In our Anecdotal Evidence column, movers and shakers share personal stories聽of how intriguing (and often odd) presidential campaigning in their respective swing state can be.
Are a bunch of white farmers picking our president? No.
Donna Hoffman. Photo: Lars Gesing/CU News Corps
Donna Hoffman. Photo: Lars Gesing/CU News Corps
Donna Hoffman 鈥 Political Scientist, University of Northern Iowa
鈥淚 collect political cartoons that characterize Iowa in a stereotypical way. I show them to students. Often times, not in this case, but often it is a characterization of a white farmer in overalls and a farm hat, and beside him is the stereotypical New Hampshirite, who is also an old white guy and has lots of clothes on because it is cold in New Hampshire.
鈥淭here is an implicit criticism there, 鈥榊ou people who aren鈥檛 like the rest of us, why are you picking the president?鈥 That is not true. It is about winnowing down the field. And quite frankly, we do due diligence for everyone else. We have to watch the commercials. We have to put up with the traffic jams when candidates come to town. We are doing a service. But most other states are not going to look at it that way.鈥
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鈥淭he caucuses do that to people 鈥 they honestly believe they are important鈥
David Roederer. Photo: Handout
David Roederer. Photo: Handout
David Roederer 鈥 Longtime Terry Branstad Advisor, 2008 McCain Iowa Caucus Campaign Manager
鈥淚 get a call from folks who ask if I would go and meet with John McCain in Washington, D.C. I said that wasn鈥檛 necessary. I didn鈥檛 need to meet with a presidential candidate to make up my mind. I get another call and someone said, 鈥榃e鈥檇 really like you to meet with Sen. McCain.鈥 I said, 鈥業f Sen. McCain gets out here sometime, I鈥檇 be happy to do that.鈥 So then I get a third call and the person said, 鈥榃e understand you are refusing to meet with Sen. McCain.鈥 鈥楴o, no, no. I never refused to meet with him.鈥
鈥淭hey said, 鈥榃e鈥檒l pay your air fare.鈥櫬犫榊ou don鈥檛 have to do that.鈥 鈥榃ell, do you ever get to Washington?鈥 鈥榊eah I鈥檒l be there next week.鈥 I didn鈥檛 think they were going to make that work. They said, 鈥楥an you meet with us?鈥
鈥淪o I went into Sen. McCain鈥檚 office, and I said, 鈥楽enator, first of all, I apologize for taking your time. You are an American hero. You shouldn鈥檛 waste your time talking to people like me.鈥 The caucuses do that to some people, they get a bigger head. They honestly believe they are important. We are only important until after the caucuses and then everybody鈥檚 gone.
鈥淭here are all these things that he has done in his life, and now I go in and ask him if he is fit to be president of the United States?鈥
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