Obama In Iowa: Setting The Scene

SOMEWHERE IN EASTERN IOWA -- Sen. Barack Obama begins a two-day, five city swing through central and eastern Iowa and will resist the temptation to refer to, or defer to, the great big beast to his West: the specter of the Clintons, side by side, telling thousands of Iowans that Obama, in effect, is not qualified to be president.

Two dozen journalists, including Lynn Sweet, a dean of the Obama press corps, will accompany Obama for these two days. We're aboard the "Audacity One," a name I completely made up two seconds ago, and about halfway between Des Moines and Keokuk. Obama aides Josh Earnest and Tommy Vietor are keeping close watch on our cynicism and plying us with confections. (Yes, the journalists will be billed -- keep your hats on).

Obama's counterprogramming will be Seinfeldian -- it consists of nothing. Instead of major speeches, raucus message events and town halls, Obama will speak to what to him are fairly small crowds. They're billed as "grassroots" events and "family" events. He will keep his remarks brief and spend more time than usual working the ropelines. Town hall meetings are not Obama's forte -- in the immortal words of a fellow journalist, his turning radius on certain answers is akin to that of an aircraft carrier.

So instead of taking questions, Obama will take the time to meet Iowans one and one. Speaking of that number: smaller meetings are often the most efficient way to convince Democrats to caucus. Personal contact turns might-caucusers into definite-caucusers -- "ones" in the lingua franca of campaign operations.

Obama advisers claim that their candidate does not enjoy the same degree of name identification as John Edwards and Hillary Clinton -- and that these smaller, intimate visits help quench voters' thirst for knowledge about Obama. Aides to Clinton and Edwards scoff at the very notion that Obama has anything less than universal name identification among likely Iowa caucus goers. In December, it was true enough. But Obama's campaign launch generated more publicity than any other presidential candidate in history -- publicity reaching the level usually reserved for presidential nominees.

Certainly, these voters have more to learn about Obama than they do the other two. The campaign is airing biographical ads on television and radio and has started to target Iowa-based websites with internet video. Some 30,000 Iowans received a biographical video of Obama's life.

Here are some more numbers:

As of next week, his Iowa campaign will have almost 30 functioning field offices and about 40 full-time employees. 1,500 volunteers canvassed for Obama in Iowa in June, knocking on 30,000 doors.

Obama has so far visited 26 counties. (99 isn't the aim yet).

The campaign has held organizational meetings in all 99 counties.

Crowdwise, Obama attracted 10,000 to an April event in Iowa City and 6,500 to an event in Ames.

Comments

The campaign team of Hillary may have made a big mistake by bringing President Clinton and Sen Hillary to Iowa to campaign. I do not have anything against Hillary or Clinton but everything that happened in their first campaign together was very artificial and phony. They were trying to be like Nancy and Reagan, holding hands like Nancy and Reagan, even trying to walk like Nancy and Reagan. The major problem was that it just did not fit. It simply looked artificial and phony.

The worst mistake is to have Hillary speak after Clinton. President Clinton is simply a natural. Clinton can tell lies but you can hardly believe he is telling lies. For example, he made up a story that Hillary turned down lucrative job to come and work for the poor after she graduated from Law School. President Clinton forgot that the Rose Law Firm, which formerly employed Hillary Rodham Clinton, was the focus of investigations related to the Clinton family's business dealings, including the Whitewater development. However, coming out of the mouth of Bill Clinton it sounded believable. It is very difficult to dislike Bill Clinton just as it was difficult to dislike Ronald Reagan both men are by nature, natural. But there is something about Hillary that is not right. Many people do not know but they simply know that something is not just right. I think this may explain the reason why everything about her appears very artificial.

May be part of the reason is the artificial transformation that Hillary has under gone. Everything about Hillary has gone through changes including name. From Mrs. Clinton to Hillary Clinton, to Hillary Rodham to Hillary Rodham-Clinton to Senator Clinton to Senator Hillary Clinton to Senator Hillary and now just HILLARY. This may explain why she has such high unfavorable rating among American people. America like originality and can easily overlook ones short coming like Reagan

Posted by Amos Ajo | July 3, 2007 12:45 PM

Obama comes across as an honest, respectable, pragmatic person with a clear thought process as opposed to Hilary.

Hilary looks like an oppurtunistic person who would go to any distance to realize her lust for power. However she plays her cards well, the trumps being 'Clinton's charisma', the 'only women' in the lot and last but not the least, 'the clinton infidelity' scandal that went public. I don't think Hilary should be elected to office for all these wrong reasons. Everytime she opens her mouth, the 'phony' alarm blares so loud.

Posted by Vijay | July 3, 2007 5:34 PM

You are the lucky ones. I'd much rather be with an authentic candidate than one who has been spin-doctored and programed, relying on her husband's coattails. Keep an eye on those grassroots for us; they will probably let you know who is going to win the prize in this race.

Posted by Mark in Arlington | July 3, 2007 5:40 PM

I agree completely to Amos that there is somthing about hillary that is not right you might not put a finger to it but you can fill it. My thougt is that Hillary is so nervous and so hungry for this possition-she wants it so bad!! that she can just put a face just to get it. Always when you try to look and appear to be what you are not you will always look phony and people will fill it. Contrary Obama is doing preaty well in his appearance!

Posted by Lea Musi | July 3, 2007 9:14 PM

I gave my first donation this year. I made a contribution to Obama's campaign. He is the answer to what America needs. We need someone who will make the decision right the first time. Someone who will not just go with the flow. We need someone who will make difficult decisions. He has shown me that he has the strength and courage to make the right decisions. He is what Amercia needs.

Posted by Ethel Weaver | July 4, 2007 8:37 AM

Only Barack Obama can guarantee that he will carry out the change we need so we go forward for positive new ways to lead this country. From watching Hillary's stump speeches we can say that she is relying completely on the political machinery that has been laid out for her by her husbands popularity and connections. She intentionally blurs the line between herself and her husband in order to snag voters who "miss bill." This is unethical. Her subliminal message is "two for the price of one" and voting for her would amount to supporting the same image driven "fox news" tactics which have plagued our system so profoundly in the last decade. Look for substance rather than association. I hope there are enough intelligent voters who aren't lured and misguided by this phony couple. Her experience can only tell us about her corruption. People must see her in Michael Moore’s latest movie Sicko to witness how she earns her experience and pockets big money as she sells her soul and this country. The crowd we see is only curiosity and a chance for people to see why they have to look somewhere else. Their scheme will backfire against Hillary. Their noticeable "colorful outfits" is part of their strategy to forcefully get more attention. Americans are intelligent and they will see now more clearly their hidden dirty intentions.

Posted by Richard Hildner | July 4, 2007 10:53 PM

Attacking Obama is not a wise campaign move for Hillary this early in the game. By mentioning her opponent, by discussing his past and his present endeavors she is putting herself on the same playing field as Obama (weather she is or is not is another question). By openly critiquing Obama she has admitted to the public that she is not only a contestant in the race, but that she has not clinched the race. Hilary has been acting and speaking as if she is not only the front runner but a ensured democratic nomination.

I believe Obama needs to step outside himself in the next debate, and begin to talk not as the leader of the democratic party, not merely as the front runner. It is time that Obama addresses America and the audience during his speeches. Instead of playing tit-for-tat with the other candidates on stage speak directly to the audience without giving credence to others. It worked for Kennedy, it should work Obama. Time will tell.

Posted by goldfinger21 | July 4, 2007 11:29 PM