, tonight the Iowa Republican State Central Committee voted for a January 3rd date, the same date as 4 years ago.

So, now, at least we know, Iowans will have some company for the holidays. And dare we hope this WILL be the actual date? Maybe Nevada won't budge. If Republicans there want a Saturday caucus, they seem stuck with January 14th. South Carolina already picked January 21st. So, what if New Hampshire really goes off here and picks a December 6th or 13th primary date? Will Iowa move? Why should it? Perhaps, New Hampshire will only shoot itself in the foot setting its 2012 primary in 2011. The national media and campaigns could downplay the results. And could that mean Iowa will be that much MORE important?

If Mitt Romney keeps dancing around Iowa until then...let's say he wins New Hampshire, would he really want to risk a 2nd or 3rd place finish in Iowa by not really playing here when the caucuses take place about a month after New Hampshire? Wouldn't that risk taking away any momentum he gets from New Hampshire? Same with Rick Perry. If Perry can't win New Hampshire, would he want to also want to risk infrequent visits and lower results in Iowa on caucus night? That could damage him right out from the beginning. Imagine if Romney DID play in Iowa in this scenario and he won New Hampshire in December and then Iowa in January. Could he then run the table? Just something to think about.

Here's the release from Iowa GOP State Chair Matt Strawn--note the comments about those other states:

Des Moines – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn tonight made the following statement after the Party’s State Central Committee approved a motion to hold Iowa’s First in the Nation Precinct Caucuses on Tuesday, January 3, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. (Iowa time).

“On behalf of over 600,000 Iowa Republicans, I’m excited to announce the first step Iowans will have to replace Barack Obama and his failed presidency will be next January 3 at our First in the Nation Iowa Caucuses,” said Strawn. “A January 3 date provides certainty to the voters, to our presidential candidates, and to the thousands of statewide volunteers who make the Caucus process a reflection of the very best of our representative democracy.”

Iowa’s precinct caucuses, which occur at over 1,700 precinct locations across the Hawkeye state, are best-known for the presidential preference poll that occurs along with traditional party organizing activities such as the election of precinct committeemen and platform discussions.

Strawn noted that the decision to hold the precinct caucuses on January 3 mirrored the decision made by Iowa Republican and Democrat officials during the 2008 presidential cycle when Iowa held the First in the Nation Caucuses on January 3 and New Hampshire held the First in the Nation Primary on January 8, 2008.

Strawn noted this process is best served with Iowa and New Hampshire continuing in lead-off roles as the First in the Nation Caucus and First in the Nation Primary, respectively. He said, “At a time when more and more Americans feel disconnected from our national leaders, we need places like Iowa and New Hampshire that require those who seek to lead us, actually meet us, look us in the eye and listen to our hopes and concerns for our families and our Nation.”

Strawn also expressed solidarity with his counterparts in New Hampshire, “I will do everything in my power on the RNC to hold Florida accountable for creating this mess, but the culpability for creating a compressed January calendar does not end there. The actions of early state newcomer Nevada have also exacerbated this problem and unnecessarily crowded the January calendar. Time remains for Nevada to respect the process, honor tradition and rectify the problem in a way that will restore order to the nomination calendar.

Missing Woman/Grandson

Developing...What a bizarre story out of eastern Iowa tonight. A woman picked up her grandson from his house yesterday morning, supposedly to go shopping, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Later in the day, authorities found her car about half an hour away. But neither grandma or child was inside. Late tonight, we got another release from the state patrol saying the grandma's new vehicle (don't know where she got it) broke down in Indiana and both family members were fine and would return to Iowa Monday. Weird. Nothing from the patrol on why the grandma would have taken off with the child.

Here are the two releases:

This is the original with their pictures and descriptions.

This is the update.

Insiders, Patty Judge and Mike Mahaffey

Insiders followup: Former Democratic Iowa Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge made her debut this weekend on Channel 13's "Insiders". It's the first time I got to talk to her in this setting since she and Governor Chet Culver lost the election last year. Judge blames the defeat on the duo's failure to spread their message. She didn't have much bad to say about Culver. I mentioned to Judge that I didn't understand why the administration didn't have anything in place to track the nearly $800 million IJOBS plan (statehouse Democrats resisted strongly that name, by the way, realizing that all the focus would be on how many jobs the program created). I did stories last summer on the outdated IJOBS website and the governor's changing predictions about the number of jobs the program would bring.

In the end, the administration never could give us actual numbers, despite the millions of dollars of taxpayer money spent. Judge admitted she didn't understand why the jobs weren't tracked either. The only other possible critical moment of the show could have been when former GOP Chairman Mike Mahaffey questioned whether Culver was really "engaged" in governing, especially during Culver's last 2 years in office. Judge didn't say anything, neither agreeing or disagreeing with Mahaffey's assertion. Does that mean she agreed with Mahaffey, or perhaps, she was just being polite and not interrupting as the conversation continued?

Judge also had an interesting take on the "Occupy" movement that's now spreading across the world. I asked whether the movement will have any staying power in bringing any actual change. She mentioned being a student at the University of Iowa during the 1960s when students took over the building (she wasn't part of that, though, she pointed out) to protest the Vietnam War. And, of course, it was those students who helped join others nationwide that ultimately fueled the movement to get American combat troops out of Vietnam.

Here's the show in case you missed it this morning.

Indy Crash

Wow...that Indy crash today was horrific. I must admit, I'm not a huge racing fan. I don't have anything against the sport; I just don't watch it much. That 15-car, fiery crash today is just stunning. Dan Wheldon died in the crash. He won the Iowa Corn Indy 250 three years ago. Thousands of fans watched what happened after his car flew through the air and crashed into the fence. Who knows how many watched live on tv. Sad for the racing community. Sadder still for the family of Wheldon. He leaves behind a wife and two young children.

This is video of the crash. ABC actually had a camera mounted in Wheldon's car.

Wheldon had written on his blog about his frustrations with issues with his car before the race. That brought one challenge made even more challenging still by a promotion. He started in 34th position of the 34 cars. But as part of a challenge, he would get split $5 million with a racing fan if he won. What an awful crash.

Nevada Caucuses

Viva Las Vegas--It's a great place to visit, but not if you are a presidential candidate, at least not some of them. Wow, what a mess for the Republicans right now. Iowa wants January 3rd (or maybe the 5th) for its caucuses. New Hampshire wants January 10th. South Carolina wants January 21st. And Florida wants January 31st. And then there's Nevada, which is supposed to be among the "First 4" states in the primary contest. Nevada wants a Saturday for its caucus: January 14th. But New Hampshire doesn't like that since it's too close to New Hampshire's date of the 10th. That could mean candidates spend some of the time in Nevada instead of time they would normally spend in the Granite State. So Nevada should wait until January 17th. But, again, Nevada wants a Saturday caucus. The 17th is a Tuesday. Problems. Big problems. It's tough to see how everyone can be happy here. If Nevada sticks to its desire to hold a Saturday caucus and tries to appease New Hampshire by waiting, then it would have to pick Saturday, January 21st. But, again, that's South Carolina's date. So, unless Nevada gives up its wishes for Saturday and takes the 17th or a date near it, I don't see how this ends. In the meantime, it's interesting to watch how the candidates treat this battle.

Rick Santorum's campaign said he's canceling his Nevada events (pretty sure he may mention that a time or twelve during his Iowa stops this week). Santorum joins Herman Cain, Jon Huntsman, Newt Gingrich and Michele Bachmann in announcing they will boycott campaigning in that state until this mess gets figured out. Two of the bigger names in the race, Rick Perry and Mitt Romney, haven't joined in the boycott movement. In fact, Romney goes to Nevada this week to open his campaign headquarters. And Ron Paul is making some kind of "major announcement" in Nevada this week, too. Ahh, the politics of politics.

One other random note...Nevada's State GOP Chair is Amy Tarkanian. I had to wonder if she is related to "Tark the Shark", Jerry Tarkanian, the former UNLV men's basketball coach. Apparently, she is his daughter-in-law...just in case your mind wonders about random things, too. I don't know when he wants the caucuses held.