Back in the 2007-2008 Republican primary season, each candidate vied to convince voters that he would be strongest when it came to the traditional conservative “three-legged stool,” that is, on national security, economic, and social issues.
You don’t hear much about that three-legged stool anymore. Now, at least in Iowa, there’s a new one. When the Washington Post asked likely caucus-goers to choose the most important issues they will consider when choosing a candidate, the top three were 1) the economy and jobs; 2) the federal budget deficit; and 3) social issues like abortion and gay marriage. No other issues were close.
Thirty-eight percent of those surveyed by the Post named the economy and jobs their most important issue. Twenty-eight percent named the federal budget deficit. And 15 percent named social issues. The next most-important issues, taxes, immigration, and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, were named by four, three, and two percent respectively.
How do the candidates line up on those issues? The Post did not ask about each, but on the economy, likely caucus-goers said they trust Newt Gingrich most to handle the issue. On social questions, they most trust Michele Bachmann. The only other single issue that Post asked about was immigration, about which likely caucus-goers trusted Gingrich most.
And national security? With Afghanistan and Iraq the top concern of just two percent of GOP voters, there was apparently no reason for the paper to ask.
