With the Iowa caucus around the corner and the 2012 presidential election in sight, it is important for us to look at the candidates on the field and weigh the options.

The person that is living in the White House for the next four years will be extremely important for us as we make our way into the real world.

With that in mind, I decided to look at the top three Republican Party candidates: Rick Perry, Mitt Romney and Michele Bachmann.

Perry presents the character that Americans seem to always relate to. Perry is the candidate that voters want to have a beer with or go to a baseball game with. He has a certain friendly charisma that is hard to find.

Unfortunately, to win the presidency you need more than just charisma. Perry seemingly lacks the knowledge necessary to be president. I question Perry most about his knowledge of the economy. With Texas consistently slipping into debt and not getting any better (not to mention the rising number of illegal immigrants hired in his state) it is difficult to say that he would lead our nation in the right direction in this harsh economic period.

Romney, who at this point seems the most electable of the GOP, seems to put his more liberal ideas forward. “Romneycare” provides a public option, something that was seen as “socialist” in “Obamacare,” and claims it as a conservative idea. Romney also seems to take quite a bit of credit for the success of cutting the Massachusetts budget.

Controversy still detracts from most of Romney’s success, with anti-establishment conservatives claiming that his programs are too liberal, and that his Mormon faith will detract from his performance as president.

Iowa native Bachmann is the final of the top candidates for the GOP. While Bachmann is gaining a wide support from white, conservative, middle-class Evangelicals, she lacks the support from the rest of the party. Many are concerned with the ability of Bachmann to understand and apply foreign policy issues in the presidency.

Much of the concern is what Bachmann would do in Libya and what she would do about Palestine’s statehood. A repeal of “Obamacare” is also another concern, with a majority of Americans supporting the health care bill passed a year and a half ago.

Bachmann’s plan to “fix” the economy does not seem very reasonable. With her supporting increased revenue reduction and increased cuts to funding for public institutes, it’s a concern for many of where the money to help the economy and the public is going to come from.

The election is going to be very exciting and the season has just begun, so get out there, meet the candidates and take advantage of the fact you live in Iowa.

Believe it or not, politics affect the field you go into, no matter what that field is. So get out, get active and vote.

Dustin is a political science and history major. He is a Culver Fellow and active in College Democrats, Alpha Phi Omega, the Comic Book Club and Kappa Theta Psi.