In the next couple of weeks the velocity of the campaign will increase, and so will the stakes. And the mistakes. The first major error of the campaign, unnoted until now, occurred just a few days ago. Kasich, the House budget chairman, visited Joensy's Diner in Solon, Iowa, where he ordered a hamburger. He insisted on the burger.
People notice the smallest things.
The activity taking place below the surface right now is important, just as the water eddies below a frozen lake are important. Early polls showed Richard Nixon beating John F. Kennedy and George Bush beating Bill Clinton, but ordinarily the voters don't change their minds dramatically after the election year begins, no matter how hard the candidates try, no matter what they say, no matter what they eat. The early primaries count, but so do the early impressions.