Candidates Grovel to Residents of Iowa and New Hampshire

[The Yankee]

For someone that hardly makes threads, all this activity by me is startling! Anyway...

It must be within twenty stone's throws away from a presidential election season. So what better way to show off your patriotism than by kowtowing to Iowans and New Hampshirites?

Source

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) -- Fourth of July virtually everywhere is about flags, firetrucks, floats, balloons, signs and cotton candy. In Iowa, visiting presidential candidates are in the mix.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton walked hand in hand with her husband former President Bill Clinton in a sunny, postcard-perfect holiday parade Wednesday in this north-central Iowa lakeside town.

Iowa is among the earliest presidential delegate-selection states, and some 10,000 people were expected here. Many White House aspirants already have crossed these highways, visited the farms and broken bread in the coffee shops, in the earliest-ever jockeying for the parties' presidential nominations.

Nearly every corner of the state received campaign attention this holiday week as Democrats Barack Obama, Clinton, Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, and Republicans Mitt Romney and Sam Brownback mingled with voters, held town-hall meetings and addressed large crowds.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson had New Hampshire to himself from Tuesday to Friday and packed his schedule with three parades and two fireworks displays in the early-primary state.

Veterans led Wednesday's parade, which included a float featuring a woman dressed as a gold Statue of Liberty. Sen. Clinton followed closely, causing a long wait between floats. Romney also marched -- further back.

Clinton wore khaki pants and a white cotton shirt. Her husband sported a blue polo shirt and jeans. Walking behind two black Suburbans followed by two flatbed trucks carrying media, they held hands and frequently waved at the crowd.
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People clapped and whistled as she walked by, and marching supporters kept in step behind her, many dressed in blue and handing out leaflets, bottled water and candy.

Romney supporters, dressed mostly in white and carrying banners and signs, shouted "Let's Go Mitt" as they marched in front of a posh tour bus with the candidates' name splashed across the sides.

Romney, wearing a white polo shirt and khakis, was joined by one of his sons on the parade route. His son, Josh, is traveling to every county in the state. He stopped and waved and said hello with people lining the parade route, which was miles-long.

Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colorado, also seeking the GOP nod, had a small float driven by a red truck and featuring many American flags.

Firetrucks carrying a group of cheerleaders rallied the crowd with shouts of "Let's get fired up" between the candidates, and the high school band marched through. Three fighter jets flew in formation overhead.

People dressed in red-white-and-blue lined the streets for blocks along the parade route, waving flags. And some held up political signs and wore stickers. Parties were under way at many of the homes along the parade route.

Lyle Mackey, 72, of Mason City, attended the parade with his wife and found a nice spot in the shade to watch as Bill and Hillary Clinton came by.

"We're delighted to have them here," said Mackey, who was sporting a Hillary sticker. "It shows a side of Hillary that most people don't know. To see her in person, out among the people walking and waving and so forth, it just gives an up-close friendly approach."

Alyson Vorland, playing clarinet with the Clear Lake High School band, said, "It gets the town on the map and our already big parade around here."

The savvy 14-year-old said she knows that the candidates are looking for votes.

"The people here are both really front-runners for the presidency and they're here looking for publicity," she said. "It's really neat that they chose our town ... especially on such a great holiday like the Fourth of July."

Seventeen-year-old John Ehlers of Austin, Texas, who traveled to visit family here, said he hasn't gotten around to paying much attention to the candidates, but will catch up when he gets closer to his 18th birthday.

"It's kind of an interesting thing. I've always come up here for the Fourth, but never really thought of it as much of a political hot spot until (I heard) what the family was saying about former presidents coming here," he said.

In other campaign news:
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# Biden at a Des Moines news conference, announced the endorsements of three Iowa state representatives.

# Dodd began streaming live video from his Web site, beginning with a visit to Ottumwa, Iowa.

I know that the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primaries are the first in the nation and thus, a winner there gains all kind of free media coverage. But why should Iowa and New Hampshire get to set the tone for the country?

Yes, defenders will say that small states should always have a role, yet they already have equal representation in the Senate and they often benefit by having more tax dollars going into those states than being taken out. However, why should it be small states? And why should it be these particular states?

Also the political calendar has shifted quite a bit for 2008, these two states still pack a big punch. Frankly, I wouldn't be all that surprised if last-minute position jockeying results in Iowa having their caucus just before the 2007 calendar closes.

But tell me why a resident of these two states can get up close and personal with every candidate every cycle and even demand that it be so when reports of candidates skipping states come in?

I'm thinking that for the 2012 cycle, I'll just go to one of these states just to get a piece of the action.

 

[bhsup]

On the surface, this goes against my States' Rights stance, but I would indeed support a Constitutional amendment banning primaries and caucuses more than 6 months prior to an election on the Federal level. These campaigns are insanely long, and placing a cap on the time frame would probably see a lot of States place it right at the max distance, would could make for a far more varied result and much livelier conventions.

 

[sonorakitch]

I have been pulling my hair out with the early campaigning for this 2008 election cycle. These candidates (all of them) are going to drive me up a wall soon, and I don't know how I can put up with it for another 17 months.

But I think I came to the realization that this isn't the newer, better Presidential campaign timeline. It is simply that Bush has become such a lame duck (his hands are tied for the count) that the shifting of power is just happening earlier.

Anyways, you rise a good point in asking why Iowa and New Hampshire play such an important role in selecting our next President. I would contend that these two states have a pretty good record of showing the worthless candidates to the door and maintain the moderate, appealing ones. I am certainly glad a state like Vermont doesn't have such sway in determining early primary victors.

~Chris

 

[The Yankee]

But I think I came to the realization that this isn't the newer, better Presidential campaign timeline. It is simply that Bush has become such a lame duck (his hands are tied for the count) that the shifting of power is just happening earlier.

It's also because there's a good chance we will have a nominee by February 6th. Of course, if the "Super-Duper-Tuesday" comes up with split decisions, we'll have to put up with it until March, then focus on the two nominees going after each other for eight months.

Anyways, you rise a good point in asking why Iowa and New Hampshire play such an important role in selecting our next President. I would contend that these two states have a pretty good record of showing the worthless candidates to the door and maintain the moderate, appealing ones. I am certainly glad a state like Vermont doesn't have such sway in determining early primary victors.

~Chris

Maybe so, but it also propels someone like John Kerry to the top. The keys to winning those states either lie with huge name recognition or the fact that you've set up a second residence there.

I'll even give a few small states the early votes. But why must it be Iowa and New Hampshire and not Delware and Wyoming? What is so special about the Iowa and New Hampshire votes that they throw fits any time another state even thinks of having a vote within a short time after their votes?

Seriously, I think by 2012 (or, well, 2011 or even 2010), I'll just take an extended vacation and go to one of these states if I want to learn about the candidates. That'll really mess with them!

 

[.Shane.]

On the surface, this goes against my States' Rights stance, but I would indeed support a Constitutional amendment banning primaries and caucuses more than 6 months prior to an election on the Federal level. These campaigns are insanely long, and placing a cap on the time frame would probably see a lot of States place it right at the max distance, would could make for a far more varied result and much livelier conventions.

While we can quibble on the details, I'm 100% w/ you on the philosophy here.

 

[The Yankee]

On the surface, this goes against my States' Rights stance, but I would indeed support a Constitutional amendment banning primaries and caucuses more than 6 months prior to an election on the Federal level. These campaigns are insanely long, and placing a cap on the time frame would probably see a lot of States place it right at the max distance, would could make for a far more varied result and much livelier conventions.

The states would still have the right to set dates anywhere within that time frame. You're right...considering we could have a winner at the beginning of February and the conventions won't arrive until late August/early September, that means there are six full months of candidates spending "primary" money, without having to go to general election cash. That makes for different campaign strategy also.

But...if we did have a federally mandated start to primary season, it would stop the strange probability that Iowa would set a caucus on the calendar year before the actual presidential election.