David Yepsen is the chief political writer and a columnist for the Des Moines Register, though he is known nationally as “dean of the Iowa political press corps.” He spoke to the Iowa Independent by phone on Wednesday about how he writes columns, why he likes blogs and which presidential candidates have a chance in the 2008 Iowa Caucuses.

Yepsen, who has been a columnist since 2000, said that when he sits down to write a column he usually chooses between two kinds, rant or analysis. With a rant, “you’re just mad about something,” he said. “And you just rant and rave a little bit.” As for an analysis: “You’re taking a situation and trying to examine what is happening … and what it may mean.”

“I view my job as trying to explain politics to our readers and what it may mean. The function of journalism is to make a community better. I’m committed to making it better.” Doing so means he’s often on different points across the political spectrum.  “Sometimes that puts me on the conservative side of things. I think that government spends too much money,” he said. “But I’ve got views that are seen as liberal,” noting he supported gay civil rights as well as an increase in the minimum wage. “I think columns get too predictable.” He said he hoped that even when readers disagreed with him on an issue, that the column was interesting and made them think about it. “If I’ve given them a new perspective,” he said, “I’ve succeeded.”

When first reached by phone Wednesday, Yepsen asked if he could postpone the interview until later in the day — he needed to finish his latest blog post. That the dean of the Iowa political press corps is now a blogger undoubtedly says something about the changing media environment. “Clearly the arrival of the Internet and the blogosphere has changed journalism and I think it’s healthy,” he said. “I work in the mainstream media and some in the mainstream media complain about it. I don’t. I think it’s a great democratizing thing.”

Yepsen said that he was pleased with the emergence of the blogosphere even when he has found its guns trained at him. “I think it’s wonderful that people are expressing their opinions and have that outlet — even when they’re critical of me,” he said. “It’s the First Amendment in action.” Yepsen said he had a few favorite blogs on the Iowa and national scene but declined to identify them for fear of leaving someone out. “I try to spend a little time each day because I know that it has an impact on politics,” he said. He also noted that blogs “come and go. … Look at Krusty Konservative, he just hung it up. Never did know who it was.” Yepsen said the blogosphere “does get a little uncivil at times but it’s a free country.”

The latest polls out of the Register show Mitt Romney with a large lead among GOP caucus-goers and John Edwards ahead by a smaller margin among Democratic caucus-goers. Yepsen, however, cautioned against reading too much into these polls, which have a 4.9 percent margin of error. “For both parties,” he said, “there is a long way to go.”

On the GOP side, “Romney is clearly ahead,” Yepsen said. “He’ll take that but two-thirds of Iowa Republicans want something else.” The poll also noted that 87 percent of respondents said they could be persuaded to support someone else.

Edwards’ lead in Iowa shouldn’t be surprising, Yepsen said, because he’s still the favorite son for many Iowa Democrats. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton’s third-place standing in the polls, however, should be worrisome to her campaign — and we’ve seen that it is. “I think Clinton’s got problems,” Yepsen said. “Her trend lines are headed down.” He thinks Iowa Democrats have two opinions of Clinton. “[Some] are not happy with her handling of the war in Iraq. They want her to apologize for her vote.” Others, he said, like Clinton but don’t think she could win the 2008 general election. “When you’re dealing with caucus goers, they also care about electability. That’s what killed Howard Dean. They liked what he had to say but…”For these Democrats, it’s “nothing personal, just business,” he said.

On the other hand, Sen. Barack Obama has the potential to seriously challenge Edwards for the hearts of Iowa Democrats, Yepsen said. “He’s steadily moved up [and is] working the state hard.” Many people appear to be looking for something fresh, he said. The big crowds coming to see Obama suggest “there’s something going on there–the challenge is turning them out on caucus day.” Nonetheless, the electricity surrounding Obama is real, he said, and “it’s something for us to watch.”

Yepsen urged Iowans to learn about the campaigns and to attend the caucuses next year. “We’re fortunate in Iowa to see these people up close, to interact with them. We can learn a lot. [It's] unfortunate that some people complain about things but don’t go to the caucuses. More than any other Americans, Iowans have an opportunity to influence who the next president is.”