Clinton Spits on Iowa on the Way out of Town

There were a couple of surprising (to me) quotes in the newspapers today. An article in The Wall Street Journal quoted Hillary Clinton’s press secretary, Jay Carlson as saying:

“Iowa is so small, it’s like a mayor’s race in a medium-sized city. It wouldn’t be wise to put too much emphasis on it.”

The same article quotes Clinton chief strategist Mark Penn:

“The worst thing would be to over count Iowa and its importance. Iowa doesn’t have a record of picking presidents.”

The Washington Post quoted Bill Clinton this way:

"Ladies and gentlemen, New Hampshire is going to be given the chance to prove that you are the first [pause for emphasis] primary."

After bragging-up the intelligence and dedication of Iowa voters for the last year, Hillary Clinton suddenly finds little to love about the Hawkeye state. Well, I have bad news for the Clintons. They’re in for more of the same from New Hampshire.

In Iowa Barack Obama attracted thousands of first-time caucus-goers, building a coalition of independents and moderate Republicans to win handily. Well, guess what 45 percent of New Hampshire's voters are? They are independents, not registered for the Democratic or Republican parties, and they can vote in Tuesday’s primary.

The Clintons are much-loved in New Hampshire, the state where Bill Clinton earned the nickname, “The Comeback Kid.” But I like to think that the Independents in New Hampshire are just that – independent thinkers who are ready for a change.

People of New Hampshire, be warned – If you don’t give the Clintons what they want, their vindictiveness will be turned on you next.

Now is OUR Time

NOW is the time to make a difference, and YOU are the one to do it. Our children are watching what we do. What legacy are you going to leave them? The writers of the history books will look at this time and report on what the American people did. How will history treat you?

Why Now?

Let’s think about this moment in the context of history:

• Our government holds prisoners without charge for years at a time.
  
• The gap between the rich and poor widens every day.
  
• The government searches our private information without a warrant.
  
• The earth warms, the ice melts and our lives hang in the balance.
  
• The Bush-Cheney Whitehouse authorizes the torture of prisoners – and then orders the destruction of evidence.
  
• We are fighting a war based on intelligence failures, enmeshing us in a civil war.

If you’ve listened to Barack Obama speak more than once, you’ve probably heard him quote Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., using the phrase “the fierce urgency of now.” Have you ever wondered about the context of that phrase? You can read the entire speech here, but if you don’t want to plow through the entire speech, then at least read this one paragraph:

“We are now faced with the fact, my friends that tomorrow is today. We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there is such a thing as being too late. Procrastination is still the thief of time. Life often leaves us standing bare, naked, and dejected with a lost opportunity. The tide in the affairs of men does not remain at flood-it ebbs. We may cry out desperately for time to pause in her passage, but time is adamant to every plea and rushes on. Over the bleached bones and jumbled residues of numerous civilizations are written the pathetic words, ‘Too late.’ There is an invisible book of life that faithfully records our vigilance or our neglect. Omar Khayyam is right: ‘The moving finger writes, and having writ moves on.’”

- Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., "Beyond Vietnam," address delivered to the Clergy and Laymen Concerned about Vietnam, at Riverside Church, New York, NY, 4 April 1967. You can hear an audio recording of the entire speech here.

As Barack Obama said at the Jefferson-Jackson dinner,

“I am running in this race because of what Dr. King called ‘the fierce urgency of now.’ Because I believe there is such a thing as being too late – and that hour is almost upon us. America, our moment is now.”

This is the time, and you are the key.

It’s About You

Not only is this the time, but you are the one to make a difference. This is the chance to change the conversation – to take back our country from the special interest groups. This is our chance to win, but it is up to us.

If you want to understand your role in healing our nation, watch this video. Here is Barack Obama on February 11, 2007, in his own words, telling us what it is that he is trying to do. He says:

“I want to win, but I don’t just want to win. I want to transform this country. And the only way we are going to do this is if YOU make this a vehicle for your hopes and dreams.”

“Ultimately, the country changes when millions of people come together and their voices speak out on behalf of change.”

“When ordinary citizens are awakened, they accomplish extraordinary things.”

Do you get it? This race isn’t about Barack Obama. This race is about us – We the People. This is our chance to rise up and to be heard. The time is now, the place is here and the person to make a difference is you.

Why I support Barack Obama for President

With less than a week to go before the Iowa caucuses, I'm fired up and ready to go! Here is why I support Barack Obama for President in 2008.

1. Barack Obama stands for change – He has run his campaign without taking money from lobbyists. You can’t be part of the system and change the system.

2. Barack Obama has shown sound judgment – he is the only leading candidate who opposed the Iraq war from the beginning – even when it was profoundly unpopular.

He’s the guy who said, Hey, wait a minute. The emperor has no clothes.

3. Barack Obama will restore America –

• He will restore America’s rightful place as a world leader in human rights and civil liberties. We can’t lead if we’re trampling on the very values we were founded on.
• He will restore the rule of law after the shameful performance of the Bush Administration.
• He will restore the unity of the United States of America after the divisiveness of the last eight years.

Change, Judgment and Restoring the America I believe in - that is why I support Barack Obama. I hope you will too.

The Sound of Inevitability

If you believe the mainstream media, with the exception of Hillary Clinton, all the other candidates should just fold their tent and go home. This kind of rhetoric reminds me of a scene from the movie The Matrix. In the scene I’m thinking of, Agent Smith is holding our hero Neo in front of an oncoming train.

Agent Smith: "You hear that Mr. Anderson? That is the sound of inevitability... It is the sound of your death... Goodbye, Mr. Anderson..."

Neo: "My name... is Neo."

And with that Neo jumps away, leaving Agent Smith in front of the train. I’m just guessing here, but I’d say that it didn’t turn out like Agent Smith had expected it to.

Elections also have a funny way of not turning out the way that everyone thought they would. Just ask Howard Dean. In the Fall of 2003 he was on the front cover of Time Magazine…and Newsweek…and several other magazines.

A few short months later, he was only famous for two things – a rebel yell and the biggest implosion of a promising politician in several years.

The press seems to have decided that Hillary Clinton can’t be stopped. Her election to the presidency seems to be “inevitable.” That might fit someone’s desire for an easy to understand election process, but it doesn’t match the facts.

Yes, Hillary Clinton has raised a total of $78.6 million, slightly less than Barack Obama’s $78.9 million, but there is one very important distinction that no one is talking about. Did you know that $10 million of the $78.6 million that Hillary has raised came from Hillary Rodham Clinton, via Friends of Hillary? It seems that no one loves Hillary as much as Hillary loves Hillary. So, if you look at the facts, Hillary has not raised more than Barack. She has raised less money.

But really when it comes right down to it, does it matter who has raised $78.6 million and who has raised $78.9 million? Several candidates have raised plenty of money to remain viable including John Edwards, Mitt Romney (who has loaned his campaign $17.3 million), Rudi Giuliani, John McCain and Bill Richardson. If a candidate has a 16 lb. sledge hammer or a 12 lb. sledge hammer, who cares? They have a big enough tool (some would argue weapon) to compete in the primaries.

So, don’t believe it when you read that the election of Hillary Clinton is inevitable. It's not even true that the election of a Democrat to the White House is assured. When it comes to elections, nothing is predictable. No amount of money could make a candidate inevitable.

Inequality in Iowa

Iowans don’t have to go far to find prejudice.

Last week marked the passing of an historical day of racial inequality and hope in America. It was 50 years ago that the Little Rock Nine were integrated into Little Rock Central High School. The good news is that these nine students went on to achieve great feats in life. The bad news is that they had to be forcibly integrated against the will of the Governor and many “white citizens’ councils.” This event highlighted the hope of racial integration, the beginning of the civil rights movement and the lingering prejudice of a segregated south.

It would be easy to look at these events and to think “Look how far we’ve come in 50 years!” That might be easier to say if it weren’t for the events in Jena, LA that deal with the same issues of race and inequality. Note: For a complete background on the Jena Six case, click here. Fifty years after the Little Rock Nine, the Jena Six remind us that we still have a long way to go. As much as we would like to think that time has healed all wounds, we would be wrong in that assumption.

Iowans might also try to take comfort by thinking of our geographic distance from these events. It’s easy to assign these events to a bigoted south clinging to its prejudice past. Unfortunately, again, we would be wrong to make such an assumption. You don’t have to go as far as Jena, LA to find racial inequality and an imbalance in race and justice. It’s happening right here in Iowa.

According to a Chicago Tribune article by Howard Witt, “In Iowa, blacks make up just 5 percent of the statewide public school enrollment but account for 22 percent of the students who get suspended.” In fact, the ratio of percentage of black student suspensions to percentage of black student enrollments is higher in Iowa than in any other state.

In grasping for simple explanations, some have put forth the hypothesis that these numbers are more reflective of economic conditions than race. It is true that 31.6% of African Americans in Iowa live at or below the poverty level. The overall rate of poverty for all of Iowa is 9.1%. Wouldn’t it be convenient to simply dismiss the results to the impact of poverty? However, according to the article by Howard Witt, when you hold the data constant for income, the results are the same, a higher proportion of blacks punished severely than white students.

Another possible explanation put forth is that, blacks commit more heinous acts in school than do whites. This simply is not true. The data shows that for the same action, blacks are more severely punished than whites. You can listen to Howard Witt discuss this story here.

As Iowans we might try to comfort ourselves by assigning these problems to “the school system,” however, there is a larger issue here, one that involves all of society.

According to a study by The Sentencing Project, the black-to-white incarceration ratio in Iowa is 13.6-to-1. That’s 13.6 black people incarcerated for every white person. Again, Iowa has the dubious honor of holding the highest ratio of incarceration inequality in the nation.

And of course, this racial inequality doesn’t just apply to blacks but extends to Hispanics as well. For every 100,000 white people in Iowa, 309 will end up in jail or prison. However for every 100,000 black people, 4,200 will go to jail. And for every 100,000 Hispanics in Iowa, 764 will go to jail, more than a 2:1 ratio over whites. This trend is what some are calling the “School-to-Prison Pipeline.”

What can we do about it?

If you find all of this as disturbing as I do, then I encourage you to take action. Here are a few suggestions.

1. Learn

It might have surprised you to learn that the problem of racial inequality does not belong to another time or another place. The issue is real, it is relevant and it is local. Learn all you can.

Great sources of information include:

· The Iowa Commission on the Status of African Americans (ICSAA). Their mission is to report on the status of Iowans of African-American descent.
· The African American Historical Museum and Cultural Center of Iowa.
· The Iowa Mosaic Diversity Conference, October 15 and 16, 2007.
· The Covenant with Black America. Based on a book by Tavis Smiley, the Covenant with Black America is a national plan of action to address the primary concerns of African Americans today -- from health to housing, from crime to criminal justice, from education to economic parity.

For example, did you know that the unemployment rate for Iowa African Americans was 14.2% in 2000? The overall Iowa unemployment rate at that time was 4.2%.

2. Fund the fix in schools.

According to a report by the NAACP, “Addressing the School-to-Prison Pipeline requires focusing on where it begins: a neglected and under-resourced public education system. Recent research has confirmed what educators have known for quite some time—there are direct correlations between inputs and outputs in schools.”

A few months ago, I had the opportunity to talk to Elizabeth Edwards on the North Carolina model for “No Child Left Behind” and how it differed from the national model promoted by George W. Bush. According to Mrs. Edwards, the difference was that, when North Carolina found schools to be failing, they funded the fix. This is the opposite approach taken by the Bush Administration. You can see the interview regarding No Child Left Behind here.

3. Speak out wherever you can.

As Martin Luther King, Jr. said, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” The good news is, if you live in Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state, you have greater access to presidential candidates than people in other states. Use that access. Ask the Republican candidates why they refused to attend a debate on issues important to Hispanics (only John McCain agreed to attend). Ask Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, Mitt Romney and John McCain why they refused to debate African-American issues. It was so bad Mike Huckabee commented "I'm embarrassed. There has long been a divide in this country and it doesn't get better when we don't show up."

And don’t let Democrats off of the hook either. Ask them about school funding. Ask them about social justice. Ask them what they intend to do about the disparity in school discipline and sentencing in the judicial system.

Ask all of the candidates about mandatory minimum prison sentences for drug offenses that leave judges with little discretion. Do they support these mandatory sentences, or will they work to see them repealed?


In closing, the most important action you can take to promote equality in Iowa is to get involved. Reading this article is probably a good start.

What does Barack Obama have to say?

Here is Barack Obama in his own words. First, he is talking about what it is that he’s trying to accomplish with this campaign. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iDfAVbOcpw



You can also see him talk about the importance of citizen involvement in the process. He explains the importance of staying involved in the process, overcoming cynicism and holding special interests at bay through your activities. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHg95YPlIiY



Enjoy the videos.

What exactly is a "conversation," anyway?

Barack Obama looked right at me and said, “I want to have a conversation.” This might have been a heart-stopping moment for any political junkie, but of course, he was also looking at 2,500 other people packed into the gymnasium at Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids, IA.

It's a nice sentiment to think that Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton will be in my living room for a "conversation" - a two-way give and take - asking real questions and getting short answers. But as far as I can see, that's just not going to happen.

The term “rock star” candidate has been used excessively to describe Senator Obama. That’s shorthand for someone who can pack a large venue and still appeal to the crowd. When it comes to the music of politics, there are accessible candidates like Tom Vilsack and John Edwards, and then there are "stadium bands," like Hillary and Obama.

Since people are being fast and loose with their comparisons of Senator Obama, comparing him to John F. Kennedy, let’s try another analogy, the Rolling Stones. Hey, if he’s a rock star, then this might not be a bad comparison. The Rolling Stones have rabid fans, the same as Senator Obama. They can pack a stadium anywhere in the world, anytime they wish. At this point, Senator Obama can do the same. The challenge for both the Rolling Stones and Senator Obama is, just because it works in the stadium, does not mean it will work in your living room.

The Rolling Stones have been able to bring their large stadium show to more intimate settings, for example playing the Aragon Ball Room in Chicago in 2002. More importantly, the Stones have infiltrated our most intimate moments by being the soundtrack to our lives. We hear certain songs and we connect.

Senator Obama is trying the same thing with his web site, which by the way is very well done. I can go onto Senator Obama’s web site and use social networking tools similar to Facebook and MySpace, but that does not really connect me with Senator Obama. It might connect me with other fans of Senator Obama, but not with Obama himself. With the bus loads of journalists, the satellite trucks and the rabid fans, it is hard to see how Senator Obama will be able to make it to anyone’s living room. So, here’s a suggestion.

The answer to the “rock star” challenge might be as old as Socrates. If candidates like Senator Clinton and Senator Obama are serious about a “conversation,” then let’s have more sincere and sustained question and answer time. I’m sure the people at Kennedy High School would have stayed late into the night asking questions and listening to the answers.

Steve Sovern did an admirable job of being the gracious host of the event in Cedar Rapids, and as such pitched the Senator some nice softballs. The five questions from the audience were well worded, showing a sophisticated level of political understanding. But Senator Obama's answers were so verbose there was little time for the pretense of a conversation.

If candidates are sincere about having a conversation, then let’s have a conversation. As the people on the campaign stops, let’s do our homework and ask great questions. Candidates, answer the question and then shut up. That gives us time for more questions. Here in the heartland, that’s what a real conversation looks like.

Five Questions for Sam Brownback

On January 30, 2007 Sam Brownback was nice enough to give me 8 minutes of his time. Senator Brownback named as his top priorities:

1. A flat tax
   
2. Privatizing Social Security
   
3. A culture of life - i.e., pro-life
   
4. Supporting marriage – against gay marriage
   
5. Curing cancer in the next 10 years

I also asked about Extraordinary Rendition and the death penalty. You can see the video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UazlxBIdYUY

So THAT's Where All the Hippies Went!

Last October I wrote a blog entry asking the question, Where have all the hippies gone?. On January 27, 2007 I received my answer. Hundreds of thousands marched on Washington to say NO to escalation in Iraq. This included bus loads of Iowans. We are asking congress to craft a budget that reflects our priorities, which do not include escalating the war in Iraq. Not one more dollar, not one more day, not one more death.

The video can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdNYbJQAZag .

Elizabeth Edwards on No Child Left Behind

On January 20th, 2007 several bloggers sat down with Elizabeth Edwards and asked her questions on a variety of topics. One of the most interesting conversations revolved around No Child Left Behind. Mrs. Edwards made several insightful comments.

Mrs. Edwards’ comments can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE_AZrIi72o

Join Me in Des Moines!

I'm inviting you to join me in Des Moines, Iowa on December 28th at 4:30 PM to watch John Edwards on the first stop of his candidacy for presidency.

WHERE: Iowa Historical Building, 600 East Locust, Des Moines

WHEN: Thursday, December 28th 4:30pm

For tickets go to http://www.johnedwardseven
ts.com. This event is free and open to the public.

Also check out http://www.iowaforedwards.
com/.

Here is the video of John Edwards announcing his plans.

You Don’t Have to Feel Like the Lone Ranger!

Just in case you think you're the only one who feels the way you do, take a look at this slideshow from Moveon.org.

If you like what you see, there are three actions you can take, starting right now!

Action 1: Pass this URL, http://RFDBlog.com on to all of the progressives you know. The more people who join the conversation, the better.

Action 2: Join with a local chapter of Operation Democracy. You can see more information about Operation Democracy here. I am a member of the local chapter in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District.

Action 3: You can participate in the photo petition you see at the URL at the top of this posting. You can find all the instructions you need here.

Like I said: feel free to pass this blog posting on to all of the progressive thinkers you know. We need to keep the momentum we gained from the recent elections to make a real difference in the world.

Governor Tom Vilsack's Announcement Speech

If you're curious about Tom Vilsack and would like to meet this little-known candidate, take a look at his speech in which he announces his run for the presidency.

http://cultureshift.com/Video/Vilsack.wmv