Clinton and Richardson

(In this entry, I will compare and contrast two of the leading Democratic candidates' events)

So far, I've definitely been having fun with these gatherings. I try to engage as many people in conversation as I can, which, not surprisingly, slowly turn into deeper discussions regarding different areas of politics. All of the people I have talked with were really excited to be there, and while some of them were more or less frustrated about certain current events, the atmosphere was always friendly and safe.

I attended Hillary Clinton's event on the Fourth of July in Waterloo. It was almost two weeks ago, but I am still able to vividly remember the deatails. The turnout was tremendous in both size and enthusiasm, despite the uncomfortable heat and difficulty to see very well. This was the first time I had seen either of the Clintons in person, so needless to say I was even more excited. I spoke with some of my old high school friends that I was surprised to see back in this area. They were part of the group actively pressuring Iowa Wal Marts to improve the working conditions and wages for the employees, and convinced me to wear the T-shirt. Taking a different approach from just the wild opposition to the very existence of Wal Mart, they convinced me to consider marching with them in parades and learn more about the issue.

They didn't take any questions, which was a slight disappointment for me. It was forgiveable though. It was turning into a really sweltering afternoon and someone in the crowd actually fainted.

Overall, I think Hillary's popular and financial resources created a gathering for all Democrats to come together and participate in each other's causes. Various groups were represented, and the free hot dogs were an excellent move in my opinion. It might be important to note that it wasn't just the Democrats present to futher some agendae. Some religious right activists were also there to demonstrate in their own particular fashion. When my friends and I showed up, we were met with some very graphic posters, signs, and even a van depicting mutilated embryos and parts of dead babies. It was fairly sickening in my opinion, but nobody really paid attention as they walked by.

It was a clever move on their part, framing and associating Hillary's campaign with partial birth abortion, an illegal operation that does not really have any support from any one, let alone Hillary. Obviously, these people were trying to pressure their "pro-abortionist" opponents, and by all means they have the right to. But, it's a classic manipulation of definitions, since I don't believe that any politician or American for that matter in the right mind is in favor of killing babies. The right to choose is what is really the issue for Democrats, but it is very hard to frame it that way, especially in the context of a highly emotional debate, prone to some irrational behavior on all sides. Even though I appreciate the protestors' restraint, I think their unnerving strategy would be the equivalent of marching a Gay Pride parade just outside a Republican candidate's gathering of highly conservative, allegedly "anti-freedom" faithfuls, deliberately trying to disturb them in whatever graphic ways they can (legally). Of course, I would not necessarily approve of that either, hence my point.

Bill Richardson's event was quite a bit different. It was held at La Chiquita, a relatively small Mexican restaurant. I showed up an hour early so I could get a good front and center seat, which was a good call on my part, seeing as how the venue proved to be a bit too small for all the people that wanted to be there. It made sense though, given his strategy of deliberately doing smallest events and snowballing up later, instead of inflating too early and tanking, as he described it.

As I sat there waiting, I was lucky enough to have met an elderly political scientist affiliated with UNI and his wife. He seemed to know just everything about everybody, but all he really did was ask me about myself, my views, what all I knew, etc. Bill finally arrived, wearing blue jeans and making jokes about himself not being a very good interviewee for that day. That day he had been visiting the Field of Dreams, which got a lot of acceptance from the crowd.

Just about everything was different about this event, granted the size and the location. He was more casual and humorous, obviously more comfortable in a social setting than a huge crowd. Whereas Hillary was unable to stay and answer questions, Richardson's manager was becoming annoyed by Bill's refusal to stop answering more and more. When there was only time for one more, Bill asked for six more, but kept going until about ten. I think Hillary would have been more personable too if she got to enjoy the small audience that Richardson did, but I also think that they both did very well for their chosen styles. The Clintons riled the big crowd, and Richardson charmed the room.

Richardson was much different from how he appeared on TV. In the debates, he didnt shine at all, and seemed to be more or less uninteresting. But in front of a small group of Iowans, he really shined, especially for me. Hillary and Bill Clinton are really great together on stage, but I have not seen any of Hillary's more candid side.

Back in Iowa

Today is our first day back in Iowa, back from our trip to good old "New Hamster." So far, both the preliminary Iowa and the New Hampshire visits are all finished up, but there's still a lot of work to be done.

As everyone else surely noticed, starting a week before class started at the beginning of June, I developed a mean eye infection that isn't quite gone yet for some reason. Hmmmm.... Maybe it had something to do with my prescription eyedrops leaking out into my duffel bag two days into the weeklong New Hampshire trip. It hampered several of my assignments and gave me a rough time for the past month, but I am going to hurry up and get those in before the weekend is over. No worries though, I'm feeling great.

Aside from that, it was overall a great experience for me. I had never been out to the New England area before, much less been on a plane or in an airport for that matter. It was really nice out there, kind of like a miniature Wisconsin with heavier traffic and better mountainclimbing. I didn't get to meet many of the average small townspeople, so I couldn't really get a feel for the local political atmosphere and compare it much with Iowa. I think it was balanced out though by the amount of on-campus activity we participated in with the Presidency and Press organization. Running around a college campus in the summer with a youthful group of the politically obsessed is a potent enough dose of enthusiasm to counteract anything. It was fun; our schedules were full, but I got see some pretty amazing things.

I think my favorite part of the trip was the day at the state house. The furthest East I'd ever been was westside Indiana, so I've never actually gotten to see for myself what the atmosphere of our founding fathers felt like. Walking into that capitol building in Concord, I felt a kind of chill from the portraits, ancient flags, pillars, chambers, and everything else still left over from those special periods of our history. Obviously, American civilization isn't as old in the Midwest as it is on the East Coast, so the ambience of those rooms was totally alien and awe-inspiring to me. When I think of old-school Iowa, it's all Native American history and rich farm country. I love Iowa and its atmosphere, but we don't seem to have many traces of the Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, or George Washington memories and images in our imaginations.

I have to say that I am really impressed with how this whole idea turned out. I wasn't really expecting the challenge and the full extent of commitment required for this project, but I'm definitely not disappointed.