Microtargetting

One basic critique of online news is that it segregates readers, hiving everyone off into their own little niche based on tone, ideology, length of articles and so forth. And it seems something similar is happening in the Republican presidential primary process. All the plausibly mainstream Republican candidates — first Romney, now Huntsman — are deciding to bail on the Iowa caucuses entirely and opting to make their first stand in New Hampshire, where a more libertarian and less socially coercive style of conservatism has historically reigned. That’s going to leave Iowa a cockpit of right-wing fury, but worth considerably less because some of the biggest contenders won’t even be playing.