BETH PALMER writes:
From a mess of paper strips piled in a ceramic mug, I picked the one with Bill Richardson's name. This means my first story for Covering the Iowa Caucus should focus on how the governor of New Mexico ranked among the Democrats as they each court support for what could sway voters in the primary elections kicking off in New Hampshire January 8.
But the story could be about how he didn't rank at all.
Bill Richardson gets virtually zero press because he's number four behind Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and John Edwards. There's just no room for him in pie charts and sidebars profiling the top three.
In Iowa, I expect a similar reaction to the one I have been receiving here from friends: "Never heard of him." And, if the caucus reflects recent Iowa polls that list his support at seven percent, he won't garner the required 15 percent support from Iowans on caucus night.
That said, a high percentage of support at the caucus could help candidates, but doing poorly doesn't set their fate in stone. In 1992, Bill Clinton did not have the most support in the caucus, but did go on to win the Democratic nomination and, of course, the presidency.
But Clinton lost in Iowa to a senator from Iowa. In recent years, the candidates who ended up receiving the most support in Iowa won the presidential nomination.
For Richardson to not place in the Iowa caucus but go on to win the Democratic presidential bid would be making history and also, I suspect, make a couple of sourpusses out of Hillary and Barack.
Beth Palmer is an undergraduate journalism student from Chicago.
