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Is Hillary Boring Democrats in Iowa?

By Michael Warren
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A new poll from NBC News and the Wall Street Journal Sunday gave a shocking assessment of the state of the Democratic caucuses in Iowa. Widely considered the frontrunner and a near-lock for the Democratic nomination, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton appears to be leading her main competition, Vermont senator Bernie Sanders, by just three points in the Hawkeye State.

Clinton’s 48 percent to Sanders’s 45 percent in the NBC poll reflects a big boost for Sanders over the past several months of NBC’s polling, while Clinton’s support has stagnated over the same time. The Real Clear Politics average of Iowa polls still gives Clinton a 10-point advantage, but another recent poll from CBS News and YouGov gave her just a 5-point lead there.

If Sanders really is gaining on Clinton in Iowa, what could be the reason? While Clinton has been lying relatively low over the past several months, Sanders has continued to wow Democratic audiences and get big crowds. His socialist agenda and message are much more amenable to the Democratic base, which has been frustrated by the perceived compromises on progressive issues by the Obama administration. And scandal continues to swirl around Clinton, from Donald Trump highlighting her husband’s lecherous past to increased scrutiny of her time at the State Department.

Here’s another theory: Democrats are getting bored with Clinton. From this week’s issue of THE WEEKLY STANDARD:

There’s no other way to say it: Hillary Clinton is very boring. The Democratic presidential frontrunner’s campaign stops are, too. The members of her traveling press corps look like they’d rather be anywhere else. So do some of the attendees, who shift in their seats starting around minute 10. Even the campaign staffers pace the back of the room or tap inattentively on their iPhones as Clinton drones on about finding a cure for Alzheimer’s and universal pre-kindergarten. At a recent “organizing event” at the State Historical Building, in the shadow of Iowa’s capitol dome, Clinton’s supporters are getting restless before the candidate’s even arrived. Somewhere in the crowd, a chant breaks out. “When I say ‘Madam’ you say ‘President,’ ” someone orders. “Madam!” “President!” a diffuse, halfhearted chorus responds. The cheer lasts for just another minute or two, dying down as quickly as it arose.

Read the whole thing here.

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