Should I take this as a metaphor? Maybe just for the Obama campaign, not in general. :)
Monday, December 31, 2007
More on Sioux (Bleeping) City
Turns out my annoyance at all the action in West Iowa is actually the sign of a big-time trend:
http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1739
http://www.iowaindependent.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=1739
My Singular Effect on the Race
Look, I just got here Friday, but clearly, I'm already changing things for the better:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/062255.php
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/062255.php
Canvassing Around the Chiefs
Since it was Sunday, they didn't want us to show up to canvass until noon. I took the opportunity to sleep. Hard.
I showed up and got two different precincts. It was a crappy bunch. No one was home. I visited about 20 houses from 12-3:30pm and had maybe 3 people answer the door. (When I told this to my dad on the phone, he said, "Well, you can't blame people for not being home." And I responded, "Of course not, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck slogging around in the snow like a mailman, just dropping off flyers on people's doors.")
I took a break to watch the Chiefs go for their 9th straight loss against the Jets, one of the few teams in football with fewer wins than them. They succeeded, but it took overtime. At least, they'll pick between 3 and 5 in the draft. Darn, I hope it's 3.
I headed back out after the game and hit the same houses. Much better luck. Even better, most of them were at least considering Edwards, if not decided on him. If they were still deciding, it tends to be him or Obama.
After I finished, I made my way over to Edwards' HQ. This time the place was packed with staff and volunteers. A real nice crew. They had me tally my results, which I hadn't done before, and I just hung out. As you can imagine, it's a fun, smart crew. Tonight is New Years, and I'm gonna hang out with them. I had been invited to the Des Moines party with the big wigs, but it makes more sense to further my relationships with this crew.
By the way, several members of the crew mentioned that Edwards speech at the December DNC meeting was the moment they decided to support him. Here's a link to several specific clips: http://www.johnedwards.com/dnc-meeting/index.html
And here's the pre-selected highlights:
I showed up and got two different precincts. It was a crappy bunch. No one was home. I visited about 20 houses from 12-3:30pm and had maybe 3 people answer the door. (When I told this to my dad on the phone, he said, "Well, you can't blame people for not being home." And I responded, "Of course not, but that doesn't mean it doesn't suck slogging around in the snow like a mailman, just dropping off flyers on people's doors.")
I took a break to watch the Chiefs go for their 9th straight loss against the Jets, one of the few teams in football with fewer wins than them. They succeeded, but it took overtime. At least, they'll pick between 3 and 5 in the draft. Darn, I hope it's 3.
I headed back out after the game and hit the same houses. Much better luck. Even better, most of them were at least considering Edwards, if not decided on him. If they were still deciding, it tends to be him or Obama.
After I finished, I made my way over to Edwards' HQ. This time the place was packed with staff and volunteers. A real nice crew. They had me tally my results, which I hadn't done before, and I just hung out. As you can imagine, it's a fun, smart crew. Tonight is New Years, and I'm gonna hang out with them. I had been invited to the Des Moines party with the big wigs, but it makes more sense to further my relationships with this crew.
By the way, several members of the crew mentioned that Edwards speech at the December DNC meeting was the moment they decided to support him. Here's a link to several specific clips: http://www.johnedwards.com/dnc-meeting/index.html
And here's the pre-selected highlights:
The Hillary Machine
I got to the Grand River Center about 7:30pm. Turns out this is a giant convention center that's been build down on the river, near a giant hotel and casino.
I made it inside and Hillary was winding down her speech. (It seems I had over-played the politician-lateness card.) She was speaking in a large ballroom. She stood on the floor in the middle, with people seated all around. I was left to peer in from the doorway, over the heads of many standing.
A couple of things were notable:
1) Hillary's tone. She was very soft and conversational. Nothing loud. Not a lot of dynamics. At first, I figured she was saving her voice given the campaign grind. Then I realized there was probably a lot more to it. She sounded Obama-esque. Very rational, very civil. No Shrillary here.
2) She was also pitching herself as the "Serious" candidate, with a capitol "S." She ended the speech imploring people to remember their responsibility to those who could not be there on caucus night: the soldiers at war, the people working night shifts, the Americans outside of Iowa. This is pretty galling to me, but she seemed to be saying, "Hey, I'm ahead in the polls everywhere else by huge margins. Don't get seduced into voting for some flash-in-the-pan. It's your duty as a citizen to get me elected. I'm the goods here."
To me, Iowans have gotten the best looks at all the candidates. They're the least influenced by the vicissitudes of the national media. Yes, they have their pet issues (ethanol) but the average Iowan knows more about the various candidates than the average citizen anywhere else. If they are not on the Hillary wagon--and they may be, that's not the point--they should not jump on because of some perceived duty to the rest of the country.
She finished up and started walking the rope, signing autographs and taking pictures. I stood up on a chair and tried to capture the scene with my crap-ass camera. The more interesting part was watching her secret service detail. 5 of them surrounded her. All eyes and ears. One of them looked younger than me, which I thought was odd.
All this took place through the blaring of Tom Petty's "American Girl," and the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", and the like.
I rolled out and found a local sports bar to watch the Patriots go for 16-0. The place had this Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine dish. Mmmmmmm.
I made it inside and Hillary was winding down her speech. (It seems I had over-played the politician-lateness card.) She was speaking in a large ballroom. She stood on the floor in the middle, with people seated all around. I was left to peer in from the doorway, over the heads of many standing.
A couple of things were notable:
1) Hillary's tone. She was very soft and conversational. Nothing loud. Not a lot of dynamics. At first, I figured she was saving her voice given the campaign grind. Then I realized there was probably a lot more to it. She sounded Obama-esque. Very rational, very civil. No Shrillary here.
2) She was also pitching herself as the "Serious" candidate, with a capitol "S." She ended the speech imploring people to remember their responsibility to those who could not be there on caucus night: the soldiers at war, the people working night shifts, the Americans outside of Iowa. This is pretty galling to me, but she seemed to be saying, "Hey, I'm ahead in the polls everywhere else by huge margins. Don't get seduced into voting for some flash-in-the-pan. It's your duty as a citizen to get me elected. I'm the goods here."
To me, Iowans have gotten the best looks at all the candidates. They're the least influenced by the vicissitudes of the national media. Yes, they have their pet issues (ethanol) but the average Iowan knows more about the various candidates than the average citizen anywhere else. If they are not on the Hillary wagon--and they may be, that's not the point--they should not jump on because of some perceived duty to the rest of the country.
She finished up and started walking the rope, signing autographs and taking pictures. I stood up on a chair and tried to capture the scene with my crap-ass camera. The more interesting part was watching her secret service detail. 5 of them surrounded her. All eyes and ears. One of them looked younger than me, which I thought was odd.
All this took place through the blaring of Tom Petty's "American Girl," and the Police's "Every Little Thing She Does is Magic", and the like.
I rolled out and found a local sports bar to watch the Patriots go for 16-0. The place had this Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine dish. Mmmmmmm.
Chatting with Grandpa and Grandma
Leaving the Biden event about 6:30pm--right about the time Hillary was scheduled to hold forth around the corner--I made my trip over to Linwood, banking on the "politicians always arrive late" mantra. I found the gate closed and the hours clearly posted as 10-5pm. I was chatting on the phone with Cassie at the time, so I told her I'd call her back while I "figured things out."
The car gate was closed but there was an open walkway, so I parked the car and headed on in by foot. Now, I don't make a habit of trekking through cemeteries by moonlight, but I was determined not to be spooked by the one my grandparents were resting in. That, and I just wasn't coming all this way without saying hello. So, I started up the hill. I quickly realized my first mistake, forgetting my gloves and hat. Last I had checked, the car thermometer said 22 degrees, but luckily, there wasn't much wind.
The 6-8 inches of snow covering the ground made it fairly bright, and I made a few educated guesses about which roads to take. I've been there enough to know the general direction to go, but not enough--thankfully--to know it by heart, in the dark. Graves and monuments stood all around, and occasionally a rabbit or something would dart in the corner of my eye. I got to the end of the road and realized I was right where I needed to be, looking straight into the plot where Paul, Lavon, and Kathy lie.
Just then, I saw some bigger movement. I wasn't sure if it was a dog or bear--just kidding--but then it looked at me. Right over near Grandpa and Grandma's grave was a deer staring at me. The moonlight silhouetted it's head. Beautiful. I fumbled for my camera-phone, but in the low light it was useless. Then the deer was gone.
I tramped through the snow over to the grave. Up to this point, I'd enjoyed well-plowed roads, so this was different. I saw the deer tracks and used them to ease my path. I found the grave, but only the big "Laube" part was visible. Without thinking much, I leaned down and brushed the snow away from the names below. Very cold. Bare hand meets snow. Oh, well.
I stood there with them high above the Mississippi and chatted a while. Made sure they knew all about Skyeler's birth and Thanksgiving at Dave and Carol's. How quickly the house had sold. How much we missed them.
Might have forgotten Giff and Yami's wedding. (Sorry, dude.) Wondered aloud what they would have thought about the current Democratic field and about my change in course career-wise. When I was out of words, I began the tramp back down. It went surprisingly fast, and I was soon climbing out through the gate again.
I'm kinda glad the gate was locked. It made it special.
The car gate was closed but there was an open walkway, so I parked the car and headed on in by foot. Now, I don't make a habit of trekking through cemeteries by moonlight, but I was determined not to be spooked by the one my grandparents were resting in. That, and I just wasn't coming all this way without saying hello. So, I started up the hill. I quickly realized my first mistake, forgetting my gloves and hat. Last I had checked, the car thermometer said 22 degrees, but luckily, there wasn't much wind.
The 6-8 inches of snow covering the ground made it fairly bright, and I made a few educated guesses about which roads to take. I've been there enough to know the general direction to go, but not enough--thankfully--to know it by heart, in the dark. Graves and monuments stood all around, and occasionally a rabbit or something would dart in the corner of my eye. I got to the end of the road and realized I was right where I needed to be, looking straight into the plot where Paul, Lavon, and Kathy lie.
Just then, I saw some bigger movement. I wasn't sure if it was a dog or bear--just kidding--but then it looked at me. Right over near Grandpa and Grandma's grave was a deer staring at me. The moonlight silhouetted it's head. Beautiful. I fumbled for my camera-phone, but in the low light it was useless. Then the deer was gone.
I tramped through the snow over to the grave. Up to this point, I'd enjoyed well-plowed roads, so this was different. I saw the deer tracks and used them to ease my path. I found the grave, but only the big "Laube" part was visible. Without thinking much, I leaned down and brushed the snow away from the names below. Very cold. Bare hand meets snow. Oh, well.
I stood there with them high above the Mississippi and chatted a while. Made sure they knew all about Skyeler's birth and Thanksgiving at Dave and Carol's. How quickly the house had sold. How much we missed them.
Might have forgotten Giff and Yami's wedding. (Sorry, dude.) Wondered aloud what they would have thought about the current Democratic field and about my change in course career-wise. When I was out of words, I began the tramp back down. It went surprisingly fast, and I was soon climbing out through the gate again.
I'm kinda glad the gate was locked. It made it special.
Biden Speaks With the Fishes
So, after canvassing on Saturday from about 10am-3pm, I hopped in the car and shuttled up to Dubuque. My chat with Robin and a quick snarfing of a burrito at Chipotle (John Spernoga's favorite joint) had put me a little behind schedule. I rolled into Dubuque at about 5:20, with the event set to begin at 5pm.
Of course, if you can count on anything more than death and taxes, it's politicians being late to their events, so as I walked in to Mississippi River Museum (my dad's favorite spot in Dubuque, a very well done new museum/aquarium) Senator Biden had just arrived. His campaign workers excitedly ushered me in saying, "Oh, he just got here! Hurry!"
I made my way up to the second floor, where I got a good view. Something like the photos on the right.
The first guy to speak was some local party chair. He was terrible, but well intentioned. Older guy. Poor speaker.
Then Richard Schiff got up. He played the White House Communications Director on the West Wing and won an Emmy or two. (The picture on the right sucks, but that's the best my $225 cell phone could do given the lighting.) He gave a great speech. Basically, he's liked Biden for a while. He had his wife's very large family over for Xmas, and they were all over the map in their support. By the end of the holiday, he's convinced them all. Now, they're all working for Biden. His message: if everyone just did this, we wouldn't be stuck with the Big Three media darlings.
So on came Senator Biden. He speaks directly, which everyone loves. He spent most of his time making his case through the Bhutto assassination and his readiness to lead the country right NOW. He mentioned his 30 plus years in the Senate and said he just wanted everybody to look him over, kick his tires, and if they thought somebody else was better, fine.
He has a plan for everything, and when he started answering questions, you could start to get some of the criticism that is often leveled at him for his verbosity. Everything had a 3 or 4 point plan, but then he, literally, would start adding sub-points to points of the plan. Then he's wrap up by saying, "Well, I've probably already bored you, so I'll stop there."
Now, obviously, issues like Pakistan are immensely complicated and deserve very complex analysis. But he's on
the campaign trail. I will try to give some more in-depth analysis of Biden later. I have yet to make it through all the literature I picked up. I also asked one of the campaign workers about Biden's Bankrupcy Bill of a few years back that pissed off so many Progressives. The guy shot me an email within hours--very classy--and I have yet to investigate it fully.So, before I left, I made it downstairs and took a picture of Richard Schiff. I felt a little silly and paparazzi-ish, but whatever. I live to serve my readership. I then hit the the bathroom before hitting the road. Who walks in right after me? Richard Schiff. He had, uh, more serious business to attend to than I. :)
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Day One
So, I show up at Edwards HQ in downtown Iowa City about 9am. Introduce myself. A college-age woman named Nancy says, "Oh, have you been in contact with Ruth?"
"Nah. A couple people at the national office, but I just thought I'd show up."
"Where you from?"
"Oakland. California"
"Ooooh. Wow."
And we were off. At first they asked me to phone bank, but I requested going door to door. The phone sucks. How annoying and impersonal are people calling on the phone? Especially to these Iowans who've been inundated for over a year?
I figure I'm at my best smiling at the front door. People can still be rude to you, but the fact that you're traipsing around their neighborhood in the freezing cold probably earns you at least a momentary audience.
I got sent to another office about a mile away to meet Robin. According to Nancy, I'd know it was him because he was one of the only Indian guys in Iowa City. I found Robin in a tiny plumber's office that had been donated for the campaigns use. (Obviously a fervent democrat, this female plumber had half-naked pictures of JFK Jr. on the wall. Dude worked out!)
Robin was way cool. 26 years old from LA. Been in Iowa a month. Unpaid. Left his job in LA for the cause. We chatted briefly, he handed me a packet with directions to a neighborhood, a google map with little flags for each house to visit, and additional sheets with each household listed along with data of each voter.
It should be noted that, at this point in the process, the campaign is in GOTC mode. (Get Out to Caucus) Basically, we're sent to make sure people that support us or might support us make it to their caucus on Thursday. That's a big emphasis "Thursday." After a year of crap, it's finally over THURSDAY. We also want to make sure people know where their caucus location is.
Anyhow, I made it over the the neighborhood on Iowa City's lower east side. Working to middle class neighborhood. I was pretty nervous to knock on my first door, so I set about procrastinating. I figured I better go find the caucus site, so I used made my way over to the local elementary school. I drove back to my first house, sat in the car, looked over the formalized "message" I was supposed to deliver, listened to a song on Air One Radio--more of that later. Finally, I had been enough of a weeny. I marched across the street to a duplex, knocked on the door. It was the perfect home to start with. A young couple with loud dogs. They said "Oh, yeah, we're all about Edwards!" while holding back the doggies. I said, "Oh cool, you know where you're caucusing?" They said yeah, and I wished them well and went on my way. Success!
I made my way all over the neighborhood, up and down cul-de-sacs, looking for house numbers. I felt like an intruder. I felt like everyone who drove by and saw me with all my bling thought, "Oh GOD, there's some campaign person. Ugh." Of course, I was universally well received, even if people didn't want to engage, they said no nicely; I said have a great day, and I was off.
Couple funny things, once in a while, people invited me in. Normally, just into the entryway, but it's much warmer there. I had one middle-aged couple early on who invited me in and said, "Why not Biden and Dodd? What's wrong with them?" I replied, "Well, nothing, except they haven't gotten any traction. Frankly, if I could caucus, I would probably go with them and then drop down to Edwards." They were shocked, but entertained. They told me not to let the Edwards people catch me saying that.
I don't know if I really would caucus for Dodd, (I like him over Biden.) but agreeing with the people you're talking to really helps establish rapport. I find myself telling Obama supporters that my "dream ticket" has Obama as VP to Edwards.
Another family I visited had a rambunctious black poodle. She got away from the man, and just ran like a shot, a half mile up the street. He kept yelling her name to no avail. I kinda felt responsible and that I should go run after it. But I talked to the wife while the man did that.
The biggest thing was surprised to learn was how much Richardson support there is. I would say I see about as many Richardson signs as anything else, and people often bring him up. If that happens, I always try to slide in Edwards as their second choice. I think his "all troops out now" Iraq policy is the main reason.
I canvassed from about 10-3. Then dropped by and gave Robin the stuff. We got chatting and he was going on and on about why Edwards is gonna win, and Obama doesn't have as much support as he thinks. We debated the fall-out of the various possible finishing orders. I really enjoyed it. I just don't have any friends in Cali that would like to talk about such things ad nauseum. Fun!
Two other things. Both soporific, so please don't read on if you think better of me.
Funniest voter name of the day: "Tani Cac" Say it three times fast.
Funniest street of the day: "B'Jaysville" It runs right by Sigma Pi Fraternity. Hmmmm.
Oh, before I go, "Air One Radio." So, I'm scanning through the FM stations, and I hear some passable rock music and keep it there. After a few minutes, the DJ's come on and I realize they're doing a fundraising drive. They're non-stop with this, NPR-style. I realize they keep talking about the hope that the music from their station brings, which is funny cuz the music is fairly hard. When they mention that you can call in anytime to pray with them, I figure it out. I'm listening to a Christian Rock station in the middle of Iowa. Awesome!
Oh, the final final thing, I got a $5 parking ticket while getting coffee this morning cuz I didn't pay my meter. (For some reason, on a Saturday, in the freezing cold, with snow banked high, I just didn't even consider paying my meter.) But seriously? 5 bucks? Take that San Francisco! I'm moving here. No more 50 dollar tickets for bullshit streetcleaning.
"Nah. A couple people at the national office, but I just thought I'd show up."
"Where you from?"
"Oakland. California"
"Ooooh. Wow."
And we were off. At first they asked me to phone bank, but I requested going door to door. The phone sucks. How annoying and impersonal are people calling on the phone? Especially to these Iowans who've been inundated for over a year?
I figure I'm at my best smiling at the front door. People can still be rude to you, but the fact that you're traipsing around their neighborhood in the freezing cold probably earns you at least a momentary audience.
I got sent to another office about a mile away to meet Robin. According to Nancy, I'd know it was him because he was one of the only Indian guys in Iowa City. I found Robin in a tiny plumber's office that had been donated for the campaigns use. (Obviously a fervent democrat, this female plumber had half-naked pictures of JFK Jr. on the wall. Dude worked out!)
Robin was way cool. 26 years old from LA. Been in Iowa a month. Unpaid. Left his job in LA for the cause. We chatted briefly, he handed me a packet with directions to a neighborhood, a google map with little flags for each house to visit, and additional sheets with each household listed along with data of each voter.
It should be noted that, at this point in the process, the campaign is in GOTC mode. (Get Out to Caucus) Basically, we're sent to make sure people that support us or might support us make it to their caucus on Thursday. That's a big emphasis "Thursday." After a year of crap, it's finally over THURSDAY. We also want to make sure people know where their caucus location is.
Anyhow, I made it over the the neighborhood on Iowa City's lower east side. Working to middle class neighborhood. I was pretty nervous to knock on my first door, so I set about procrastinating. I figured I better go find the caucus site, so I used made my way over to the local elementary school. I drove back to my first house, sat in the car, looked over the formalized "message" I was supposed to deliver, listened to a song on Air One Radio--more of that later. Finally, I had been enough of a weeny. I marched across the street to a duplex, knocked on the door. It was the perfect home to start with. A young couple with loud dogs. They said "Oh, yeah, we're all about Edwards!" while holding back the doggies. I said, "Oh cool, you know where you're caucusing?" They said yeah, and I wished them well and went on my way. Success!
I made my way all over the neighborhood, up and down cul-de-sacs, looking for house numbers. I felt like an intruder. I felt like everyone who drove by and saw me with all my bling thought, "Oh GOD, there's some campaign person. Ugh." Of course, I was universally well received, even if people didn't want to engage, they said no nicely; I said have a great day, and I was off.
Couple funny things, once in a while, people invited me in. Normally, just into the entryway, but it's much warmer there. I had one middle-aged couple early on who invited me in and said, "Why not Biden and Dodd? What's wrong with them?" I replied, "Well, nothing, except they haven't gotten any traction. Frankly, if I could caucus, I would probably go with them and then drop down to Edwards." They were shocked, but entertained. They told me not to let the Edwards people catch me saying that.
I don't know if I really would caucus for Dodd, (I like him over Biden.) but agreeing with the people you're talking to really helps establish rapport. I find myself telling Obama supporters that my "dream ticket" has Obama as VP to Edwards.
Another family I visited had a rambunctious black poodle. She got away from the man, and just ran like a shot, a half mile up the street. He kept yelling her name to no avail. I kinda felt responsible and that I should go run after it. But I talked to the wife while the man did that.
The biggest thing was surprised to learn was how much Richardson support there is. I would say I see about as many Richardson signs as anything else, and people often bring him up. If that happens, I always try to slide in Edwards as their second choice. I think his "all troops out now" Iraq policy is the main reason.
I canvassed from about 10-3. Then dropped by and gave Robin the stuff. We got chatting and he was going on and on about why Edwards is gonna win, and Obama doesn't have as much support as he thinks. We debated the fall-out of the various possible finishing orders. I really enjoyed it. I just don't have any friends in Cali that would like to talk about such things ad nauseum. Fun!
Two other things. Both soporific, so please don't read on if you think better of me.
Funniest voter name of the day: "Tani Cac" Say it three times fast.
Funniest street of the day: "B'Jaysville" It runs right by Sigma Pi Fraternity. Hmmmm.
Oh, before I go, "Air One Radio." So, I'm scanning through the FM stations, and I hear some passable rock music and keep it there. After a few minutes, the DJ's come on and I realize they're doing a fundraising drive. They're non-stop with this, NPR-style. I realize they keep talking about the hope that the music from their station brings, which is funny cuz the music is fairly hard. When they mention that you can call in anytime to pray with them, I figure it out. I'm listening to a Christian Rock station in the middle of Iowa. Awesome!
Oh, the final final thing, I got a $5 parking ticket while getting coffee this morning cuz I didn't pay my meter. (For some reason, on a Saturday, in the freezing cold, with snow banked high, I just didn't even consider paying my meter.) But seriously? 5 bucks? Take that San Francisco! I'm moving here. No more 50 dollar tickets for bullshit streetcleaning.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Why?
Meant to do this before.
Why am I in Iowa? What am I doing? Let's make this quick and dirty.
I'm a John Edwards supporter from Oakland, California. I've got family in Iowa, and I wanted to come check out this "democracy" thing. (Where about 100,000 people have an enormously disproportionate effect on the race for leader of a country of 300 million, not mention the "free world" or whatever we're gonna call it when Bush is done.)
Why do I dig JDE? I believe out of control corporations have taken the reigns of our democracy. Don't take my word for it, read David Sirota. He's much smarter than me. http://action.credomobile.com/sirota/2007/11/corporate_interests_have_liter.html
I'm gonna include a picture of Sirota--or as my father now knows him, the Head Gay--and me soon. Oh, a pic of Edwards and me too. I had one lucky week, lemme tell ya.
And while I'm here for Edwards, I'm really here for me! (Maybe I should incorporate? I'm good at this selfish thing.) What I mean by that is that I'm here to learn, and I don't think learning means working for Edwards every second of every day. We shall see.
Why am I in Iowa? What am I doing? Let's make this quick and dirty.
I'm a John Edwards supporter from Oakland, California. I've got family in Iowa, and I wanted to come check out this "democracy" thing. (Where about 100,000 people have an enormously disproportionate effect on the race for leader of a country of 300 million, not mention the "free world" or whatever we're gonna call it when Bush is done.)
Why do I dig JDE? I believe out of control corporations have taken the reigns of our democracy. Don't take my word for it, read David Sirota. He's much smarter than me. http://action.credomobile.com/sirota/2007/11/corporate_interests_have_liter.html
I'm gonna include a picture of Sirota--or as my father now knows him, the Head Gay--and me soon. Oh, a pic of Edwards and me too. I had one lucky week, lemme tell ya.
And while I'm here for Edwards, I'm really here for me! (Maybe I should incorporate? I'm good at this selfish thing.) What I mean by that is that I'm here to learn, and I don't think learning means working for Edwards every second of every day. We shall see.
Fretting
So, amongst my friends and family members I'm very informed. But now I'm among IOWANS. Uh oh.
Seriously, if tomorrow I'm on the phone or at someone's door and they're like, "Yes, Edwards is good on healthcare, but I really think Obama's got him with his Early Childhood Education plan." What am I gonna do?? I don't know the stuff that well.
Of course, the campaign is probably prepared for this by now. They better have a damn good cheat sheet.
And if you don't know what I mean by IOWANS, Aunt Paula has over 10 expertly designed glossy mailers from various Democrats sitting in her recycle bin that have only arrived in the last 2 days! WTF! So that's where the 50 bucks I sent Edwards went....
Seriously, if tomorrow I'm on the phone or at someone's door and they're like, "Yes, Edwards is good on healthcare, but I really think Obama's got him with his Early Childhood Education plan." What am I gonna do?? I don't know the stuff that well.
Of course, the campaign is probably prepared for this by now. They better have a damn good cheat sheet.
And if you don't know what I mean by IOWANS, Aunt Paula has over 10 expertly designed glossy mailers from various Democrats sitting in her recycle bin that have only arrived in the last 2 days! WTF! So that's where the 50 bucks I sent Edwards went....
F$@* Sioux City
Sioux City is far. 315 miles from Iowa City. Almost 5 hours.
Why do I care? Well, various candidates seem to be doing all sorts of events there I want to see, on the days I would like to see them. Nuts.
I sat down at Paula's computer tonight and started cruising websites. Obama's is the prettiest. Edwards was easiest to navigate. Hillary's had a search function that allowed you to filter events by distance, date, and city. (She is best "prepared" methinks.)
Oh, by the way, the drive was uneventful. The I-80 pile-up had been sufficiently towed. I passed 6-7 abandoned cars in the median, max. Listened to podcasts of Ring of Fire episodes from Air America. (Side note: Damn, Chevron is evil. Check this out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/7113903.stm)
Anyhow, I didn't just ogle the big stars. I checked out Biden and Dodd's sites too. I've decided I want to see them in person. Kucinich is not campaigning in Iowa, so he's out.
And Richardson? He's just never interested me much, and when he specifically called out a fellow democrat (Edwards) for "trying to start a class war," he was dead to me. That, and I've heard whispers for over a year from some very different sources that he's got infidelity problems that would come out were he ever to gain the spotlight. By the way, here's Ezra Klein on Richardson labeling himself as the "pro-growth" Democrat: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_economics_of_bill_richardson
How that for using a Republican frame and a Democratic straw man at the same time? Nice job, Bill.
So, tomorrow. As early as I can, I am showing up at Edwards HQ in downtown Iowa City. I'll try to be perky and caffeinated. See what happens. I'm sure I'll be put to work. Going door to door would probably be best, I haven't been to yoga in a month.
Then in the afternoon, I'm heading to Dubuque. Gonna go say hi to grandma and grandpa at Linwood. Then go see Biden at 5pm at the Mississippi River Museum and at 6:30pm, head around the bend to see Hillary at the Grand River Center. (Never heard of that place....)
Why do I care? Well, various candidates seem to be doing all sorts of events there I want to see, on the days I would like to see them. Nuts.
I sat down at Paula's computer tonight and started cruising websites. Obama's is the prettiest. Edwards was easiest to navigate. Hillary's had a search function that allowed you to filter events by distance, date, and city. (She is best "prepared" methinks.)
Oh, by the way, the drive was uneventful. The I-80 pile-up had been sufficiently towed. I passed 6-7 abandoned cars in the median, max. Listened to podcasts of Ring of Fire episodes from Air America. (Side note: Damn, Chevron is evil. Check this out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/7113903.stm)
Anyhow, I didn't just ogle the big stars. I checked out Biden and Dodd's sites too. I've decided I want to see them in person. Kucinich is not campaigning in Iowa, so he's out.
And Richardson? He's just never interested me much, and when he specifically called out a fellow democrat (Edwards) for "trying to start a class war," he was dead to me. That, and I've heard whispers for over a year from some very different sources that he's got infidelity problems that would come out were he ever to gain the spotlight. By the way, here's Ezra Klein on Richardson labeling himself as the "pro-growth" Democrat: http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?article=the_economics_of_bill_richardson
How that for using a Republican frame and a Democratic straw man at the same time? Nice job, Bill.
So, tomorrow. As early as I can, I am showing up at Edwards HQ in downtown Iowa City. I'll try to be perky and caffeinated. See what happens. I'm sure I'll be put to work. Going door to door would probably be best, I haven't been to yoga in a month.
Then in the afternoon, I'm heading to Dubuque. Gonna go say hi to grandma and grandpa at Linwood. Then go see Biden at 5pm at the Mississippi River Museum and at 6:30pm, head around the bend to see Hillary at the Grand River Center. (Never heard of that place....)
Auntie Paula Sends A Warning
Snow stopped early this morning in KC, but Aunt Paula of Iowa City has some news. The stretch of I-80 between Des Moines and Iowa City is so snowed/iced over that tow trucks are no longer going out. I guess it's just a mess. Now, that stretch of highway, normally about a 2 hour drive, is key to my trip.
What to do? I'm gonna get in the minivan. Turn on the heated seat, and head up to Des Moines--about 3 hours drive under normal conditions. Perhaps I'll spend the night there? Perhaps the roads will be better by then? After all, the campaigns are headquartered in Des Moines. Of course, I'm pretty sure all motels are booked solid. So, I guess I'm taking a chance. Cool. About time I got this party started.
What to do? I'm gonna get in the minivan. Turn on the heated seat, and head up to Des Moines--about 3 hours drive under normal conditions. Perhaps I'll spend the night there? Perhaps the roads will be better by then? After all, the campaigns are headquartered in Des Moines. Of course, I'm pretty sure all motels are booked solid. So, I guess I'm taking a chance. Cool. About time I got this party started.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
On your mark, get set, snow!
Tomorrow is the day. Iowa is the place. The family minivan lies in wait. My foot hungers for the gas pedal. Guess what?
Snow! Last report said 2-4 inches. Looks like I may not speed out of KC so fast. Should be over by tomorrow midday. In the meantime, I'll freshen up my snow-driving skills, do some figure eights on the frozen pond.
Snow! Last report said 2-4 inches. Looks like I may not speed out of KC so fast. Should be over by tomorrow midday. In the meantime, I'll freshen up my snow-driving skills, do some figure eights on the frozen pond.
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