I've been out on the Iowa prairie over the holidays. Wonderful place to watch the closing days of this process. I've learned a lot about the Republican side of things, and I've been impressed with the thoughtfulness that is going into caucus-goers appraisal of the candidates, although I don't agree with their stands on the issues.
Electability is a bigger factor this year among conservatives than in previous years, something that has not gotten much coverage. Even religious conservative Republicans are weighting this heavily in making their decisions. My rock-rib conservative friends in rural Iowa like Bachmann, but have come to the conclusion that she might not be able to hold herself together. There are similar issues with Newt, and they are uneasy about his marriages. They liked Cain until they found out he couldn't "keep it zipped."
These folks, stalwart Republicans, regular caucus-goers, Christians, have been leaning Romney. They don't like him much, but they think he may be the most electable. He seems in control of himself; he may have made small mis-steps, but he recovers. They are not especially concerned about his being Mormon, but they do have some concern that southern evangelicals won't vote for him. It’s that doubt that makes him vulnerable at the wire.
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