Iowa is a quaint place. People are friendly and polite; everyone greets you with a smile and a kind word. Life moves at a leisurely pace. Fashion is more about staying warm than staying up with the latest trends.
So, when a group of young professionals – men wearing pinstripe blazers and designer jeans and women in camelhair coats, high heels and diamond earrings – enter a bakery in Indianola, a small town 40 minutes south of Des Moines, heads definitely turn. These Giuliani volunteers with their blackberrys and Burberry are out of place and out of their element. They belong in Manhattan, not the Midwest, as does the former New York City mayor.
Rudy Giuliani is staying out of Iowa for the most part. He made a few appearances this past weekend but he’s been focusing his campaign on Florida and some of the bigger February 5th states like California. He spoke for a grand total of 16 minutes at Furano’s Bakery, which was packed with reporters and Iowans who realized that this may be the only time they’ll get to see the mayor in a state without a coastline.
Knowing that Iowa isn’t much for foreign policy (terror included) Giuliani stuck to domestic issues like lowering taxes, education, healthcare. He mentioned these concepts briefly but moved on quickly to questions, shaking of hands, and signing books.
Iowa isn’t a state that would elect a pro-choice thrice-married New York City mayor so staying out was a wise campaign decision. Staying out of New Hampshire, however, may end up costing Giuliani. Without the momentum of the early states, the mayor is taking a major risk. While he is still leading in most national polls, a record of electoral success in Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina can greatly help his opponents close the narrowing gap.
In the meantime, it’s best if Rudy and his fashionable posse stay in the Hamptons rather than the heartland.
4 comments:
Hey Julia.. I was the guy sitting next to you during this event.
I can't emphasize enough what a disaster Guiliani was. He had no stump speech... just rambled on about terrorists and 9/11 the whole time. Amazing. Then when his rant was done someone quickly asked him a question on alternative energy and he just started listing technologies like "clean coal, liquified natural gas, biodiesel... I must be forgetting a few of these" and the questioner said "uhhhhhhh... wind and solar?!?!?". He hightailed it out of there as fast as he could. At least he didn't have Jim Gilchrist, founder of the Minuteman Project, with him like Mike Huckabee did.
I also think I spotted you at the John Edwards rally in Des Moines. Enjoy the rest of your Iowa trip!
Julia, these are terrific. I think every voter in the country should read them to get a total view of this election process.
Marcia
This is the best edited blog I've ever seen in my life.
Ken Rudin
look julia! your getting me into politics!!
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