The Ellison Report: Iowa Is A 'Homogeneous State'

The Ames, Iowa, straw poll is set for this Saturday. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann will be there; Mitt Romney, Sarah Palin and Texas Gov. Rick Perry will not. In a Star Tribune article about the poll, Reporter Kevin Diaz wrote:

• "Democrats like to note that whatever its shortcomings as a cross-section of America, Iowa put President Obama on a trajectory to win his party's nomination, giving him an early, crucial edge over then-rival Hillary Clinton."

Diaz then went on to quote Rep. Keith Ellison:

• "It is a very homogenous state, and it's not necessarily representative of the whole country," he said. "But at the same time, they've done a decent job."

 On Wednesday night, Ellison was  at the White House.

The meal is held to break the daily fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

During the dinner, President Barack Obama honored American Muslims who died on .

• "Muslim Americans were innocent passengers on those planes, including a young married couple looking forward to the birth of their first child," he said. "They were workers in the Twin Towers—Americans by birth and Americans by choice, immigrants who crossed the oceans to give their children a better life. They were cooks and waiters, but also analysts and executives."