Norah O'Donnell previews GOP Iowa straw poll
AMES, Iowa - It's a big week here in Iowa and already the eight candidates competing in this weekend's Iowa straw poll are now about to be overshadowed by the entrance of Texas governor Rick Perry to the race for the Republican nomination.
At the Iowa State Fair Thursday, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney faced a feisty crowd. He was asked how he would save Social Security and Medicare and if wealthy Americans or corporations should pay more taxes:
Romney: Everything corporations earn also goes to people.
Audience laughs.
Romney: Where do you think it goes?
Said one audience member: It goes into their pockets!
Romney: Whose pockets? Whose pockets? ... People's pockets! ... Okay, Human beings, my friend."
Romney is the perceived Republican frontrunner in the race for president. But when we caught up with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman, he said he was better qualified.
"Look at our record as governors,'' said Huntsman "We (Utah) were the number one job creator in the country; Massachusetts number 47."
But that's of little concern to Bob Grout, a retiree concerned about his financial security.
"I'm worried about my 401(k) that dropped about 5,000 here this last month and a half,'' said Grout.
The economy was the number one issue for Dairy Farmer Paula Mahaffey, who voted Republican in 2008. None of the candidates address her concerns.
"We're a small family farm,'' said Mahaffey. "Right now with the $7 corn and the $225-a-ton hay, we aren't making anything on the milk we're selling," said Mahaffey.
"Nothing, we aren't hardly breaking even."
Two of the major candidates -- Congresswoman Michele Bachmann and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty -- laid low Thursday, preparing for a Thursday night debate. Bachmann has been the favorite to win Saturday's straw poll, a non-binding contest that nonetheless will be a key gauge of how well these candidates are doing.
As for Rick Perry's announcement, it could eat into Michelle Bachmann' support. Perry can boast that he has a strong record in Texas on jobs, with unemployment below the national average at 8.2 percent. Plus he is the darling of social conservatives and faith based organizations -- which is a direct threat to Michelle Bachmann, who enjoys support with these very same groups.
