Des Moines Register
08-24-07
Obama sticks to his plan, will skip AARP forum
The Democrat wants to limit attendance at events sponsored by interest groups.
By THOMAS BEAUMONT
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's decision to opt out of all but a
handful of appearances with his opponents this fall means an influential Iowa
audience will lose the chance to judge him alongside his rivals next month.
Obama plans to skip AARP's Sept. 20 forum in Davenport, where New York Sen.
Hillary Clinton, former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and New Mexico Gov.
Bill Richardson will address about 2,400 Iowa seniors and a national public
television audience.
The decision to not attend the AARP event, aimed at issues important to people
50 and older, could nag at the Illinois senator, some Democrat activists and
political observers said. AARP is a national association formerly known as the
American Association of Retired Persons.
"I understand what he's trying to do, and I guess I'll cut him some slack," said
undecided Iowa City Democrat Anne Tanner, who is 68. "But the audience skews
older in Iowa, and I don't think a lot of them are going to understand."
Obama said last week he would limit his attendance at group events sponsored
by interest groups and Democratic Party organizations in states hoping to grab a
piece of the early nominating spotlight. Iowa holds first-in-the-nation caucuses.
The number of events threatened to take Obama off his own game plan, his
national campaign manager David Plouffe said.
"Otherwise, our schedule would be dictated by dozens and dozens of forums and
debates, and we think the most important part of this process is individual
interaction with voters," Plouffe said. "We benefit greatly when we're out there
meeting with voters at our own events."
Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd also declined the invitation for the AARP
event, which conflicted with a previously scheduled event.
Delaware Sen. Joseph Biden had not accepted the invitation, but was
considering attending the Sept. 20 forum, to be held at Davenport's Adler Theater
and broadcast nationwide on PBS.
Obama has participated in all of the national debates, including four that were
televised nationally and three aimed at specific topics, including labor, gay rights
and minority issues. He has also attended almost 20 multi-candidate events
around the country, including his first in Iowa last week.
Obama, who has campaigned heavily in Iowa, attended two labor forums in
eastern and northern Iowa and participated in Sunday's nationally televised
debate in Des Moines.
Obama also has skipped some events in Iowa and elsewhere that would have
put him on the same stage as his opponents, including the Iowa Democratic
Party's annual summer banquet in June.
That event drew five candidates and an audience of 1,000 of Iowa's most
influential party leaders.
Obama does not plan to attend a candidate forum Monday in Cedar Rapids to
discuss fighting cancer. The forum, hosted by Tour de France champion Lance
Armstrong's Livestrong Foundation, will include Clinton, Edwards, Richardson
and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich. A Republican event Tuesday will include Kansas
Sen. Sam Brownback and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee.
The AARP forum is expected to focus on issues such as health care and
retirement security, top concerns for Iowa's 50-and-older crowd.
That group also has carried disproportionate clout in recent caucuses, according
to Iowa Democratic Party statistics.
In 2004, 64 percent of the people who participated in the Democratic presidential
caucuses were 50 or older. In 2000, the figure was 63 percent.
Plouffe said Obama and his campaign staff had met with thousands of Iowa
seniors and that he didn't think they would reject Obama for his decision.
Obama's campaign aides have said they want to expand the number of people
who participate in the caucuses, a challenge given the commitment required to
go out on a winter night.
Plouffe said that Obama is courting older, first-time caucusgoers, as well as
younger ones.
"I think it's not accurate to say all the growth in caucus turnout is going to be from
younger voters," Plouffe said.
Obama plans to attend the remaining five party-sponsored debates this fall and
winter, another aimed at Latino issues and two more in Iowa this winter, including
The Des Moines Register's debate.
Iowa State University political science professor Dianne Bystrom said she
would have thought Obama would have made an exception for the AARP forum.
"He may not think that's his political base," said Bystrom, whose expertise
includes debate strategy. "But it's the older voters that go to the caucuses, and I
think he's really passing up an opportunity to speak to those voters."
Reporter Thomas Beaumont can be reached at (515) 286-2532 or
tbeaumont@dmreg.com