Register editorial columnist Richard Doak thinks this might be Mike Huckabee's chance to truly remake American politics. Doak advises him to "Do it. Shake up the status quo." Huckabee says that Christians ought to stand for more than gay bashing and criminalizing abortion, according to Doak. "His brand of Christianity includes caring for the poor and being good stewards of the Earth, with not a lot of sympathy for the rich," Doak writes in Sunday's Register. He adds that Huckabee espouses a "populist Christianity the likes of which hasn't been seen since evengelical preachers made their unholy alliance with the moneychangers."
Even if his stand costs Huckabee some support among party regulars, Doak believes he'll win support from independents and moderates who had all but given up on the GOP.

Although the latest Bloomberg/Los Angeles Times poll shows Clinton ahead among most likely caucus-goers at 34 percent on the electability issue, with Obama and Edwards at 22 percent each, the local Iowa polls still show all three candidates running neck and neck generally. On electability, Iowa Republicans are split with Romney and Huckabee tied at 25 percent, then McCain at 13 percent, Giuliani at 11 percent, and 15 percent undecided.

Both old and young seem interested in caucusing on Thursday. A 74-year-old woman from Manchester, IA, Estella Michels, has seen Barak Obama so many times she's lost count, "more than 20, maybe closer to 30," she says in the Cedar Rapids Gazette. She's seen all the other Democratic candiates "plenty of times," too and will support whoever eventually gets the nomination. But she says she'll be heartbroken if it's not Obama. Her interest in politics was instilled in her by her dad, Casper Hahn, a Dyersville farmer who died in 1965.

On the other of the age spectrum, Adam Schott of Tipton just turned 18 on November 20 and will be caucusing for the Dems. "I think the next election is going to be a large factor with global warming and in forming our international relations," he says. "I think it's important for young people to be heard." Biden said the Iowa voters are the most intelligent and informed he's met, which of course was a big hit with his audience.

And a Mediacom night-shift employee, Ruth Kennedy, squawked to the Des Moines Register when she was denied time off to attend a caucus. Her employer allowed her to switch her schedule the next day so she could go, although no law requires employers to let workers off to participate in a caucus. Emergency workers face the same dilemma, but the Des Moines Police Department okayed caucusing for third watch officers--if it's a slow night.

On the other hand, some business folks are trying to draw attention to themselves by connecting with the caucus interest. One owns Happy Trails, a doggie day care and boarding facility in West Des Moines. He's offering to watch people's animals and offer the dogs special treats and prizes all day Thursday, though the caucusing usually only takes two or three hours (for Dems) and about an hour for Republicans.

Some creativity has come to the fore too. In the East Village neighborhood of Des Moines, a new musical, "Caucus," by Robert John Ford, opened this weekend. The two-hour show is part tutorial (there's a mock caucus in Act 2) and part satirical, similar to a "Saturday Night Live" sketch, according to the Register. Reviews in Monday's paper called it witty and good for at least a couple of chuckles.