Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
DES MOINES — In this iconic Iowa building, Veterans Memorial Auditorium, site of hundreds of scrapbook-making high school basketball games, that elusive, unseen energy known as momentum has something of a ghostly presence.
On Saturday night, during a marathon Jefferson-Jackson Dinner and political rally that lasted nearly five hours, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama seemed to have more of the Vets magic in his campaign. With more than 9,000 people in attendance Obama earned the loudest ovations, most sustained applause, and when he was first introduced, near the beginning of the dinner, the auditorium hit its energy apex.
In the western reaches of the balcony Obama supporters filled the arena with timed back-and-forth chants of “fired up, ready to go.” Iowa Independent’s Lynda Waddington has a post explaining the origins of the now-trademark Obama cheer.
Tommy Vietor, Obama’s Iowa press secretary, said about 3,000 of the people in attendance were Obama supporters. Vietor was pushing the spin that the strong Obama showing is something of a warm-up to the actual caucuses and shows his man has the right stuff organization-wise.
Some Obama supporters held county signs similar the state buoys national convention delegates hold. No telling how many of Obama’s supporters were from Iowa, and how many came from neighboring Illinois, something U.S. Sen. Joe Biden joked about during his introduction when he welcomed both Iowans and Chicagoans to the JJ Dinner.
When Obama addressed the crowd, near the end of the night, he received some strong applause when he mentioned his experience in Chicago — a clear sign that some had made the trip from the Windy City. But the applause was not overwhelming. Still it reminded me of the scene in the movie “The Great Escape” when an escaped British prisoner of war is tricked into revealing his disguise when a German uses a throwaway pleasantry, “Have a nice day,” to get the POW to accidently slip into English and say “Thank you.” The Obama campaign should have had its people remain silent during any reference to Chicago. Minor thing, though.
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Former Story County Democratic Party Chair Phyllis Peters of Ames (a Glidden native) talked with Iowa Independent from her table near the center stage. She’s a big-time Hillary Clinton supporter.
“I think she’s ready to step into the office and get things done immediately,” Peters said. “I think she’ll bring really exceptional talent with her and I’m not such a left-winger. I think there’s a lot to be gained from governing from the center because I really think apart from events like this that’s where the real people are in this country.”
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U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., had the main press room laughing over one of the more obscure literary references you’ll ever a politician make.
After hearing U.S. Sen. Joe Biden sing the praises of the Irish poet Seamus Haney, Pelosi actually suggested that people read Haney’s “newest translation of Beowulf.”
We’re among the best-educated people in the nation here in Iowa, but that’s pushing it. The JJ Dinner isn’t exactly Shakespeare in the park in Boulder, Colorado, Mrs. Speaker.
Iowa Congressman Leonard Boswell auctioned off Pelosi’s scarf for $6,000. She did sign it, though.
One had to wonder if Pelosi’s presence as the emcee was meant to send any sort of pro-Hillary signal.
“What’s it like to be the first woman Speaker of the House?” Pelosi asked in her opening remarks. “It’s absolutely fabulous.”
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While I was credentialed for the main press file room with nationally recognized journalists (Tim Russert event stopped in for a while) I spent most of the evening milling around the tables. During the final two speeches — Obama’s and Clinton’s — I stood near a table of firefighters for U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.
It had a been a long night. The event started around 7 p.m. and people had found their seats before that. A few of the firefighters had a couple of pops of booze. (Remember that old joke, from Johnny Carson I think: I could never be a volunteer firefighter because I can’t drink a 12-pack of beer without throwing up. A fireman from Carroll told me that joke.)
As Hillary Clinton spoke some of these firefighters, one in particular, made several, shall we say, uncomplimentary remarks about her. But when Obama spoke there didn’t appear to be the same animus. They listened. Which speaks volumes. If on caucus night these guys find their guy, Dodd, with a viability problem, one would guess, based on admittedly anecdotal and late-night evidence to boot, that they’d be more likely to move to Obama than Dodd.
Here’s something else to support that theory. My friend, Dr. Steven Kraus of Carroll, sat next to Obama for more than an hour Saturday night. Kraus told me today that Obama has a high regard to Dodd — that it’s clear to Kraus two senators genuinely like each other as people. “I could tell they have a lot of mutual respect for each other,” Kraus said. I just interviewed Kraus and will soon have another post on his dinner with Obama …
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Two announced candidates for Congress in the Fifth Congressional District — Bob Chambers of Essex and Rob Hubler of Council Bluffs — chatted with Iowa Independent in the hallways outside of Vet’s before the event. One major topic: Would Joyce Schulte of Creston, the Democratic nominee in 2004 and 2006 run again? As a it turns out, Iowa Independent spotted Schulte at the JJ Dinner, too, and posed the question directly.
Schulte said she is weighing her options and hasn’t decided. When asked if she was leaning more “green light or red light” on a possible third bid to unseat U.S. Rep. Steve King, Schulte said it depended on what time of day she was thinking about a candidacy.
Iowa Independent also spoke briefly with State Rep. Paul Shomshor, D-Council Bluffs, who ran against King in 2002. Unlikely he’ll take a shot now against King. But with growing legislative experience and that southwest Iowa base perhaps another run is in Shomshor’s future?
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