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...that the crowds who turn out on New Year's Eve may not be inclined to come back on caucus day. And, as many candidates have learned, entertainment and politics generally don't mix well - most recently John Edwards got booed when he took the stage at a Des Moines John Cougar Mellencamp concert. People will spend good money to have fun, or attend a rally to learn something, but few would enjoy a stumping politician encroaching on their paid entertainment...
Most candidates have heeded those concerns. Edwards, a former North Carolina Senator, Illinois Senator Barack Obama and Delaware Senator Joe Biden all plan to spend the holiday privately with their families in Des Moines, after campaigning during the day. Senator Chris Dodd will hold a low-key gathering in Dubuque. Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney is expected to spend the evening with his wife, Anne, and other family members in Waterloo. And former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has planned several events during the day, finishing up in the Des Moines area - but his staff is still trying to decide what...
Three candidates, meanwhile, have planned big celebrations. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee will hold a bash at the Val Air ballroom (which you might remember as the site of Howard Dean's unfortunate 2004 primal scream) in West Des Moines, with his buddy, martial arts star Chuck Norris. The campaign is trying to book a band with which Huckabee, a bass player, could jam. Hillary Clinton and husband, Bill, will host a party across town featuring the band Big Head Todd and the Monsters. And former New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson is throwing a fete for supporters and volunteers with...
...real party will be downtown, where hundreds of national media have snapped up reservations at Des Moines' best restaurants. Want to dine at Lucca, an East Village hotspot, or swanky 801 Steak House? You'll have to elbow out New York Times and New Yorker reporters, along with the guests of two TV networks that have arranged for private seating. For the hundreds of less moneyed reporters in town for the holiday, Carrie Giddins, the spokeswoman for the Iowa Democratic Party, and Mary Tiffany, her GOP counterpart, have joined forces to throw "Raucous Before the Caucus," a big bash with...
...This is all good news for the Thompson campaign, which may find itself placing third because it upsets the party's base the least. While McCain spoke Thursday morning, Thompson did interviews with talk radio hosts who had gathered in Des Moines at the behest of the Federation for American Immigration Reform, a group that supports a crackdown on illegal immigration. His new position on the issue is a substantial shift from last year, when Thompson said in a Fox News interview that it was not realistic to expel the roughly 12 million illegal immigrants who are here...