We’re live here at the Maytag Family Theater at the 2007 Iowa State Fair. Today’s forum is sponsored by DividedWeFail.org, an advocacy effort led by AARP.

Divided We Fail is a group working to “engage the American people, elected officials and the business community to find broad-based, bi-partisan solutions to the most compelling domestic issues facing the nation.” Those issues include health care and the long-term financial security of Americans.

Republican presidential candidates Mike Huckabee, Duncan Hunter, Mitt Romney, John Cox and Tommy Thompson will be participating in today’s event.

The crowd is beginning to file in the room….

  Everybody is wearing red T-shirts .with the DividedWeFail.org logo.

A little more about Divided We Fail from the handouts we’ve been given: it’s a group that includes AARP, former Republican Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, Communications Workers of America, DeWaay Capital Management, Des Moines University, Easter Seals, Iowa Association of Homes & Services for the Aging, Iowa Caregivers Association, Iowa Credit Union League, Iowa Health Care Association, Long Term Care Guild of Des Moines, Qwest Communications, SEIU Iowa and Wells Dairy.

It’s a steady stream of folks now coming into this wonderful air-conditioned building, as the crew is putting the final touches on the stage set.

Getting close to the start of the program. Most of the seats are full. I’m sitting next to Marc Cooper, contributing editor of The Nation. Having a nice coversation. He’s traveling around Iowa covering the campaign.

Bruce Koeppl, Divided We Fail campaign manager, is now welcoming everyone and explaining the importance of health care and long-term financial security. He said he wants to put a spotlight on these issues and demand answers.

Koeppl is now talking about a pledge card that all of the audience has been given, looking for volunteers to work with their program. “That’s the whole point folks, we’ve got to keep our efforts visible to these candidates.”

Koeppl announced that there will be a Democratic candidates forum on Sept. 20 in Davenport. Another Republican forum will be held in Sioux City on Oct. 25.

Now we’re hearing some stats: only nine minutes of a 90 minute forum was devoted to health care questions at the recent Drake debate.

Ray Hoffmann, chair of Republican party just arrived.

And now…former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is being introduced.

Huckabee: We need to be talking about health care more in these debates. Remarkable that it touches every American and number one economic issue. Thanks to AARP. And also thanks for having this forum in and air-conditioned room!
Huckabee is talking about his time as a governor and dealing with Medicaid. Health care is having an impact on economic development.
Also a personal issue. If I had been here two years ago, there would have been 150 pounds more of me here with you today. I’m now doing things at age 51 that I couldn’t do at age 18.

Health care system is designed so that we wait until people are catastrophically ill. Need fundamental shift to a preventive health system.

Wants people to have personal ownership of their own health care. Not employer-based. People need to know more about the quality of their health care, bring more competition into health care.

Huckabee hopes to have a health care plan by November. More than enough money in the system. Need to truly recognize that chronic disease is the main cost in health care, mostly from unhealthy eating, smoking and other problems.

Talking about time as governor, reducing co-pays and deductibles for preventive exams.
“We give people breaks on company time to smoke, but what about if they want to walk or exercise? We don’t reward people for taking care of themselves.”

This is a cultural shift, it’s transformational. It’s not impossible. We have done it before. Littering, seat belt use, smoking, drunk driving, we’ve changed dramatically the habits of people before we can do it again.

Now time for questions. Huckabee is asked about how 87 percent of Americans feel that health care is important issue. Prescription drug costs are a problem What will you do about it. Provides an an
Also asked about personal retirement security. Need to look at different ways to approach the retirement system. He’s funny, says: Folks, you’re just living too long, and I’m sorry we’re just going to need to take some of you out today. Big laughs. Goes on to talk about some basic changes and then talks about tax code changes and the Fair Tax, getting big applause.

Huckabee wraps up, getting in a plug for support at the straw poll. Ends by saying that health care is a national security issue.

Next up, California Rep. Duncan Hunter. Starts off with a little trouble with his microphone. Begins talking about his son who is serving in Afghanistan. And introduces his other son, Sam, who is with him today. Quick to mention how nice Huckabee is.

Tells a story about a constituent who had to wear a plastic wrist brace. Says the brace couldn’t be worth $10, but the price was over $500.

Need to end the policy that bans purchasing health care policies across state lines. “Let’s let people buy across state lines. You can buy almost anything, but you can’t by a health care policy across state lines.”

Hunter explains some of the problems in health care regarding the inability of people to only purchase coverage for things they will need to be covered for. Get rid of all the state-level mandates added by powerful lobbies in state legislatures.

Hunter wraps it up, and begins taking questions. Question about long-term care, while preserving one’s dignity. He says, wherever possible, he’d like to see a system that works toward keeping senior citizens in their own home. Use tax incentives, incentives to family members, other incentives to encourage people to stay in their homes. Maybe provide tax incentives to home health care providers.

Hunter finishes by saying freedom is the catalyst for improvement. Socialist medicine won’t work. Freedom made this country great, let’s pursue freedom for quality medical care.

And now it’s time for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney. Romney is widely seen as the front-runner here in Iowa, and this is his first appearance at the Iowa State Fair. It will be interesting to see his level of applause.

Romney comes out with his wife, Ann. The only candidate to come out on the stage with somebody else. Romney tells a joke that I didn’t get.

Ann takes the mic and tells everybody how much they love Iowa. And they’ve brought the whole family to the fair, having a great time.

Now Mitt takes the mic, leading off with a story about a car. An American Rambler. Moral of the story, change is good.

Tells his story about getting things done, providing results in the private sector, and fixing problems in government. Making advances in education. Able to balance the budget without raising taxes.

Romney says we keep hearing people year after year talking about fixing health care, but nothing ever gets done. Tells the story about how he got everyone in Massachusetts health insurance by working together with 85 percent Democratic legislature.

Says he doesn’t have a political career. Spent most of his life working in the private sector. Says we need a leader in Washington who will tell the truth and work together to overcome challenges.

Time for questions. First question is from a fifth grade girl. Asks about preventive health care.

Romney says everyone needs to have health insurance, keep families together, live healthier. Second question is from a guy asking about what can be done to improve financial or economic literacy.

Romney talks about teaching people the economics of saving. Problems with credit card purchasing. Helping kids learn more about economics would have a big impact. Also a special savings plan. New tax plan. Zero taxes on savings interest.

Romney is now finishing with his closing remarks. Talks about the Republican party being the party of strength.

After his closing remarks, Romney makes sure to step over into the audience and shake hands with Terry Branstad.

Now it’s time for John Cox. He turned around a failing potato chip business. At least 20 to 25 people just left the room after Romney was done.

Cox begins with basically the same stump speech as  the one he gave earlier at the Des Moines Register soapbox. He’s talking about health care as being no different than any other service or product. No matter what, it can’t escape from the laws of supply and demand. What’s wrong with health care is that there is a huge demand, and not enough supply.
He mentions the British legal system as being a model that has been successful, and not as detrimental to doctors.

Cox keeps hammering away at pure capitalist principles as being the way to bring down health care costs. Supply and demand, and more freedom in the system will bring things back into equilibrium, bring more market efficiencies.

Cox is receiving a question from Sara Swisher, representing SEIU, the largest health care union in the country. Question, what can be done to break the Washington gridlock that has stopped change in health care.

Cox is closing with a talk about his experience in finance, and discusses ways to teach children how to improve their financial security throughout their lives. Says we need to start finding market-based solutions to our problems. The only way that we’re going to be able to address our problems is through the free market.
He finishes by talking about the problem of career politicians. Closes with a call for support in the caucuses.

Our neighbor from the Badger State, former Gov. Tommy Thompson, is now on the stage and really feels in his element. I never would have expected, but Tommy got the loudest welcome of all the candidates here today. He’s got some history with working with this organization on health care issues in the past.

Thompson is the most well-versed on health care issues of the candidates here today. He talks about his long record of working with health care solutions, “I know health care, I speak it, I lecture it. I go all around the country.” He said he also knows about personal health care crises. Pledges to end breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer.

The crowd is really on his side. as he closes.

Thompson is now taking a couple of questions. The first is about Medicare reimbursement rates, something that is a big issue with Iowa having the worst reimbursement rate in the nation.
Second question is about Social Security. He says Medicare is in much worse shape than Social Security. Wants to make sure that kids can start individual thrift accounts for retirement savings.

Tommy is now closing his presentation. He says he passionate about transforming health care, passionate about Social Security. He says he is different than other candidates because he is offering real solutions. Says we have to start solving problems. Stop tearing each other down and start solving problems together.

Branstad is now offering the closing remarks for the event, thanking everyone for being here and taking the initiative with the organization. Urges people to take their role in the presidential process in a very thoughtful way.
That’s all from the Maytag Theater.