Harkin Steak Fry: Which Democrats Basked In The Iowa Sun?

Another perspective on the steak fry I’d like to post a comment on each candidate at the steak fry.  I am not a Democrat, and I ended up at the event because of a friend’s extra ticket.  As an independent voter, here is my short analysis of the fundraiser:

Obama was first, and I was impressed by the way his supporters assembled.  The volume of Obama signs in the very front showed that there was a very dedicated group of people who wanted to make themselves look as strong as possible.  I daresay they succeeded.  Most everything he said before sounded familiar to me–he wasn’t as inspiring as I was expecting.  He was well-received by the crowd, but was not at all specific about his policy.  I do think of him as a politician who does not pander to his audience, and I wonder if that is a reason why he stayed away from mentioning his convictions.  I’m still not sure if I’d be able to support him.  He did mention his critic’s baby, his lack of experience–I like how he used that to show that his political education has been outside of Washington.

Next was Bill Richardson, a candidate toward whom I have very positive feelings.  He sounded better than I’ve ever heard him.  I’ve heard his policies a few times before, so what stood out for me was the way he took command of a crowd of Obama and Hillary signbearers.  I’ve been a little worried about whether or not he can get supporters fired up, but today was the best I’ve seen of him.  He was speaking loudly and clearly and stirring emotions.  I noticed that he was more vocal about how he plans to take care of education, and I was pleased that he was the most specific of all six candidates on exactly what he would try to do as President.  He pledged to have capable people as his Cabinet and Secretaries.  He’s the only candidate I’ve heard who seems to be aware that he will be a member of a team in the Executive branch.  I expect this event to give his numbers a boost after being steady for the last few months.

Hillary Clinton was third, and I think I was a little irritated with her before she spoke.  During the 90-minute trip from town, I saw hundreds of Hillary yard signs, some of them suggesting that she is the candidate for change.  When she stood up for her fifteen minutes, it became more apparent that she would use the same Washington paradigm–working with lobbyists and using the existing health care framework in her plan.  Edwards claimed later that one cannot just announce that they are the candidate for change, but one must fight against the powers that keep things the same.  Clinton, I believe has a better policy for Iraq than anybody but Biden, but she didn’t spend much time talking about it.  I really hope the Democrats can see through her claims about change.  She really is one of the best Senators in this country, but I think that’s something that holds her back: she knows how to play politics, but I think she’s trying to “use the Master’s tools to dismantle the Master’s house”

Chris Dodd confused me, as an audience member.  The first half of his time onstage was spent talking about how great Tom Harkin is.  I very much agree with him, but I would have liked to hear more about Chris.  All I really gathered from his time onstage was that he thinks receipt of mail from “both AARP and Diaper Services” qualifies him for America’s highest office.  I was really disappointed.

I’ve gone back and forth on John Edwards.  I don’t agree with him on a lot of domestic issues, and sometimes he sounds a bit naive to me.  I was shocked by him today.  He sounded very much like he wanted to be President.  He called his greatest strength to the table by promising to tell Americans the truth about the nation, and I am now convinced that he is being honest in his promise.  I can already tell that I won’t always agree with him, but he’s earned my respect as a candidate.  I am usually suspicious about candidates using anecdotes to tell a story (and I was uncomfortable about Obama and Dodd’s stories of voter conversations), but I think I understand Edwards’ commitment to health care after he told of a man who waited fifty years for a break that allowed him to speak.  I’m still reeling from my surprise at Edwards’ performance.

Biden was last, and he did well considering that many Democrats were walking uphill to try and beat traffic.  Joe Biden kept his remarks short and serious; his few minutes had less of a rallying theme.  I have to admit that I started walking during his speech, and I’m sure I missed something brilliant.

Overall, I would say that winners today were, in order, John Edwards for his message, Barack Obama for his show of organization and support, and Tom Harkin for the hundreds of thousands of dollars coming to his arsenal.  I really hate the way that money plays into politics, but it is nice to go to bed tonight knowing that Harkin could bury any opponent in the wads this fundraiser brought in.

& for the record, my steak was undercooked.

Where Was Dennis? I guess if you aren’t going to spout the agreed upon middle-of – the road, corporate bs, you aren’t going to be allowed to attend democractic debates and events. It doesn’t matter if you poll higher than at least two of the other invitees. Wouldn’t want to let people hear from the candidate who really wants to change business as usual in Washington. Shame on Tom Harkin.
For many years I have given him credit for being something of a populist and an independent thinker – guess not.

Another perspective on the steak fry I'd like to post a comment on each candidate at the steak fry.  I am not a Democrat, and I ended up at the event because of a friend's extra ticket.  As an independent voter, here is my short analysis of the fundraiser:

Obama was first, and I was impressed by the way his supporters assembled.  The volume of Obama signs in the very front showed that there was a very dedicated group of people who wanted to make themselves look as strong as possible.  I daresay they succeeded.  Most everything he said before sounded familiar to me–he wasn't as inspiring as I was expecting.  He was well-received by the crowd, but was not at all specific about his policy.  I do think of him as a politician who does not pander to his audience, and I wonder if that is a reason why he stayed away from mentioning his convictions.  I'm still not sure if I'd be able to support him.  He did mention his critic's baby, his lack of experience–I like how he used that to show that his political education has been outside of Washington.

Next was Bill Richardson, a candidate toward whom I have very positive feelings.  He sounded better than I've ever heard him.  I've heard his policies a few times before, so what stood out for me was the way he took command of a crowd of Obama and Hillary signbearers.  I've been a little worried about whether or not he can get supporters fired up, but today was the best I've seen of him.  He was speaking loudly and clearly and stirring emotions.  I noticed that he was more vocal about how he plans to take care of education, and I was pleased that he was the most specific of all six candidates on exactly what he would try to do as President.  He pledged to have capable people as his Cabinet and Secretaries.  He's the only candidate I've heard who seems to be aware that he will be a member of a team in the Executive branch.  I expect this event to give his numbers a boost after being steady for the last few months.

Hillary Clinton was third, and I think I was a little irritated with her before she spoke.  During the 90-minute trip from town, I saw hundreds of Hillary yard signs, some of them suggesting that she is the candidate for change.  When she stood up for her fifteen minutes, it became more apparent that she would use the same Washington paradigm–working with lobbyists and using the existing health care framework in her plan.  Edwards claimed later that one cannot just announce that they are the candidate for change, but one must fight against the powers that keep things the same.  Clinton, I believe has a better policy for Iraq than anybody but Biden, but she didn't spend much time talking about it.  I really hope the Democrats can see through her claims about change.  She really is one of the best Senators in this country, but I think that's something that holds her back: she knows how to play politics, but I think she's trying to “use the Master's tools to dismantle the Master's house”

Chris Dodd confused me, as an audience member.  The first half of his time onstage was spent talking about how great Tom Harkin is.  I very much agree with him, but I would have liked to hear more about Chris.  All I really gathered from his time onstage was that he thinks receipt of mail from “both AARP and Diaper Services” qualifies him for America's highest office.  I was really disappointed.

I've gone back and forth on John Edwards.  I don't agree with him on a lot of domestic issues, and sometimes he sounds a bit naive to me.  I was shocked by him today.  He sounded very much like he wanted to be President.  He called his greatest strength to the table by promising to tell Americans the truth about the nation, and I am now convinced that he is being honest in his promise.  I can already tell that I won't always agree with him, but he's earned my respect as a candidate.  I am usually suspicious about candidates using anecdotes to tell a story (and I was uncomfortable about Obama and Dodd's stories of voter conversations), but I think I understand Edwards' commitment to health care after he told of a man who waited fifty years for a break that allowed him to speak.  I'm still reeling from my surprise at Edwards' performance.

Biden was last, and he did well considering that many Democrats were walking uphill to try and beat traffic.  Joe Biden kept his remarks short and serious; his few minutes had less of a rallying theme.  I have to admit that I started walking during his speech, and I'm sure I missed something brilliant.

Overall, I would say that winners today were, in order, John Edwards for his message, Barack Obama for his show of organization and support, and Tom Harkin for the hundreds of thousands of dollars coming to his arsenal.  I really hate the way that money plays into politics, but it is nice to go to bed tonight knowing that Harkin could bury any opponent in the wads this fundraiser brought in.

& for the record, my steak was undercooked.

Why didn't Iowa voters get to hear ALL the canidates? Where was Dennis Kucinich?  He polls better than Biden or Richardson, but I guess the Democratic Party did not see fit to let the folks of Iowa hear from him at this important meet up.  What a shame for the democratic process of selecting a presidential candidate.

Kuccinich Excluded from Harkin DLC Steak Fry Kuccinich was excluded from the DLC Harkin Steak Fry, because he is the only candidate serious about returning this country to constitutional rule.  Kuccinich has been consistent about ending the Iraq Occupation IMMEDIATELY, restoring our country's autonomy over our trade deals and insisting on trade deals which benefit our main street instead of only Wall Street.  Kuccinich has consistently called for SINGLE PAYER MEDICARE FOR ALL, which PUTS THE FOR PROFIT HEALTH INSURANCE COMPANIES OUT OF BUSINESS.  KUCCINICH HAS PROTESTED THE STRIPPING OF OUR BILL OF RIGHTS AND HAS ADVOCATED TO REPEAL PATRIOT, MILITARY COMMISSIONS, EXECUTIVE ORDERS AND SIGNING STATEMENTS, ETC., AND PUSHED FOR RESTORATION OF OUR RIGHTS.  KUCCINICH IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO WILL REPRESENT THE PEOPLE, AND NOT THE FASCIST CORPORATIONS.  MY VOTE AND MY SUPPORT GOES ENTIRELY TO KUCCINICH. I VOTED 'LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS' FOR THE LAST TIME IN NOVEMBER '06.  REMEMBER, 'LESSER OF THE TWO EVILS' IS STILL EVIL.  THE DLC RECOMMENDATIONS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH.

SIGN ME,

JEANINE MOLLOFF

IRATE YANKEE