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Sunday, July 18, 2021

You don't need a Weatherman to know which way the wind blows. Or, blowhards love Iowa. Or a mix of both thoughts, with a politician wanting a future. Breitbart reports. [UPDATE: Pence in Iowa.]

 Link. Beginning of the Breitbart post:

Pompeo in Iowa: ‘Time to Go Crush It,’ Go into ‘Every Nook and Cranny of America and Retake’ What Made U.S. Special

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks on "China challenge to US national security and academic freedom," December 9, 2020, in Atlanta, Georgia. - Pompeo on Wednesday urged US universities to scrutinize China's assistance and students, warning that Beijing was set on stealing innovation. "If we don't educate ourselves, if …
TAMI CHAPPELL/AFP via Getty Images

DES MOINES, Iowa — Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told a gathering of about 100 conservatives in north Des Moines on Friday morning that their beliefs are under “assault,” but they can “retake” their country by getting engaged now.

“There is an assault on the ideas you all got up to come work hard for — and the candidates you all are working hard for,” Pompeo said in a speech and question-and-answer session for which he earned a standing ovation at both ends. Pompeo’s comments came at the Northside Conservatives Club gathering early Friday morning at the District Venue in the Ankeny neighborhood of Iowa’s capital. The address represents one of the earliest forays of a potential GOP presidential candidate in 2024 into the first state that will help decide who represents the party in the next presidential election.

This is serious shit. Not a ludicrous traveling freak show. Even though the endgame aims of both bombastic exercises are identically mean. Each in its way wants  to "Go into ‘Every Nook and Cranny of America and Retake’ What Made U.S. Special." What escapes my understanding, if we're special as a nation, why would one presume to suggest a need to be made great again. Unless, special in a bad way. Going into every nook and cranny to gin up money? Not Iowa, that's aimed at political capital. And that's why Pompeo this early in Iowa is serious shit.

And Pompeo would be the first to say, made us special - in the past tense. Suggesting we gotta work at being special again. I.e., Great Again. That Beacon of Light refrain, yet again, and get that light kindled for whatever reason, in Iowa.

UPDATE: Pence - Iowa link; Breitbart - here.

FURTHER: Politico publishes about a perceived lack of vigor to the Pence campaign, the post ending:

Stuart Spencer, the famed Republican strategist who advised Ronald Reagan, said he concluded that Pence was a “sincere guy and has a belief system” when Pence refused to be cowed by Trump on Jan. 6. But he doubted that will do him any good in 2024.

“The Trump people don’t like him, and all the people who were anti-Trump don’t like him,” Spencer said.

For Pence, he said, “That’s not a big Lincoln Day dinner.”

Olivia Beavers and Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

Interestingly, that Filed Under list - a fact highlighting Pompeo is one among several, early. None of whom were collaterally mentioned. Not a horse race yet.