Campaign 2016

Finally made it to my first campaign event for the coming Presidential elections. I missed Rick Santorum's visit to Wellman as we were traveling, and because I had a decent paying job this summer I chose not to try and see Jeb Bush or Hillary Clinton in Washington and Iowa City.

The last few days I've been spending a fair amount of time at the University of Iowa hospital where my wife is recovering from surgery. The surgery went well but the auto-immune disorders have complicated the recovery. A former student texted saying that Bernie Sanders was going to be stopping in Iowa City, about the time I generally leave the hospital. So I found a closer place to park, but still walked about 8 blocks to get there. 

Amazingly enough, Sanders was on time and after a brief introduction by some local officials, Sanders spoke. It is easy to describe him as an economic populist. He hammered the issue of income inequality, stagnating wages, greedy corporations who move jobs overseas, campaign financing, college debt, and gender income disparity. Eventually he mentioned both climate change and racial issues, but it wasn't long before he tied both back to economics. The name of the little shopping center added an interesting touch.

The crowd responded well to what I imagine has become his standard stump speech. I would guess there were at least 250 people there to hear him. It was an interesting mix of young people, many of them volunteers, and older people, many with beards, longer hair, otherwise known as the granola crowd. Sanders did not take any questions and after shaking a few hands and signing some autographs he was hustled into the SUV. He spoke with passion and vigor, yet reminded me of a grandpa who has gotten worked up and a bit pissed off. I'm guessing his staff keeps a close eye on his schedule and diet to keep him rested and ready. 

One of the reasons I haven't gone to many of these is the candidates seem to have learned how to control their audiences a bit during the last eight years. For example, to see Jeb Bush in Washington you were supposed to register for a "free ticket" a few days ahead of his visit.  I don't know if they took the time to screen people who applied for tickets or not but if you have the information you might as well. It does guarantee you will get lots of mail, email, and worse, phone calls because the registration required all that information. If the candidate is going to take questions it would allow the staff to screen people so that some Iowan doesn't ask an "inappropriate" question. Tim Pawlenty probably wishes I hadn't showed up eight years ago, but that is what the Iowa caucus is supposed to be about. Helping candidates refine their message, seeing through the BS, in general weeding out weak candidates. Sanders crowd was big enough he could easily get away without taking questions, but for some of the others, especially those drawing small crowds, it is one chance they have.

The Cspan bus was there handing out some goodies and promoting their programming. This picture is at the back of the crowd where some of the volunteers were nabbing people on their way out for contact information.

This picture is from the top of the parking ramp looking at the U of Iowa Hospitals, where the wife is recovering. She was sleeping so it was time to head home.

survey of political signs

Based on my survey of yard signs in Wellman today, "For Sale" leads Ron Paul by a small margin. There were seven, maybe eight, Ron Paul yard signs. No other candidate had signs on display. The Rick Perry one I got Thursday will remain in the trunk of my car until Wednesday when I add it to my classroom collection.

Does this mean anything? Well, there are a fair number of houses for sale in town, for one. Beyond that it is a matter of speculation but since all the media types can speculate, I suppose I can as well.

For one, the lack of signs on display reflects a lack of interest, or at least passion for a particular candidate. In a primary this may not matter but in a caucus, it can make a big difference. Based on past experience, quite a few people who go to the caucus haven't made up their minds as to which candidate they will support. They may lean towards one or another, but they can easily be steered to another candidate by a neighbor, friend, or even an acquaintance who acts like he knows what he is talking about. This means a neighbor, especially a respected one, can if he or she chooses, persuade folks to vote for their candidate. Sticking a sign in your yard requires minimal commitment but it does require that you be willing to explain to folks who ask, why you are supporting that candidate.

The lack of signs also reflects to a certain degree the lack of organization displayed by most of the Republican candidates. Paul is supposed to have one of the best organizations this year and it shows. It may not seem like much, but once the signs are made, someone has to get them delivered to town and to the people who are willing to display them. It also requires getting people to show up at your campaign appearances where more signs can be distributed. If you are well organized someone will follow up with a phone call to make sure the sign is actually being displayed. I know a fair number of people who like to collect all the political stuff, meaning they are happy to take a sign, but there ain't no way they are going to put it in their yard.

With the caucus scheduled for Jan. 3, my guess, unscientific though it may be, is that Ron Paul will win the Wellman precinct. Wellman isn't all that big but the votes make a difference. Four years ago, on the Democratic side the top three finishers were Obama, Edwards and Clinton. Edwards came in second statewide, two delegates ahead of Clinton. That was the margin by which Edwards beat Clinton in Wellman.

Rick Perry

Rick Perry visited Washington this morning so I drove to Kalona, picked up my niece visiting from Pennsylvania, and headed down to the Corner Coffee shop. We got there 30-40 minutes before his scheduled arrival and made our way in to the shop. I am fairly certain they had originally scheduled him to be in the new library but we met in the coffee shop. The library bans concealed weapons and maybe he didn't want to go without his for a few minutes, plus the crowd seemed bigger crammed into a much smaller space.

A bunch of old guys had staked out the prime seats and a young kid was wearing his army uniform so you knew he was going to get some attention. Just a few minutes before 10, Perry entered the room. Leading the processional were a couple of local ministers and some of Perry's security team. It was hard to tell the difference since they were all wearing sport coats, had short hair, and the earnest, yet serious look, preachers and security guys often have.

The minister of the Marion Ave Baptist church, Rev. Joe Brown, introduced Perry as a man of God, a true conservative, and a man who would restore traditional American values. Shouts of "Amen" rang across the room and for a minute I thought I was going to hear a sermon.

Perry started off his remarks by taking some shots at Romney, though he didn't mention his name. Then he wailed on Rick Santorum for a few minutes, decrying his use of earmarks when he was in the Senate. When I got home I saw Santorum has moved to third in some polls, likely at the expense of Perry, Bachmann, and maybe Newt Gingrich. He skipped over Ron Paul and then took some shots at Obama and Congress. He repeated his proposal for a part-time Congress, criticized "Washington insiders" and wasteful spending. He threw in a story about his father and small town values, thanked the soldiers for their service, and then said the soldiers coming home from Iraq should have a parade to honor their service. "I want to give them a parade." My guess is most of them just want to go home.

Perry took questions for about 10-12 minutes. They were fairly typical, easy questions which allowed him to rail on Congress, Obamacare, the EPA, government regulations, promise to always support Israel, build military spending, criticize ethanol subsidies, and take some shots at public education. "The ultimate show of love and faith is for a parent to home school their child." During his answers he threw in references to Isaiah, scriptures, and faith several times. I raised my hand, he said "one more question," and he picked someone from the other side of the room.

My impressions: Why does the guy need 3-5 security guys in small town Iowa? One stood directly in front of me, blocking my view and the little kids in front of me. It seemed a bit much, making me wonder, what is he afraid of and why is he so scared?

He didn't offer one single specific proposal to deal with the problems the country is facing. He did say he want's to make Congress part-time, and that he wants a balanced budget amendment but didn't say how he would cut the deficit. He said he wants to get rid of "Obamacare" but didn't say how he would deal with the 46 million uninsured people and the rest of us facing rising healthcare costs. He offered simplistic, soundbite solutions to massive problems. The sad thing was, people there seemed to swallow all of it hook, line and sinker.

Perry seemed personable and friendly, though my niece and I could never quite make it by his security team or phalanx of pastors. I think the US would be much better off if he stayed in Texas and gave up his run for the Presidency. Right now I would guess he will finish 4th or 5th in the caucus, after Romney, Paul and Santorum. He may beat Newt for 4th, and he should finish ahead of Bachmann who is tanking rather badly.

On the way out, one of the staffers handed me a yard sign and asked if I wanted to be a precinct captain. I said no and he asked if I would be a precinct partner. I said no, but asked if I could have the sign for my classroom. He let go, so I took it. I did think that they are rather late at looking for precinct captains. When I agreed to do it for Edwards four years ago, I was going to training sessions already in October. Then the Obama staffer was after me to join with them into November, promising me I could help, as they already had captains for Wellman. Again, I find it amazing that some of these guys are so unorganized when it comes to running a campaign in Iowa.

Iowa Caucus night: Wellman, Iowa

What fun. People who observed the Democratic caucus in Wellman this evening would probably either celebrate a wonderful expression of democracy in action, or they might shake their head and wonder about the messy way Iowa Democrats express their preferences for a presidential candidate.

I'm sure the Republican caucus in Wellman was a much more sedate, and organized affair. Part of it is the process. After registering, Republicans indicate who they are supporting and those results are reported to the media and the election officials. The Democratic Party has a more complicated process.

We met at the Wellman Senior Center and it didn't take long to realize the room was going to be crowded. The first caucus I attended back in 1992 had less than 10 people. Tonight, 175 were present in a room designed for 100. To help speed things up the organizers assigned each candidate a table. Clinton, Obama, and Edwards quickly spilled over their assigned areas. Biden and Richardson supporters did the best they could while the lone Kucinich and Dodd supporters looked a bit lost. Precinct captains for the candidates did their best to slap stickers on the people supporting their candidate. It was obvious to see who had raised the most money as Obama and Clinton had plenty of stickers, buttons, bumper stickers, and posters to hand to people to help persuade them to join. As the room filled I volunteered to have the Edwards people move to the large entry room which in hindsight turned out to be a good move.

After the caucus started people were to go to their candidates group. It was clear that Clinton, Obama and Edwards would have enough support to get delegates, the question was, how were our seven delegates going to be divided. Even before the first round was over, people were talking to the Dodd, Richardson, and Biden people. Richardson and Bidens folks talked briefly about joining forces but before they could agree I got enough Biden supporters to come over to Edwards to put an end to that idea. As they walked into our room they all got a rousing ovation. We got most of the Richardson and Biden people and the lone Dodd supporter. We had enough for two delegates and were within five people of getting a third delegate, a level Obama had already reached. Clinton's folks either didn't have anybody running a calculator, or someone who understood the formula because they thought they were out of the running for a second delegate. That allowed us to convince five of their supporters to come over to Edwards which put us over the threshold for three delegates. When I checked the numbers at home, Clinton would have only needed to convince three people to join them to get the second delegate, instead of Edwards getting three. It was all quite entertaining and by the time it was over I was tired. I was pleased with the end result as Edwards got 3 delegates, Obama got 3, and Clinton got 1.

Some brief observations. Clinton's supporters for the most part were the oldest people in the room. The only young people sitting in her group were two staff members from out of state who were helping first time caucus goers through the process. Her supporters didn't seem to be moving around trying to recruit people. They were definitely the least energetic of the bunch.

Obama had the most supporters and most of the young people in the room. There were a range of ages represented and lots of new faces. My guess is newly registered voters, or independents who switched for the night, were there because of Obama. His supporters had a lot of energy and even tried the "fired up" cheer Obama has used at some of his speeches.

Edwards had the most diverse group in terms of age, a nice mix of some young folks, older folks, and many middle aged people. It was a good group of people. I don't think we had anybody leave our group after coming over which I appreciated. I think it helped to be off in the other room where we could limit access to some folks who maybe weren't quite sure about their support. Plus most of them had soft chairs to sit in for the evening.

It was good to see lots of young people present including a current student and several former students. Most of the discussions were good natured and there was a fair amount of good natured joking going on as one candidates supporters worked to convince someone to change their mind. That is where it helped to have local people working as precinct captains or organizers. It is also where some of the perhaps questionable things took place - for example, the young women who said she would take my son on a date if he joined the Obama corner for the night. Democracy at its best.

Huckabee

I saw my first Republican candidate this afternoon when I went to Coralville to see Gov. Mike Huckabee. There were well over 200 people in the room at the Marriott when Huckabee was introduced about twenty minutes late. It took him less than 10 seconds to say "Chuck Norris" as he read off some of the signs people brought. We then got to hear how wonderful Norris is and he promised Norris would be campaigning with him the week before the caucus.

Huckabee talked for forty minutes during which time he referred to Isaiah, Chuck Norris, Jesus Christ, Billy Jack, and Colin Powell. I found it to be a rather odd mix of names.

Next, Huckabee talked about the importance of the Iowa caucuses in allowing underfunded candidates a chance. He then gave us a history of the Declaration of Independence, the Revolutionary War, and a bit about the Constitution. It seems to me that when you combine religious belief, politics, and history you end with both bad theology and bad history.

Other topics he addressed were the need to overcome partisanship, immigration, the education system, and our failed energy policy. He noted that we pay for both sides of the war on terror when we fund the Pentagon and through our oil dollars, also fund terrorists.

He spent a lot of time criticizing the tax system which he claims taxes productivity and ingenuity. He talked about replacing the IRS and the current system with what he called a consumption tax. He didn't say anything specific but my guess is most of the people who clapped didn't understand he proposes replacing the income tax with a 23% sales tax. I'm no expert but it seems to me, ingenious Americans would find ways to avoid paying this fee, it would put a damper on the economy, or both.

After the lengthy discourse on taxes Huckabee quickly reviewed his pro-life credentials, his humble origins, and his desire for the strongest military ever. This is where he referred to Billy Jack, quoting the line about putting my heel on your neck and stomping.

He finished by thanking us and reminding us how important it is to caucus and participate in the political process. According to him, we were all expressing our patriotism just by coming to hear him.

My impressions- Huckabee is a folksy guy who relates well to a crowd. He didn't sound all that different from some Democrats who also talk about their humble origins and the hard times they have overcome. He can tell a good story and poke fun at himself so he comes across as a likable guy. When he talked about only using Lava soap, it seemed most of the crowd shared the experience of being scrubbed with that awful stuff.

Huckabee had an interesting way of shifting between references to Jesus, Isaiah and Christianity, and then referring to Chuck Norris, Billy Jack, and a take no prisoners kind of approach. Frankly I found his ability to do this to be a bit frightening. I found myself wondering who he would look like with a little patch of mustache over his lip.

What I didn't hear was also interesting. There was no mention of the war in Iraq or Afghanistan. There was little said about the economy and when he did mention it he talked about the need to cut taxes. He described how Maytag left Newton, Iowa because of the heavy tax burden. The John Edwards commercial which just aired, suggested Maytag left because of corporate greed and unfair trade agreements. My guess is the truth is somewhere in between those two arguments.

Compared to Romney and Guliani, Huckabee connects well with many Iowans and is a formidable candidate in the State.

Hillary

Dirk and I drove to Coralville this evening to see Hillary Clinton at the Johnson County Historical Society building which houses old cars. We were among the last people allowed into the building. The local fire marshal was exerting his authority to make sure the building would not be overcrowded so approximately 200 people waited outside.

She came out about fifteen minutes late, was introduced and then did her speech. She talked from 7:43 to 8:30 and spent 20 minutes of that talking about health care. The next topic was energy policy, the need for a spirit of optimism, education including reforming No Child Left Behind and cutting college cost. From there she moved to talking about "cronyism" in Washington, reclaiming moral authority in the world by bringing the troops home from Iraq "as quickly and responsibly as possible." From what I have read elsewhere the "responsible" part of her plan may leave troops in Iraq for up to four years after she would take office.

After the lengthy talk, she told us there were 200 cold people outside who she needed to visit but she wanted to answer some questions so she decided three would be the limit. The questions were about credit cards, Social Security reform, and one about why so many people dislike her.

A couple of observations, We were seated behind the stand for photographers. When they stood we couldn't see. How many pictures does a beat photographer need of Hillary Clinton - or any candidate for that matter? The crowd was large, and seemed to be made up mostly of older people. I didn't see a lot of college age folks or folks who seemed to be in their 30's. As for Hillary herself, I didn't see any horns and she wasn't carrying a pitchfork. I imagine she would make a decent President but I didn't find her to be all that inspiring. She didn't mention any of her Democratic rivals but she did take a shot at Edwards and Obama in her line about change. "You can't create change by demanding it, or by hoping for it, you create change by working for it." While a lot of people clapped for the line, I noticed quite a few around us who kept their hands in their laps.

I have now seen all the major Democratic candidates this election cycle. If the Des Moines Register can exclude Kucinich I suppose I can as well. For whatever reason the Republicans seem to be avoiding southeastern Iowa. I signed up with Romney and Huckabee's websites to make sure I get notices if they come to the area, but that has resulted primarily in negative emails aimed at each other. Such fun.

Joe Biden

This afternoon I drove to Washington to see Sen. Joe Biden at the public library. I left Wellman a bit late and though it had been snowing I figured the roads would be a bit better than they were. He was scheduled to arrive at 3:30 and I figured he would be late as well so I wasn't to worried. I parked across the street, helped a guy with directions who I found out was working for Obama, and was there to try and lure people coming to see Biden to visit the Obama office instead. I got inside, started running up the steps, and nearly ran into the Biden entourage.

There were 50-60 people in the room. A neighbor of mine was introducing him. I will only note that said neighbor was wearing sweatpants which did not have a hole in them, unlike the pair he was wearing a couple of years ago. He also had on a new t-shirt.

Biden introduced us to some of his family members including his granddaughter. He talked for about 20 minutes outlining some of his policies, focusing particularly on Iraq, Iran, economic policies, education, health care, and social security. It seemed he felt comfortable speaking about foreign policy more than some of the domestic issues. After the stump speech he asked for questions.

The first question had to do with taxes and campaign strategy, the second dealt with energy policy and the third was about Iraq. I was standing in the back of the room and it seemed the people he called on were ones wearing name tags or were people he seemed to know, so I figured I might not get a chance to ask a question. I was taking notes and trying to maintain eye contact when he pointed towards me and said, did you have a question, so I said "yes, I do." I said I had the opportunity to be in the West Bank for two weeks this past summer and I would like to know how he would approach the conflict between Israel and Palestine, and what he would do to improve conditions for Palestinians.

This was his response, First, he said the President of the U.S. needs to be engaged on an almost daily basis with the leaders of Israel, Palestine and other middle eastern countries. He said he favors a two state solution with the borders being more or less the green line. He talked about a "hectare for hectare" land swap where Israeli settlements which have been in place for more than 20 years would be allowed to remain, if land was granted to a Palestinian state elsewhere by Israel. He said there needs to be free entry to Jerusalem and east Jerusalem, and that there can be no guaranteed right of return because it would mean the destruction of Israel.

He went on to talk about the neocon approach to foreign relations which he said discounts diplomacy and focuses on a strong military approach. He talked about this being a time when a peace settlement might be possible. He talked about the Sunni Arab countries being more afraid of radical Shiia countries than of Israel, of Syria being key to solving the situation. It was apparent he is knowledgeable about the middle east and competent in foreign affairs.

I have no idea how Palestinians would respond to his ideas, particularly the idea of leaving some settlements in place, or his comments about east Jerusalem, though I suppose many would not be happy.

He answered two or three more questions. During his answer he went on a rant about letting Republicans talk about morality and religion. "How dare we let Mitt Romney lecture us self-righteously about morality, how dare we let some one like Guliani claim the moral high ground."

I was impressed with Senator Biden. He was dignified, intelligent, he had a sense of humor, he tried to keep from saying the word "hell" to often, and it was clear he has a lot of foreign policy experience. Biden would make a good President, much better than the person now filling the office.

debate

The candidates seem to be campaigning in either the Des Moines or Dubuque areas so none have been coming near the cornfields where I live. I think Edwards is supposed to be in Iowa City Monday and Romney may be in Washington Wednesday. I have a couple of unwritten rules about going to these events. I won't drive more than 30 miles to get to the appearance - especially when gas is up to 3.10, and I won't go to an event where I have to pay to get in the door. I suppose there are others but those two seem to work for the most part.

I did watch the debate which raised questions about how CNN and other news media cover this whole race. CNN's website said something like, "Clinton dominates debate." They neglected to add that CNN reporters asked her the first question and that the first ten minutes of the debate were primarily Clinton and Obama going back and forth. Why shouldn't Clinton dominate the debate if she is asked the majority of the questions and allowed to respond any time one of the other candidates dared to criticize her by name.

If according to the news reports Guliani is the FOX news candidate, is Clinton the CNN candidate? If the rest of Iowa is like my town, most of the registered voters are undecided and will only say they are leaning towards a candidate. Howard Dean was surprised by the results last time, and I hope Clinton is surprised in this one as well. Maybe a third place finish in Iowa would derail her a bit.

Edwards finally got pulled into the mix and eventually the other candidates got some air time. The local paper said Biden didn't talk until 15 minutes in and Dodd, Richardson, and Kucinich were even later.

One thing I found disappointing was how many of the candidates said that national security was more important than human rights. I believe Richardson and Kucinich were the only two to either challenge the premise or to say human rights was more important. It reminded me a bit of Thoreau who we were looking at a bit this week in my American History class. One of his passages from On Civil Disobedience seemed appropriate; "The mass of men serve the state...not as men mainly, but as machines with their bodies. ...In most cases there is no free exercise whatever of the judgement or of the moral sense but they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones;.... Others as most legislators, politicians, lawyers, ministers... serve the state chiefly with their heads; as they rarely make any moral distinctions, they are as likely to serve the devil, without intending it, as God." I think we would all do well to read Thoreau again.

caucus preparation

My son tells me this is boring. I told him I would try and make it a bit more interesting, but then again I live in a small town surrounded by corn fields. To make it worse, at this time of year, after the corn is picked, the farmers begin emptying their hog manure pits. The smell which emanates from the liquid shit can permeate your clothes, fill your nostrils, and drive you mad. Last week when I walked out the school door I was assaulted by the stench. For those who have never experienced the smell, it can be overwhelming. A few years ago we played a soccer game in the evening after a local farmer spread his crap on neighboring fields. We won over a good West Point Marquette team that night. When I talked to their coach the following week he complained about not being able to concentrate because the smell was so bad. He said they smelled like manure when they got off the bus after a hour plus ride home. I can believe it because I smelled horrible when I got home. So, not only do I live in a small field in the middle of corn fields, but this time of year, they are smelly corn fields.

Last night I attended what was called a "caucus preparation" meeting in Washington organized by the John Edwards campaign. We met at the Pizza Ranch and went through the agenda established by the higher ups somewhere. We even got a pep talk from some guy over the phone. The material we were given is helpful and the young women staffer in charge of the area did fine, but my question as I sat there was, why do you send a young person who has never attended a caucus, to lead a caucus preparation meeting. I suppose it is because either she volunteered, or because she agreed to work for a minimal amount until the caucus is over, hoping Edwards does well, and that she will be hired to work in a State with a later primary.

The other troubling thing was that the Washington Demons football team was eating in a room next to ours. They were being typical boisterous high school kids, in other words they were loud. That wouldn't have been a problem except that four of the eight people in our meeting were frail, little old ladies who had a hard time hearing anyway, let alone with lots of background noise. The young women running the meeting knew enough to cut the meeting short and send us on our way. I did come home with a list of all the undecided Democrats in our precinct and the idea is to talk with them over the next two months. There are about 75 names on the list. I know at least one person who tells every candidate who calls that he is committed to someone else since it cuts down significantly on the number of phone calls he gets. I guess this is all part of "democracy in action" and I have to admit I do find it to be interesting to participate in the process even if it seems messy and inefficient.
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Chris Dodd

After church I drove to Washington to see Chris Dodd at Cafe Dodici's. Compared to the stockyards where I saw Obama, and Washington High School where Edwards and Richardson appeared, this was by far the classiest place I have seen a candidate. Dodd arrived about 15 minutes after the scheduled time and talked to around 50 people. Unlike the other visits, this one had food so the wait was enjoyable. They had these tasty spinach filled pastries which were exceptionally good.

After noting his Iowa connections by making references to Harken, Bedel, Culver, and other Iowa politicians, Dodd talked about his electability and the importance of the Iowa caucus in choosing a candidate who can win in November. As part of this he highlighted his experience and his ability to work across party lines to get legislation passed.

The first issue Dodd talked about was Iraq. He said he would remove U.S. troops from Iraq but that removing troops does not mean that we would not be involved in the area. "We have turned Iraq into a petrie dish for jihadists and terrorists." He also noted his service in the Peace Corps and his service in the National Guard.

Next Dodd talked about restoring the Constitution. He told the story of his father who worked as a prosecutor at the Nuremberg trials after WWII and how important it was to treat our enemies by the rule of law. He contrasted the response most people give to Nuremberg to the images most of us have when we hear about Abu Grahb or Guantanamo.

After 30 minutes of talking Dodd took questions from the audience. People asked about No Child Left Behind, Israel's bombing of Syria, rural Iowa, the electability of a Northeast liberal, fair trade, why Congress hasn't done more to halt the war in Iraq and the growing economic disparity in the U.S. Dodd's answers tended to be long and passionate, though he didn't always answer the question. He had an annoying habit of saying "I hear" after many statements especially when he was excited, "I hear."

Though I was sitting towards the front he didn't seem to want to call on me when I raised my hand. After saying it was time to finish I thought I would see if I could ask a question about Palestine. After getting his picture taken and signing some autographs he said, "I never got to your question." I told him I had spent two weeks in the West Bank and was wondering where I could find what his position is regarding Israel and Palestine. Dodd said first the President must be engaged in the area. "Condi can't just stop in every six months or so and expect to get anything done," so I would be more engaged in the area. He said when he visited with Olmert that Olmert told him Bush is the best President the U.S. has ever had. The reason according to Dodd is that Bush has never pushed Israel on any issue and has backed nearly every policy or plan pushed by Israel. Dodd added, I favor a two state solution and the Palestinian state needs to be a viable one. We can't always just accept what Israel does and need to be willing to push them to improve living conditions for Palestinians. Dodd also mentioned his support for the Peace Corps and that he has worked to maintain their presence in Jordan and would like to see the Peace Corps in Egypt and other Arab nations. Then he moved on to talk with some of the others. I grabbed a couple more of the spinach pastries, bought some chocolates for my wife and headed for home.

Dodd did a nice job and seemed knowledgeable about the issues. He tended to be a bit long winded but he showed some passion when addressing the issues. The problem is that he is a Senator and has been in Congress for 26 years at a time when many people seem to want change and a fresh face. In the words of my son who saw him in Wellman, "he's just another old white guy who wants to be President." Unfortunately for Dodd, I'm afraid that is how many people will see him.

John Edwards

Tonight I made another trip to Washington, this time to see John Edwards speak in the old gymnasium at the high school. Beth and I had gone to the Pork supper at IMS and when it appeared she wouldn't get done in time for me to leave, I left her there - though I did make arrangements for her to get home. Fortunately she is understanding of my eccentricities. Then I faced the question of why, when you are in a hurry does every car you get behind go 40 - 45 mph down the highway with few if any places to pass.

I made it to the school and found a parking place right in front even though I was late. I found the old gymnasium, one of those cracker box gyms with a balcony or railing up above. The seats were full so I headed to a place where I could stand, when a young women came and offered to usher me to a seat. My seat was on the platform behind the speaker and in front of a large U.S. flag. Four years ago I caucused for Edwards so I have seen him several times and continue to view him favorably.

Elizabeth Edwards was introduced and received a standing ovation from the crowd of 100 to 200 people. She focused on electability and compared some polls showing how her husband compares to Obama, Clinton, Gulianni, Thompson, and Romney. She introduced John who came in to a Springsteen song. I couldn't tell which one because the sound system was not so good and it was compounded by the echoing of the gym.

Edwards talked about Universal health care, economic inequality, global warming, the war in Iraq and finished by mentioning the recent Senate vote on Iran. He did this all in 10 minutes or so and then asked for questions. After answering questions about renewable energy, Iraq and Iran, gun control ("tell your son, John Edwards won't take away his gun"), trade policy, and the Warren Commission, Elizabeth suggested he take some questions from the people sitting behind him. I raised my hand and after no one else in the section apparently did, he called on me.

I asked the same question I asked Richardson, saying I had been in the West Bank this summer and asked for his ideas on how he planned to approach the region. He said he favors a two State solution. He said we need to follow the road map which was established a few years ago. I don't know if he was referring to Camp David, Oslo, or something else. He said he had been "in the territories" a couple of years ago where he had a chance to meet with people from the Palestinian Authority. He said, "there are Palestinians who want peace and we need to work with them." He said we shouldn't work with Hamas as long as they do not recognize the right of Israel to exist and as long as they promote terror. "The President and the Secretary of State need to be involved in providing leadership in this region, something this President hasn't done."

Then he moved on. I would have liked to ask if he favored a return to the '67 borders, the road map he mentioned, or East Jerusalem. But I have learned it is difficult to get a follow up question in this type of setting. The candidates like to get as many questions asked as possible, even if some of them are goofy, or maybe they actually prefer the goofy ones, like the one about the Warren Commission.

Edwards didn't answer my question as completely as what Richardson did, but then most of Edwards answers were shorter than Richardson's. He did seem to know something about the situation, he answered the question in a way that didn't really offend anyone which I imagine was his goal.

After my question a women asked about Iraq and where he saw the situation 10 years from now, a women whose husband is in the National Guard and has been in Iraq asked about what pulling the troops from Iraq says to those who have served or to those who died. Elizabeth helped with this one telling a story about her father who served in Vietnam.

It was all over in less than an hour. When he shook my hand he said, "so you were in the West Bank?" I said yes but before I could ask him a question one of his staffers pulled him away. Where do I rank these guys so far? Right now I would go with Edwards, followed by Richardson, Obama, Dodd, Biden, and then maybe Clinton. Tomorrow if all works out I will see Chris Dodd, then I do my program at Washington Mennonite. Sometime I need to track down a couple of Republicans.
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Bill Richardson

This is an interesting week with several Democratic candidates coming to the area. Most are here for the Johnson County Barbecue but since I'm too cheap to spend $15 for a ticket I have been seeing them when they come to the nearby town of Washington.

Wednesday I took my Current Events class plus a few other students to see Barak Obama. Over 450 people checked in so I didn't get to ask any questions.

Today I drove to Washington to see Bill Richardson. I was running late and as I was coming in I saw Richardson introduce himself to three IMS girls who were at Washington high school for a volleyball tournament. In the auditorium Richards gave what I assume is his standard stump speech. He talked about education, health care, good jobs, and getting out of the war with Iraq all the while struggling with his microphone which kept cutting out on him. He finally gave up on the microphone and spoke loudly to the hundred or so people who were there. Through all of this he touted his experience as a governor and noted that seven of the last eight presidents were governors.

During the question time I said I had the opportunity to travel in the West Bank for two weeks in August and asked how he would work to resolve the conflict between Israel and Palestinians. This is what he had to say.

First he said he would appoint a Mid-East envoy. He noted that President Bush is the first President in many years who has not appointed an envoy to deal with this conflict He noted that he would "push both sides to work at arranging a peace."

Second, he "would talk to Syria, he would talk with Lebanon, he would talk with Israel." He noted he thinks it is important to talk with our friends, but "it is also important to talk to our enemies." I think it was here he mentioned negotiating with Saddam Hussein and having talked with Syria.

Third, "I am pro-Israel, I've always been a big supporter of Israel. I'm for a two State solution with a return to 1967 borders with some negotiations about East Jerusalem." "Look where their policies have gotten them (Israel). They have Hezbollah on one side, they have Hamas on the other, and then there is Iran which is pursuing nuclear weapons which is something I do not want to happen."

From there Richardson talked more about Iran . He said, we can't just threaten Iran, we need to talk with our enemies, we have to be firm but it is important to talk, not just to threaten to use our military.

He then moved on to other questions from the audience. It seemed to me that Richardson has a decent understanding of the Israeli/Palestinian question and the importance of the U.S taking leadership in helping to bring the two groups together. As he answered my question it seemed the question of the Palestinians got lost as he talked more about Iran and the middle east in general. It is probably something Palestinians are long accustomed to - being overlooked or ignored.

Overall I came away impressed with Richardson. He has experience as a governor, as a member of Clinton's cabinet, and as an ambassador. He handled questions well showing a broad range of knowledge and a good sense of humor. He was able to poke fun at himself and it looked like he was enjoying himself.

After the program was over I met a reporter from the Philadelphia Inquirer and we talked for awhile. It was interesting to talk to some one from the city where we lived for ten years.
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