Tom Vilsack on national TV

Iowa’s out-going governor has been out making appearances on nationally-distributed programs.  This past week he was on The Charlie Rose Show, which is seen on 200 PBS stations around the country.  You can watch 30 seconds of Vilsack’s appearance in the promotional video on the show’s website or pay to get the whole thing.  I slept through the show when it aired in Iowa.  IPTV schedules the Rose show weeknights at 11:30 p.m.

Vilsack also appeared on The Tavis Smiley Show in late April. (You can read a transcript of the interview at HeartlandPAC.org). Smiley asked questions about Iowa and whether a Vilsack presidential run would damage the 2008 Iowa Caucuses.  Smiley also criticized Iowa for being 94 percent white and not a very representative state to serve as the start of a presidential campaign.  You can read Vilsack’s reply for yourself, but I’ll give you a hint:  he mentions age diversity.

 

What’s in a name plate?

One of the men helping Governor Tom Vilsack prepare for a presidential campaign has been president himself – of the University of Dayton student body. I went into the governor’s first floor office suite at the statehouse recently to talk with Vilsack "communications director" Rodell Mollineau. I noticed the sign on his office door. The brass-like name plate reads: Rodell Mollineau, President. Upon direct questioning, Mr. M revealed he had been elected president of the student body in college and loves the name plate so much he carts it around from job to job and puts it on the door to his office.  He’s done stints as press aides for Arkansas Senator Mark Pryor and South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle and he worked in a few states for General Wesley Clark’s presidential campaign. That’s a lot of office doors to adorn for a 29 year old.