Every four years, Iowa, an unremarkable US state known chiefly for its flatness and corn,buzzes with political activity. Since 1972, the state has held the first caucus of each presidential season, bringing the nation’s media and attention to the heart of the Midwest.
This January, each of the 1,997 precincts in Iowa hosts a caucus of registered Democrats to elect delegates, alternates, and convention committee members to the county conventions that will eventually decide on the mandate given to their delegates at next July’s convention in Boston.
However, over the past few months, activists and voters have had unprecedented access to presidential candidates, as each campaign has attempted to rouse activists, fundraise, and get increased exposure. Annual Jefferson Jackson Day celebrations (held by state Democratic parties across the US in honour of two of the party’s most influential presidents) were just such an opportunity. This yearâ’s Iowa ‘JJ’, held in November, was a mammoth affair, attended not only by local Democrats, but also by national party members and staff, as well as journalists from around the world. Over 8,000 people watched six of the nine Democratic presidential contenders take part in two hours of political stump speeches, compered by Senator Hillary Clinton.
Campaigns for Howard Dean, John Edwards and John Kerry packed the arena with supporters waving signs and chanting campaign cheers. Despite leading the polls in Iowa, Richard Gephardt was greeted with muted murmurs. He appeared to have misjudged the event, saving his funds and his supporters for another day.
Students and young people made up the greater part of Howard Dean’s troops, coming from across the country to volunteer in Iowa. Dean spoke of unity and the need to focus on the long-term goal of recovering the Oval Office. A firm opponent of the war in Iraq, he said: We’ve lost over 400 young people in Iraq, and we’re not only there because of George Bush. It’s because we didn’t fight hard enough to stop him.’ And as one of only two Democrat candidates to refuse federal campaign funds, he declared that ‘The way to defeat Bush is to get $100 apiece from two million people. It is unacceptable to say, when it’s all too late, we didn’t try hard enough.’
Launching a new campaign slogan, Kerry supporters waved their signs energetically as the political veteran delivered a well-crafted, if initially lacklustre, speech. ‘Stand up if you’re willing to give America a real deal, shut down the raw deal,’ Kerry said. ‘If George Bush wants to make national security an issue in this campaign, I have three words for him: Bring it on. Bring it on.’
Gephardt stuck to his campaign’s basic themes, calling Bush ‘the vanishing president’. ‘Everything we want to find we’re losing,’ he said, referring to jobs, healthcare and terrorist leaders like Osama bin Laden. ‘We gotta make George Bush vanish!’ he concluded. Kerry summed up for everyone by calling on the state’s voters: ‘Iowa. Don’t just send them a message, send them a president’ Naturally, the candidates disagreed on who this should be.
Hillary Clinton told the cheering crowd: ‘I believe that America is ready for a change and America is ready for a Democratic president again, but the only way we will get that is if the enthusiasm and the energy we see here tonight is sustained for 50 more weeks.’ In the receptions beforehand and book signing events the following day, the senator ignored repeated approaches from supporters and continued to rule out her own bid for the White House, despite popularity in national polls.
At the end of the dinner, while candidates mingled onstage and supporters from all camps cheered their appreciation, Hillary danced on stage with veteran state senator Tom Harkin, guaranteeing herself extensive coverage both in Iowa and further afield. And, some would say, setting the stage for her race in four years time should the Democrats fail to take back the White House next November.