Six Democrats court activists

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: AP

INDIANOLA, Iowa - Six Democratic presidential candidates took aim at President Bush as they made their case Sunday to thousands of activists scattered across an Iowa field.

"Everybody is sick and tired of being sick and tired of George Bush," said Illinois Sen. Barack Obama. "All you have to do is take a look at the president pretending that going around in circles was making progress. If that doesn't get you ready to get rid of George Bush I don't know what will."

The six candidates paraded after each other in a carnival-like atmosphere in a field about 20 miles south of Des Moines. An estimated 12,000 activists streamed in for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, shelling out $30 each in a fundraiser for a veteran Democrat senator who doesn't face serious opposition in next year's election.

John Edwards and Hillary Rodham Clinton joined with Harkin to grill some steaks before a giant bank of television cameras. "I've done this before," Edwards said as he flipped a steak.

Clinton, the New York senator, called on Bush to bring the troops home from Iraq, declaring, "The era of cowboy diplomacy is over."

"They deserve to come home because there is no military solution," said Clinton. "Unfortunately, both the Iraqi government and the Bush administration have failed."


Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070916/ap_po/democrats_iowa

[Demeter]

1. If They Want To court Activists; Just Go To The Peace Marches

and the impeachment rallies. SheesH! Do we have to draw them a map?

[sueh]

3. Right on, man!! Right On!!

[PSPS]

2. "a veteran Democrat senator"

A little too much fox news, Mr. Glover?


An estimated 12,000 activists streamed in for Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin's annual steak fry, shelling out $30 each in a fundraiser for a veteran Democrat senator who doesn't face serious opposition in next year's election.

[JustAnotherGen]

4. That's all fine and well . ..

But how about they take their *sses back to Washington and send a bill EVERY SINGLE DAY to Bush demanding the withdrawal of troops? Clinton, Obama, Dodd, Biden, and Kucinich could be doing this. Every single day. Instead? They go flip freaking steaks.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Just a little background, friend.

Ton Harkin's Steak Fry is one of the great Democratic Party traditions in the crucial state of Iowa. Come campaign time, this is where the candidates get to really take the temperature of the electorate in a crucial battleground state. 12,000 committed Dems were there today, and you can bet that each candidate got plenty to mull over from a LOT of those grass-roots Dems.

It might be better for all of us if every state had at least one of these kinds of affairs, instead of those sorts of get-togethers with open bars and tons of party hacks.

Flipping steaks is just the traditional photo op. The real meat 'n taters is what is said to the candidates when the cameras are focused somewhere else.

[JustAnotherGen]

6. Sorry

I'm in NJ - where the Primary election takes place in June. My opinion and vote in the Primary doesn't count - at ALL. I can only give them hell while they are in office now and live with the decisions that those who live in NH and Iowa make later.

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

10. I live in NJ as well.

I completely understand your frustration, but The Steak Fry is good stuff.

Apology not necessary. Your frustration is deeply understood.

[IndianaGreen]

9. It isn't democratic to keep Gravel and Kucinich out of this "great Democratic Party tradition."

Could it be that Gravel and Kucinich are the only two candidates without corportate ties of any kind, and the only ones calling for an immediate end to the war in Iraq, and for the impeachment of Bush and Cheney?

Could it be that Kucinich is the one candidate that favours single payer health coverage for all Americans, as opposed to the phony "universal" health care advocated by Hillary that working class Americans could barely afford, if at all?

[IndianaGreen]

7. Harkin did not invite Dennis Kucinich to his animal flesh eating fest

Harkin forgot what being a progressive really is!

Advocating "all options on the table," including first use of nukes, as Harkin's favorite candidate Hillary advocates, is not progressive.

Speaking in favour of keeping a permanent occupation force in Iraq, as Hillary and Obama advocate, is not progressive.

It is not progressive to NOT impeach Bush and Cheney for their violation of the law and the Constitution.

It is not progressive to push the environmentally unfriendly ethanol on Presidential aspirants, as Iowans seem to do every 4 years. Remember Bush saying "I'm an ethanol man" in Iowa during one of the GOP debates?

[Hardrada]

8. I agree with you but we also make money selling a lot of corn

here in Iowa. Our renter grows corn and beans alternately.

[brooklynite]

11. No, they didn't get invited because they're not campaigning in Iowa...

While they may well have visited, they don't have any organization in the state. That was the specific criteria.

nb - Kucinich had a table in the "sideshow" area, with the other campaigns.

[Le Taz Hot]

12. No, they didn't get invited because The Party

is locking them out.

The Democratic Party Machine makes sure the large ducats are doled out to The Chosen candidates. This enables them to establish headquarters in all 50 states. The Kucinich and Gravel campaigns have limited funds because neither campaign accepts corporate monies, nor are they graced with "favors" from The Party establishment. Consequently, they don't have the resources to establish and maintain headquarters in all 50 states. (There are other reasons Iowa is a waste of resources for non-anointed candidates but that is another post.)

The so-called criteria was written specifically to lock out those candidates The Party deems are insignificant (read: cannot be controlled).

Wouldn't it be nice if there were no Iowa Caucuses and all primaries were held on the same day? But The Party Machine will tell you 5,043 reasons this cannot POSSIBLY be done. It cannot POSSIBLY be done because it would be near impossible for The Parties to manipulate who the nominee will be.

Wouldn't it be nice if WE THE PEOPLE were able to pick the nominees? I mean, that is the way its SUPPOSED to work.