Hillary Clinton Takes on Iowa With a New Approach

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/15/politics/hillary-clinton-iowa-2016/

This article describes in detail the events of 2008 where Hillary Clinton failed to capture the votes of Iowans during the presidential elections. This time around, Hillary is making sure that she is correcting the mistakes pinned against her in her last running. One large criticism was that Hillary acted as if she had already obtained the Democratic bid and failed to work for the votes. Hillary focused largely on bigger rallies without addressing the concerns of the middle class voters or even acknowledging the concerns. This time Hillary is doing smaller meetings with voters to allow more focus on their concerns and to introduce herself as a "champion for middle class Americans". This trip will not focus on the emails that have stricken up large controversy, but rather to brush the cheek of every Democrat who longs for the personal touch of candidates before handing over their vote.

I think this trip and the reaction it receives will showcase how this election may go. Hillary, once an almost shoo-in for the Democratic bid, was ship hit and sunk in Iowa in 2008. That trend continued in the rest of the election. The ground lost last election will most definitely be carried over and needs to be made up if Hillary wants her bid. Hillary's strategy should not, however, be exclusive to small, round table talks. A good balance of large rallies and smaller conferences could give Hillary the edge she needs to take the bid. I think it was smart of Hillary to leave Bill at home with the dogs this time around. Bill is similar to a police car siren. He is respected and authoritative, but attracts a lot of attention. His presence would take away from the intimacy of her visit. Republicans and Democrats alike have supplied criticism for her campaign strategy and it will be interesting to see how the voters react to her adjustments.