MC @ the Caucuses

By Staying in the Campaign, Edwards Helps Obama

2008-01-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

Although John Edwards is quickly losing his status as one of the front runners in the campaign, he is still vital in keeping Hillary Clinton from winning, according to a recent article on Alternet.org. Although a lot of Edwards supporters would likely switch their votes to Obama, he is still important for this reason: Obama still keeps most of the southern Black vote, but Edwards splits the southern White vote (in which Obama is trailing) with Clinton, preventing her from breaking even with him. Were Edwards to drop out, Clinton would quickly be even with- or even surpass- Obama in states where he currently has a lead.

This article says that Obama currently isn't strong enough, especially among many White voters, to hold his own against Clinton in the election, but if he stays strong and has a good showing on Super-Duper Tuesday, he should have a decent chance of getting the Democratic nomination. But up until then, Edwards is a vital part of ensuring his success.

Obama Campaign Says Nevada Caucus Disenfranchised Voters

2008-01-23T14:42:00.000-08:00

Several days ago, after the recent Nevada caucuses, the Barack Obama campaign called for an investigation into what happened at some of the caucus locations throughout the state. According to a press conference held by the Obama campaign, “an indeterminate number of caucus locations” stopped allowing new voters in at 11:30am, half an hour before the caucuses were actually supposed to start at 12:00pm. This is allegedly because of incorrect information provided by the Clinton campaign in their manuals.

The Obama campaign is not going to challenge the outcome of the vote, even though Clinton got more delegates than Obama.

According to a statement sent out by the Obama campaign to its volunteers, there were over 200 incidents at caucus sites. Although they didn't blame these on the Clinton campaign, they did mention that they had extra impact because of and with “an entire week’s worth of false, divisive, attacks designed to mislead caucus-goers and discredit the caucus itself” from the Clinton campaign.

Other caucus sites ran out of paper ballots, registration forms, and other things, and apparently there were some ballots that had been pre-marked for Clinton.

Obama Volunteer Work

2008-01-23T14:41:00.000-08:00

The longest and most strenuous (but also most enjoyable) day of my Iowa trip was definitely the day that I spent volunteering for Sen. Barack Obama’s campaign. The other Obama supporters on the trip and I all arrived at the campaign headquarters around 9:00 that morning. Soon after our arrival, we were given clipboards with maps and a list of potential (and verified) Obama supporters and we went off to a residential area of Ames to knock on doors and leave literature about the caucuses. Since we were walking around on a Wednesday morning, many people were at work, so I ended up leaving a lot of door hangers. After several hours of canvassing, we returned to the Obama headquarters. Everybody else left to see Bill Clinton speak in Des Moines, but I stayed at the office to help more. Over the next nine hours, I made over three hundred phone calls to potential and verified Obama supporters, reminding them of their caucus location, answering any questions they may have had about Senator Obama or the caucuses, and occasionally getting hung up on, sworn at, or told that they had changed their political affiliation- including one person who had supported Obama, but now favors Ron Paul.

For me, volunteering for Senator Obama’s campaign was a really valuable experience, and I would definitely like to do campaign work in the future, either paid or volunteer. It enabled me to see how a campaign works on the inside, and also gave me insight into and respect for all of the work and personpower that go into retail politics as they're practiced in Iowa. Although I don't want to run for public office, nor would I want to do something as big as manage an entire campaign, I definitely hope that campaign work can be a part of my life for quite some time.

John Edwards

2008-01-23T14:40:00.000-08:00

I’ve seen John Edwards twice, and both times, what he said was very similar… in fact, it was almost identical each time. This surprised me, especially because of the difference in audience and location of the two times we saw him. The first time was in Algona, a town of about 6000 people in northern Iowa, and there were around 200 people in attendance. The speech he gave there talked a lot about farmers and workers, and I thought it was generally well-suited to the mostly-rural, casually dressed, small-town Iowa constituents who attended, although I thought that the way he dressed (a blue suit with a white dress shirt and tie… and brown Timberland boots) didn’t entirely “match” his audience.

The next day, we saw him in Ames at Iowa State University. I had figured that his speech would be different, since he was speaking in a university town of just over 50000 residents. His speech, however, was almost exactly the same as the one he had given the day before in Algona- but his dress was different. He was wearing the same boots and jacket, but he was wearing jeans and a white button down… in other words, the clothes that I would have said were more appropriate for the Algona crowd of farmers and small-town folk, not the university-town dwellers.

In general, though, I liked John Edwards’ message. He spoke about returning power to the American people, and also about the importance of family and the legacy of those who came before. I also support his healthcare plan and his plan for rebuilding in Iraq.

First Time Voter Gets Glimpse of the Action

2008-01-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

In the title of my first post, I described myself as a “first time voter eager to catch a glimpse of the action” (in Iowa). Now, having spent my week in Iowa, I have soaked up more knowledge about the Iowa caucuses and about political campaigning as a whole than I ever expected I would. Going into the trip, I expected to catch a few campaign events from a distance, do some busy work for the Obama campaign for a few hours, and attend a laid back precinct caucus on the big night. However, what I got was much more than that. The event that I went to were very interactive, and most of the time my seat was good enough to get me a spot on national television. My work with the Obama campaign was far more extensive than I imagined. I got to knock on doors and actually talk to regular Iowans about Obama. In addition, I got to see what campaigning is like behind the scenes. On caucus night, the events were far from boring. The people were pumped up and the room was filled with excitement.

What I have been able to take away from all of this is a better understanding of what it takes to run a political campaign. To win the hearts and minds of millions of voters, you have to have a strong and appealing message. I heard many examples of these at the numerous rallies I attended. To complement this message, you must have a strong grassroots organization to “get out the vote” at the local level. I witnessed this at the Obama headquarters in Ames, Iowa. Finally, I realize now that when it all comes down to it, the people really are the ones who decide which candidate gets elected. The struggling and maneuvering I saw at the precinct caucus demonstrated how much the people enjoy that power. The experiment that is American Democracy is working, and it is working because we the people make it work.

Meeting the Rotary Club

2008-01-13T19:05:00.000-08:00

Today my classmates and I had the delightful opportunity to have lunch with the North Manchester Rotary Club and share our experiences in Iowa with them. This was a lot of fun because the members of the organization are very friendly and generous. They love to do work for their community and they love to invite guests into their meetings. I found their company to be warm and receptive to our stories about Iowa.

This was also a good exercise for our class because until then we really haven’t had to describe the Iowa caucuses to anyone from outside the state of Iowa. Many on the members of the Club were well informed about the candidates, but not many knew much about the caucus system itself. Thus, we were able to demonstrate what we knew about the process to them and help them understand the caucuses better. In the end, I think they had a great time getting to know more about politics and hearing our fun stories.

thoughts on New Hampshire

2008-01-13T12:11:00.001-08:00

January 5^th

After the dust settled and the smoke cleared in Iowa, A cry for change could be heard resounding throughout the state. Upstart Senator Barack Obama was able to dominate the Democratic Caucus while Republican Mike Huckabee triumphs over front-runner Mitt Romney. With all of this surprise and inconsistency in the Caucus, what can be expected from the rest of the nation? Is this the year that the Democratic party will nominate a black man? Or a woman? Iowa has had its say but there is so much still left unanswered by the nation. Who will be able to emerge from either field and claim the presidency?

After a second place finish at the Iowa Caucuses on Thursday, John Edwards looks to keep his hopes alive by a strong showing in New Hampshire. Edwards was able to edge out Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton on Thursday to secure the second place finish falling only a few points behind winner Barack Obama. Edwards was able to push himself into the pack of Clinton and Obama despite being outspent by the duo almost ten to one. Pundits point to an array of situations that could have led to the good showing by Edwards. First and probably most important, Edwards has been campaigning in Iowa for years now. After his second place finish four years ago Senator Edwards has practically camped out in the state. This could be a major reason why the Iowa public voted for him. Also, Edwards has collected many middle/ working class votes because of his history as a lawyer and a populist candidate. Edwards reminds us of his upbringing in Seneca, South Carolina where his parents where mill workers. Edwards populist appeal may have been one of the major reasons why he was able to secure the win in Iowa.

Unfortunately, Edwards faces a new challenge in New Hampshire on Tuesday. His middle-class working-class platform will appeal much less to the more white-collar professionals (doctors don't really like John Edwards because he sued them a lot as a lawyer) in New Hampshire. He must be able to win the vote of unions with which he was very successful in doing in Iowa. He must also be able to steal a portion of the young vote from Barack Obama. This could help him secure another second place finish. Another thing going against John Edwards is his lack of funds. He may have been able to keep up with the other two candidates in Iowa but he will not be able to go much further with the meager funds that he has. He has taken out a federal matching loan that severely limits his finances. John Edwards biggest hope is that he can survive New Hampshire, which has never been too hospitable to Southern candidates, and manage to win in his home state of South Carolina.

Dr. Williams, I'm in jail...

2008-01-12T19:01:00.000-08:00

Pieces of conversation overheard at campaign events that did not, repeat did not happen, but would have made for some interesting bail conversations.

1/1 at Richardson event. "Hey, lets go party boy Bill when he comes in!"

1/1 at Edwards event. "Dude that guy tried to send us to the wrong location, lets jump him!"

1/1 at Obama rally. "We're in the front row! Crowd surfing!! Dude you're going up!"

1/2 at Clinton event. We're roped in, lets just jump the rope."

1/2 at Huckabee event. "You want to get kicked out, start up a F*** Huck chant-60s style"

1/3 during volunteer work. "We need Clinton to screw up, go put on a Clinton t-shirt and cause a traffic accident!"

1/3 during volunteer work. "Do you think they'd get angry if we plastered a Ron Paul sign on Obama headquarters?"

Again, NONE OF THESE THINGS HAPPENED!! One of the best parts of a Manchester College education is knowing where that line is. Now where's my whipped cream pie...

Thank You

2008-01-12T18:46:00.000-08:00

Thank you Iowa- For your politics, your people, your enthusiasm, and your sales on gloves, hats, and long underwear.

Thank you John Edwards- For propelling us to the national spotlight as professional background personnel.

Thank you Bill Clinton- For giving a class of underclassmen from the middle of one of the reddest states in the nation, a handshake and your vision for the coming century.

Thank you Hawk eyes- For your infectious enthusiasm, Midwest hospitality, and patience with us as we inundated you with calls and knocks on doors.

Thank you Dr. Williams- For leading us through sweaty crowds and frozen roads in constant pursuit of the next candidate.

Thank you all. Its been an incredible ride. See you in Des Monies 2012!

Giuliani's Money Crunch

2008-01-12T17:23:00.001-08:00

Using one of the most unconventional strategies ever thought up, you would think that Rudy Giuliani would have planned a little better. It has been his plan all along to focus primarily on Florida and to skip the two earliest states. He believed that if he could make it to Florida, he would be all right. He may now, more than ever, be realizing the mistake he made. It has been found that some of Giuliani’s staffers had been asked to work without pay throughout the month of January, in order that financial resources could be focused on the Florida primary. This financial concern may never have happened if he would have not skipped the early states where as a result he could have gained very important media coverage and plentiful donations. I wonder if the Giuliani campaign is considering a mistake in their strategy at this point in time?!

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2008/01/11/top-giuliani-staffers-to-go-without-pay/

Before going to Iowa, I was interested in politics, but not as much as I am now. This presidential race is more so now than ever something that I am excited to be witnessing and eager to see the results. It is an exciting time in the world of politics that is for sure. With Super Tuesday fast approaching, I am eager to see which candidates drop out and which candidates accomplish their goals better than even they expected.

Overall Impressions

2008-01-11T17:12:00.001-08:00

Before taking this class, I thought I knew a fair amount about the Presidential elections. Now that we've returned from our week in Iowa, I've come to the realization-- I KNEW NOTHING! I am so grateful that I took this opportunity. This will be my first presidential election that I can participate in and I believe this will be the most informed vote I will ever cast. Meeting the candidates and attending rallies without a media channel has aloud me to digest, evaluate and form my own opinions about issues.

Not many people are granted the chance to work for a presidential campaign. I have gained an immense amount of respect for the candidates, their families, and their staff. Countless ours go into making the bid for the White House. I could not imagine working so hard, sacrificing in almost every aspect of your life and falling short of the ballot. But the previously mention persons are not the only ones who contribute to the victory of candidates. The volunteers and people of Iowa take their caucus just as serious. They had been bombarded with political information for almost two years, yet up to the day of the caucus most still answered their doors or phones to hear one last bit of information.

Observing and participating in the Iowa Caucuses has lead me to believe that caucuses should be held across all 50 states. Some people may be hesitant to vote for their first choice because they feel that candidate may not make it, so they avoid choosing them altogether. Instead with a caucus, people can still show their support for their first choice, and if the first choice is not viable, their vote can still count with a second choice candidate. Caucuses really do give the power back to the people and represent constituent views better.

debate and rotarians

2008-01-11T16:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday our class was able to share our experience with some members of an energetic club of rotarians. They explained to us about the rotarian club which involves serving the community and gathering to socialize. They pay alot of fines when they gather but it is in good fun. we explaind to them how important the hawkeyes view thier caucus and go and see the candidates more than once. We also explained the caucus system to them. The meal was pleeasing also including bbq chicken. Also last night was the Republican party debate in South Carolina. The candidates discussed about if there is a coming recession what needs to be done. they all agreed lower taxes would help. Energy independence would also save Americans money. Wheter the Reagan coalition had been broken up, if they would have reacted to the Iran patrol boat the same way. They also spoke on what they would do with pakistan. They agreed that the party had abandoned the principles that they came to power with. Pushing for more spending and goverment was a bad idea and was part of the reason they lost power. Ron Paul was the most vocal saying he was the only true republican. He taughted that Robert Taft who was viewed as mr. republican in the 1950's did not want us in NATO and that he would not engage us in nation building and withdraw from iraq. He also pointed out that he had never voted for a raise in taxes or an unbalenced budget. On the Iran patrol boat confrontation all the candidates said they would support thier milatary commander's decisions except ron Paul who ranted on the war. Fred Thompson who needs to have a good showing in south carolina to stay alive kept making rants at Mike Huckabee as beng a liberal. Huckabee made jokes about some of the accusations and defended himself. Rommney and Rudy have both withdrown from south carolina leaving McCain and Huckabee in a close race there.

2008-01-11T15:27:00.000-08:00

The primary in South Carolina will be held about two weeks from now on January 26th, and the candidates are hard at work to gain votes. In an average of three recent polls, Obama leads with 44%, Clinton follows with 30%, and Edwards finishes with only 15% (margin of error is 4.4). How things really turn out will depend on a few key factors.

According to an article by Dan Lothian, there is no winning the south without winning the votes of African Americans. In South Carolina the African American vote is divided between those loyal to the Clinton family and those wanting Obama to win. Personally, I worry a little about the idea of electing family members of a former president so soon; it’s beginning to look a little monarchial to me—Bush Sr., B. Clinton, B. Clinton, Bush Jr., Bush Jr., H. Clinton. That’s not to say Hillary wouldn’t make an excellent president, but it makes me a little nervous. However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to elect anyone based on their sex, race, or family ties alone.

Polls in July, 2007, showed that Clinton was leading the field with 52% of votes while Obama trailed with 33%. In December the polls showed Clinton at 46% and Obama with 45%. The Clinton campaign is relying heavily on votes from women and momentum from New Hampshire. Obama’s campaign will rely on the youth vote and those in the higher income bracket. According to the polls where the African American vote will go is still anyone’s guess. We shouldn’t quite forget John Edwards yet either. He won 37% of the African American vote in South Carolina in 2004 and won the state. Though he trails in the polls right now we know that those haven’t been very accurate recently.

http://politicalref.com/PollCenter/StatePolls/SouthCarolina.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/10/sc.obama.clinton/index.html

Some come for the Chuck- but stay for the Huck.

2008-01-11T11:39:00.000-08:00

On 1 Jan 07, we attended a rally for Mike Huckabee at the Val Air Ballroom in West Des Moines, IA. There were 300-400 people there. The sex distribution appeared to be pretty equal, although there were maybe more males than females. Most of the people there were over the age of 40 and even older. Everyone was White and they appeared to mostly be either farmers or lower-middle class.

Something that I noticed is that Mike Huckabee seemed to have a lot of die-hard supporters and there were very few undecided voters there. I was able to talk to one very committed Mike Huckabee supporter, a man who told us he was in his seventies. He said that after he went to see Ronald Reagan inaugurated, he swore that he would never go to another inauguration again. “But I'd go for Mike,” he said. “I'd go to see Mike.”

Unlike many of the other events we attended, there was no clear person in charge. Before Huckabee spoke, a band headed by a former Iowa state legislator played a few songs. There were also people from an anti-IRS organization called FairTax there handing out shirts and baseball caps. Also unlike some other events we attended, Mike Huckabee was on time.

It was also different in that it was not recruiting new supporters as much as it was rallying the ones he already had. He quoted the Bible (to great cheers) and didn't talk about exactly what he was going to do as much as how important it was that he was able to do what he wanted to do.

Also there was actor Chuck Norris, who endorsed Mike Huckabee. Apparently Chuck's endorsement is doing more than some might think- according to the NPR story linked above, Chuck Norris (who, by the way, has counted to infinity twice) has drawn lots of young people to Huckabee's rallies, and they liked Huckabee's politics enough that they're now considering voting for him.

After all, Mike Huckabee's bumper stickers don't have glue on them. They stick because Chuck Norris told them to.

Caucus or Primary

2008-01-11T07:37:00.000-08:00

In the past month many questions have been asked about preferences for either a primary or caucus system. After having the opportunity to observe a caucus, I believe that the caucus process is a more effective way to get voters involved in the political process that is necessary for democracy. With a caucus it requires the participant to be more involved with knowing what the candidate stands for. It isn’t as simple as just choosing a name that is on the ballot that sounds good. In most caucus states, such as Iowa the candidates spend time letting the voters get to know them. This leads to a more informed voting group. So it is my opinion that caucuses are more effective in getting more people involved in choosing the leader of our country.

Staged or Not it Worked!

2008-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

We all saw the emotional side of Hillary Clinton just before the New Hampshire primary this past week. This is a very different side of Hillary that we have seen. Unlike her normal demeanor she allowed the public to see she was a real person with feelings too. However, I question the motives behind this sudden change in character. The polls had shown that she was loosing female voters to her rival, Barack Obama. And it has been no secret that many women have felt she was cold and incapable of showing emotion. Many women that I had spoken too have felt this way and were unsure of whether they would vote for her. So it is my opinion that this was nothing more than a staged political strategy in order to gain back the lost female voters. Staged or not though it was an effective strategy. She got the votes and was able to come from her third place position in Iowa to the number one spot in New Hampshire. And she has stuck with it too. Not only is she showing more personality and emotion, she has begun to dress more femininely as well. She has now lost some of that politician coldness that had been turning off voters, now showing people that not only can a female participate in the boy’s game, she doesn’t have to loose her personality while doing it. This is an effective change that should help her in other states as it did in New Hampshire. Already some of the women I have spoken with who had not decided who they would vote for were taking another look at Hillary, and those who had decided to support her were happy with this new show of emotion. So it is going to be interesting to watch the way she portrays herself during the rest of the election and see if she does gain more female votes because of this new emotional side.

The Most “Unconventional” Strategy Ever!

2008-01-10T21:15:00.000-08:00

Rudy Giuliani could appear to some that he does not even care about the presidential race, by way of how much campaigning he has been doing. He has campaigned very little in both Iowa and New Hampshire, two important states in which candidates can gain recognition. Giuliani has recognition to his name, but not all of it is good by any means. In the book Grand Illusion, the authors accused Giuliani of not caring about the health care of the clean-up workers at the World Trade Center, such as requiring respirators. Most, if not all, of the workers have become sick in one way or another. Giuliani is accused of not enforcing health standards as well as saying the air immediately following the attack on the towers was ok to breathe. One other area he is criticized for is that he actually took people on tours of the trade center when it was not healthy and some of the tourists, which were celebrities and high-ranked officials, were in high heels.
Due to this negative image, you would think that Giuliani would want to campaign a great deal to give himself a positive image.

One of the most interesting things about the Giuliani campaign is that they are taking an “unconventional” approach to their strategy. They have avoided both Iowa and New Hampshire for the most part and are focusing their strengths on Florida. They feel that if they make it to Florida then they will gain the momentum that they need to keep going on with the campaign. Because Giuliani has skipped Iowa and New Hampshire, he has missed out on an extensive amount of media coverage and as a result of that he could lose out on potential donations. Also as a result of his “unconventional” strategy he could lose the latter states in which he was banking on. Giuliani and his campaign has been saying that it has been their strategy all along to skip Iowa and New Hampshire and focus on Florida, California, Illinois, and New York.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/08/us/politics/08rudy.html?ref=politics

Will Giuliani’s “unconventional” strategy last? One of the most important things for a front-runner to maintain is their favorable image. If Giuliani is not competitively campaigning against his opponents, how can he expect to gain any positive media coverage or any resulting donations? The advantages of front-runners are most notably seen in the beginning of the race. Giuliani has not taken advantage of his name recognition in the campaigns in Iowa or New Hampshire. Giuliani has almost not been a contender in the campaigns thus far, so how does he honestly expect to prosper in latter races. The biggest challenge that the strategy of Giuliani’s campaign is not considering is the lack of media coverage and the resulting votes and donations. If Giuliani’s strategy works and he some how pulls through the race and gains the nomination, he will defy a lot of odds because as the research shows, he should not do well later on throughout the race.

Caucus! The Musical

2008-01-10T20:58:00.001-08:00

When I heard that we were going to see a musical that was basically a satire about the Iowa Caucuses, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I don’t know if I thought it was going to be set back further in the past, but I was not expecting what I saw. On the preview online I listened to “Anything for a Vote,” which caught my attention, and I was immediately laughing and counting down the days until we would see it in person. Elden Wise, the main character was just a normal Iowan with a wife, a daughter, and a son. There is a reporter who told them that they would all have to keep it a secret who they wanted to caucus for, and that they would reveal it during Christmas break. The Wise family did not see a problem with that because they were “One Happy Family.” Come Christmas break, the young daughter had been away at college for a whole semester, and became a feminist. The son finally admitted that he had been gay for years. The wife decided on her religious values, and Elden Wise had already decided on the most conservative, womanizing, unintelligent candidate. Needless to say that they were no longer “One Happy Family.”
In the end they find a non-frontrunner in the diner that Elden always hangs out at. He speaks to all of them, and the whole family decides that they like him the most. The musical was basically about how once the candidates start showing up in Iowa after Christmas, the people of Iowa never get a break from candidates, campaign workers, the media, and all of the other “rats” (rats describe people like us who follow the candidates around-as described in an Iowa newspaper). This musical is hilariously real, and it has been almost a week now and I still can’t get the songs out of my head.

President Clinton

2008-01-10T20:43:00.001-08:00

Don't worry everyone, I am not calling Hillary Clinton "President" just yet, I am just behind on blogging....This is about Bill.
I was definitely the most excited to see President Clinton. I have always liked him, and I could not wait to hear him speak in person. He talked about Hillary, and mostly her past experience and what she has done for the people. He talked about what she did straight out of college, how instead of going to work for a big law firm and make a lot of money, she went to work to defend children’s rights. Obviously, he was able to talk about Hillary on a more personal level. He discussed the strengths that Hillary possesses that would make her a good President, and he told us how much he believed in her. To be honest, even though I listened to the entire speech, I think that I was so excited about watching Bill Clinton speak, and thinking ahead to getting a picture with him after the speech that it was hard for me to pay attention to everything he said. All in all he was a very impressive speaker, and I think that even though President Clinton can be looked upon as bringing her down, he is also making out to be a great asset to Hillary’s campaign.

John Edwards

2008-01-10T20:37:00.000-08:00

On caucus day, Jessie, Ben and I were able to attend another Edwards event. It was at a small steelworkers union. When we got there we asked what we could do to set up, and they told us that they didn’t need any more help, so we just went up to the front and hung around the stage area. When Jessie and I came out of the bathroom, Ben told us that we were going to be up on the stage. He was about 15 minutes late, but his speech only lasted about 10 minutes. He spoke about the middle class and the importance of the steelworkers’ votes. Since it was the morning of the caucuses, his speech was more of a “rally the troops” speech than an informative speech.

Everyone there from the steelworkers union had obviously made up their minds to vote for him. Another good part about seeing John Edwards was that we were right behind him on stage during his speech, and it was broadcast on all of the major news networks. On YouTube Jessie can be seen throughout the entire speech. FoxNews showed me shaking John Edwards’ hand, and I was in a picture on MSNBC.com right behind him. Along with seeing all of the candidates and getting to work for them, it was also super cool that our class got their 15 minutes of fame.

Obama's Loss in New Hampshire and Kerry's Endorsement

2008-01-10T20:11:00.000-08:00

After a somewhat shocking second place finish in New Hampshire, Obama is on to South Carolina to continue his bid for the democratic nomination. The outcome in New Hampshire is certainly an example of how wrong polls can be. Up until that night Obama had been leading in the polls in New Hampshire by a double digit margin. Why then did he end up placing second? It seems that women voted primarily for Hillary, unlike in Iowa where they voted for Obama. Hillary also seemed to have more of the vote from middle and working class people with less then college degrees. Obama on the other hand obtained more votes from the upper middle and upper class and from those with a college degree or more. Could this be a sign of an underlying class divide between the two candidates?
If in fact Obama appeals mostly to upper middle and upper class voters with higher educations I wonder how Kerry’s very recent endorsement will help. Kerry had a very similar problem in the 2004 elections. He just didn’t have the appeal that he needed with lower income voters; many saw him as a stuffy, wealthy, white man. Since Obama seems to have received most of his votes in New Hampshire from more educated and better-off voters could this be a problem he will come to face?
I also think many people were surprised in Kerry’s announcement to endorse Obama since his running mate from 2004, John Edwards, is in fact running for the nomination as well. Kerry made a statement to try and smooth things over. He said that he felt that the people he’s worked with in the past are certainly hard workers and capable of becoming president, but over all that Obama is the best candidate.
Kerry continued the trend of talking about change, probably because that has been Obama’s key position even before it became the million dollar word for so many candidates. Kerry said that Obama was the man that could bring unity back to Washington and bring the change that America needed. He also said, “history gives up moments. We decide what to do with them”. He went on to say that this is the moment to choose Barack as our candidate and future president. It will be interesting to see the exit polls from South Carolina; if Obama will be able to appeal to voters of each class and all education levels and also whether Kerry’s endorsement will help.
http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=3823789452582543893

Finally…a Free Day

2008-01-10T18:41:00.000-08:00

Our last day in Iowa allowed for some relaxation. We all went to the state museum in Des Moines to see an exhibit about the history of the caucuses in Iowa, and then went to a showing of “Caucus: The Musical.” The musical was hilarious, but it also highlighted some of the truths about the Iowa Caucus and campaigning as a whole. First of all, it showed how different candidates try to attack each other to gain votes. It also demonstrated how much of a large roll the media plays in politics. When these realities are put on the stage, they can both make you laugh and think at the same time. I would recommend that anyone who ever has the opportunity to see the musical should go ahead and see it. It is very worthwhile.

New Hampshire Suprise

2008-01-10T18:40:00.001-08:00

Well Senator Clinton and Senator Obama have not split the surprises. Obama surprised everyone in Iowa and now Clinton has returned the favor in the New Hampshire primaries. Obama was ahead of Hillary Rodham Clinton by an average of 8% points in almost every poll leading up to the New Hampshire primaries. People in New Hampshire also said through a poll that 50% believed the senator from Illinois had the best chance to unite America. Then 46% stated Obama had the best chance of beating a Republican. He had double digit leads in both of these stats the day before the voting. Yet Hillary Clinton pulled out the victory card by 2%. She won by winning the major city counties. Not only was she winning the heart of the cities but she would win the surrounding counties with the denser populations. Obama still got his younger crowds through the college towns, but there were not enough voters to be able to catch Mrs. Clinton. All of a sudden Hillary stole Obama's momentum and is on the up swing. She revamped her winning speech and I thought she had a good slogan with the people being the cause of her recent uprise. She got off the "Change" bandwagon and found herself her own slogan. She said that while being in New Hampshire, the people spoke to her, and through them she found her own voice. I think Barack Obama is going to have to talk more about issues and values more than his "Hope" and "Change" speeches. Even though they are very inspirational, too many have heard them and he need to defend and explain his positions on issues to get back in the lead. I'm hoping he will be able to fight and win South Carolina and then win the majority on Feb. 5. GO BARACK OBAMA!!!

Caucus Day!!!

2008-01-10T18:40:00.000-08:00

On Thursday night, the event that I have devoted a week to and millions all over the world have been waiting for arrived. It happened in a small auxiliary room in a public library in Ames, Iowa. The room was packed full with residents of the local community. It was hot and, to be honest, a little smelly. There were people every age level, socioeconomic status, and race. Everyone was dressed very informally. Before the event started, most of the people filling the room were chatting politely amongst themselves.
Then it all started. The room was divided into candidate preference groups. When the candidates’ support was tallied, the undecided participants (who were supporting nonviable candidates) were told to select a candidate from among the viable ones. This is when it really got really hectic. Supporters of viable candidates were hustling to persuade undecided voters to join their candidate. There was arguing, shouting, chanting, and all around chaos. After 30 minutes of realignment, the new supporter followings were counted and the delegates were assigned. Barack Obama received 52% (6 delegates), John Edwards received 29% (3 delegates), and Hillary Clinton received 19% (2 delegates).
I enjoyed this experience because I got to see first hand what real democracy is supposed to be like. It was real people talking with one another about what is best for our country. I feel like more states should adopt this kind of procedure for allotting delegates.

And Then There Were Three...

2008-01-10T18:12:00.000-08:00

After coming in fourth place again, now in New Hampshire, Bill Richardson is throwing in the towel. After finishing with 2% of the votes in Iowa and less than 5% in New Hampshire, he gave a farewell speech in his home state of New Mexico on Thursday. I am a current member of Bill Richardson for President campaign. Tonight, I received an email in my inbox entitled "Thank You" from Mr. Richardson himself. I was extremely surprised by the following:

"Now that my time in this national campaign has come to an end, I would urge those who supported my candidacy to take a long and thoughtful look at the remaining Democrats. They are all strong contenders who each, in their own way, would bring desperately needed change to our country. All I ask is that you make your own independent choice with the same care and dedication to this country that you honored me with during this campaign. At this time, I will not endorse any candidate."

Bill Richardson is not endorsing another candidate. This comes as a shock to a lot because I think many, like myself, were expecting him to endorse Obama and ask his supporters to do the same (much the way Kucinich had). I think this is another strategic move because it keeps his options open for vice president offers from all three front running candidates. I really hope that this works out for him, and that he does, in fact, become the vice presidential nominee.

Endorsement a Boost?

2008-01-10T18:07:00.000-08:00

Today John Kerry endorsed Barack Obama's campaign. Kerry was seen on stage with Obama both giving award winning smiles. I can't help but wonder if Senator Obama is really that happy about an endorsement for a man who lost the presidential election in 2004. Senator John Kerry defeated John Edwards in 2004 to run against George W. Bush, the incumbent. Obviously Bush won and has been in the White House for the last four years. Because of Kerry's loss I don't see what the bonus was for him to endorse Barack Obama. And then many columnist are saying that this is a boost to Obama after losing the New Hampshire primaries. I don't think this helps or hurts Obama at all. I don't feel like Kerry has had a lot of supporters to tell to go over to Obama's side. Almost doubly interesting is that Kerry did not endorse John Edwards who he chose as his vice presidential running mate in 2004. Edwards responded, "I respect his decision, continue to believe that this election is about the future, not the past, and that the country needs a president who will fight aggressively to end the status quo and change the Washington system and to give voice to all of those whose voices are ignored in the corridors of power." In South Carolina, Kerry spoke about many slams against Obama's age saying, "We are electing judgment and character, not years on this earth." If there is one other person who would be better not to endorse anyone it would be George W. Bush.

Rotary Club

2008-01-10T17:17:00.000-08:00

We met with the Rotary Club today for a lunch and to tell them about our trip to Iowa. I was unaware of who the Rotarians were, or what they were about, but they friendly, welcoming and talkative. I found out the the Rotary Club is an international organization that does service work in the community. I met a man name Gil who was willing to answer any questions I had about the Rotary Club; and told me that the Rotary Club's paramount goal was to eradicate the world of polio; and Gil told me they are nearly successful. We sang 2 songs; one regarding Rotarians and the other was Row Row Row Your Boat. Dr. Williams had selected 4 students to talk more at length about the Caucus and the trip overall, but then allowed for questions from the Rotarians. I had the opportunity to talk about Mike Huckabee's campaign and his organization compared to the other campaigns which have outspent Huckabee 20-1. I feel like the Rotarians enjoyed us speaking, and I enjoyed attending a Rotary Club meeting.

John McCain is the President of New Hampshire

2008-01-10T16:56:00.001-08:00

John McCain was the big winner in New Hampshire; with Mitt Romney trailing behind him. Hillary Clinton lives up to her husband's title of the "comeback kid" with a surprising win in New Hampshire. What does that mean? Well, for the Democratic race, it could show that Hillary has once again taken control of the race and perhaps stopped Obama's momentum in this race.
The Republican race has a much less telling story. John McCain bypassed Iowa to concentrate on New Hampshire; just as he did in 2000. Rudy Giuliani has skipped the first two states to focus on Florida and Super Tuesday. So, the Republicans have not yet had a caucus or primary where every candidate has tried to win it. Mike Huckabee just seemed to be a footnote in New Hampshire, finishing 3rd, which everyone expected. In the convoluted Republican race one thing is certain this year; no candidate is a clear front-runner and the nomination is anyone's guess. Many pundits have said that Mike Huckabee was a one-hit wonder in Iowa, John McCain was a one-hit wonder in New Hampshire, and Mitt Romney may finish as the "bride's maid" in every state; making him the eventual "bride." Huckabee was leading in South Carolina, but McCain has recently overtaken him. Former Senator Fred Thompson is known in the south and may be a dark horse in South Carolina and may throw a wrench into the whole system. Though McCain is slightly ahead of Huckabee is the latest South Carolina poll; there could be a candidate chosen for Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. Michigan could go to Romney, who has won the nominal Wyoming. The Democratic nomination is really only a two horse race between Clinton and Obama; while the Republican party is pandemonium. Super Tuesday will reveal a lot for both parties, but the Republican nominee may not be decided until the end of summer

New Hampshire and beyond

2008-01-10T16:21:00.001-08:00

The new hampshire primary shocked the polls on the democrat side. They all predicted a victory for obama but the former fisrst lady won it. This revived he campaign. The democrats have no delegates in Michigan and look ahead to South Carolina and Nevada. Obama recieved a boost in Nevada with the endoresment of two major hispanic unions. the African American vote looks to keep South Carolina a close race. Clinton got a bost with the endorsement of two former ambassodors who had endorsed bill richardson. Regardless of who wins those two states both candidates will be alive and activly campaigning on super tuesday. Clinton is leading in big states like california and new york. Obama will most likly win Illinios. Edwards may win some of the southern states but will not win enough to take the nomination. The race will most likely carry on until the at least the end of February before either candidate has enough delegates to secure the nomination On the republican side John McCain won the New Hampshire primary. This was not very unexpected. He skipped Iowa to focus on this state. He won it 8 years ago also. Now the republicans have a close three way race in Michigan with McCain, Rommney, and Huckabee. Michigan is a make or break state for Rommney. IF he wins he can carry on with momentum into Florida a week later, Maine on february 1 and then super tuesday. Huckabee is focusing more on south Carolina wher it is pretty much just him and McCain because both Rudy and rommney have withdrew from that state. If Huckabee wins South Carolina, he will have momentum going into super tuesday. Southern states like Alabama, Georgia, Oklahoma, West Virginia, Missiouri, Tennessee, and his home state of Arkansas vote. Kansas another state he can win votes 4 days after super tuesday. Mccain's home state of arizona votes on super tuesday along with other states with many independents. Rudy if he wins Florida or not will still be alive on super tuesday and will win New York and new jersy. It is likly that the republicans will have at least a two way race after super tuesday with a posssible three way race. I predict one of the 4 front runners will not be around after super tuesday. If one or both parties still had a race by the time it turns to Indiana that would be improbable but is still possible. I am still hoping.

Is the Mack Coming Back?

2008-01-10T15:53:00.000-08:00

Senator John McCain finished first for the Republican candidates Tuesday night at the New Hampshire caucuses. By choosing not to campaign in Iowa, McCain was able to campaign himself to a victory in New Hampshire. The win, however, should not have come as much of a surprise. His strategy strongly resembles the approach he took when campaigning for the 2000 Presidential elections. McCain beat George W. Bush by 18 percent, who then went on to win his party's nomination. So, he has won New Hampshire twice now, but will it be enough this time to get him the nomination?

McCain should also be concerned with the possibility of having to share his ability to appeal to Independents and Moderates with Senator Barack Obama. If the two win their own party's nominations, one dilemma both will have to face is the struggle for the voters who fall in the middle of the road and whom they both attract. Obama and McCain share important qualities to voters, such strong leadership and electability. The contest would be decided strictly based on which issues are the most important and how they should be solved according to the majority of the population.

Although McCain had the potential to enter the race as a front-runner because he is well-known, he has not made the effort to match other candidates' fund-raising and spending or to campaign enough to maintain his advantage. Currently, he is leading for the Republican candidates in the South Carolina polls. However, Governor Mike Huckabee has been striking a chord with many Christians, and in the past, McCain has struggled to gain their support. For this presidential election, though, he has made great efforts to reach out to Christian voters, but will it be enough to win South Carolina? A victory could propel him to win other Southern states.

McCain can offer Republican voters a middle ground between Governors Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. Besides his experience and credentials, McCain can offer the unique combination of consistent conservative views with the willingness to compromise and collaborate with Democrats for solutions to the nation's issues. If McCain wants to compete with the "big boys," he should hit the fund-raising, spending, and campaigning hard. He needs more media attention than winning the New Hampshire caucuses will give him.

Rotary Club Meeting

2008-01-10T15:38:00.000-08:00

I would like to thank the Rotary Club for having us at there meeting. Ben, Kristi, Andrew, and Josh did a great job presenting our group and informing the members what we observed and participated in while in Iowa. The two gentlemen that I sat next to were very nice and it was a really nice time having conversations about our trip to the caucus. The two men also explained to Tyler, Andrew, and I what the Rotary Club was. From what I got it is an organization that does community projects and right now they are putting money to a Polio Organization. They also sang "Happy Birthday" and "Happy Anniversary" to people who these fit to. It was a really nice experience to eat and have conversations with the members and I thank them again for inviting us to their meeting.

The Underdog

2008-01-09T08:00:00.001-08:00

The presidential candidates are moving on to Super Tuesday after last night’s conclusion of the New Hampshire primary. The results indicate a clear-cut victory for Sen. John McCain on the Republican ballot and a surprising conquest for Sen. Hillary Clinton on the side of the Democrats. These two candidates have undoubtedly put forth countless hours of time, money, and hard work to achieve their latest claims in this years contest. Taking in depth looks at their campaign strategies leaves the impression that they by all means should have won as compared to someone like Mike Huckabee. While some have the resources to claim a front-runner status Mike Huckabee is unable to do so.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has had success on the 2008 campaign trail with an astonishing win in Iowa, but that does not erase the fact that he is going to struggle to make ends meet. The first indicator that Mike is a non front-runner candidate is his lack of funds that are crippling his ability to run a multi-state campaign. Although he has raised millions of dollars it is not enough to compete with the personal wealth of Mitt Romney, and long-time running foe John McCain. Millions of people, if not from Arkansas, had little idea who Huckabee was when the race began. His one state campaign blitz worked well for him in Iowa, but the lack of ability to use that amount of resources in New Hampshire threw him into a third place rally.

The strategy Mike is imploring leads one to believe that he is not a front-runner. The characteristics of the campaign, although they have not changed much from Iowa to New Hampshire, indicate that the candidates he is running against are much more resourceful. One thing that really sticks out is his staging of events, his solicited invitations to appear on talk shows, and most recently his choice to hit the airwaves. The events in Iowa included a live band and a guest appearance by Chuck Norris. He appeared on David Lettermen the night before the New Hampshire primary, and Jay Leno the night before the Iowa caucus. In most recent headlines Mike is going to sit down with Stephen Colbert. According to his website, www.mikehuckabee.com, he is also planning a media outpouring by hitting the airwaves. All these facts indicate a man struggling to compete with the big money spenders of the 2008 presidential race. He is obviously using free media resources to gain as much ground on candidates as possible. My guess is that the paid media advertisements have been decreasing on his end as well.

Huckabee’s stepping stone approach is well illustrated with his choice to run hard and strong at the onset of the Iowa caucus. His ideas obviously struck a chord in Iowans hearts because he won, and in doing so it has energized his campaign. It shocked the media, and after winning the caucus, donations began to pour in accompanied by volunteers. His non front-runner status can be summed up in his words after the Iowa caucus, “It wasn't just that we surprised people with a second showing, it's that we did it with so few resources. I mean, this really was feeding the 5,000 with two fish and five loaves, an amazing kind of day for us."

Mike Huckabee now thinks of himself as a top tier Republican candidate and does so with good reason. Any “small man” that can win Iowa should take pride in what he has done. Personally, I do not think that Mike has a big shot at becoming the presidential nominee, but then again people probably said the same thing about Jimmy Carter. I think that campaigning today focuses too much on the importance of having money in order to win office, and that it is a terrible thing. Our founding fathers did not spend millions of dollars to win elections; they talked politics and preached their philosophy with whatever resources they had. The United States needs and deserves change, and I think no matter whom gets elected this year that change is hopeful.

What to Watch for in New Hampshire

2008-01-07T20:35:00.000-08:00

With the Iowa caucus over the candidates are rallying around New Hampshire, the next big U.S. primary. Tuesday's event will shed more light on each party's presidential nomination. With the event ending at eight o' clock one can expect to know the results by midnight.

One should expect the New Hampshire primary results, at least on the side of the Republicans, to be drastically different from those in Iowa. The not always accurate polls that are being released show Sen. John McCain surging. One could easily expect this though because he relinquished rights to Iowa in order to focus his campaign strategy in the hearts of New Hampshire voters. Mitt Romney is his closest foe in New Hampshire. Romney's multi-million dollar personal bank account should help him gain some ground on McCain. The clear-cut winner in Iowa, Mike Huckabee, will most likely take third place. His win in Iowa may have been a severe anomaly that proves how unrepresentative Iowa is, but we will leave that one up to those who already have their degrees. Huckabee is also lacking in sufficient funds, which will greatly hinder his running.

The Democrats should get a similar result as in Iowa. Barack Obama will most likely take New Hampshire by a moderate margin. The race for second will be between John Edwards and Hillary Clinton as was the case in Iowa. Hillary recently teared up on national television, which might prove a disaster or beneficial. The voters may decide she is weak and would be in office as well, others might see a sincerity in her desire to make a change in this great nation. It will be interesting to see whether Barack will get more women voters again. John Edwards will most likely take second place. His southern democrat style leaves room for more independents, and New Hampshire will most likely rally behind his vigor and passion.

The New Hampshire primary will be a big indicator of whats to come on super Tuesday. The 2008 presidential race will most likely become one of the tightest races in this country's history. John McCain and Barack Obama are the two candidates I see "taking the cake" in N.H. Everyone should tune in it will be interesting.

Caucus: The Musical

2008-01-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Caucus the musical, created by Robert John Ford, turned out to be one of the most exciting events in Iowa. The musical has become so popular that people write about it in the New York Times, the Denver Star, and talk about it on popular television shows. The reason that it has become so popular is its profound ability to to be funny while sustaining an aura of seriousness. Put on by Iowa natives, the musical gives the outsider an insight to what exactly Iowans think, and have to deal with every four years the campaign trail runs through their state.

The day started out with breakfast and a drive to Des Moines. We stopped at the State Historical Building where the show was to be held later in the evening. After touring the museum for hours my fellow students and I decided to test our street smarts in downtown Des Moines. The day proved full of fun with a visit to the science center, a superb dinner at a local microbrewery, and the musical.

The musical featured a typical Iowa farm family that had been chosen by a big time journalist to observe during the caucus. There are four major candidates that compose the majority of stage time. Each one vies for one member of the families vote. In the end the family becomes split because each member chooses a different candidate. Eventually they decide on a candidate named Littlebear because he represents a certain value that each member holds dearly. The entire showing proved to be a farce on the current political state, including certain senators in airports, Bill Clinton think-a-likes, and Condoleeza Rice look-a-likes. It deals with the attitude that most voters have by the end of the caucus; no desire.

Caucus: the musical proved to be one of the most fascinating events of the trip. It allowed the entire group to breathe a sigh of relief. It provided long needed humor and relaxation. John Robert Ford did a splendid job with this production.

Caucus Night!

2008-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

The Iowa Caucuses are a unique and important institution of American electoral politics. In my opinion, the caucus I observed was one of the most interesting and educational parts of the trip. I attended the Democrats' caucus in Ames 1-4, one of Iowa's more urban precincts. There appeared to be slightly more women than men, the ages seemed to range from around eighteen to 65, and the caucus was almost entirely White.
It began with the then-temporary caucus chair briefly explaining the process and reading a letter from the Iowa Democratic Party. This letter thanked people from their participation in the caucus and encouraged them to donate money to the Party. Afterwards, several large envelopes were passed around in order to collect donations.
After that, the temporary caucus chair and secretary were elected as the permanent caucus chair and secretary using a voice vote.
They counted the number of people present; the final count was 402.
Each campaign was given two minutes in order to try and persuade any undecided voters.
Then the first persuasion period began. Everyone had thirty minutes to persuade undecided voters and even people from other candidates to join their preference groups. The initial counts were as follows:
Obama – 147

Edwards – 86

Clinton – 64

Richardson – 63

Biden, Kucinich – 18

Dodd - 6

Since a preference group needed 60 members in order to become viable (and 31 members per delegate), the Biden, Kucinich, and Dodd supporters had to either realign themselves with another group or abstain from the process. We were sitting right behind the Kucinich supporters, and it was very interesting to watch them be courted by all three of the major candidates (Richardson not so much). Many of them ended up going with Obama, and the rest seemed to head off to Edwards. I didn't observe any going to join Clinton's group. One of the more interesting negotiations I observed was between Obama and Kucinich leaders. They made a deal that, if enough Kucinich supporters came over in order to give the Obama supporters another delegate, one of the Kucinich supporters could have that delegate spot. This happened, and one of the leaders of the Kucinich preference group eventually became a delegate for Sen. Obama.
After this second persuasion period, the counts and delegate allocations were as follows:

Obama – 164 (5)

Edwards- 101 (3)

Richardson – 70 (2)

Clinton – 66 (2)

Because the precinct had thirteen delegates to allocate, the Obama campaign got another delegate, bringing their final count to 6 delegates.
This precinct had no resolutions to pass.

Lights, Camera, Caucus

2008-01-07T08:15:00.000-08:00

Friday, January 4, 2008

Today we traveled to De Moine and visited the Iowa State Historical Museum. We met a Manchester Alumni and his wife and discussed the Caucus. The Caucus exhibit was a very nice exhibit, however; I was beginning to become easily distracted and did not give the museum my full attention. After visiting the Historical Museum, we split up into different groups in which some of us went to the State Capital Building and others went shopping. After a long three hours of walking downtown De Moine and shopping we decided to go eat at a nice restraunt. It was a great meal and the ideal dinner to end our trip. With our stomachs full, we walked back to the Historical Museum to see "Caucus! The Musical". The musical was a about a family being divided by different candidates and in the end coming together to find the "ideal" candidate. "Caucus! The Musical" was packed full of humor and I was laughing almost the entire time. I believe this play was a much needed comic relief to the week we spent in Iowa. Many of us bought the official "Caucus! The Musical" t-shirts and Dr. Williams enjoyed the musical enough to buy the cast soundtrack. In all, this was a great week and I enjoyed every event that I went to. The only thing that I would change if I got a chance to redo my week in Iowa would be to try to watch more rallys for candidates. Finally, I would like to thank Dr. Williams for setting up this great learning experience.

Professional fans--to Caucus Observers

2008-01-07T08:13:00.000-08:00

The Democratic precinct caucus that I observed was located in an auditorium in the Ames City Hall. The turnout was expected to be around 200-250, and there were exactly 400 people there to caucus. Because there were 400 people, viability was 60 people, and each group was able to gain a delegate with every 31 people. As observers, we sat in the back row on the side of the auditorium, and by the end of the caucus, the room was full and there were caucus goers along with observers standing in the back of the room.
Even as people filed in, before they split up into their respectable groups, they talked amongst each other, welcoming each other and talking to the few children observing from the back of the room. The elementary school child who sat next to me was asked whom he wanted to win, and he said that he was there for Edwards, and when he was asked whom his mother was caucusing for he answered “Clinton.” That was very interesting that the children even care enough or know enough to have different views than their parents.
At first, one person per candidate was given one minute to speak on stage about their candidate. Most of the speeches were very informal and respectable, and surprisingly to me, after each speech every person in the room clapped for them. It was a very friendly caucus in regards to people’s reactions toward the people voting against them.
The best part of where we were sitting was that we were right behind the eighteen people there to caucus for Kucinich. From the very beginning, people were coming from the Clinton, Obama, Edwards, and Dodd groups to talk to them and make nice with them. The precinct captain from the Clinton group was only talking nicely to them, not talking politics at first, but the Edwards precinct captain automatically handed them pamphlets about John Edwards, trying to persuade them to come to their group. The lady from the Dodd group hung around until she was sure that there would only be eighteen people in the Kucinich group because there were only six people for Dodd, and the extra eighteen were not going to get Dodd anywhere. In the end, most of those people ended up with Edwards and Obama, and it only took one realignment after the first thirty minute time period.

thoughts on dem. caucus

2008-01-06T20:23:00.001-08:00

January 4^th

The Democratic Party's Caucuses operated much differently than a normal election. The voting was much less like an election and much more like a vote in Congress where the votes are not cast secretly. All of the participants crowded into a big auditorium and either sat around the candidate who they planned on voting for or they walked around and tried to convince others to join their candidate. This went on for about a half an hour or so until the temporary Caucus chair called the Caucus to order. Much like a court room or a senate session. Once the chair had called the Caucus to order, he formally listed the instructions and procedures that the Caucus-goers would observe. He asked that everyone be civil about the process and spoke of the entire protocol that was given to him by the Iowa's Democratic party. After he had went through all of this, he asked the Caucus organizers to close the doors and count the number of participants. He had three people go up and down the isles several times and finally returned a count of exactly four hundred participants. He then had a helper determine the fifteen percent amount needed for a candidate to gain viability and the amount needed to divide the precinct's thirteen delegates among the viable candidates.

After he had counted and calculated the amount needed for viability, which happened to be sixty participants, he allotted a thirty minute period to the participants to move about and find their respective candidates. Nobody really left their seat and moved to another candidate really because almost everyone had decided to sit by their candidate initially. However, many of the parties' campaign leaders stood up and walked to other groups to try and encourage voting for leader's candidate. This measure was fairly unsuccessful in the first round because there were no undecided voters and all of the groups that the Caucus-goers might have thought to be inviable had not been eliminated yet. Mostly everyone sat in their seat aside for a few arguing or negotiating parties. I would have thought that groups like Dodd, Kucinich, and Biden that did not have enough for viability would negotiate with those groups who had large amounts of participants. The lower tier candidates might try to persuade the larger groups to give them extra people to keep them alive. However, this did not work very well seeing as how the larger groups had a huge advantage in negotiating. They would gain viability regardless while if the lower tiers did not offer great help to the larger groups, they would be deemed inviable and lose their candidate by the second round. I saw this happen several times where a group such as Kucinich or Dodd would make contact with Hillary or Obama and request that they give them the extra people over and above the amount needed for viability or extra delegates. As these dealing went on, they went from the lower tier candidates asking the larger ones for extra people, to larger candidates asking smaller ones to join them entirely. This did not happen in the first round because nobody wanted to entirely leave their candidate; however, by the time that the second round came and the lower tiers who had not reached viablitiy were undecided, things changed greatly.

After the thirty minutes given for the first round were over, the chair asked everyone to return to their candidate's group and sit down. He had the Caucus organizers count the participants in each group. Biden and Dodd were counted and weeded out immediately because they held only thirty some Iowans between them. Kucinich was busy talking to the Obama still but by the time they were counted they had failed to reach and agreement and were eliminated. One of the biggest surprises was the showing of Bill Richardson in our precinct. He managed to gain around seventy voters and was not far off from the amount that Hillary, the front-runner, had gained. The larger groups were counted and Barack Obama's group had a great deal more than the others with around one hundred and forty. John Edwards was in second with around eighty and Hillary and Richardson dangled around sixty voters. After the votes had been tallied and the smaller groups had been eliminated, the chair gave the Caucus a second to get itself re situated for the second round.

The second round was a bit different than the first seeing as the first had no undecided voters and relatively few negotiations and the second had a great deal of undecided voters coming from the groups that had been eliminated. The Biden and Dodd voters distributed themselves about the other four parties individually by their own affiliations. However, the Kucinich supporters were still trying to make a deal with the Obama supporters. When most of the participants had aligned themselves with their respected group, the chair attempted to call the second round to a close. However, the Kucinich and Obama camps were still discussing and made a movement to extend the time. Before the movement could be voted on or discussed, the Kucinich and Obama groups pull away from the movement saying that they had come to an agreement. The Obama group had agreed to allow the head of the Kucinich campaign to go as a delegate to the state convention as an Obama delegate if he and his group aligned with Obama. This deal was very interesting to me and it gave me an idea of the types of dealings that did take place at a Caucus.

At the end of the Caucus, the votes were tallied and then repeated back to the audience. Our precinct had an astounding number of votes for Obama and he captured six of the thirteen delegates. Edwards managed to gain three delegates for the state convention and Hillary and Richardson had two for each. The biggest surprise was the fact that Hillary placed fourth at our precinct. For a long time she was predicted to win it and was beaten by two first tier candidates and a second tier candidate.

The Caucus was a new experience. I had always seen it as just being like a primary or an election but it is nothing like either of those. There was fighting and discussions and dealings and negotiations. People who were very persuasive were able to convince others to change their votes or move for some mutually beneficial purpose. There was not the kind of excitement that I had heard about at other precincts but it was a lot more interesting than a regular election.

-ben Scalise

Bhutto assassination play role in Iowa

2008-01-06T20:11:00.001-08:00

January 1st

The assassination of Pakistan's Prime Minister Benzir Bhutto is with out a doubt a terrible and tragic step away from democracy for Pakistan. The corruption and mis-dealings involved with the election and assassination are so severe and noticeable that Pakistan has pushed its political fiasco onto the world stage. While this event is no doubt unfortunate, almost all of the candidates have made attempts to use this assassination as a proving ground for their foreign policy abilities. While some have jumped on this almost immediately, others have bided their time to help both their own campaigns and the situation in Pakistan. Among these major candidates are Clinton, Obama, and Edwards.

Hillary Clinton was among the first to respond to the situation in Pakistan. She was asked if she believed that the Pakistani government and President Musharaff were capable or credible of conducting a fair investigation of the assassination. Hillary said that the only fair way of conducting this investigation was through an international tribunal, Interpol or the United Nation. She stated that she believed there was no credibility in the Pakistani government to conduct this investigation. She then said that she was reluctant to send the United States law enforcement to investigation because it might lack credibility for “other reasons.” Hillary did not do too much on the matter of the assassination. She made no real attempt to comfort the grieving Pakistanis or bring closure to the situation but she did a decent job of keeping herself away for an obviously touchy issue.

On the other end, Senator Barack Obama made a disastrously false step. His campaign used the assassination as an opportunity to attack his opponents. He claimed that the situation in Pakistan is out of control because of the United State's involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Illinois Senator also noted that Hillary Clinton had voted for both of these wars and was therefor responsible. Obama did not get the effect he desired. Instead he was rewarded with hours of negative news coverage. This reaction to the assassination looked more like politicking than any sort of condolence or consolation to the Pakistani people. He didn't do anything to assist the nation or stabilize a nation that is dangerously close to chaos. If Obama was using this event as a test, he just failed.

John Edwards was the last of the Democrats to comment on the assassination. Edwards called for a internationally led investigation and a postponement of the Prime Minister election. Edwards also sat down with Pakistani government and member's of Bhutto's family to offer his and America's condolences on the tragedy.

While these three did not actually do anything to assist the Pakistanis, they used this assassination as an litmus test to one another's foreign policy. The candidates made this into an almost mock-crisis. They were able to act without having truly negative international consequences.

-Ben Scalise

Laughing at the Caucus

2008-01-06T20:01:00.000-08:00

The first time I heard of Caucus! The Musical was on National Public Radio. I heard some of the music and lines and thought it sounded pretty funny. So after a day of walking around Des Moines, I was pretty excited to sit down and be entertained. The musical was written by Robert John Ford and was a political satire. It was about four candidates; a black woman, an arrogant man, a gay man, and a priest. The Wise family was asked to be followed by a news station for the press. Each member of the family liked a different candidate. The candidates wanted the Wise family to unanimously pick them because they were getting so much press. There was another candidate at the end who the whole family choose at the end. I thought the production was going to be more than a community show since it had been previewed on NPR. I was a little disappointed with the singing and acting quality of some of the cast members but overall I thought it was really funny.

Thursday Finally Arrived

2008-01-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

On the first Thursday of 2008, Iowa held the first of many presidential caucuses. The two precincts observed were 1-3 and 1-4. The precinct 1-3 was unlike anything I have ever been apart of. Arriving around six in the evening, our group headed into the long line that snaked through an Ames library. People with registration papers walked up and down the waiting line making sure everyone caucusing was a registered voter or would be by November. Once a person got to the sign-in tables our caucus chairman, Phyllis Peters, yelled out commands for what line people should divide into. The three lines were: Registered democrats, new registered voters, and observers/youth.

The attendance for 1-3 was 273 Iowans plus observers and media. The rooms occupancy read in the one hundreds. They had between 80-100 chairs set up and then everyone else was standing shoulder to shoulder. Although there were some young people, most of the precinct was full of middle-aged and older folks. Campaign representatives were running around trying to talk to as many people as they could. They were giving out stickers trying to pry people to join their candidate’s side.

At seven o’clock the caucus began. Phyllis Peters welcomed everyone and read two letters from a senator and the other from the Democrat Party headquarters. Next on the agenda was a vote for the caucus chairman for the next caucus. They voted by hand count. This process of counting was terrible in a small room with many people. So terrible the third nominated chairman pulled out just so they could start with the real deal. On the walls all around the room were the campaign signs for each of the democrat candidates. Once the total attendance was taken, the math was calculated to select 11 delegates out of the 1-3 precinct. Then 30 minutes were given for everyone to go to their candidate’s part of the room with the campaign sign. After the count, came the persuading. The persuading was the most entertaining and interesting part of this whole experience. Obama overwhelmingly had the most with 117, followed by Edwards with 54, and Hillary Clinton with 52. Each group had to have 41 supporters to be viable. This left out Richardson, Kucinich, Biden, and Dodd. Now 20 more minutes were given out so those groups not viable could either join another candidate who was viable or join with each other to make another viable group. The latter is what Bill Richardson’s representatives were trying to make happen. These representatives were by far the most organized and were the best persuaders and although they had more supporters join, they never were able to get over the 41 needed. Hillary’s supporters began to get upset since they were in third place. I was able to hear one man come over to the non-viable side of the room and express his disbelief that they “would come out here and just waste your time by not picking a candidate.” Clinton’s campaign was so desperate, I witnessed them cheat on their count. While counting hands, a woman who was double counted admitted she had been counted once already. The captain responded he was in charge and was right. By the end of this time session, Obama had 130 supporter winning six delegates. Edwards got three delegates while Clinton received two.

Overall in the Iowa caucus, Obama won with 38% of the delegates and Edwards and Clinton tied with 29%. The caucus process was so neat to witness. All of the shouting and persuading and running around were incredibly stimulating and entertaining to observe. I came away wishing Indiana had such an important caucus I could be apart of.

Caucus Report

2008-01-06T17:35:00.000-08:00

Thursday, January 3, 2008

Going into the Precinct 1-4 Caucus tonight, I did not quite know what to expect. I understood the basics of how a caucus worked but actually seeing how it worked really explained the process. The event started with the Temporary Chair reading a letter from the Iowa Democratic Headquarters. The opening business with the Caucus was finding a Permanent Chair and a Permanent Secretary which the Temporary Chair and Secretary were just voted in as the Permanents.
From observing the Caucus, I learned a lot about the process. First of all, you really get to see how crucial it is to get to the viability and every last person you can to caucus for your campaign. The Caucus itself was run very smoothly. I gained the impression that the Permanent Chair has held the position before. He kept the audience in line as well as keeping everything in a very timely manner. Being Iowa, the Caucus was predominately white. The ages were not as one-sided; my best guess would be that the audience was about fifty-fifty but age was divided up by candidates. Barack Obama’s caucus-goers were mainly young adults but still had several older supporters. Hillary Clinton had mainly middle age supporters as well as Bill Richardson and John Edwards. Dennis Kucinich, although he only had eighteen supporters, had a very wide variety of supporters. We sat with the rest of the observers in the back-left section of the auditorium. We had a conversation with a man that was legal immigrant and was very curious about the Caucus. We explained as best we could and explained why he was not allowed to participate. We also sat behind a student from California who was helping with the Barack Obama Campaign. He had a laptop with the formula of viability which allowed us to keep up with all of the candidates and how many delegates they would receive.
I was very pleased with the results of the Caucus at Precinct 1-4 as well as the rest of the state of Iowa. After the first round of Caucusing, Senator Barack Obama, Senator Hillary Clinton, Governor Bill Richardson, and former Senator John Edwards were the only ones viable. At the end, Obama had 164 votes which gave him 6 delegates for the county convention; Edwards received 101 votes and 3 delegates. Richardson and Clinton finished with 2 delegates each. I was very surprised with Bill Richardson beating Hillary Clinton in our precinct although in the rest of Iowa Hillary came in a close third to John Edwards. I think Barack Obama winning the Precinct Caucus will definitely give him the momentum to carry on a very successful campaign.

initial thouhts

2008-01-06T15:26:00.000-08:00

December 31

So we all think that we know how the Caucuses work, right? A bunch of Iowans get together and vote and the candidate who is most popular wins, it seems simple enough. There are debates and the usual campaigning and then there is an election. I held this idea of Iowa as just being a regular election. People vote, people count, someone wins. However, after a couple of days here I have had my perception of these Caucuses altered. The scope of their importance, the way in which the Caucuses are conducted, the amount of people attracted to the site etc.

I used to think of the Caucuses as outdated and fairly impractical. It never seemed to make sense why the United States would judge its presidential candidates on a state as isolated and non-diverse as Iowa. Why would a candidate drop-out after a poor finish at Iowa seeing how few delegates Iowa actually has? The thing is, the parties could chose just about any state to start the primary season. However, Iowa had moved its Caucus to the front and although it seems like it is a bad state to represent the views of America, it just doesn't seem practical to move it. The special thing about Iowa is its size and population. There are much less voters here than in a New York or a California so candidates meet with a much larger amount of people and are able to campaign to certain niches. They can campaign and talk to much more rural voters that would usually be forgotten in a much bigger state. While these people may not matter as much, they hold their share of electoral power. They allow the candidates to communicate with voters that are usually unappreciated.

The other important thing about Iowa that makes it such a bell-weather state is the fact that it is the first Caucus. Candidates pour huge amounts of time and resources into these Caucuses and the candidates use these as all or nothings to a certain extent. They gauge their performances here and decide whether or not to keep running for the candidacy. They put so much into these campaigns that they can calculate how they will poll while they are campaigning at their best. Iowa has been a fixture in both Democratic and Republican parties for more than thirty years now. Its importance as a state is over shadowed by its major role as the political litmus test for almost all of the candidates.

-Ben Scalise

Volunteering

2008-01-06T15:25:00.000-08:00

January 2nd

Today I volunteered at the John Edwards campaign center. This was a little less interesting than some of the rallies we have been to but sometimes it helped to do some dirty work on a campaign to better understand how the campaigns function. The John Edwards people told us that we would be canvassing; unfortunately, I had no idea what canvassing was or what it involved. Jesse and I were given a bunch of fliers and handouts as well as a script and they sent us out into the nearly subzero temperature to go door-to-door and ask people if they were planning on caucusing for John Edwards. I wasn't quite sure what they expected us to gain out of this measure but we went out and did it anyway. I think I should re-emphasize how cold it was. We went down several streets and talked with undecided voters. Among the few that were home, a couple claimed that the would be supporting John Edwards. The others took their time explaining to us why they wouldn't support him as we stood on their doorstep. After doing this for a couple of hours we finally called it quits and went back to the campaign center and asked for a new task. They gave us a call sheet and had us call supporters for another several hours. I would have thought that this would have been better than freezing outside but I didn't really enjoy the calls much more. I had to drone off of my script to every answering machine and when I finally managed to talk to a person, I was either quickly confirming their support or listening to their reasons for non-support. I called a woman and asked her if she planned to caucus and if so, did she plan to caucus for Edwards. She turned around and explained her view for a good twenty minutes. She argued all of the points I tried to emphasize and said that she didn't support Edwards because he opposed nuclear power, something I new very little about. We argued and argued for a while then I handed the phone off to a supervisor who had to talk to the woman for another fifteen minutes before the woman finally admitted that she has been an Obama supporter from the start. This is how I spent almost six hours of my day yesterday. Talking and arguing with people who had already chosen the candidate that they wished to caucus for. I don't quite understand the importance of these campaign headquarters but I know that it must be fairly significant seeing how much candidates spend on setting up these headquarters in Iowa alone. I have been told a lot of different numbers on how much a single candidate will spend on a campaigning headquarters for a campaign. I'm guessing that I am just not a very persuasive guy when it comes to things like this. I'd much rather go to a rally and be persuaded.

-Ben Scalise

Bill Clinton for Hillary 08

2008-01-06T15:22:00.002-08:00

January 3rd

Today we went to a Hillary Clinton rally to hear Bill Clinton speak. We thought that we could get the best seats there like we had done at every other rally this week but everyone there beat us to it. We waited for Bill to come out and I observed the types of people that looked to be supporting Hillary. They were much more presentable than the Edwards or Obama crowds. They weren't wearing suits or anything but the gave the appearance of a little more luxury. This was a generalized look of course, I have very little idea as to the social and economical make up of the Hillary Clinton supporters. When Bill finally came out to speak to us the crowd really went crazy. It was a lot different from the other candidates who all hold the possibility to be president seeing the former President of the United States. Bill began speaking as to his wifes policy and her campaign. Bill spoke of the issues concerning the current presidential administration. He told us what he believed was wrong and what he thought could be done to fix it. He talked about the massive budget deficit that had been created even after he had taken stringent measures to ensure that the budget was managed in his eight years in office. He said that this was a major problem because it kept other nations from seeing us as reliable spenders or loaners. He also talked about education system and the failures of the “No Child Left Behind” bill. He briefly explained how the system worked and why it was fundamentally wrong and then he shared his ideas on the way education should be in America. He supported teachers rights and better teacher training and pay. More government money given to the schools and less emphasis on standardized testing. He shared with the crowd several stories that he believed exemplified Hillary's ability and compassion. He spoke of the volunteer work that Hillary did while in law school. When she pursued negligent and abusive parents and helped bring aggressive legislation to shield children from such horrors. She helped bring around change in a time of uncertainty among lawmakers and judiciaries due to the edginess of this issue. Bill used this story to make Hillary look aggressive yet compassionate, a champion of the little guy. He told us how and why she took these cases and the strong moral character she showed by doing so. Bill lauded Hillary's ability to lead and to negotiate with other foreign leaders. He mentioned all of the issues that she undertook while serving as the First Lady of both Arkansas and the United States of America. He spoke of her involvement with issues as broad as nationwide health care and the outcomes that she encountered while undertaking this issue. He claimed that Hillary faced failure and defeat while dealing with this issue and that she showed her character as a leader by rebounding from these setbacks. I think that from seeing this rally I gain a little bit more trust in Hillary's leadership and problem solving abilities. I think that she is a very well qualified and proven leader that could help accomplish many different things for our country. However, Hillary's leadership has never been in question to me. I feel that with Hillary it is her character in general that I cannot trust. She has to many connections to special interests and is all to familiar with the inner workings of Washington. I don't really like the idea of electing someone like this because I believe that this Caucus has a very new and rare opportunity to alter the workings of the American political system. A candidate that choses not to accept any soft money, PAC's or other large corporate donations is much more beneficial in my eyes. They have a bit of genuineness that is not present in Hillary's campaign.

-Ben Scalise

John Edwards and Mrs. Edwards

2008-01-06T15:22:00.001-08:00

January 2nd

Today I went to the John Edwards rally at the Memorial Union. Since I volunteered yesterday at the John Edwards campaign headquarters so I was able to use my charm and procure the best seat in the house which happened to be right next to the future First Lady herself, Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards. Mrs. Edwards has been a very inspirational figure in to my family and me over the past few years so it was a dream to be able to not only meet with her but actually hold a conversation with her. As soon as I noticed that the seat next to me was reserved for her I started to get anxious and jittery. When she came in and sat next to me I froze and didn't say anything for a few seconds, then I managed to profess my love for her like a middle-schooler with a crush. She acted flattered and gave me a hug. * blush * Throughout her husband's speech she kept whispering things to me and putting her hand on me. Now I'm not going to rush to any conclusions but I really think that there is some magic between us.

As for John's speech... John Edwards did a very good job addressing the questions and issues that he has surrounded his campaign with. I keep hearing people whine because he is giving a basically identical speech most of the time but he of all the candidates has one of the most reassuring and informative speeches. He spoke of the budget deficit and the problems it causes our nation. He gave different ways in which the budget could be managed. He also gave a major address concerning the medical insurance situation that the United States is faced with. This seemed to be very popular among the middle-class and working-class audience. He said that it was a complete embarrassment that so many go uninsured and untreated in the United States. Senator Edwards ideas on Medicare seemed a little radical and seemed to push some away until he properly explains the plans. After the speech someone said that they opposed his view on universal health care. They felt that he would implement a system of universal health care. However, in his speeches, John explains his ideas and they seem much more feasible. It is not really universal health care, it is just an employer-based health care system much like the one that has been used for years with more measures in place to push employers to supply it. I really liked the speech that John Edwards gave.

After the speech was given, John took questions. He went around and asked about ten people to give him questions. Most of the questions seemed strange and not to be very important issues but they were answered all the same. One of the things that I liked was when Mr. Edwards was asked about participating in debates featuring lesser known candidates, he just said “No,” he would not approve of it. Even though the question is not exactly a policy question, I liked the fact that he held a belief and stated it to the man instead of giving a vague wishy-washy answer.

-Ben Scalise

"The Nation's Fate is in a Corny State"

2008-01-06T14:23:00.000-08:00

The Iowa Historical Museum’s exhibit of the Iowa Caucus was really fun and informative. Seeing all of the old campaign slogans and memorabilia was really cool. The play was even better. Caucus the Musical was a great representation of the caucus process and presidential campaigns with a little pun thrown in. This musical definitely lived up to its reviews. Mixed with satire and whimsy the play portrayed what most Iowans must feel like every four years when the candidates invade! The directors, writers and actors did a wonderful job with not a lot of time or money of producing a play that was entertaining. Seeing this play after observing the actual caucuses and the rallies for the candidates was a good way to end the trip. I recommend that anyone interested in the caucuses see this wonderful and fun depiction of the process.

Farewell Iowa

2008-01-06T14:22:00.001-08:00

Although the trip went fast and it doesn’t feel like its over it is time to go, the candidates and press have all left and its time to let Iowans have their state back. This trip has been amazing!! I feel that I have learned a lot and have had a blast. There were so many fun and exciting parts of this trip that I cannot choose one specific one to be my favorite. It was great seeing all of the candidates and even an ex president. This was probably a once in lifetime opportunity to see these candidates and possibly be able to say that I shook the President of the United States’ hand.

There was so much that I learned on this trip. The whole caucus process now makes so much more sense than it did from just reading about it in text books. Although my candidate did not win, being able to experience this process was so fun and educational at the same time. Meeting the people that I met and not just the candidates, but the staffers and other volunteers was so fun. Learning from them and observing how they worked was such a great experience, I really learned a lot and know that I picked the right major.

Reflection on the Caucuses

2008-01-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Before leaving for Iowa I had written a post about my belief that Iowa really shouldn’t have as much importance as it does in the political process. While I still believe that the state is not quite representative enough of the US as a whole to be given so much weight my opinions have slightly changed.

I still think that the media corrupts the process on a national level, but I think that the average Iowan really makes a point of attending the events so that the overall winner in the state is first for a reason. The media may affect the opinions of Iowans, but many of those Iowans have taken the time to see at least their first choice candidate in person. While, at a national level many citizens don’t have the opportunity to do this and may base their decision primarily on what the media presents. The first place candidates in Iowa haven’t simply won because the media has chosen to paint them in the best light; they’ve won because the people of Iowa, who have taken time to participate in the political process, have selected them. In a country where it is difficult to get even half of the voting age population to the polls is it really that bad that Iowans, who seem to participate more, are not that representative of the US as a whole?

On many occasions I found myself impressed by the character of the people in Iowa. Overall they were friendly and politically competent. They certainly turned out in large numbers at the caucus I attended. That event was predicted to have around 200 voters, but ended up having slightly over 400 people in attendance. This election process has really motivated people to participate. The ideal type of voter, in my opinion, regardless of party affiliation, would be well informed and excited about the process. Iowa seemed to brimming with my “ideal type” of voter. In that aspect I think that Iowa is a fine place to start the nomination process.

I also really like the caucus process. Often, people vote for the candidate that they think has the best ability to win overall, or the “lesser of two evils” candidate. However, I think the caucus process allows people to, at least initially, vote with their conscience and see if they can gain viability. If they cannot, then they have a second opportunity to choose a candidate that has or could gain viability. The process is exciting and it made me wish Indiana had a similar process (and was a little earlier in the game).

After a great week in Iowa my opinions about the caucus have definitely changed. I like the process a little more and after seeing the level of participation and knowledge of Iowan citizens I trust their overall judgment. But, maybe that’s just because my candidate ended up winning there. J

BYAHHH!

2008-01-06T13:25:00.000-08:00

Today, the glory of the Iowa Caucus has ended. Governor Mike Huckabee and Senator Barack Obama were the nominees for the Republican and Democratic Party respectively. Will this hold true for the rest of the nation? It's tough to gauge. Ronald Reagen did not win Iowa when he ran, so who really knows. This year in particular, several Republican candidates chose to focus their attention elsewhere; mainly John McCain and Rudy Giuliani. So how monumental is Mike Huckabee's win considering that two "big" candidates drew their attention elsewhere? Only time will really tell. The one thing that Governor Huckabee can take from this caucus is that he defeated Mitt Romney who outspent him 20-1!
The focus of the day today was to see the history of the caucus at the museum in Des Moines as well as see Caucus; the musical. The caucus exhibit was very interesting, although we had seen the exhibit first hand for the past week. I did enjoy seeing the old souvenirs from past election, seeing Dan Qualye signs, as well as Walter Mondale signs. The best part of the day was Caucus the musical; which was a political satire. I wasn't sure how much I would enjoy this musical at the beginning, but I absolutely loved it. The musical covered every facet of politics and poked fun at several politicians that we have become so accustomed to! The best part of the play was the imitation of the infamous Howard Dean scream: BYAHHH! I enjoyed the musical, and it was especially funny since we had seen the very actions that the candidates took over the past week. I enjoyed the musical and laughed througout; nice choice Dr. Williams, BYAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Senator Thompson is Frankenberry and the Actual Caucus

2008-01-06T13:24:00.000-08:00

We left early today again, as this has been a common theme in the presidential campaigns so far. We headed to West Des Moines this time, which was about an hour away. We planned on seeing a Thompson event in the morning at 9:00 am and a Romney event at noon. We arrived at the Fred Thompson event early enough to get front row seats and sat next to arguably the most talkative, social person I have met in my entire life. He was elderly and a retired doctor, having working for the University of Iowa as a physician for the basketball team as well as being a general surgeon. He wanted to discuss anything we were willing to talk about: life, politics, Manchester College, Iowa, Iowans, environment, health care, careers, so forth and so on. He gave me life lessons, and words to live by. I must say the Thompson event was not very exciting. There were probably 50-100 people at the event, mostly middle aged and entirely white. The event began with a Republican congressman Steven King come out and talk about why he supports Fred Thompson. All in all, his speech was far better than the pseudo speech delivered by Senator Thompson. Senator Thompson came out with a chant of “Fred, Fred, Fred, Fred, Fred, Fred….” and did a bizarre fist pump during this time. I would like to tell you the issues that Senator Thompson covered, but he really did not elaborate on any subject. He did say that you can know where he stands and “Where I stand on an issue does not depend on where I am standing,” which I thought was a powerful quote, which was really all we got from Senator Thompson. I don’t want to say that it looks as if he has given up, but it sure felt like it at the speech. He spoke for probably 20 minutes or so and then stormed off the stage and into the kitchen of the room without saying a word to anyone, without taking the time to meet the Iowans and definitely did not stop for any pictures. I was not impressed at all with Senator Thompson and thought that Representative Steven King presented his views much better. In fact, the only thing that I really can remember is the resemblance Senator Thompson has to Frankenberry, from the children’s cereal. I am not going to take credit for drawing this correlation, I heard it from Andrew Doub, and I realized how close they truly look alike. Look at the picture, you can judge for yourself.
I never got to see Mitt Romney speak, as he closed the event from the public and it was only a private event. Why a private event the day of the caucus?
The big event had come, the entire reason we were there, the Iowa Caucus. Relating more to the Republican Party, I decided to go to the Republican caucus, which was less eventful then the Democrat’s process. I wish I could have seen the Democrats, because the Republican caucus was largely uneventful. Each candidate had a volunteer from the crowd speak on their behalf for no more than 2 minutes. The ballots were passed out to the 500+ people packed inside a small Lutheran Church and the voters placed the names of the candidate of their choice. The ballots were secret; meaning no one else knew who a voter chose. The votes were counted, the winner was announced to be Mike Huckabee, and most of the people left. I was looking forward to a more eventful caucus, but the candidate of my choice one at this particular precinct and ended up winning Iowa. Lets take the momentum into New Hampshire Governor Huckabee!

Get Off Your... err.. Butt and Vote!

2008-01-06T11:37:00.000-08:00

The caucuses are over. The Democrats rounded out with Obama first, Edwards second, Clinton third, and Richardson fourth. Huckabee, Romney, Thompson, and McCain took the top four spots for the Republicans. I am happy that Obama came out on top, but it will be interesting to see if he can use the boomerang effect to win New Hampshire. I have a feeling it will be very close between Clinton and Obama. John McCain has been campaigning quite a lot in New Hampshire; he might be a force to reckon with for Huckabee and Romney.
Today, we met up with some Manchester College alumni to visit a museum about the history of the caucuses. There were several cutouts of all the different members of campaign staffs and members of the media. There are nearly hundreds of people who contribute to just one candidate’s success or failure. It was apparent Iowa takes pride in being one of the first indicators of who the next leader of the free world may be.
Later into the night we went to see Caucus: the Musical play written by John Robert Ford. I was a little skeptical on the possible enjoyment level, but I was wrong. It was HISTERICAL! It took place in a small town where four presidential candidates were targeting for votes. The song “Anything For A Vote” really hit the show off with a bang by explaining how the candidates were willing to do anything to get someone’s vote; even as much as to walk the family dog, pick up groceries, and trim a waitress’ bushes. This political satire simplified the whole caucusing procedure through one family’s struggle to pick their own candidate to support. Conflicting interest occurred and they family found themselves in shambles. But, to the rescue comes a quiet, reserved candidate that brings them back together. Overall, this show was a perfect event to cap off an incredible week in Iowa.

Thrilling thurdsay

2008-01-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

On the morning of the most important day in Iowa the group of us good republicans traveled to West Des Moines to see former senator and law and order star Fred Thompson. The event was in the mariot which looked presidential. We met another vey friendly Iowan at this evetn. He was a physician who had worked at the university of Iowa. Like so many others he could tell we were not from Iowa. We told him we were from Indiana, upon which we discussed bobby knight. THe man shared life lessons like there are always 3 responses to a problem. Yes, no, or maybe; and people should act only on what they believe is right. There was probalby 100 other Iowans in there with us, including a mother with two little girls whom the press took almost as many photos of as Fred. The first speaker was a friendly short representitive stephan king from the west part of Iowa. He spoke of Thompson vision for the future, and how he would continue putting great judges on the supreme court that won't legislate from the bench; Judges like Bush has selected. Then the man himself vcame out and recieved a standing ovation. He looked bigger inperson than on TV. He spoke of how he won in Tennesse after a late start and being 20 points down inhte polls. He spoke of his experinces with foriegn afffairs, and on the judiciary commitee. He spoke of how he favored modernizing the milatary, and being tough on immigration, deporting all who came illegaly and overstayed thier vistas. He also pointed out his 100 percent pro life voting record which is why he is endorsed by the right to life. He drew a standing ovation on one point and the crowd started chanting Fred, Fred, Fred! It almost seemed staged though. The speech lasted maybe only 20 minutes or so. Then Fred stopped for a phot opt with his wife and daughter and dashed off without shaking one hand. Stephan King stayed long after Fred and spoke to people though. His staff wanted him to leave but King stayed just for those last hadshakes and photos. Our group included got a phot with him. I must this man is a much more likeable and personable guy than the man that represents the third district of Indiana. King also has a major immigration bill that he pushed through, knowing just this that is one more than our own third district representitive has done. In the evening things were better. We arrived at our precinct on the northern edge of Aimes, an area which reminded me of Huntertown, to observe the republican caucus. There were over 400 people in attendance there much more than had been aticipated. The people selected a chair and then someone spoke on behalf of all the canidates. That person was then assigned to help count the ballots for thier particular canidate. The ballots reminded me of more a homecoming court election than for deciding the next president. They were little strips of paper which people wrote thier canidats name on. After everyone had turne in thier paper, party planks were brought up. There was one about removing an activist judge who had violated Iowa stae constitution apparently. The votes were tallied in about 20 minutes and Huckabee was declared the winner. This was exciting, and began a whole night of excitement as Huckabee won the whole Republican caucus and by a larger difference than most people believed. It was a happy day for most as not only did Huckabee beat Rommney by over 8000 votes but Obama won the Democrats so all his supporters which was about 2/3 the class was thrilled. Thios vote will carry momentum for Mike and help in south carolina where he is leading the polls and in Florda and Michigan which he is tied in. New Hampshire looks like it will be Mcain again, which will probalby end the rommney run. A mike win in South Carolina will end the Thompson run, and a Huckabee win in Michigan and or Florida will seriously hurt the Rudy campaign if not ending it and give Huckabee the momentum going into super tuesday. On a personal note I like this caucus system better than a primary, it seems a lot less strict. Perhaps Indian wil move its primary to at least super Tuesday, than maybe on the republican side at least the canidates may visit our state. I am sure our local canidates like campaigning in nice spring days, and would not like to be overshadowed by the presidential contenders. However the people of Indiana's voice would get to be heard in the nominating process and Hoosier would have a say over which republican carried the state in November.

Ought We Give Iowa a Try?

2008-01-05T18:49:00.000-08:00

Especially this year, with the controversy surrounding the Michigan primaries, the current primary system has been under more fire than in previous years. Iowa, a state with about 1% of the United States' population and in which almost 95% of the population is White (as opposed to the national 80%, according to 2006 figures released by the US Census Bureau), isn't exactly representative of the general American people. Because of this, several different alternatives to the current system have been proposed.

One of these is the Rotating Regional Primary System, which divides the country into four regions (proposed as East, South, Midwest, and West, although the exact states in each region may vary because of the historic political alignments of individual states). Iowa and New Hampshire would retain their “first in the nation” status. There are also several different propositions for determining the order of the states. The original one was using a lottery to determine the order of states in the first primary year (the primary primary year, if you will) and then rotating the states every year since. The second is the use of a lottery system every year, potentially with provisions to keep a certain region from being first many times in a row. With the second option, the primary dates could be picked out as late as six months before the initial primary, which will keep candidates from camping out in the early primary states and encourage them to be campaigning in more states. There are, however, some problems with this system. The large size of the regions would significantly raise the price of campaigning, which could potentially prevent the candidates with a smaller base of funds from competing.

Something else that has been proposed is simply having a National Primary Day, on which all states would have their primaries at the same time, thereby eliminating Iowa and New Hampshire's “first in the nation” status.

Another proposition is the Graduated Random Presidential Primary System, also known as the California Plan. The California Plan proposes dividing the primary season into ten two-week periods. The states or territories will be divided up based on the number of electoral votes held by the specific states. (American Samoa, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands do not hold electoral votes but send delegates to nominating conventions; they will be counted as holding one electoral vote each.) The first period will be made up by any states, as long as their total electoral votes total eight. In each subsequent period, the total votes will increase by eight- the second will have 16, the third will have 24, et cetera. One problem with the California Plan is the number of electoral votes held by some of the larger states- California, with the highest population and ___ electoral votes, wouldn't be able to vote until the seventh period, but the second, third and fourth most populous states (Texas, New York, and Florida, respectively) would be able to vote in the fourth period. To remedy this, the California Plan proposes staggering the periods, so that instead of going 1-10 in order, it would go 1-2-3-7-4-8-5-9-6-10, thereby preventing California from having to always hold its primary towards the end of the primary season. Again, this plan could lead to high travel costs for the candidates, and the random selection could also prevent long-range planning.

The fourth major proposition is the Delaware Plan, which would divide the states and territories into four groups, based on population. The twelve smallest states (by population) will be the first group, then the thirteen smallest remaining states, then the next thirteen, and finally the largest twelve. The four groups would vote on four days; one each in March, April, May, and June, respectively. Although the last states would always have to wait until the June date to vote, they will control over 50% of the electoral votes and therefore effectively be able to determine the election.

In my opinion, a national primary day is ideal; however, I think that states should have the option of caucuses or primaries, because I feel that caucuses are a much more interactive and informed political decision making process. A national primary day will ensure that all states have primaries earlier in the process and will therefore not have to have their primary elections after it's more or less clear who will get the nomination. States with late primary dates are disenfranchised and are given less of a role and a voice in the political process. This isn't right.

For more information on proposed alternatives to the current primary system, I recommend http://www.fairvote.org

We Didn't Win, but We Sure Learned A lot!

2008-01-05T17:56:00.000-08:00

9 am came too early this morning. It was D-Day of Caucusing. All campaigns were in full momentum with campaign signs attached to a supporter at all major intersections. The Richardson had a different approach on the final day. Ben Martin and myself did some more drop offs of door hangers on supporters’ doors. It only took us about two hours and we returned back to an even more stressed out staff. This stress leads to the highlight of my entire trip. They asked US to be paid staff and help out at some precinct tonight. After receiving our $.25 ration, we began our training for the caucus, which took place in 3 hours. It was so nerve wrecking learning to the number crunching we needed to do in order to persuade other candidates to give us people to reach viability.
After the intense hour of training and learning strategic persuasive moves, they thought we were ready for battle, to battle for Richardson. Our assignment was Ames Middle School, precinct 3-4 in Story County. We knew there was a good chance that we could be close to viability and it would take some, ok, more like a lot of work, to get others to join and support us. We handed out stickers, mingled with Iowans, and scoped out an estimation of how many people we might need for viability. The temporary chair of the precinct called the room to order and began the first order of business. Adrenalin began running through me, because by my approximations of numbers, I feared we would be extremely short of supporters. My raw calculations were there approximately 200 people in attendance, with 9 delegates available, and 15% was viability, we needed at least 24 people to get one delegate. After the first alignment into preferences groups, we found out we needed 33 people to get a delegate (this was with an attendance of 217). Now was the time we had to start crunching numbers and see how many each preference group could afford to give up. Dodd, Biden, and Kucinich groups were nowhere near being viability so I really focused on trying to get them to join us. But, unfortunately, most of those group members joined John Edwards who was having trouble making viability too. Next group to persuade was Obama. They had the overwhelming majority of attendance already with 5 delegates to their name. Here was our chance. With viability, any number above .5 rounds up. As they stood, they needed 24 more people to make it a 6th delegate. If we were not to make viability, our now 21 people would still not be enough to reach that last delegate. So there was a chance that some of our people would go to Edwards who was 3 people shy of a second delegate. So the Obama precinct captain was going to try and give us the 12 people we needed to be viable. But, after multiple calculations, they could only give us 11 people without dropping down to 4 delegates, so they backed out last minute. Therefore, after all the poking and prodding, we lost our group, but 16 went to Obama, two went to Clinton, and three went to Edwards, giving him the last delegate.
The final delegate count: five to Obama, two to Clinton, and two to Edwards. Although my precinct was not successful, it was great to hear that Story County had the second highest Richardson count in the state of Iowa next to Des Moines. Overall, Richardson only received 2% of the votes for fourth place, but in Story County, he received 7%. So, all in all, I know that my efforts with the Richardson campaign in Ames maybe have boosted support for him. I feel like this was the MOST AMAZING experience I could have.

The Difference of a Day Part II

2008-01-05T01:16:00.000-08:00

"So this is what it feels like."

The room was nearly empty. The food was all gone. The chairs stood unused, but still warm from the 217 caucus goers from precinct 3-4. Other than a few party diehards debating over platform planks and committee members, all that remained were two volunteers, displaying less bounce than a 3 week old party balloon. "So this is what it feels like to come up short."
Obama had carried the day. Congratulations. He had won 5 of the 9 delegates from the precinct with Clinton and Edwards taking 2 apiece. Bill Richardson had failed to gain viability by less than 1/10th of one percent of the margin. The most bitter pills to swallow are the ones you don't expect to take.

Earlier that evening Kristi and I arrived at Richardson headquarters, prepared to go anywhere and help the precinct captain. When we walked through the door we were told to report to precinct 1-3. However 30 seconds later our plans changed. The precinct captain of 3-4 had come down with the flu and could not make the caucus. We were redirected to precinct 3-4 with the instructions of twisting arms until we were asked to leave to help Richardson gain viability and delegates, as well as tabulate viability numbers. This was a duty usually reserved for experienced party regulars or long term paid staff. We had had a grand total of 45 minutes of training.
We arrived at Ames Middle School to find a line of people waiting to sign in longer than the line outside a department store of the day after thanksgiving that advertised free beer. There was humanity everywhere. We made our way to our location in the school and set up camp next to our Richardson for president sign. When 7:00 PM rolled around we knew we had a tall stack of work cut out for us. There were 217 people present, meaning we needed 33 to be viable. At 7:00 PM we had 20. This is what happened next.

7:20- floor opens for participants to move from candidate to candidate. We tell our 20 to hold firm for 25 minutes to let us garner more support.

7:21- we pick up a Biden supporter. We are now at 21.

7:23- both of us move to Obama and Clinton camps to try to get excess voters

7:25- an Obama representative that is 6'6'' 250 pounds tells me in no uncertain terms that I am not a registered voter and cannot talk to other people's followers. At risk of being thrown out I return to the Richardson camp.

7:27- Kristi endures the same fate. We are forced to simply crunch numbers and see if Obama or Clinton have enough delegates to spare to give us viability.

7:30- The Obamanese, and the Clintonites send over voters to try to chip away at our people and entice them to join our opposition. For now no one budges, but they are starting to look antsy.

7:40- The Dodd and Kucinich camps have defected to Obama, giving them enough people for another delegate.

7:42- The Edwards camp is still not viable. They are sitting on 31 people and are doing their best to pick away at us.

7:50 - Time is called, the Richardsons start to disperse to other camps when Kristi grabs the mic and tells them all to come back, If Obama gives us his surplus candidates that are not enough to get him another delegate, according to our math we can become viable and prevent Clinton or Edwards from picking up that delegate.

7:51- the Obama people agree and come over. Hell Yeah!!! We did it!!

7:52- No never mind, to give us enough to become viable would take away a delegate from Obama by .1 percent of the margin. All the Obama people retreat.

7:55- The delegates are ratified and that is all she wrote. "So this is what it feel like to come up short."

We leave a short time later with heavy hearts and tears of disappointment being held back by a dogged sense of pride not to give the opposition any more satisfaction than we already had to concede. Stopping by the Richardson office, we turn in our resources and get the whats what on the state. Richardson is getting trounced throughout the state, BUT, his average take out of each county was 2 %. His take out of Story county where we had toiled the last two days was 7%, the second best county showing in the state.
The increased turnout by the people we had helped contacteased the pain a bit, but only for a brief moment. It hurts. It hurts bad. We did all we could and it wasn't enough. That stung deer than anything else.
Right before leaving we got contact information form the staff in the Richardson office. Networking. References. More people I know. Alright, things are looking up a little bit. From electoral politics to networking politics. There is a little something for everyone in Iowa in January.

11:00- I collapse into an exhaustion induced coma. Never has sleeping in jeans felt so delicious.

Huckabee and Chuck-abee

2008-01-04T23:11:00.000-08:00

After the disappointment in Waterloo over being late for Mitt Romney’s event, Mike Huckabee ended up being the only Republican candidate that I saw speak. He had a sweet band entertain us before he came out to speak to us. This was a different rally than the others I had seen before because it was not as much for telling everyone his issues as it was to fire people up. He touched briefly on his issues, and I liked what he had to say regarding the more conservative moral beliefs, but he did not elaborate to say how he would carry out those beliefs in his work as president. He also stated what policy changes he would like to see changed, but did not show how, or what plans he had to do so, and because of that I do not think that I could make an informed decision about him, because I do not know whether or not his policies will be correctly implemented when in office.
I found it impressive that he was able to entertain us on stage with the band, along with Joe Scarborough from MSNBC news. Although I did enjoy hearing Governor Huckabee speak, the best part of his rally was definitely Chuck Norris. He told Chuck Norris jokes, spoke very kindly of Mike Huckabee, and danced with his wife on stage.

Random Chuck Norris comment: I cannot believe that Chuck Norris is almost 68 years old!!!

Random Chuck Norris fact: Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.

MR. PRESIDENT

2008-01-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, January 2, 2008

I will have to start off this blog with one word: WOW! Tonight I had to honor to meet Former President Bill Clinton. When Dr. Williams told us about the possibility of seeing President Clinton give a speech on Hillary's behalf, I was instantly excited. The two hour drive to Waterloo felt as if it was only fifteen minutes. When we first arrived to the building, all the front row seats were reserved. However, Ben Martin and I were lucky enough to find two open seats front row next to a friendly Clinton supporter. After several minutes of discussion and Ben and I informing the supporter what we have been the past days in Iowa, the announcer came on and introduced President Clinton. For the first time in my life I shook a president’s hand. President Clinton delivered a very persuasive and supportive speech about Hillary. He talked about Hillary’s past and what she achieved by working hard and not letting failure slow her down. President Clinton continued his praise of Hillary and told the audience her plans for the future. He used her past experience to show her credibility and ability to push forward and make the country a better place. To be honest, Hillary’s plans for the United States sounded better coming from President Bill Clinton then what I have been seeing of her own speeches on TV. Finally, several members of our group were able to receive autographs from President Clinton and others also were fortunate enough to meet him. With only the Caucus and the musical to go, this week has been nothing short of amazing and I am extremely grateful for all of the opportunities I have been given.

Wednesday's Events

2008-01-04T22:41:00.000-08:00

Today I worked on my first campaign. Ben Martin and myself walked into the Bill Richardson for President campaign office in Ames to be greeted with smiles and handshakes. It was apparent from the moment we arrived that this was a very close-knit group with not a lot of volunteers. Our first order of business was to drop door hangers off in a populated precint. We were able to hit 72 hours in two and a half hours as we sprinted back and forth from our rented van to Richardson supporters’ doorsteps.
When we arrived back at the Ames headquarters, all the coordinators were extremely appreciative of our work. Brian Breman, the Story County campaign coordinator, ask us if we would be interested in crunching numbers for the precint captains Thursday night. It sounded like a great opportunity to gain first hand experience; so kindly agreed to help. We informed them that we would be back Thursday morning to volunteer some more.
After volunteering, the class as a whole, headed to Waterloo, IA, to witness former president Bill Clinton speak on behalf of wife Hillary. I was completely excited to hear one of the best public speakers of our time perform in the flesh, right in front of me. There was no formal speech written out, no note cards; B. Clinton spoke completely off the cuff. It was more than inspiring. It was phenomenal! I am not even a Hillary supporter, but I was convinced that every word he spoke, was 100% true and right. He really emphasized the fact that Hillary has been doing diplomatic work for years. While being First Lady of the US, she was making friendships and alliances for the US with foreign political leaders. Also, she has always been a woman to solve problems. When she was the First Lady of Arkansas, she took it upon herself to help solve education problems and reform her states policies. After his speech, I got the impression that Hillary could not have gotten her current Iowa standings without the greatness of Bill.

From Door to Door to the Former President

2008-01-04T22:35:00.000-08:00

On January 2, Andrew Doub and I took to the streets of Ames for Barack Obama. Having had an hour of training the previous day, we went door to door making sure families knew where their caucus was, who they were voting for, and if not Obama, would he be their second choice. The weather was bitter cold with winds making both of us feel as though we did not have toes. Knocking on doors and having interaction with these Iowans has turned out to be one of my highlights of our time here. We never encountered one inhospitable or rude Iowan. In fact, one woman asked us to come in and ended up having a home in West Lafayette, Indiana. Another told us her brother had gone to Manchester College. It was fun to be able to discuss with caucus goers about the candidates whether we were agreeing or trying to persuade to Obama’s side.

In the afternoon we went to Waterloo to hear former President Bill Clinton. Everyone was very excited to see him. Bill spoke at a cattle arena to what looked like 400 to 500 middle class Iowans. President Clinton did a great job speaking for his wife and presidential candidate. It was an honor to watch how laid back and comfortable Bill was while speaking. As he stood behind the podium, his hands were in his pockets and his legs were crossed very casually. Although this may sound cliché, the speech was delivered simply yet elegantly. I have heard about how Bill sometimes when speaking will spend most of the time talking about himself and what he has accomplished. His speech on this day was totally focused on his wife Hillary. He praised Hillary on all of the education upgrades in Arkansas and tactics to improve America’s poverty downward slope. President Clinton also stated Hillary is the best-known candidate, out of the other Democrat candidates, around the world. He believed Hillary would have more respect from foreign political leaders because of this, therefore likely to be more diplomatic.

Huck & Chuck

2008-01-04T22:34:00.001-08:00

New Year’s evening provided a chance for me to experience my first and last Republican candidate; Mike Huckabee. The event was totally different from all of the Democrat events. It was held on a roller skating/dance floor. There was a hick cover band that entertained for around 30 minutes who wasn’t great but wasn’t bad. Then right before Mike took the stage, a woman played a sound by herself with a recording in the backround. Her voice wasn’t the best and her guitar wasn’t on. I was not impressed at all by the introduction of this rally. Once Huckabee came stage, the event picked up. He has great presence and a good sense of humor. Obviously being an Obama supporter I didn’t agree with everything he said but I thought he delivered his speech well. Then the man of the night, Chuck Norris, commanded the stage. Chuck and his wife talked about how they learned of Mike and what they liked about him. Huckabee talked a lot about his fair tax plan and gaining troops to create an army so powerful and intimidating, no one will want to fight us. Talk about the military like that ticks me off. Fighting should not be the first answer and ever believing that no one with attack us because we are intimidating is ridiculous. I was very surprised of the order of speakers as well. Mike Huckabee spoke before Chuck Norris. It made it feel like Chuck Norris was the keynote speaker, when Huckabee is trying to win the caucus.
After Norrris spoke, the band came back on with Huckabee and MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough. Starting out with Sweet Home Alabama, Huckabee helped his cause on my likeability scale. I was impressed with his bassist skills and more importantly his stage presence.

The Day of the Former Arkansas Governors

2008-01-04T22:31:00.000-08:00

I want to apologize for my delay with these posts. I have no internet connection in my room and I have to pirate a signal, which has been difficult to do...

Another early morning today, but this time the morning came very quickly. At this point in the trip, I am not sure exactly how the candidates are able to maintain such a time demanding schedule. I am starting to feel fatigued and I have only been going to events for a few days now, these politicians have been on the campaign trail for weeks, and still will be campaigning long after Iowa. I happened to catch word while we were working at the Huckabee headquarters that Governor Huckabee would be speaking at Fort Dodge (about an hour away) at 8:00 am at a more personal event. There were four of us willing to get up early for another early event to see Mike Huckabee, and the governor did not disappoint. The event was certainly much more personal than the Huck and Chuck Rally from the night prior, which Governor Huckabee informed us that there were over 3,000 people there! We sat in the second row, and I was probably no more than three feet away from the governor for the entire event. He was a riveting speaker and took the time to explain some of his criticisms that Mitt Romney has fired at him, as well as the fact that many conservatives have called him “another liberal Governor from Arkansas.” He cut taxes across the income level board during his time, and turned a multimillion dollar deficit into an $850 million surplus. He did explain that yes, he did raise taxes, like raising the tax on gasoline to improve the roads in Arkansas that had been in horrible condition. Anyone who wants to argue with raising taxes to maintain the roads, which benefit everyone and keeps everyone safer does not have their head on straight in my opinion. He spoke of tightening up the border, maintaining the sanctity of life, maintaining a strong economy and energy independence. Unlike John Edwards, he did not have the same speech, and I really felt like I was at two different events, which was awesome. The statement that stuck with me was the following: “You guys know where I stand, just look at my voting record and what I did while in office at Arkansas. I have always been pro-life, I have never swayed from that stance and I never will sway from that stance. I am pro-life where ever I am; I am not swayed by the polls. I don’t read the polls and adjust my values to them, I will not read the poll that says I need to be pro-choice right now and switch to that. I stand firm in my ideals and I will stand firm for you.” He also took a firm stance against the mega corporations that has taken politics into their own hands and have taken away from the middle class. I have decided that I will no longer state the ethnicity of the crowd, since Iowa is about 93% white. In fact, the race of the crowd was nearly all white except for the Obama rally. I have noticed that Huckabee events have a lot of children there was well, which makes sense since he has placed such an emphasis on the family unit and the importance of family. But again, the overwhelming age of the crowd was 40-50 and entirely white. After he spoke he began to walk about, but was willing to stop and chat with anyone and everyone who stayed and went over to speak with him. I was able to walk right up to Mike Huckabee talk to him and his wife, get a picture with them and have him even sign my Mike Huckabee button! I was really pumped about Mike Huckabee’s speech and was moved by the power of his message. I definitely was leaning towards Governor Huckabee before the caucus and this trip to Iowa, but after seeing him at both events, I know that I support Governor Mike Huckabee 100%.
The theme of the day truly was Arkansas governors, because we went to go see President Bill Clinton, in Waterloo. You may remember Waterloo being the infamous town in which I traveled 2+ hours to see Mitt Romney and Hillary Clinton and missed both of them due to scheduling errors. Anyway, when we went to the Clinton event, we met a guy named Ethan who was also helping at the Bill Clinton event today. He told us to talk to him about the event and he would help us out. We came into contact with Ethan when we got there and he allowed two other students and me into the “reserved seating” for the event and we were very close to the former President. President Clinton is a mesmerizing speaker, and was so convincing that at times I felt stupid for not supporting Hillary for President. He just spoke with such ease at the podium, leaning up against the podium, crossing his legs while standing up and just delivering a very powerful speech. Regardless of how you feel about his politics or his presidency, one cannot argue with his incredible ability to speak and reach his crowd. He spoke of how Hillary has been tested as the first lady of Arkansas fixing the broken and worst education system in the United States, as the First Lady of the United States, as a Senator in Washington and even as a student in law school helping fight for children’s rights and her work and rules were extended nationwide. An important aspect that Hillary has on the rest of the candidates is that she is endorsed by 8 other Senators, the next closest has 2. President Clinton continued to spellbind the crowd, and again, I was just so mesmerized by his speech. It was probably the best political speech I had ever heard, bar none. The one problem I get from the Hillary campaign is that they are forcing so much emphasis on the fact that Bill Clinton would be back in the White House. Bill Clinton is a controversial figure, and not everyone would be welcoming to the idea of the former President being back in the White House. I enjoyed the event, and why not? You can’t argue with the status of the economy during the Clinton administration. He came around to the front row of the crowd and shook hands with everyone, was willing to sign anything and everything, stopped and chatted with these people and even stopped to take a picture with me! I would post it on this website, but I haven’t had time to upload them to my computer. The event was packed, but not with much media coverage; surprisingly. There were probably 300-500 people at the event, and was much more racially diverse than any other event to date. All in all, this is probably my favorite day so far. I was bummed when I didn’t shake hands and talk with Governor Huckabee at the Huck and Chuck, so I definitely felt redemption! Meeting President Clinton, though extremely superficial and brief, is a moment that I will never forget; he was the leader of the free world! So the day of the Former Arkansas Governors was exciting and will probably be one of the best “political” days of my life.

Surprise Rendez-vous with Senator Clinton

2008-01-04T22:26:00.000-08:00

At the end of Hillary's speech I was still sitting in the back. I hesitated, thinking that we may want to leave fast to go to the next event, but when I saw people rushing to the front to see her, and Dr. Williams and Ben stuck up on the bleachers, I took a chance and made my way up to the ropes, behind which Clinton was speaking to people and shaking hands. I stood there taking pictures of her as she was making her way around the half-circle, and somehow I managed to squeeze into the front row. As Clinton walked around, I observed that she stood and spoke to people, signed anything the people handed her, and really listened and not only that, but spoke back as if she really cared about what they were saying, and it was worth a response. Other candidates that I saw just shook hands and kept walking. She did not walk away from people until she knew that their conversation was over.

As she came closer, I was more and more nervous. She spoke very nicely with the older lady right next to me, and then she also listened to what I had to say. She spoke into my video camera, telling my mother and my boyfriend hello and happy new years, and I also got a picture with her. After being seated back so far, I had not expected at all to get a decent picture of her, let alone with her. This was definatly one of my highest points of the trip, fulfilling one of my most seemingly unreachable goals.

Catching Clinton

2008-01-04T22:24:00.000-08:00

On the eve before the caucus we went back to the great town of Waterloo to catch a glimpse of the former president Wlliam Jennings Clinton Jr. This event was attended by the most diverse ethnically group I had seen in Iowa all week. There were young, and old people there, about 1000 or so. The former president spoke of how experienced his wife is in dealing with healthcare,ing ohio. and education. He showed her compassion by teeling that she worked for civil rights after law school instead making millions in corporate law. He showed her knowledge of foriegn affairs as to her warm reception by dignataries. He talked of her education plan to fis the problems in no child left behind, which is more moderate than the other Democrats who want to scrap it all together. The former president made it seem like it is good to test children to check thier progress, but progress should be tested on all subjects and the federal goverment should have a greater say in the testing and what the standards are. I liked this approach which is amazing considering I am a pretty conservative Republican. I feel that No child left behind had good intentions and was something new in compaarison to just throwing more money into education which has proven to do nothing. Her plan woould fix the holes in it and help fix our schools. With Bill, was a senator and a congress women who backed hilary, he says she has 10 senators backing her more than any other canidate. He also spoke that the governor of Ohio was campaigning for her, which was important because no republican has ever won without carrying Ohio. He also said that she is tied in Arkansas in polls with Huckabee and leading all other republicans there. Overall I would agree with Bill, Hilary is the most moderate and electable in reder states than any other Democrat. After the event I got to shake the hand of the former president, which will be envied by my family who almost all voted for him. A group of us also got our picture with a staff aide whom we met on monday. After the event we ate at the best diner in Waterloo, the happy chef for the second time in a week. It was another great experience with the same waitress.

Hillary's volunteer

2008-01-04T22:19:00.001-08:00

On Tuesday I was able to volunteer for the Clinton campaign at her speech in the Gateway Hotel. When I arrived, they were not sure what they would use me for so they had me follow them around at first. I was able to see the whole walk through of how she would enter the building, where the secret service would be, and how she would walk into the room, and I was introduced to all of the organizers of the event. Finally, the man in charge of her national advance took me and sat me down at the media sign in table. I signed in many camera men and news anchors, including Tim Russert, and others whom I recognized but unfortunately, could not read their handwriting when they signed in. Being New Years morning, most of the media were very jolly and ready to wish me a happy new year.

Upon asking if I could reserve a seat for myself, one of the campaign workers told me that I could just go ahead and reserve a seat in the back for myself. They put a sign that said “reserved for secret service” on my seat, so the man that I sat next to was sad to see that it was only me once I took my seat. While I was sitting in the back, I admit I was jealous because Dr. Williams and Ben were sitting right behind Hillary throughout her speech.

In all there were about 700-800 people there, mostly Caucasian, middle class, ages 25+.
Senator Clinton impressed me because of her speaking skills. The others sounded more down to earth, but her speech was so perfect sounding that she did sound quite as much like one of us. She discussed many of her issues, including her health care plan, plans for exiting Iraq, a veterans plan, reforming the education system, ect. She had much to say about her past legislative actions, emphasizing that she has worked with multiple Republicans to get legislation passed. She talked about what she did right out of school, and all of her work with and for children. Her motto through the whole speech was "ready for change, ready to lead."

The Long Awaited Caucus Night

2008-01-04T22:11:00.001-08:00

The Caucus process was a very interesting and exciting process to watch. The prescient that I observed was packed to more the maximum capacity full of eager caucus goers to caucus on behalf of their chosen candidate. For the most part the prescient was organized although getting off to a rocky start with the head count. From the first time the participants aligned, it was obvious that Obama was going to win the day! For most the realignment effort was useless, although those who wished to join the Edwards camp, they were welcomed with open arms and homemade cookies! The Hillary supporters pretty much stayed were they were, but the Biden and a few Richardson supporters joined Edwards after failing to have enough support to be viable. Despite all the efforts by the other camps to gain supporters, Obama was clearly the winner.

At first I was unsure of what to expect even though the process was described to me and I have read about it. But that knowledge quickly made sense once the proceedings were underway. I was a little surprised that the Hillary supports barely had enough votes to be viable. Watching the interactions between the different caucus goers and different groups of supporters was also fun. There were many lively and dramatic discussions going on around the room.

Although I am a little disappointed that Edwards lost, I am glad that I got this opportunity to observe and experience the caucus process.

The Results

2008-01-04T22:01:00.000-08:00

Well ladies and gentlemen, the votes are in. Mike Huckabee took the victory for the Republican party in the 2008 Iowa caucus. He was in turn followed by Mitt Romney in second place, and Fred Thompson in third by a small small margin over Senator John McCain. The most surprising thing about it all was that Fred Thompson took third over McCain. From what I saw and heard of Fred Thompson I thought he would for sure take fourth or fifth. Mike Huckabee pulled off the big upset over Mitt Romney. His ideas struck a chord in the hearts of Iowans. He showed the nation, and the world that a man with little funding could overcome a multi-million dollar political machine. It will be interesting to see if McCain can hold on to New Hampshire. Huckabee is going to be going into there with a full head of steam.

The vote on the side of the democrats proved to be exciting as well. Iowans declared Senator Barack Obama the winner by a wide margin. The race for second was very tight between Edwards and Clinton, but in the end Edwards pulled away. The most surprising thing was the way women voters voted. The fact was that more women voted for Barack Obama than did for Hillary Clinton. This seems very fascinating to me because I thought undoubtedly that women would try to harnass power and rally behind Clinton. They have the ability to do something in the US that has never been done in this great nations history. It just goes to show that the voters are educated this year. They know what they want, and are going to choose the candidate that can fulfill their wants and desires most closely.

The race in Iowa has proven, to me at least, that their is a reason this state holds the first caucus. Iowans should be proud of their political knowledge, and lust for being known as the first stop in the presidential campaign. I will for always remember the experience I have had the priviledge to experience in this great state. Thank you for your hospitality, I know you get sick of the overflow of campaign ads, calls, and tourists. You have paved the way for a tight race in New Hampshire and throughout the rest of the country in this next new year.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22501956/

Precinct 24 Caucus

2008-01-04T21:57:00.000-08:00

The infamous Iowa caucus was the dominating thought in all of our minds today. We headed out the door promptly at 6:00 in the PM to our assigned precincts to observe the very event that has dominated our thinking for the last week; the Iowa caucus. I elected to observe at the Republican precinct in at a small church in Ames. It was all it was made up to be plus some more.

Once everyone had been registered, and the 400 plus seats were full, the event was ready to kick off. The conversation was formal, and acquaintances and friendships were renewed. We all stood for the pledge of allegiance, and the mediator, John Lohr, asked if there was anyone who did not know what the caucus stood for. He went on to ask for people whom would like to speak for their candidates, and the ones that volunteered were designated vote counters. The power was entirely entrusted in them on an honor system, and it was not a pre-planned assignment. Jim went on to ask for nominations for a permanent chair and secretary. He himself was elected to the permanent chair position, and Dale Rensick was elected secretary. The people elected them by making an acclamation, and then having a nay or I vote of those in favor. The next step in the process was to allow those whom wanted to speak for the candidate the opportunity to do so. There was the restriction that no person was allowed more than 2 minutes to speak. A lady named Mariel, whom was undecided, stood up on behalf of Mitt Romney. She expressed her joy that he made the effort to visit all 99 counties in Iowa; he is a strong family man that will honor the white house, and wants a strong military. She pointed out that he would have to learn as he went, but she had respect for anyone willing to learn, and her last point of interest was to state that he was a patriot. Jim Lohr stood up on behalf of Rudy Giuliani simply to say that Rudy was about having strong national security, and if that was your issue he is the man for the job. The precinct captain, Kevin Woodard, stood up for Mike Huckabee. He pointed out Mike’s values in faith and politics. He pointed out that Mike was pro-life, and vested his values in the idea that marriage is to be strictly between a man and woman. A man, whose name I did not get, stood on behalf of Ron Paul to say that any Republican is better than a Democrat. He stated that Ron was a pro-life doctor, a veteran, and a consistent voter. He pointed out that Ron Paul was a 10 term US congressmen that had never voted for a tax hike, and that he wanted to abolish the IRS. The person that spoke on behalf of Fred Thompson, Monica Mullens, said that Fred has a demonstrated record, and that he has the endorsement from the right to life committee. The lady speaking on behalf of John McCain was very genuine, and in depth. She stated that John has a proven 24 years in Congress. She said that he is genuine, down to earth, and a veteran who was capable of serving our country once, and most certainly capable of doing it again. She said that he has integrity and determination, he demands respect, has the longest pro-life record, and knows what to do with this country.

After peoples speeches the vote was taken by secret ballot, which was then passed in and began to be counted. While the votes were being counted people were offered the chance to become delegates for March 18. There would be 14 delegates, 7 alternatives, and a $20.00 fee to cover food for the day. They then offered sign up for junior delegates ages 12-17. A petition was then presented that planned to impeach Judge Hansen, brought up by Charlie Bright, because he had allowed same sex marriage legislation in Iowa. After all this the votes came back; 126 for Mike Huckabee, 64 for John McCain, 23 for Ron Paul, 32 for Fred Thompson, and 96 for Mitt Romney with a small number going to the remaining few candidates.

Overall the caucus was a new and exciting experience. People in Iowa are brave to deal with what they do every four years. Props to them for their political knowledge and roll in this nation’s history.

CNN celebrity and Chuck Norris

2008-01-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

So did you see me on CNN during the John Edwards’ event? Anyway, if you did not see it, my mom taped it (on different televisions) and I can forward that video footage to you. Luckily, a couple of the students within this group worked for the John Edwards campaign, and we were able to sit directly behind him during his event at the Iowa State Convention Center. In fact, one of the students (Ben Scalise) sat next to Elizabeth Edwards. We were right there on stage with John Edwards and instructed to smile and applaud since we would be live on CNN. I don’t agree with a lot of positions that John Edwards including but not limited to universal health care plan and immediate troop withdrawal, but similarly with Senator Barack Obama, I enjoyed Senator Edwards’ speech. He has campaigned in Iowa for more than 100 days since 2005, so it would be logical to infer that he should know Iowa better than any candidate Republican or Democrat.
The event was packed with media and people from all over the country. I do not know the official count of the event, but there were probably 300-400 people at the event. I will be honest, I was looking forward to hearing Indiana’s own John Cougar Mellencamp perform in support for John Edwards. However, the Cougar wasn’t there and was going to perform in Des Moines tomorrow at 9:00 pm. I think people came to see John Edwards mostly, but I have to wonder how many people were there because of Mellencamp. Elizabeth Edwards spoke first at the event, and she brought her two children on the stage and spoke about how much John Edwards wants to work for the middle class, gain energy independence while sustaining the environment, and providing health care for every American.
John Edwards came out to thunderous applause and actually appeared to be glowing during the event. The former Senator has so much energy and livelihood, I found his excitement was exciting me, and he hadn’t even spoken yet! This was the first time I had seen John Edwards, however some other students had seen him a few days prior and said that his speech was the exact same, and new everything that he was going to say and in what order. Even if I hadn’t received this information from the students, I could tell that the speech was staged and well rehearsed. While his event was rallying the crowd, I found the speech’s content rather dull, which could entirely due to the fact that I do not agree with his policies and programs. He spoke on how creating a “green” economy, which is an economy based on the creating new sustainable energies while gaining total independence from oil and OPEC, well create millions of jobs stimulating the economy while reducing greenhouse gases and counteract world enemy number one: global warming, feared by every liberal at every stretch of the globe.
I appreciate when a candidate takes the time for questions from the audience. Senator Edwards took a couple of questions from the audience, and a couple more after someone from his campaign told him they had to leave. Was Senator Edwards that caring that he wanted to hear every person’s concern or was this a clever political tactic which made him seem more caring? While I like to believe the former, you can’t rule anything out, especially in the crunch time of the Iowa Caucus.
Today was also the day we decided to work for the Mike Huckabee campaign. It worked out well for my fellow Republicans because the headquarters were in Des Moines, and so was the rally event for Mike Huckabee. We entered the headquarters eager to help and curious to discover what exactly we would be doing. Some students working for other campaigns has made phone calls, while others had canvassed the neighborhoods in Iowa knocking on every door to amass votes for the all important Caucus. I was hoping we would be making the phone calls, on account that the wind chill was probably hovering somewhere around -20. Not that I would not have gone door to door, but I would rather have preferred to make phone calls indoors. Luckily enough, the five of us were put to work on the phones. We were given a long calling list of those Iowans would had pledged support for Governor Huckabee in the past. We were given a script to follow, but we were encouraged to add personal touch to it. The calling center was packed, with every person on the phones in that room, totally somewhere around 75 to 100 callers. It was there that we met John Echols, a Republican from Arizona that was supposed to give us the “hook up” and have us sit on stage with Governor Huckabee. He told us that since we are not familiar with his past, he let it be known that when people stick with him, good things happen to them. So, if you need something good to happen to you, perhaps check out http://www.johnechols.com/. John told us to find him at the event and he would hook us up, so long as we passed out Huckabee signs attached with candy canes to the crowd. We obviously agreed, and became excited to meet Mike Huckabee and Chuck Norris.
It was finally time for the event that I had looked the most forward to since I signed up for the trip, a time to finally see former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee. That would have been enough for me. But Mike was accompanied by the one, the only, Chuck Norris aka Walker Texas Ranger. Chuck Norris, world renowned fighter, creator of the Total Gym, creator of Walker Texas Ranger (the claim to fame of the struggling Hallmark Channel), and an American Icon. While the majority of the students have a liberal ideology and did not agree with Huckabee’s campaign, everyone wanted to see Chuck Norris. Did you know that most children check under their beds to make sure the Boogey Man isn’t under there? Well the Boogey Man checks under his bed to make sure Chuck Norris isn’t there. Chuck Norris facts are increasingly popular, and has given Chuck somewhat of a cult following in recent years.
As it turns out, John Echols had no more standing at the event then we did. I realized it was time to cut away from John after two events. The first was when I called him and he had a ringback tone (as in instead of the normal phone ring, I would hear a song) which was a rap song, specifically Pimpin’ All Over the World by Ludacris. Secondly, I realized that John was just looking for any chance to get on television. The true organizers of the event planned to have children holding up signs at two spots; one spot had children yelling “Huck” while the other spot yelled “Chuck.” The average age of this child crowd was probably around seven. When John saw the cameras were rolling on this crowd he ran over with a Huckabee sign and jumped into the crowd. At this moment I realized that my “hook up” connection was really a television time monger and had no true standing at the event. But despite the fact that John was too busy pushing 6 and 7 year old children out of the way of the local news cameras, the event was awesome, all in all, there were over 2,000 people at the Val Air Ball Room in Des Moines Iowa. There was a band playing, and hundreds of people cheering “Huck and Chuck!” “Huck and Chuck!”
Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee came out to speak first, not Chuck Norris, which was surprising at first. He came and spoke for probably 25 minutes or so and really hit hard on the importance of family, the sanctity of life, and energy independence. He also spoke on being from the serving class, not the ruling class, and he [Governor Huckabee] would be elected to serve you. He also spoke how the incredibly rich in this country are the ones that government and politicians have catered to, and it is time to bring back the strength of the middle class. From the entire speech from Governor Huckabee my most memorable quote from his was talking about his belief that we need to have energy independence. Prepare yourself, this quote is amazing… “And when we fully invest in energy independence, we can look over at the oil exporting countries and tell them that we, the American people, do not need your oil anymore than we need you sand.”
Chuck Norris came out and spoke for a while about why he chose Mike Huckabee to endorse. He actually gave out his favorite Chuck Norris fact which was the following: did you hear that they were going to put Chuck Norris’ face on Mt. Rushmore? But they couldn’t because the granite wasn’t tough enough for his beard.” Chuck Norris spoke about how Mike’s FairTax plan would really benefit America, how his education reform would really help the broken system and how Mike Huckabee emphasizes family, which would help the United States.
But the event was not complete with just the Huck and Chuck. Mike Huckabee joined the band, took on his bass guitar and jammed out to three songs. I loved the performance and Governor Huckabee is no slouch on the guitar. He was joking between songs and even had Joe Scarborough join him on stage and perform alongside with him. This was easily my favorite event to date. I was a little sad that Governor Huckabee didn’t shake hands or wait to take pictures. In his defense, he was extremely busy, there were over 2,000 people there and it was more of a rally rather than a personal event. The event was so exciting and fun that this surpassed any event, and only Senator Obama’s event came in a close second.

The Musical with a Side of Respect

2008-01-04T21:34:00.000-08:00

On Friday evening, we had the opportunity to observe a satirical musical about the Iowa caucuses. The musical that we had the opportunity to see was absolutely amazing!!! I have not laughed like that in quite a while.

It poked fun at a lot of the drama that too often occurs in politics between different candidates and even different parties. There was one part in particular that hit close to home, in my opinion, and that was when the family started fighting so much that they were almost at each others throats. I strongly feel that that has occurred throughout the short time that our group has been in Iowa. Everyone wants to believe that they are right and everyone who is not with them is against them. The most striking example of this to me would have been the display of attitudes at different events and rallies from people with differing views. At many of the events there have been negative attitudes, which have had a negative effect on everyone. I am speaking about both parties and I am not saying that I myself at times have not been the most polite or respectful. I feel that even if even if a candidate is not supported, they should still be cheated with respect like everyone else and not only the candidate, but the other people who actually do support the candidate. I think if everyone tried to consider the feelings of other parties involved, the world would be a much better place.

I think that Americans really need to learn respect for other views and until we come up with a combined effort that the world will most certainly remain in despair. Not every individual can always be right and always get what we want. Life is all about compromise. Too often it seems like we get into such arguments that mean so little, we are just so stubborn to even listen to other ideas and alternatives. The musical was extremely funny and I would love to see more just like that one.

Iowa has been very exciting and our group has been extremely lucky! I didn’t imagine that when I came to Iowa that I would see any of the candidates so close, if at all. While my own candidate of choice is off in some other state, I have had some pretty amazing opportunities to meet the as many candidates as I have. From Huckabee and Bill and then being so close to Obama, Edwards, Thompson, I never imagined I would be so lucky. Not only have I learned a lot about the candidates and what their policy initiatives would be, but I also learned a lot about myself. I learned a lot of my inner values and where I really stand in my ideas, my part, my state, my country, and my world.

Rock out with Your Caucus out...

2008-01-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

Tonight, we had the opportunity to experience a satirical musical on the Iowa caucuses. The story pokes fun at some of the negatives the citizens of Iowa continually experience because of constant re-election, such as floods of advertisements on radio, T.V., and in newspapers and the corrupt tactics candidates use to bring down their opponents. The musical is about just an average citizen of Iowa, who becomes a little more well-known when a reporter wants to write articles on his personal caucus experience over roughly the next six months. His choice of candidate will be published right before the caucuses. The candidates realize his influence over the results and begin competing for his support, tearing one another down, and exposing their own unpleasant qualities and secrets. Discrete humor can be found throughout the entire musical and I really enjoyed the story line. I did not know exactly what to expect of the production but overall it was entertaining, humorous, and honest. Also, despite making jokes about the Iowa caucuses, the message still remained positive about the event and those who participate. Whether intentional or not, I felt the musical also stressed that citizens must make careful and informed decisions when choosing a candidate and roughly depicted a guide to do so.

The Republican Caucus

2008-01-04T21:20:00.000-08:00

Republicans have a very different caucus than that of the Democrats and not nearly as interesting. The Republican caucus is done through a secret ballot; therefore, there was not a great deal to observe in the process of actually choosing a delegate. The caucus that I had the opportunity to observe was located in a church and the crowd turnout was more than expected, probably close to 500. The people in the precinct were very nice, but they seemed to stick for the most part to themselves. At the beginning a volunteer was needed for each candidate to give a speech about why others should vote for them. In our particular precinct, there was not an overabundance of any candidate that wanted to speak, but we had a volunteer for each except Hunter. The vote was taken and then a large number of platform resolutions were introduced. As we waited for the final count to come in, a large portion of the participants left. In the end Mike Huckabee had 126 votes, Mitt Romney 97, McCain 64, Thompson 32, Ron Paul 22, Rudy Giuliani 13, and Hunter 1. It was very interesting to have the opportunity to observe how the caucus works in Iowa, but it surely would have been quite a different venue to observe a Democratic caucus. Unfortunately I cannot be in two places at once.

Time to Caucus

2008-01-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Last night, the caucuses came to Iowa. The entire purpose of our trip had arrived. I attended the Republican caucuses, which are unique because they are done by secret ballots. So I did not witness quite as much excitement as what I expect took place at the Democratic caucuses. However, the event I attended was short and concise because candidate support groups were not attempting to persuade a couple members from other groups to join in order to become viable. I was surprised that any individual could volunteer to briefly speak for a candidate in a last attempt to persuade any voters who still remained undecided. The quality of the speaker probably did not have much overall influence on those local results. However, in my opinion it seemed such a procedure could put some candidates at a slight disadvantage if their spokesperson was not a very good public speaker or persuader. After observing the caucuses, I understood the standard procedures much more clearly. Something I was not aware would be happening and that I still do not understand well were the platform planks. I am unsure of their purpose and the procedures that follow them at a later date. I want to and will inform myself better about this aspect of the caucuses because I found it interesting at the potentiality for citizens to have specific issues considered for examination and resolution.

Initial Reactions

2008-01-04T07:16:00.000-08:00

As my students and I waited in line to enter the caucus room, everyone knew there would be a higher turnout in a too-close-to-call presidential race. Yet, despite the uncertainty, Andrew (far left) yesterday afternoon correctly predicted the eventual outcome for the state--38% of the delegates going to Obama. Stephen (in the middle) should get a silver medal for his prediction of 37%.

As for my own thoughts, from the day we arrived in Iowa, I could see the enthusiasm for the Obama campaign and its message of hope and change. More importantly, in a caucus state, organization is key. You need to get your supporters identified and engaged; you need to turn them out in force on caucus night. The Obama campaign showed all the marks of a disciplined, vibrant, and dedicated effort throughout the week we've spent here. Everywhere we went, in contrast with the other campaigns, the Obama folks were always the most "Fired Up. Ready to Go."

A Little Law and Order Perhaps?!

2008-01-04T07:15:00.000-08:00

On the early morning of Caucus Day, a few of us took the opportunity to go see a candidate who has not done as much campaigning as some of the other candidates, or so it would seem. We drove down to Des Moines and saw Fred Thompson give a speech. I was very excited and very interested to see Fred in Thompson, most especially to see just what policies he was stressing he would fight for. While we waited, our group chatted with numerous Iowans and learned a lot about their opinions on a variety of issues. I talked about a variety of issues, such as candidates, the FED, foreign relations, and current events. The views that were expressed were very different than I had seen at any other event. Steve King, a congressman from Iowa has endorsed Fred and gave his introductory speech. Steve King spoke for quite a long time about his candidate and then Fred came out. He brought his wife and young daughter. He spoke about living the American Dream and how Americans must be proud to live here. He went on to talk about border control. He said that if America cannot secure its borders than it cannot keep its sovereignty. He also said that the IRS was necessary in order to secure borders because they could implement a system that would make it more difficult for employers to hire illegal immigrants. He later talked about how destiny issues are at the heart of this campaign. He said there could be no do-overs and that the decisions that would be made in the next term could change America as we know it, on such issues as abortion, gay marriage, and immigration. In the end he did not make any attempt to shake the hands of anyone or to interact with them at all. It was disappointing as he rushed off to a back room to do an interview for CNN.

Caucus Photo

2008-01-04T07:08:00.000-08:00

The caucus I attended in Ames was a fairly raucus one--lots of chatter and noise, people milling around. There were more than 270 people in a room designed for not much more than 140. Candidate preference groups cheered, chanted, and listened to pep talks.

At one point, Biden supporters who came over to the Edwards camp were welcomed heartily and then rewarded with homemade cookies. Throughout the night, we particularly enjoyed watching this animated Clinton supporter argue with an Obama partisan.

Bill Helps Hillary in Waterloo

2008-01-04T01:52:00.000-08:00

After all of our experiences in Waterloo on Monday, I was somewhat reluctant to be driving there one more time; however, this time it was to see Bill Clinton and not to see an actual candidate, so it was somewhat different than any other event. On our first trip to Waterloo, we pulled through with some intense networking. We were all lucky enough to have great seats thanks to a great guy named Ethan, who felt bad that we had not only driven all the way from Indiana, but also all the way from Ames just to see Hillary. He helped us to get great seats which we had the opportunity to shake hands with Bill Clinton, get autographs, and even get pictures. Bill spoke about Hillary’s past and the policies that she helped to get pushed through in Arkansas, New York, and even in the White House. He also spoke about her policy plans. I found a lot of the policy initiatives very interesting. I was really impressed with the extensive amount of work she has done in the area of education. I think if time would have permitted and I would not have had other obligations, it would have been very interesting to have seen Hillary speak. Prior to coming to Iowa, I did not feel that Hillary had a chance at getting elected, but after hearing Bill speak so highly of her in so many areas which she has had such an enormous impact, I now feel that her potential for being elected is so much more. Not only do I believe that nationally, but also personally.

Obama Wins in Iowa

2008-01-03T22:40:00.000-08:00

Obama’s done it; he’s won first place in Iowa! The man with the plan for change and the message of hope beat out Edwards by eight percent and Clinton by 9 percent. Is this a sign of what’s to come??

This morning MC students were up early and off to their different events. The group campaigning for Obama headed out to the Ames headquarters as bundled up as possible for a little visibility work. Entering the office and seeing it fill up with nearly 30 people in just a short period of time truly displays the power Obama has to motivate citizens and move them to action. Street corners around Ames were filled with Obama volunteers holding signs with messages such as: STAND FOR CHANGE, HOPE, and OBAMA. It takes true dedication to get a bunch of people up and out before 7 am, in single digit temperatures, yelling and jumping around like maniacs hoping to remind a few more people to caucus that night. But that’s the kind of power Barack seems to have; the kind of ability he has to motivate people and instill hope for a better, brighter future.

There are a number of stats that I think really display the ability Barack has to win this nomination. First the age split of those that caucused for Obama showed 17-29 year olds at 57%! This is truly remarkable in a country whose young people are typically seen as politically apathetic. Could the nomination of Barack as the democratic candidate also result in such remarkable turnout among our youth in the general election? Second, women voters chose Obama over Clinton 35% to 30%. This displays Obama’s ability to pull women voters even with a female opponent. Finally, in a state with 95% Caucasian population Obama has received the most delegates for the Democratic Party. I really believe that this helps negate the argument that an African American cannot win the election.

I’ll certainly be excited to see what happens in New Hampshire! FIRED UP! READY TO GO!

Obama Takes Iowa!

2008-01-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

This is the closest that I could get to a picture with Senator Obama

What made Obama pull so far ahead of Edwards and Clinton tonight? In the precinct caucus that I observed, Obama clearly had more votes than any other candidate. When it all came down to it, in my precinct, Clinton ended up with 66, Richardson with 70, Edwards with 101, and Obama with 164 people. All day today, wherever we went, we saw people standing on the side of the road with Obama signs yelling “Fired Up” and “Ready to Go!”
When we went to see Obama speak on New Years Eve, I specifically noticed that there were more young adults there than at any of the other candidates’ speeches or rallies which I had attended. Another very interesting fact is that the large majority of the other people attending were white, and middle class. Since Iowa is 95% Caucasian, at the very least, 33% of Obama’s votes had to have come from white Iowans. The demographics of Iowa proved tonight to be insignificant, showing that Obama has what it takes to win in the more predominantly white states. Now that Iowa has shown their support for Senator Obama, other states shouldn’t be too far behind. He is projected to take the majority of the southern states, except for South Carolina (which naturally should go to John Edwards). What makes Senator Obama so appealing?
In his New Years Eve speech, his focus was “change.” His definition of change meant both to oust George W. Bush along with reversing everything that he has inflicted on our country and around the world, and also to change the presidency by having a fresh face in the white house (meaning, no more Clintons). I think that this is one aspect that appeals to the younger voters, because this is OUR future. We have to deal with the degradation of our environment, we have to deal with the war in Iraq, we have to deal with running out of fossil fuels, our reliance on the Middle East for our oil, and the entire economic state of our country and our own families. If change does not take place in this election, it may be too late to change our policies under other administrations. Having the support of the young voters will help Senator Obama in every state because they have the time and the energy to put into the campaign.

Most of our class did predict before the caucuses tonight that Obama would recieve the most votes, but it was a surprise for most of us how far ahead he actually was, and I think that his support will only continue to grow throughout the next few months with more and more people looking into Senator Obama as a serious contender for the next president of the United States.

President Clinton Speaks, MC is there to Listen!

2008-01-03T22:29:00.000-08:00

Seeing President Clinton speak was very exciting. I never in my life imagined that I would shake hands or even be that close to a former President! This trip has been amazing. I knew when I signed up that we would see the candidates; it just never occurred to me that we would be this close (i.e. sitting behind them on stages, getting our pictures taken with them and being live on television.)

I enjoyed listening to President Clinton speak and campaign on behalf of his wife. He told many stories about her work during college and as First Lady of Arkansas. He laid out her vision for the country. He discussed her hopes for the future of education discussing re-writing the No Child Left Behind Act or scrapping it all together. He also portrayed her as being able to get things done when no one else can. Sense this was the only event I saw in which the candidate was not there to spread their own message; it was interesting to see what he had to say.

Her universal healthcare coverage is also very important to her image. President Clinton did an excellent job of describing the way the plan would work, emphasizing that she has had lots of experience with the health care issues, pointing to her days as First Lady. He also told us why it is so important to fix this problem and to end the donut hole for seniors on Medicaid.

The crowd seemed to respond to her solutions to both these issues very well. The crowd was made up largely of older people of the middle working class. I was surprised by the amount of older men in the audience, but there were many women there as well. The crowd was predominantly white but there were a number of African Americans attending as well.

Again this opportunity to meet a former President was probably once in a lifetime experience. I really enjoyed listening to what he had to say and am glad that I had the chance to.

Billary

2008-01-03T22:02:00.000-08:00

Our third full day in Iowa was, once again, jam packed with events. In the morning a few of us headed over to the Obama offices here in Ames, to do some volunteer work. We helped out with canvassing for a few hours. The temperature when we headed out that morning was only two degrees Fahrenheit, but the cold could not keep MC’s dedicated Obama supporters from knocking on doors and talking to Iowa citizens about our candidate. By the end of the shift my hands were numb, but my spirits were still running high.

Later that day we headed to Waterloo, to hear former President Clinton speak on behalf of his wife Hillary. We managed to get seats in the bleachers behind the podium. After hearing Bill Clinton’s speech I understood a large part of why he was elected for two terms; he is a great orator. The speech outlined many of Hillary’s accomplishments before she became senator and what she had accomplished as a senator. I have been a fairly loyal Obama supporter since I heard he was going to run, but at that point in time I was enthralled by the message that President Clinton was giving. I do find myself questioning whether or not I liked the message more than some others I’d heard simply because of the care with which it was delivered. Did I agree with most of what was said? Yes, but I also agreed with a lot of what Edwards said and it hadn’t made me seriously reconsider my choice like Bill Clinton was able to do during that speech.

My choice won’t be shifting to Hillary anytime soon, but Bill’s speech certainly made me consider it, even if only for a short time. There is no doubt that Bill is an incredible asset to Hillary’s campaign and it makes me wonder how much of Hillary’s support can be credited to the tremendous speaking ability of her husband? Hillary is certainly a strong woman and capable of holding her own, but if I, as a strong Obama supporter, could be swayed by his speech for a short time could others? I believe they could. Although Hillary has placed third in Iowa it is certainly not the end for the Clinton team.

Pictures from Iowa

2008-01-03T22:01:00.001-08:00

Jessie Smith, Ben Scalise and Jenny Schoenle at an rally for Sen. Edwards.

Group of us after President Clinton spoke in Waterloo.

Holly DeNeve, Ben Scalise and Stephen Hendricks with President Clinton.

Tyler Yeager with President Clinton.

YouTube video of Edwards event

2008-01-03T21:39:00.000-08:00

This is the group on stage with John Edwards New Year's Day. We were live on CNN!!

GOTV for Obama, Chill with Bill

2008-01-03T21:22:00.000-08:00

When you wake up in the morning to find that it is windy outside with temperatures in the low teens, the last thing you would imagine yourself doing it roaming the streets of an unfamiliar Iowa town for hours on end. However, that is exactly what I found myself doing yesterday morning. A few of my friends and I volunteered to do some door-to-door campaigning for Barack Obama’s Ames headquarters in Iowa. This effort, called Get Out The Vote, or GOTV, involved knocking on doors, talking to Iowans about Obama, and persuading them to caucus for him on Thursday. Overall, I was surprised by the sincerity and good heartedness of the people I spoke with. These folks could have easily turned me away, shouted obscenities, or attacked my character for supporting Obama, but they didn’t. They listened. They welcomed me into their homes. These told me what they liked and didn’t like about Obama or whatever candidate they were supporting. They welcomed the political dialogue even though most of them had been contacted by other candidates numerous times already that week. Never once was a person rude to me. Not once! I had expected to go out into the community to inform these folks about politics and what our nation needs right now, but instead I was the one being informed. I found that although the people we elect and their plans for our country are important, what our nation needs the most right now are more people like those that I met in Iowa on that cold morning. They are the bedrock of our nation. They are the ones that encompass our values and our dreams. Iowans paint pictures of the American Dream in ways no politician can. That morning reminded me of why the Founding Fathers gave the power to the people.

Also that day our class was fortunate enough to attend a Bill Clinton speaking engagement in Waterloo in which he was trying to drum up support for Hillary’s campaign. We once again arrived early and got great seats. Mine was directly behind Clinton’s podium, so I was once again fortunate enough to sneak onto TV. His speech was well delivered in his vintage smooth-talking, heartfelt style, and he did a great job of emphasizing Hillary’s experience and perseverance. When he finished, I was able to make my way up to the spot where he was to exit. There, he shook my hand, looked me in the eye, and thanked me for coming. I thanked him back and that was that. I couldn’t say much more due to the battalion of Secret Service guards surrounding him on his way out, but I was content with what I got.

There is never a boring day in Iowa.

My Disappointment in Edwards

2008-01-03T21:01:00.000-08:00

Jan. 1

New Year's day had very high expectations since the previous day had been amazing (meeting Edwards and Obama). I decided to go to the John Edwards rally here in Ames. Ben and Jessie were able to get us great seats on stage behind the senator. Once we were all seated a man informed us that CNN would be live. I got on the phone and dialed many friends and family. I was interested to see what differences Sen. Edwards would have in his delivery and speech from the previous day. The sites where complete opposites; Algona was rural, and Ames is a city. Yet John, dressed a bit more casually, delivered the same speech with a few additives to make it longer. I was very disappointed and lost most of my interest in him. I did enjoy Elizabeth Edwards speech before her husband took the stage. She has been talked about more because of everything she has gone through with breast cancer and has inspired so many from it. Elizabeth spoke about how John has the best chance against the Republicans and said they would not just give a state to the opposition.

I came away from this rally a bit turned off from Sen. Edwards. On New Year's Eve, John wore a full suit with timberland boots in a rural setting and then in the city he choose to wear jeans and a sports jacket. It seemed a little backwards. More importantly, I was disappointed to hear the same speech. Knowing the punch lines and stories from a day ago came across as lazy to me. Senator Edwards used this speech again when he spoke after the caucus tonight. If I was an Iowan and took the time to hear one of the presidential candidates multiple times, I would not want to listen to the same thing. Maybe it is unrealistic to think this presidential hopeful should have knew speeches every day, but he did not waver from it at all. How can he not have more stories to tell after spending so much time in Iowa. Yet each story was exactly the same. Then during his question and answer time, a man asked if John Edwards would have independents and other presidential candidates beside blue and red debate if he were nominated. As soon as the man had finished the question John replied with a very bold,"No!" I did not appreciate the way he responded to the man question and do not agree with his decision to only have Democrat and Republican debates. Independents and others will never get serious candidates if they never have air time debating with the headliners.

Fred Thompson....No Wonder you are Losing

2008-01-03T14:53:00.000-08:00

Folks, I will not for one second deny my identification with the Republican party, but I will express my disgust with one of its candidates. This morning I made the 6:30 A.M. trip to West Des Moines to hear Fred Thompson speak at the Marriot. What we got was less of a speech, and more of a short introduction to immigration and nationally security.

It all began with a brief introduction from congressmen Steven King. Then Thompson walked in the room, all 6 foot 5 of him, demanding authority and attention. He went on to make a speech that was less than entertaining or informational. His main focus centered around illegal immigration and border control. He made it apparent that he did not believe in amnesty for illegals, nor would he stand for it. He expressed his dire desire to get rid of illegal aliens, build a fence around the border, and demand that in order to cross into our country one must be able to speak English. Continuing on, Fred Thompson began a spiel on national security, and his desire to capture the infamous Osama Bin Laden, whom he said was probably hiding in the hills of Pakistan. Fred, this is all great and dandy, but can you talk about something else to? I mean I do not know about everyone else in the room, but I did not get up at 6 o' clock and take a shower to come see a 20 minute speech. If you want election in a race that you did not stand much of a chance at in the first place, you absolutely must take more time to make sure your issues are well understood by the people of Iowa and the rest of the U.S.

No doubt about it Fred Thompson is a sincere man. A man that demands respect wherever he goes, and a man bent on fixing the issues of America. On the other hand, he is arrogant. Almost more arrogant than Mitt Romney, whom as we can all see wants to buy this election. From the time Thompson entered the room to the time he left the room he did not shake one hand. I do not know about you readers, but I personally can judge someones sincerity based on one small handshake. I am sure Hillary shakes more hands in an hour than did Thompson all day. Fred Thompson.....no wonder you are losing.

EDWARDS ROUND 2

2008-01-03T14:49:00.000-08:00

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Today we went to our second John Edwards' campaign. I need to start off my blog by thanking Ben and Jesse for the seats they worked for. When we entered the room, Ben and Jesse found Adam (worked on the Edwards' Campaign) and their work was rewarded with seats on stage right behind Senator Edwards. On top of all of our luck at Edwards' rally, we found out that we were going to be on CNN which instantly began to excite the group. After quick phone calls home, Senator Edwards and his wife Elizabeth came out to the dedicated crowd. I was even more excited when I found that I was going to be sitting directly behind Elizabeth Edwards. Mrs. Edwards is a very inspirational woman and I was extremely grateful when after her husband's speech she signed my book and took a picture with Ben. Senator Edwards' speech was a repeat performance from the day before, however; it was still very entertaining and a great speech. For me, this event was much more exciting than yesterday. The crowd was larger and this event kicked off Senator Edwards' 36 hour campaign marathon.

Thompson Event

2008-01-03T13:15:00.001-08:00

Several students attended an event for former Sen. Fred Thompson in Des Moines this morning. Here's a photo of Rep. Steve King, a Thompson supporter, with our students.

Caucuses Attract Observers

2008-01-03T13:02:00.000-08:00

Manchester students are not the only group studying the caucuses first hand. We've met groups from Lousiana State and Vanderbilt. The LSU students also have a blog, http://lsuiowa08.blogspot.com/. Notably the first picture for January 3 shows our own Jenny Schoenle (over the right shoulder of Sen. Edwards). You'll also find an interview with us and a photo of us at the Huckabee event in the entry headed "Six-year-old defies the theory that young people aren’t engaged in politics."

MC Students at Edwards Rally

2008-01-03T12:46:00.000-08:00

Follow this link to the Edwards website: http://www.flickr.com/photos/forallofus/2158816206/in/set-72157603607767904/. You'll find a photo taken at the Jan. 1 event in Ames.

The Difference of a Day

2008-01-03T12:25:00.001-08:00

Written Jan 3
Experienced Jan 3
2:30 CST
Part 1

Twenty four hours ago I made the comment that if I had been able to choose my candidate again, I would have chosen someone other than New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson. Now a few short hours later I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. The fervor of caucus day spreads like an epidemic and I now have a full blown case of political mania.
The day started at 6:00 AM tagging along with the Obama crew to hold signs by the street in the rush hour traffic to gain visibility. I had nearly become convinced in the days previous that Obama was where I belonged and I figured I could do this small chore to say I was a part of his effort.
Ninety minutes and 20 frozen fingers and toes later, I stumbled into the Richardson office to fulfill what I had anticipated as 3 hours of painful phone banking. However, instead of being chained to a chair of tedium and tongue lashings from Hawkeyes weary of being badgered by phone, we were sent back out into the crisp Iowa morning to do more literature drops and door hangings. This task consisting of spilling out of a still moving van at a dead sprint on sheets of ice to attach polling locations to supporter's doors did a monumental job of lifting my spirits.
Coming back, mission fulfilled, we finally did settle down into the softest couch I have ever had the pleasure of placing my seat upon to work the phones. Sixty minutes and 50 calls later we were relieved for the biggest surprise of the day. Fellow Spartan Kristi and I were to help the understaffed Richardson team hold delegates and do the math at the caucuses to determine how much begging, borrowing, stealing, coercing, kidnapping, pandering, graveling, it would take to achieve the magical viability percentage, in most cases 15% of those assembled. No where in the colossal organizations of Edwards, Clinton or Obama would a Hoosier college kid peon be placed in this kind of role. The next hour was filled with everything from strategy on who to steal caucusers from, to warnings of potentially corrupt opponents, to basic algebra lessons for computing viability measures and delegate apportionment. My head is still spinning. (Math and I haven't been on speaking terms for the past decade or so).

In 6-7 hours we will know which candidate pockets the first spoils of the 2008 election. The excitement is reverberating through my veins already. I will obviously bust my butt to do all I can for Richardson, and it is possible that as a registered observer I may be forced to stand in the corner and just crunch numbers, but regardless of the outcome I will be indebted to him and more so to his Ames staff for even the chance at an opportunity to do what I have been trained to do tonight. The passion, dedication and hope of these men and women has been truly astounding.
For the last month Hope has been the toast that has resonated form Barak Obama's lips, but for the next 6 hours it is the rallying cry of of the Richardsons'.

(Part 2 will be posted at the conclusion of tonight's caucus)

Hillary Clinton: Making History

2008-01-03T10:01:00.000-08:00

Before yesterday, I had no idea where Hillary Clinton stood on any of the issues. Yet, I strongly did not care for her. I could even be quoted as saying, “I would move out of the country if she became President.” I realize I was being rather ignorant thinking that way.
I was impressed with Bill Clinton’s speaking ability. His speech was well organized and easy to follow and understand. I appreciated the wonderful examples he gave of both her past accomplishments and future endeavors. He painted an impressive picture of his wife, in which she is compassionate, persistent, and passionate about her beliefs. Although his speech did not persuade me to vote against my party affiliation and for Hillary, it did put my mind at ease with having her in office, which is in itself a huge accomplishment. While Bill was shaking hands and autographing items following his speech, I came upon a conversation between Kristi and a woman named Rita. She opened my eyes to the importance of voting a female presidential candidate into office. As a superpower and highly successful country, the U.S. would be setting an example to other less developed countries especially those that have fixed elections to make it impossible for a female candidate to win or have literally ran her out of the country after winning. Rita explained that electing Hillary into office would also be a monumental step for women and voters have an opportunity to take that step. Her reasons provoked my thoughts. I realized that, at least in my mind, I had always subconsciously viewed the Democratic candidates and Hillary Clinton as two separate entities. She was in a category of her own, one that I did not like. Just by running, whether she ultimately wins or loses, Hillary will pave the way for other qualified female candidates. Eventually, multiple female candidates will campaign simultaneously for the presidency, and a candidate’s gender will become increasingly less of a factor when citizens are deciding who will get their vote.

What the Iowa Caucus really is

2008-01-03T10:00:00.000-08:00

Having gone to a training session at Obama's campaign office, packets were given to us that explained the Iowa Caucus process very well. I thought I'd explain in case viewers were not entirely clear with what went on. (This was a question I was asked about at home from many)

The Iowa caucus is practically a neighborhood meeting, where Democrats in Iowa come together to debate and discuss who they believe should be the nominee of the Democratic Party. This differs from the private, cast a vote method that will happen in November.

There are 1,781 precincts in Iowa hosting the caucus to elect delegates, alternates, and convention committee members to the county conventions in March. Each delegates represents a percentage of support from their precinct for a presidential candidate. The presidential candidate must have a 15% viability from there individual supporters. If there is less than a 15% viability, those people must choose another candidate until every group has more than 15% of the precinct.

Obviously only Iowans can caucus and 17 year olds can caucus too as long as they will be 18 by November 4.

The caucus doors open at 6 pm and close at 7 pm. To participate you have to be in line by 7 pm. The lines will be at schools, public buildings, senior centers, churches, and homes.

A Date with the Other Half

2008-01-03T02:13:00.000-08:00

Written Jan 3
Experienced Jan 1
7:00 PM CST

Up to this point this safarier had only seen the donkeys he had examined before. Tonight we went out to see the elephant. This particular breed happened to be of the musical variety found only in the depths of the southern US, Arkansas, to be exact. Mike Huckabee, the pauper front runner of the Republican party was speaking, and oh did he have company. In his latest attempt to prove his strength, Chuck Norris is attempting to carry an elephant for 10 months. If successful, the feat would surpass in notoriety the fact that they wanted to put Chuck Norris's face on Mt. Rushmore, but the granite wasn't tough enough for his beard.
Gathered in a ballroom that had more years behind it than Chris Dodd has wrinkles, Gov. Huckabee and Chuck Norris addressed what was claimed to be 2,000 vociferous Hawkeyes. I never imagined I would have heard my first rebel yell north of the Mason-Dixon line, but with a razorback and a longhorn present I suppose it shouldn't come as that big a surprise. Preceded by covers of Lynard Skynard, Eric Clapton, and Chubby Checker, Huckabee gave a chuckle filled address covering fiscal responsibility, joining together to lift up the sanctity and worth of all life, and a new twist on a fairer system of taxation that would render the IRS obsolete, by replacing the income tax with a higher consumer tax.
At times it sounded like he was as displeased with the current administration as the donkeys were, and the raucous crowed seemed to agree with him.
What was most impressive about Huckabee was his control over his audience. With the skill I have seen in only two other political orators, Huckabee could get a rise from the crowd and 10 seconds later one could hear a baby sniff amongst 2000 bodies. It isn't difficult to get supporters to make noise. It takes someone special to cast that kind of spell over a crowd. It was reminiscent of the sea of people at the 2004 Democratic National Convention when a whole arena hung on every one of Barak Obama's words of hope.
After the address the governor got more stumping from Norris followed by a jam session with Huckabee on bass and Joe Scarborough of Scarborough Country on guitar. The rock was solid, but surprisingly the crowd that had been so vocal, hardly moved to the music (insert stereotypical Caucasian conservative mid western dancing joke here).
although disagreeing with Huckabee's positions through the majority of his speech, he still comes of as a disciplined, decent, representative. He's one of those rare ones that could elicit votes even from a deep blue donkey.

Rookie in a Firestorm

2008-01-03T01:22:00.000-08:00

Written Jan 3
Experienced Dec 31
7:00 pm CST

It is said forest fires create their own weather, sucking up everything in its path and consuming it. This first time caucaser can say the same for a home stretch candidate rally. Initially one is excited with the sense of anticipation of seeing a candidate who they support or hearing what an opposition candidate will say. Outside the venue, just like smoke preceding fire, come the strains of drums, guitar, and marimba to awaken and recharge the adrenaline pumps that are still recovering from the last event. After receiving the standard supplies and equipment of stickers, buttons and signs, the rally goer enters the venue to find eager supporters from 8 to 80 scrambling for prime seating in the front rows in hopes of a handshake or picture and autograph or perhaps land a spot on the nightly news or the next day's newspaper.
Even arriving more than an hour early, the air has an electricity, a sense of anticipation, the gathering wind and momentum of the eruption to come. Whether the final crowd numbers in the dozens or the thousands, this initial energy pulse is the same. As starting time draws near, and the skirmishes are no longer over seats but any available standing room, the veteran press methodically adjust and prime their equipment- ready to transmit the candidate's message of change, hope, and accountability to the world. They are not fire fighters, they are the tinder, the dry underbrush that magnifies the small campfire address to a roaring bonfire that is insatiable, unable to be kept in one place.
An underling appears; the candidate is running late. To continue to fuel the excitement more signs and noisemakers are passed out and the live band picks up the pace to fan the flames before they begin to dwindle.
A dapper gentleman appears at the podium and begins to speak of his career at West Point, in Iraq, and finally as a congressman at the age of 34. Arousing both sympathy at for the cause and anger at how it is being handled the representative piles the problems high- solid logs that will sustain a long intense burn.
Several other organizers appear- a student, and marathon canvasser, and finally, as they are all announced, the next president of the United States.
Tonight it is Barak Obama, the suave, articulate, freshman senator from the Land of Lincoln. The roar of the assembled would make even the stanchest AC/DC fan sport goosebumps of appreciation at decibels. There is no stopping this blaze.
In a cadence that likens Dr. King, Obama begins slow, and builds.
Change.
Change in Iraq, change in education, change in accountability.
Hope.
Hope for America. Hope in Americans. Aggressive, innovate, driving hope in our ability to be the change we wish to see in our country and in our world.
Momentum building, adrenaline surging, vocal chords beginning to fail from the enormous tax placed upon them in unbridled enthusiasm. This candidate has got it right. This candidate will fight for me. This candidate is the one. Like the flames of 10,000 trees creating a windstorm to fuel itself, the man at the podium stokes the inferno of humanity in front of him and continues with even more determination and verve.
The future is in your hands.
You Iowans have a responsibility to lead the nation, to show them who can take their problems on, who can shoulder their burdens and ask for more. I am that candidate. I am that person. I am your person.
WE ARE FIRED UP. WE ARE READY TO GO!

Walking out of the hall, riding a high of having shook hands with orator himself, nearly mute, the rallier glides down from the high, settling into the afterglow of campfire embers. In the back of the mind a voice whispers: get ready to go again, Hillary's fire starts tomorrow.

New Year's Eve Bash

2008-01-03T00:36:00.000-08:00

In rural Algona, John Edwards had about 200-300 people. Back in the city of Ames, Barack had around 1,000. This New Year's Eve Bash was more formal and had snacks and drinks while everyone waited. Everyone stood in order to fit the most people as possible. This tactic also made the room incredibly hot. Barack Obama's tardiness of a half hour didn't help with the standing among the hot confinements of human bodies.

A five man jazz band provided entertainment for much of the waiting process which was very nice. Before Obama took the stage, kazoos, signs, and streamers were all passed out. Then chants of "Fire it up!" and "Ready to Go" were shouted back and forth among the crowd.

The opening speaker was a house representative from Philadelphia who had been in the army and gone to Iraq.

Senator Barack Obama then spoke for about 20 minutes. Obama spoke of change and hope as always, but preached that if he became president, Americans could afford college, retire with dignity, and find jobs that pay the minimum wage. One quote from Obama's speech was that in Washington D.C. "we need to stop pushing each other down, and starting raising America up."

John Edwards & Family......Listen Here

2008-01-02T23:09:00.000-08:00

John Edwards campaign rally was one of the more promising for my up and coming career in law and politics. This event took place two days ago, but the importance of the event has set deep within the breadths of myself. I got to see a presidential candidate, and I made CNN live. HA! Could a 20 year old college student ask for any more?

The Edwards campaign rally placed fellow students and I directly behind John Edwards. Not only did we sit behind him, but I personally sat next to first lady of Iowa Mari Culver and Elizabeth Edwards. It began with quick introductions, and a momentary conversation with Edwards daughter whom was not happy to be sitting next to me, nor at the rally for that matter. Little Jack did not take a liking to his mothers offer to speak in front of the audience of more than 300. John, however, took the stage with confidence and vigor. He lead a speech that introduced me to a man that endured a relatively impoverished upbringing. One who had seen and felt what it was like to be in need of help. A grass-roots man himself, Edwards had a plan for this nation in which Americans would again take pride in being an American. But then again what candidate has not preached this effort? The thing that stood out most about John Edwards was the booklet he produced outlining what he would do as president. A booklet that could in fact hold him accountable in the future if elected to office. Standing on stage with Jeans, a sports coat, and hiking boots, I saw a man with little to lose in his effort to help this country excel. At the same time I heard a man who preached true universal health care. I find a problem with this because I firmly believe in my heart that some people do not deserve health care. You may be asking yourself are you serious, like who? Well I say this to those who doubt me; how about the those homeless people whom, even if offered a job or help, reject it because of some pride issue or whatever it is that makes them click. What about those illegal immigrants in this country that would gain access to a pool of funds that they do not deserve to touch because they are not paying into it? What about those who cheat the system every single day in America? He also speaks of withdrawing all troops in 9 to 10 months, PHHHHH, are you kidding me John Edwards? It is our moral obligation to finish the war that the United States of America began upon the nation of Iraq. It is not anyone elses job to stabilize the region but our own. No one else should have to bare the costs, nor should we have the gull to ask them to. You call for pullout? Do it and see if we do not lose all credibility around the world. We would be known as a country who wants to start something and not finish it, one who cannot bear the cost or the burden of lives lost when we ourselves began the war, as a country that is weak against a small pothetic army of terrorists. We have to finish what we began, and the only way to do it is to increase troops and get the damn job done! Why would you ask to redeploy troops around the country? So that they can have front row seats to the slaughter that would ensue should we withdraw the troops like you ask?!? It is great and good that you want to build the future for the next generation, alleviate taxes for the middle class, strengthen our economy, and increase trade relations, but where do you draw the line in the middle east?

All together I have a major problem with your plan. I personally have 2 friends that call me at least twice a week from Fallujah, Iraq. I know how they feel. They see the terror on the faces of young children each and every single day. They understand the importance of eliminating threats in the area, and they understand that they voluntarily went there to make a difference in this world. To promote democracy and freedom. Listen to them. They are living the war every day, and they are the ones whose voices need to be heard. Thank you for your time John Edwards & Family.

Starting at Post 25!

2008-01-02T22:53:00.000-08:00

On the last day of 2007, seven of our Manchester fleet strolled into VFW Post 25 about an hour early. Although there were some people getting ready, we were able to sit any where we chose; front row behind John Edwards. The setup allowed was all on one level with all the chairs setup in a circle creating a round space for Sen. Edwards to speak from. Fifteen minutes before the rally was to begin, music was started and the VFW room was filling up fast. Roxanne Conlin was the first speaker. Roxanne ran for governor of Iowa in 1982 and had been friends with John Edwards for 20 years. She then introduced a guest (we were not aware of a special appearance) from the Dukes of Hazzard, Cooter. Cooter aka. Ben Jones also was a representative from Georgia from 1989 - 1993. Ben Jones spoke for around 10 minutes endorsing John. This rally was in the rural town of Algona. Cooter dressed appropriately; tan khakis, leather jacket, working boots, and a yellow farm hat.

John Edwards made his entrance to John Mellencamp's song Our Country. At this time, I was able to shake hands with one of the Democratic front-runners. Senator Edwards spoke to an all white crowd of middle class older folks probably between 50-80 years. John spoke about standing up to corporate america, getting rid of Bush's tax cuts for the wealthy, and foreign policy. Senator Edwards talked about three countries in his segment about foreign policy; Irag, Pakistan, and Iran.

In Iran he said "we need to work with countries in Europe who have leverage in Iran and make a proposal to help their economy and having them verifiably give up their nuclear weapons."

About the assassination of Benazir Bhutto John reported he called President Pervez Musharraf and told him two things he wanted to "urge [Musharraf] to continue the path of democracy and allow independent investigation to determine what is happening because the world is not going to trust internal investigation by [Musharraf]."Edwards also claimed that he would be both strong and calm in moments of crisis.

After Edwards' rally was over, the group headed back to Ames for Barack Obama's New Year's Eve Bash.

Edwards' Boots with the Fur... and Huck & Chuck!

2008-01-02T22:00:00.000-08:00

We’ve had the privilege to see John Edwards speak twice, first in Algona then Ames. Dressed in a navy suit and Timberland boots (see picture to left) he appealed to the white, middle class crowd in attendance.
He prided himself on the 80 page outline he has compiled the lays out his position on almost every popular political issue. I felt there were only two main points of focus in both speeches: where and what he came from, and blame on MNC’s.

He was very proud to be from a mill family. He was helped raised by his grandparents who also did labor work to put food on the table “only so that he could have a better future”. He is really trying to drill into caucus goers that his roots, much like theirs, are from rural, laboring families in need of protection by the government.
He believes multinational corporations like pharmaceutical companies and oil distributors have caused the US to fall into a slump. We (meaning him) need to tell them that we will not negotiate with them unless they sacrifice their hundreds of billion profits each year. He adds that if we can control this, we should be in much better shape than our current situation

Tuesday night we attended our first Republican event for Mike Huckabee with guest appearance by THE ONE AND ONLY Chuck Norris (and wife Gina). Huckabee did not surprise me at all with his positions on Immigration, Veteran assistance, and same-sex marriage. He proposes we grant Amnesty to illegal immigrants already here, coverage for those who have protected and served our country, and making a federal law that no state shall issue marriage license to same-sex partners.
What I did like about Huckabee is that he seemed very smart and down to earth. After his speech and introduction of Chuck, he and the band rocked off the crowd’s faces to “Sweet Home Alabama” (even though we’re in Iowa). I believe this was an attempt to show that even though he may hold a high legal position, he still knows how to have fun and kick back.

Happy New Year to Me!

2008-01-02T21:47:00.000-08:00

No day in Iowa could possibly top New Years Eve for me, but New Years Day came terribly close. My first event of the day took me back to Iowa State’s campus for another John Edwards event, and believe it or not, my seats were even better than before! When we arrived, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that the Edwards people had arranged to have our Manchester crew sit behind Edwards during his speech, which was to be aired on national television. After flattering introductions from his wife, Elizabeth, and the First Lady of Iowa, Edwards took the stage and delivered a speech containing basically the same talking points as his speech the day before. My classmates and I sat cordially through the event and then paid our respects and headed out when it was finished. Immediately I was bombarded by phone calls from friends and relatives saying they saw me on numerous national news channels, which was nice, but I was still more happy with the fact that I once again got such a close look at presidential politics in action.

After that, I had a break before our next event, so a few of us from Manchester decided to head in to the Obama headquarters in Ames. There, we received training for the activities we would be doing the following day. As it turned out, we would be getting to walk the streets of Ames, knock on doors, and talk to residents about Obama and try to get them to show up and caucus for him on Thursday.

When we were finished at headquarters, we met up with the rest of our class and headed to an event called “Huck and Chuck.” At the event, we listened to both Chuck Norris and Republican Mike Huckabee speak. It was a lot of fun because Huckabee is a real cool and humorous guy and Chuck Norris is, well, Chuck Norris. The biggest highlights of the night were listening to Huck talk about the Fair Tax (which is actually kind of interesting), hearing Chuck tell his favorite “Chuck Norris Fact,” and watching Huck play bass guitar to “Sweet Home Alabama.”

Overall, it was definitely a pretty sweet New Years Day.