The day before the Iowa caucus David Yepsen, the renowned Des Moines Register caucus expert, predicted that organization would be the key to victory. Yepsen, like most pundits, believed Gov. Howard Dean’s energetic “Perfect Storm” campaign workers would bring home a victory for the good doctor.
After Sen. John Kerry’s and Sen. John Edwards’ surprise showings, the story changed, conventional wisdom flipped, and suddenly momentum was viewed as a more valuable asset than organization.
Um, but, what if everyone missed the real story? What if organization, not momentum, was the key to victory; and what if Kerry had the best organization, not Dean? Skeptical? Then check out Thomas F. Schaller’s argument on The American Prospect Online.
–T.L.
Thomas Lang was a writer at CJR Daily.