January 27, 2007
On The Trail: In It To Win The Iowa Caucuses
DES MOINES - A bumper sticker hangs from Aggie Snyder’s refrigerator in Des Moines. It’s been there for a couple of years – just waiting for Snyder to put it on her vehicle. The Hillary Clinton bumper sticker holds fond memory for the retired nurse.
Snyder was among a large crowd attending the New York senator’s booking signing that swung through Iowa. The Des Moines Democrats recalls that day vividly as she was nearly asked to leave because she was loud and
boisterous in urging the former First Lady to seek the Oval Office.
“I kept screaming, ‘Run, Hillary Run,” Snyder said. “I about got thrown out because I was so vocal. I truly thought she could beat (President George W.) Bush.”
It’s likely the Democratic senator remembers the Des Moines woman’s insisting she take her campaign to the next level. However, Snyder saw her dream come true Saturday at East High School in Des Moines.
Synder, who walks with the assistance of a cane, braved the cold temperatures and slick road and sidewalk conditions to see her vision become a reality.
“I have followed Hillary very closely,” she said. “It is a very happy day for me.”
Sen. Clinton made her exploratory announcement last Saturday, and she has Snyder’s support. And, it isn’t because she is a woman, the retired nurse insisted.
“I think she is very smart and can fix what Bush has messed up,” Snyder said. “I knew it was a matter of time and here she is.”
Snyder was one of the first people through the doors at East High School. The doors for the event were scheduled to open at 11:30 a.m., an hour before the senator’s scheduled arrival. But, the high school gymnasium was
nearly packed by 11:20 a.m. From the appearance of gymnasium’s appearance, one could not tell Clinton is polling tied for third with former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack in Iowa, according to the last Zogby Poll.
The crowd was a blend of senior citizens and young children attending the event with their parents. High in the bleachers was a young child, about preschool age, smiling as she proudly held a Children 4 Clinton sign. In
another part of the gymnasium was Marcella Mujic, a 17-year-old foreign exchange student from Bosnia.
Mujic learned this week from her Roosevelt High School teacher that the senator would be speaking down the road. It was an opportunity she did not want to miss.
“I really wanted to see her and what she is talking about,” said Mujic, who admits she follows American politics closely. “I liked her husband (former President Bill Clinton) and I wanted to see if she is as great.”
Congressman Leonard Boswell, D-Des Moines, introduced the senator to the large crowd, which hundreds of other attending the event had to be moved to an overflow room due to space limitations.
“She was a great First Lady and is a great U.S. Senator,” the congressman said. “She went back to her state in November and they re-elected her with 67 percent of the vote. Hillary, we wish you success, let the conversation
begin.”
Sen. Clinton, like many of the candidates are using new technology such as web casts on the internet and web sites to deliver their campaign messages, but she vowed to return to the old school ways of visiting with
Iowans in their living rooms, church suppers, town halls, etc. – the foundation for which brought the Iowa Caucuses to prominence and followed by the national media.
“I am going to do it the old fashioned way in living rooms and church basements,” she said. “I want to have this one-on-one communication.”
It was a communication Snyder has been longing to hear. It is conversation Americans has desired for the past six years, Clinton cited in reference to the Bush Administration. That is a conversation that has been one-sided
for the last six years, Clinton said.
No Child Left Behind was discussed several times in the town hall meeting and Des Moines teacher Alan Young said the federal government should seek more input from teacher and administrator – those who work the most
closely with students before handing down questionable legislation.
“We need to develop human beings and citizens,” Young said, “and teach them how to be productive in a Democratic society – and not just someone who is judged on test scores.”
Sen. Clinton agreed stating the legislation much be readdressed by the next president.
“Test scores do not equate to learning,” she said. They can record a measure of time, she added.
The large crowd from Central Iowa also witnessed a significant media frenzy, which saw familiar faces from network television. But, the senator also drew an international media audience, including four of the largest
news outlets in Great Britain. The reason for the British press corps is due to Sen. Clinton’s name recognition, said Andrew Buncombe, a reporter with British newspaper, The Independent.
Universal health care, reducing the country’s dependency on foreign oil and improving education have been hot topics along the campaign trail. Sen. Clinton touched on them all citing the importance of making of all
them a reality. However, when it comes to the former First Lady, she addressed what many in the nation have asked. Can a woman be elected president?
“I am going to try with your help,” she said. “I am going to ask people to vote for who would make the best president.”
And, she said she has a lifetime of experiences that best suit her to assume the Oval Office in January 2009.
"I am running for president and I am in it to win it," Sen. Clinton said. [CHRIS DORSEY]
Dorsey is a reporter for Iowa Politics.com, a member of the Hotline Political Network. For more, go to www.iowapolitics.com.
Posted at 08:05 PM
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