Des Moines Register, IA
12-15-07
Behind the tough choices, an invigorating process
CAROL HUNTER
EDITORIAL PAGE EDITOR
After a campaign event for Hillary Clinton in Nevada late last month, I ran into
Jim Hutter, an associate professor of political science at Iowa State
University.
He wore a Hillary button on his lapel, and I asked him whether he planned to
caucus for Clinton. He said no; he hadn’t made up his mind. He had heard each
of the Democrats speak two or three times, he said, and, after listening to each
one, he had thought: That person could be a fine president.
I’ve heard potential Democratic caucus-goers across Iowa voice that wonderful
dilemma: With so many good choices, how to pick? On the Republican side, the
candidates all offer strengths. Potential Republican caucus-goers are wrestling
with their choices, too. Their difficulty is in finding the entire package they’re
seeking in one candidate.
Those scenarios reflected the struggles of our editorial board in reaching the
decisions published today.
Fact-gathering
The endorsement process began in earnest almost nine months ago, on March
20, when John Edwards met with our editorial board.
He was the first of 18 candidates to be interviewed. In the past three weeks, we
conducted a whirlwind second round of interviews with eight of them.
Members of the editorial board approached the task like a reporting project,
followed by typical editorial-board judgments. We wanted to gather as much
information as possible. Then we sifted the importance of that information
through further research, analyses and discussion.
Editor Carolyn Washburn made a commitment to read at least one book written
by each of the leading candidates and studied nearly a dozen books before
finally running out of time. We read excellent profiles by the New York Times and
the New Yorker and series and profiles by the candidates’ hometown
newspapers.
We attended dozens of candidate appearances. I’ve attended campaign events
by 11 candidates and many of the group events — including the Iowa Christian
Alliance/Iowans for Tax Relief forum, the straw poll in Ames and the Ronald
Reagan Dinner on the Republican side, and the Iowa Farmers Union summit,
Jefferson Jackson Dinner and Brown & Black forum, featuring Democrats.
Analyzing issues
We read position papers and scrutinized candidates’ Web sites. We decided
months ago to do in-depth analyses of the candidates’ stands on key issues and
roughly divided up the research responsibilities. We published the eight issues
packages — on topics ranging from civil liberties to health care to foreign policy
— over the past two weeks.
That exercise forced us to examine each candidate’s positions and records in
detail. In the end, we found that approaches and views varied quite a bit among
Republicans on some issues. We didn’t find huge differences in the approaches
among Democrats. But we couldn’t have been sure without doing the research.
Besides immersing ourselves in policy detail, we sought to learn as much as
possible about candidates’ character and personalities, because we know those
qualities matter to voters, too, and can factor into performance in office.
In the past couple of months, Publisher Laura Hollingsworth, Washburn and I
have carved out time to meet with candidates to discuss not only issues but also
their political philosophies and management styles.
We shared appetizers with Barack Obama, met in a quiet corner of a restaurant
with Mitt Romney, and had dinner with Edwards and a brunch with Clinton,
among other meetings. We met with some of the candidates’ spouses, too.
The pressure’s on
The Republican candidates we’ve met with in recent weeks have asked for our
endorsement, but the Democrats have been particularly direct in courting it.
Because our editorial board’s positions tend to align more closely with those of
Democrats than of Republicans, it’s generally accepted that our endorsement
has more sway in that party’s races. It’s also thought that our endorsement of
Edwards four years ago contributed to his surprise second-place finish. And, of
course, the race is so tight that candidates are looking for any edge.
Well-known backers of Clinton, including former Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright and Gen. Wesley Clark, called to argue her case. Edwards and Obama
called frequently in recent weeks to make sure we had full information about their
thinking on issues.
We pressured ourselves, too, to disregard poll standings. We believe our job as
an editorial board is to arrive at the candidate in each party we think would be the
best president, whether a person is leading the polls or garnering 1 percent
support. It’s not to predict a winner.
In our final meetings with Joe Biden, Chris Dodd and Bill Richardson, each
appealed to our responsibility to ignore celebrity and the latest poll results. Biden
even implied that the future of the lead-off role of the Iowa caucuses could hinge
on whether a perceived “second-tier” candidate, aided by our endorsement,
could finish in the top three. If candidates with smaller campaign bank accounts
can’t break through with retail campaigning here, then why continue giving Iowa
its outsized influence?
Finally, deciding
And so we went back and forth, and back and forth, and back and forth, and
eventually reached a decision. We expect more criticism than applause in
reaction. Simple math says there are more campaigns and their supporters who
will be upset than the two whose candidates received the endorsements.
Some had already speculated that we would endorse Clinton because the editor,
publisher and I are women. We didn’t begin with Clinton. Like many others, we
were skeptical, and, even at the end, not all the women leaned toward Clinton.
But she won us over, particularly in the editorial board meetings and debates.
And we take our responsibility to Iowa and the nation too seriously to make a
decision based on just gender or race or one issue.
Regardless, as I look back, I’m filled with gratitude. It’s been a privilege to be part
of this process.
The candidates who seek the presidency are impressive people. Yes, it takes a
big ego to think you should be president of the United States. But it also takes
courage and stamina and heart.
These are people of accomplishment. They care about their country and want to
make it better.
I wish all Iowans, and all Americans, could get the chance that we had to learn
more about them.
Buyer’s remorse?
ISU’s Jim Hutter decided last week to caucus for Clinton. He had been attracted
to Edwards’ and Obama’s work in lifting up the poor and middle class but
eventually became convinced that Clinton’s early history demonstrated concern
for those issues, too. Yet it was clear he was still aching over his decision.
In our short conversation, he mentioned by name each of the six Democrats who
have campaigned so hard in Iowa, and especially credited Biden’s leadership on
the Iraq war.
“I feel bad that I’m having to turn my back on the others,” he said. “I feel like a
traitor to them.”
We know what he means.