 |
 |
By PETE GOLIS
NOT IN DES MOINES — Four years ago today, we walked down the hall from our hotel room in Ames, Iowa, and heard the governor of Iowa introduce the next president of United States.
OK, Hillary Clinton didn’t win the White House. But the introduction didn’t seem crazy. Clinton, the front runner, was still four days from losing the Iowa caucuses to an upstart Illinois senator named Barack Obama.
Pete Golis
We left the Clinton event and drove a few blocks to Iowa State University where Elizabeth Edwards was introducing another Democratic presidential candidate, her husband, the former North Carolina senator John Edwards. (We didn’t know then that she was dying of cancer, and he was concealing his affair with a campaign videographer.)
For political junkies, Iowa is hog heaven. As one Iowan told me, you can’t throw a snowball without hitting a candidate.
One couple managed to have their 7-week-old son photographed with nine candidates for president, one future president, one former president (Bill Clinton) and one president’s daughter (Chelsea Clinton).
At Democratic Caucus 53, at Des Moines’ Thomas Jefferson High School, the chairman asked how many experienced a face-to-face conversation with a candidate. More than half raised their hands.
In a few days, we saw up close Democrats Clinton, Obama and Edwards and Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. We also attended both Democratic and Republican caucuses.
We went on a whim.
“It would be fun to be there,” my wife said.
“We can go if we want,” I said.
Three days later, we were waiting with several hundred people for a New Year’s Eve appearance by Obama. He was late, but no one seemed to care. The next morning’s paper would report he was leading in the latest poll, and in that moment, everything changed.
All this talk of Iowa leads, inevitably, to friends asking: Why aren’t you there this week?
I asked my wife, “Why aren’t we there this week?”
She replied, “Are you crazy?”
I think it was a rhetorical question.
The New York Times columnist Gail Collins last week made fun of the nice people of Iowa and called the Iowa Caucuses “really ridiculous.”
It would be ridiculous of me to argue with anyone smart enough to write for the New York Times. Even in tiny Iowa, only a small percentage of the registered voters participate in the caucuses. Iowa is about as diverse as mashed potatoes in a snow drift. And Iowa has about as much in common with California as the North Pole has with, say, Palm Desert.
It’s really cold in Iowa. When we checked into the hotel in Ames on our first day, it was about 20 degrees and the wind was howling.
“It’s really cold,” I said to the hotel clerk.
“Oh, no, sir,” he replied, “Tomorrow will be cold.”
He was right. A day later, the high temperature was in the single digits, and we could walk across the Iowa State campus without seeing another human being.
Turns out Iowans aren’t stupid enough to be walking outside when it is so cold your face hurts.
In what will have to pass for a defense of Iowans, I will say the locals take seriously their role in choosing (or not choosing) the next president. We could wish more Americans took the same approach to citizenship.
Wherever candidates appear (and they appear almost everywhere), the question is asked: Who is undecided? And lots of hands are raised.
At candidates’ events in California, what are the chances that someone is there to learn about what the candidate believes?
We remember certain moments from our time as political tourists:
Clinton appearing side by side with her daughter and her mother, three generations who witnessed the evolution of women’s rights.
Huckabee introducing Chuck Norris, the martial arts actor, making plain who was the star attraction.
Romney, his wife and kids, the all-American family, waving to supporters gathered at a suburban Des Moines office park. It was all too perfect.
An SUV carrying Clinton passing an intersection, just at dusk on a cold, gray day. She stared out the window, alone with her thoughts.
Iowans milling around in the organized chaos of the Democratic caucus at Jefferson High School, scrambling to persuade uncommitted voters to move to their corner.
Obama delivering his victory speech at a downtown convention center in Des Moines. People were witnessing history, and they knew it. The place was electric.
Even if my wife thinks I’m crazy, I still think about another trip to Iowa. But the Democratic nomination is decided, and the Republican field is, well, confusing. Romney and Ron Paul jumped ahead in the polls on Friday, having outlasted four other front runners — Newt Gingrich, Herman Cain, Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann.
In the GOP, the only thing worse than not being the front-runner is being the front-runner.
Iowa was a game changer for Democrats in 2008, but it isn’t likely to be decisive for Republicans in 2012. (With Chuck Norris’ help, Huckabee won Iowa in 2008 and then quickly faded.)
Besides, did I mention that it gets cold in Iowa?
Pete Golis is a columnist for The Press Democrat. Email him at golispd@gmail.com.
Subscribe by Email
Follow us on Twitter
@Mockingbird – yes, Huntsman at least knows something about foreign policy. His knowledge of China could be handy. But yes, his domestic policies are too conservative for my tastes.
.
Funny (sad?) how the Republicans paint Obama as being a socialist, when most Democrats think he is too conservative…
Let’s be Reasonable-you’re forgiven. But I have to say I don’t want Santorum in my bedroom or yours. His primary focus is to make this country a Christian nation (HIS VIEW OF CHRISTIANITY) and for the government to control what a woman can and cannot do with her body and her health. Oh, and let’s get rid of those god forsaken gay people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he mentions Burkas in one of his speeches.
The only 2 Republican candidates who are remotely qualified are Romney, who we know is more progressive than he’s willing to admit and Huntsman who actually is very qualified but doesn’t have a chance in hell right now because he’s perceived to be a moderate. (Notice I use the word “perceived”).
Obama is further right of center than I would like. But the alternative is chaos and disaster. The rest of the world views the current Republicans as a bunch of ignorant clowns. And that’s what they are.
@Mockingbird – I didn’t say that I agree with Santorum, just that to this point, he has not made the same gaffs that the other conservative candidates have. Personally, I think that if he were nominated, Obama would easily win.
Thank you Iowa for giving a true conservative a chance on the national stage. Rick Santorum last night proved that a true conservative can win and will win. Romney is a white Obama. Favors national health care, liberal judges and he is another tax and spend liberal.
Golis apparently doesn’t think Iowa is diverse enough for his taste, but get out of California and he would find most of the country isn’t like good old California, a melting pot that has boiled over into a very bad dish.
Now its on to some states that actually cast primary votes. We will see where the liberal Romney goes from here with his 25% approval rating.
Let’s be Reasonable-you say the only Republican candidate that has not stuck his foot in his mouth is Santorum. I don’t know where you have been, but he regularly sticks his in. Lately he’s been spouting that his priorities are family and religion. Shouldn’t he be adding the good old USA to that priority list? He’s a dangerous man, because we all can tell quite clearly that he has a religious agenda for this country and won’t be able to keep his government work separate from his religion.
If anyone looks at the current world or world history they can see that when politics and religion mix it’s a disaster, EVERY TIME. What we get with this mix, is prejudice, chaos, with whole swaths of people being marginalized and disinfranchised and even death. The mix NEVER WORKS and this has been proven over and over again by history. This nation is a nation of different religions and cultures. That’s a fact and that’s a good thing. Our candidates need to be worldly and accepting of all cultures and religions to do a good job.
Santorum only sees things from a very narrow viewpoint. He is not worldly, or intelligent, or a critical thinker, or possess problem solving skills.
Many Presidents in the past were religious and weren’t stupid enough to mix their religion with their politics. Carter comes to mind. We know he is very religious from his actions throughout his life and he mentions his belief in God often. But he clearly, and says clearly, that religion and politics MUST BE KEPT SEPARATE. Carter is a smart man.
Golis your California arrogance is showing again. Iowa has a full employment economy, nice people who acturally talk to each other and they don’t take themselves too seriously.
The schools are some of the best in the nation. Crime generally is not a problem in the state and houses are affordable without a lot of government “affordable housing” or paid by the taxpayer housing as it is called in Iowa.
The cities are clean and the homeless don’t stand on every block begging. It is a good place to raise a family.
So Golis, mock Iowa, but it is much better than California in so many ways that arrogant snobs like yourself constantly overlook and can’t see even if you looked. You better stay in California where you don’t have to mingle with real people.
Observe how desperate ‘n dirty they get with Ron Paul.
History hasn’t smiled on presidents that spoke out about the Federal Reserve.
Fasten your seat belts, could get kinda bumpy.
I don’t know about everyone else but I’m already sick of the flood of media coverage related to the Republican nominee. Romney is stiff, Cain is a womanizer, Perry is a clown, Santorum is a nobody….every freaking day. It gets old. None of these clowns will do anything different than Obama. Bush was a spending fool. Obama is a spending fool. Nothing ever changes. Why do people take a side and argue with one another when nothing ever changes.
Look at the disaster we live in. The CA legislature has had single digit approval ratings for a decade. Yet, NOTHING changes. Same fools. Same idiots voting for the fools. Ho-hum…7,600 new laws on the books giving government MORE control over our daily activities and more ways to steal our money to redistribute to idiots in exchange for votes so they’ll remain in office.
Whoo-hoo Iowa! Oh wait, freaking Bozo the Clown leads in a meaningless poll in New Hampshire! Give me a freaking break. Get real people, CA will be a landslide for Obama, all the electoral votes always go to the Democrat candidate. YOUR VOTE DOESN’T MATTER! Buy hey, Santorum said something about some other moron and the moron made a funny clip…FRONT PAGE NEWS!!!
Hey Pete, how about a column about the upcoming firing of Press Democrat staff when the takeover is final. I also want you to report on the “golden parachutes” you are given including pay and benefits received. I believe you owe it to the subscribers (aka tax payers) of the newspaper. If it’s good enough for county workers, it’s sure good enough for you.
I remember Obamamainia sweeping the nation in the last election.
Due in part to people’s distain for “W” of course but you can’t dismiss Obama’s personal appeal. He just seems like a nice, caring, intelligent guy. (I’m sure he is!)
He is a natural campaigner and his “Hope & Change” slogan was a simplistic message for a simplistic electorate.
Hope & change means something different to everyone, it means whatever you think it means so when people projected their own version of “hope & change” onto Obama’s candidacy, he became “their guy”.
We all NOW know what the “change” was, the question is, “is there any “hope” left” and I say yes!
The Republicans had T.E.A. Party candidates thrust upon them in 2010. Those meddling newbies who just refuse to “play ball”.
At least that’s how they see it and THAT is exactly why they will lose to what little “hope” Obama has left after 3 years of “change”.
They just don’t “get it”.
Republicans want “change” but the change they promise to bring is change back to what got us here in the 1st place.
Newt Romney! The poster child for business as usual.
The only “change” the republican party is offering is to “change” the speed of our decline, not to stop it.
They have NO INETNTION of giving in to the T.E.A. Party nuts and are determined to wrestle our Government back into the path of slow decline.
So as I see it, we have a choice between Newt Romney’s slow painful death or Obama’s quick shot to the temple.
Guess who “I” am voting for!!
Maybe by 2016 (if we’re still here) the Republicans will have finally gotten the message & they’ll run a candidate worthy of my vote. Worthy of our nation.
Stay home this round will be boring. The largest block of Republican voters are the undecided, and they haven’t figured out by now who they want to support they are not going to bother to attend a caucus.
They’ll be lucky to turn out 100k voters.
@ Pete. If you are a professional political journalist is this article about Iowa the best analysis and evaluation you can do?
Iowa, because it is in “middle” America and it’s residents are politically active perceiving themselves to be the guiding light of the American citizen, is only the first indicator who will be POUS. All the other indicators or stats presented for 2012 are also subject to change. No one thought America would vote for a president just because he is perceived to be black. For me, I never thought that journalism could be so openly hypocritical and pathetic.
@ Greg. Not to go off track but the really big money and democrat fat cats are heavily invested in Obama. I think he is far too left and they may throw him under the bus at last minute. They would have to believe Hillary Bob would win for sure and the independents may not go for it. However, the white female vote would go her way because of abortion. Joe the gafter could get sick and Hillary step in but she would have no power and she does not particularly agree with Obama. The Clintons need power and legacy. Her foreign policy efforts are deporable. The world is in turmoil and our friends are laughing as well as scared. Our eniemies are currently testing us and lining up the ducks. However, if OB steps down for the party the deal may be that he goes to the Supreme Court. If Hilly Bob goes to VP maybe the deal is Billy Bob go to supreme court.
It’s going be a desperate fight for OB so expect more war and conflict aboard and on the streets of America.
@Greg – most of the actual Republican candidates do less well against Obama than a ‘generic’ Republican. Doesn’t really say much for the Republican field. I’m guessing that Santorum will end up being the nominee, since he is the only non-Romney conservative candidate who has not yet stuck his/her foot in their mouth, and he will not get much Independent support. Hillary will not be the Democratic candidate. Maybe she and Biden could switch places, but even that is unlikely.
All right, a column on the Iowa caucus and cold weather is worth a chuckle or two. Better though, why not connect all that suffering to the (ir)relevancy of it all?
The Iowa caucus has no more predictive value than the winner of the Ames Straw Poll, also an Iowa event. Lest one forget, the winner of that event, also the focus of much media attention, was . . . . Michelle Bachman. This of course propelled her, so said the paid pundits, into frontrunner status for the Republican nomination and she became the candidate to beat in the upcoming Iowa caucus. Yeah.
Pete, how about a column on why the PD devotes so much front page coverage to an event with so little news value?
The Democratic field may not be decided. I have made several small wagers with friends that the 2012 Democrat candidate for President will be Hillary Clinton.
Chuckle all you like, and put your thumbs down, and let’s all hope I’m wrong, since I believe she is the only person who could defeat any of the current Republican candidates.