France24, France
10-22-07
In Iowa, presidential hopeful will meet you for breakfast, lunch or dinner
by Jason Clayworth
It is less than a tenth of the size of Texas, just over a third of the population of
New York city, but for one day every four years Iowa is the kingmaker of
American politics.
For the past 35 years, nobody has won their party's presidential nomination
without a strong placement in Iowa.
So the mostly rural residents of this insular midwestern state have gotten used to
being able to quiz their candidates face to face in coffee shops, living rooms and
over a bite of local delicacies like deep fried candy bars, pulled pork sandwiches
and pickled fish.
Keep an eye open here and you will see Democrat candidate Joe Biden slip off
his suit and get into janitorial clothing to work as a repair man at local school.
Blink again and you'll find Mitt Romney, a former Republican governor, flip raw
pork onto a grill.
And next week Republican candidate Mike Huckabee is taking some local voters
pheasant hunting.
A good showing in the early states has proven to be the spark that ignites strong
national campaigns in the rest of the country.
So -- every four years -- candidates essentially move into Iowa, bringing with
them hundreds of staff and a following of media that, at times, can look like a
small army.
"In a sense, when you're electing somebody, they want to convince you that
they're capable of representing you and your values," said Dennis Goldford, a
political science professor at Drake University, a private college located in Des
Moines.
"What a lot of candidates want to do is establish their credentials," he told AFP.
"So going off sitting in a coffee shop or flipping pork chops at the Iowa State Fair
shows you're a real person. People want to feel that personal connection."
Democratic candidate Barack Obama interrupted Jody DeGard's breakfast with a
knock on her door last week.
"I'm thrilled," she said. "Why somebody would care enough to knock on my door
and talk with me is amazing."
Not everyone is as happy with the constant interruptions.
"People disconnect their telephones and leave the state just to get away from it,"
said Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University.
Usually the campaign doesn't start until a few months before the caucus.
But this is the first election since 1928 in which no incumbent president or vice
president is taking part at any stage.
And with the stakes so high, the onslaught began months ago.
"I've never seen anything like this before," said Schmidt, who moved to Iowa in
1970.
"It's the most absolutely outrageously intense, money-driven, crowded high-stake
race I've ever seen."
It wasn't always that way.
Iowa's power was first felt in 1972 when voters provided an early boost to George
McGovern, a Democratic South Dakota senator who was considered a long shot
for the presidency.
While he eventually lost the presidency to Richard Nixon, McGovern's strong
third-place finish allowed him to be taken more seriously in other states and to go
on to capture the Democratic nomination.
Four years later, Jimmy Carter won Iowa after riding his bicycle from farm house
to farm house to gather support.
Since then, Iowa has been viewed as a testing ground for presidential candidates
who covet finishing in the top three spots.
Bill Clinton cashed in on the Iowa caucus process, finishing second in 1992
despite nagging questions about his infidelity with a woman named Gennifer
Flowers. He crowned himself the "comeback kid" and went on to win the
presidency.
It's not an easy win: Iowans ask tough questions and are easily offended by city
slicker gaffes like when Jesse Jackson, dressed in a five-piece suit, didn't know
what do to with a baby pig somebody handed to him.
"We take the role of having the first in the nation caucus very seriously," said Jeff
Morgan, a spokesman for Iowa's State Historical Museum, located in Des Moines
which recently opened a new exhibit on the caucus system.
"We plug in, we ask questions and we expect thoughtful answers from
candidates. We've been doing it for 35 years and we've gotten really good at it."