Gerry Connolly Gets Media Attention for Questioning Iowa Caucus

When it comes to Members of Congress tweeting, I've noticed that a lot of the accounts aren't even worth following because they're simply staffers putting out links to press releases or positive articles about their boss. There are a few (Rep Hank Johnson is one) that are worth following, however, because you actually can get a sense of the Representative's personality and personal views on issues. Rep. Gerry Connolly falls into the worth following category as his tweets have actually sparked some articles in the mainstream media (and one is the basis for a post I'm working on here at Rustic Observer).

Gerry's latest tweet to get some attention was one that he sent out today saying the "#IowaCaucus will draw fewer voters than local elections in Fairfax County. Little diversity in state. Media attention is just shy of obscene." In other words, Connolly's not the biggest fan of the Iowa Caucuses.

Jokingly pointing out that he's probably now given up any chance of receiving the Democratic nomination for president, the Washington Post highlighted how the numbers Gerry used do prove correct.

For the record, Connolly’s turnout comparison is correct if only Republicans are counted. In 2008, 119,000 Republicans and 236,000 Democrats showed up for the Iowa caucus. (That year saw competitive contests in both parties, whereas only the Republican side will be relevant this year.)

If you watched some of the morning news programs today, you probably also realized that Gerry isn't alone in his belief that the "media attention is just shy of obscene." On Morning Joe, for instance, Mika pointed out that "there are more cameras than caucusers" at most of the events she's attended. Even Joe Scarborough mentioned how he doesn't see many yard signs or other indicators of strong public interest in the caucuses.

This all leads up to the question of whether Iowa should really have this much influence in the presidential campaign. It certainly looks like Gerry Connolly doesn't think so.