Tina Fey, there’s another Palin impersonator?!!?
October 29, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 3 Comments
A woman standing behind GOP presidential candidate John McCain at his rally in Cedar Falls Sunday got some airplay over the past few days, as the woman can be seen saying, "Thank you," when McCain praises his running mate, Sarah Palin.
Here's the video, referenced on The Rachel Maddow Show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bkqa7IaF6rE
The following was reported by IowaPolitics.com in their daily email to subscribers (but I cannot find a link to this information on its website): An Iowa woman impersonating Sarah Palin apparently made her way on stage at Republican presidential candidate John McCain's rally in Cedar Falls on Sunday and stood right behind McCain as he gave his speech, reacting to the speech like she was the real Palin.
The woman has been identified as Eva Andersen, a music major at the University of Northern Iowa and a former student at Center Point-Urbana High School who was featured in this summer's production of High School Musical by Theatre Cedar Rapids.
UPDATE: James Q. Lynch of The Cedar Rapids Gazette has the full story.
Palin in Des Moines, Iowa
October 25, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 1 Comment
Below is a "live blog" of Palin's rally in Des Moines on Saturday, October 25, 2008.
Some familiar rally songs were played as the large crowd filed in, with the song "Hip to be Square" thrown in the mix. Dave Roederer, Iowa chairman of McCain's Iowa campaign, was first to the microphone and first to mention the name of "Joe the Plumber."
Aaron Tippin, a country music artist, was introduced to the crowd. "God bless you for comin' out today," Tippin said, adding McCain/Palin are the team "to straighten some things out" in DC. Holding a guitar, Tippin began singing "You've Got To Stand for Something." When he got to the chorus a third time, the crowd began clapping in time to the music.
"I wasn't one of those guys born with a silver spoon in my mouth," Tippin told the crowd, adding that's why he remembers what the "real people" are doing out in America. "There Ain't Nothing Wrong With The Radio" is his second song.
I got here before the singing began, in time to chat with the folks who are leaned up against the metal rail that divides the crowd from the media holding pen. I ran into a man and wife who "agree to disagree" as she's a McCain supporter and he caucused for Joe Biden back on January 3rd. Nearby were two elderly women from Ames, Iowa — neighbors who caucused for Hillary Clinton in January. They've already voted: for Obama/Biden Genni Ricke explained why they are here: "Curiosity. To take her picture."
Durbin says racism unknown factor in election
October 17, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 2 Comments
U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) is the guest on this week’s "Iowa Press." During this morning’s taping at IPTV, Durbin was asked about race as a factor in this election.
Henderson: "Back to the Iowa Caucuses – much was made about the fact that Barack Obama, an African-American candidate, was able to win in a predominantly white state. This past week Congressman Murtha made some comments about the racist tendencies of voters in Pennsylvania. What role will race place in the results in November 4th?"
Durbin: "That’s a very important question and I don’t know the answer to it. I can recall coming over here and campaigning for Barack and sitting down in the back room of a coffee shop in a rural Iowa town with a lot of faithful Democrats. They’d close the door and they’d look me in the eye and they’d say, ‘Senator Durbin, can we really elect an African-American president of the United States?" and I said, ‘We can.’ You know, I’m just across the river, across that Mississippi River in a part of Illinois that looks a lot like Iowa and I want to tell you something — Barack Obama runs very well in my part of Illinois. It’s outside of Chicago. It looks like Iowa.. People are very accepting once they sit down and measure a person. In this campaign Barack Obama from February, 2007 to today has been analyzed in 100 different directions. Fifteen years ago he wrote a comprehensive autobiography of his life. I mean, this man has told us who he is, where his values are, what he really wants to do as president and I think that will overcome a lot the hurdles for race. Younger voters, it’s not an issue. When you poll them, they say, ‘What’s the problem here?’ Those my age who can remember the civil rights struggle and still know what we’ve gone through as a nation look at this as a real turning point for America, not just to elect the right person for the job but to turn a page when it comes to America’s racial history."
A few moments later, Mike Glover of the Associated Press returned to the subject.
Glover: "And returning to Kay’s race question, a lot of people say that Barack Obama answered the race question by winning in Iowa which is an overwhelmingly white state, but that was in a Democratic universe. He’s in a general election universe right now with undecided voters, Republicans, conservatives. Can he make the sale in that universe?"
Durbin: "I believe he can and of course, let me tell you something — he’s not going to win over even all the Democratic voters. Some of them cannot get over this hurdle of race. Let’s be very candid about that, but I think that number is diminishing and I think many more people are stepping forward — new voters, in particular — who really don’t believe that should be in the equation. They want to take a look at both candidates and really measure them against what they think this country needs."
New U-of-I poll on Obama’s religion
October 14, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 1 Comment
A new poll from the University of Iowa’s Social Science Research Center asked registered voters about Obama’s religion. The full results, as detailed in a news release from the university, are below.
Al Gore at Iowa Democrats’ 2008 Jefferson-Jackson Dinner
October 4, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · Leave a Comment
Former Vice President Al Gore is tonight’s keynote speaker/main draw for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2008 Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner. Organizers say about a thousand people are expected. This is the fifth time Gore has appeared at the event.
Befiore Gore got to the stage tonight, Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge stole the show a bit with some comments about Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Scroll below to read her remarks; there’s an audio file there, too, if you want to listen.
Gore referenced Judge’s remarks at the beginning of his speech. "Patty, I would pay money — I’d pay a lot of money to watch you and listen to you debate Sarah Palin," Gore said with a laugh. The crowd cheered and whistled. "If there’s just some way that we could arrange that. Why don’t you call up Larry King?" As you may recall, Gore — as the 1992 Democratic vice presidential candidate — faced down Independent presidential candidate Ross Perot in a highly-publicized joint appearance on The Larry King Show on CNN.
Gore was among the slew of 1988 presidential candidates who spoke at the 1987 JJ Dinner. The most memorable part of the night, however, was the press conferences beforehand in which all the candidates were asked if they’d smoked pot as Douglas Ginsberg, President Reagan’s snominee for the Supreme Court, withdraw after admitted he’d smoked marijuana several times. (Gore said yes, he had smoked pot with Tipper, after you know what.) The real Gore-related news that night was his announcement he’d quit campaigning in Iowa in advance of the Caucuses because the state was too dominated by liberals.
Gore spoke at the 1997 JJ Dinner, trotting out a slew of self-depricating jokes. The 1999 JJ Dinner was a turning point for Gore’s campaign, as rival Bill Bradley donned his half glasses to read his speech, while a fiery Gore roamed the stage and exorted the crowd to repeat the line "Stand and Fight." Gore returned to the JJ Dinner n 2001 and referred to Bush as "my president."
On this fifth occasion, Gore enters the hall as a Nobel Prize/Oscar winner. The event is staged in Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines, in the room Barack Obama rallied with his supporters in the late afternoon, before the 2007 JJ Dinner that proved a turning point in Obama’s campaign.
Prominent Hillary Clinton backer on Palin phenom
September 19, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 2 Comments
Bonnie Campbell — the former Iowa Attorney General/prominent attorney/the administrator of the Violence Against Women office in the U.S. Department of Justice during the Clinton administration and Iowa Democratic Party chair from 1987 to 1991 — is one of the guests on this weekend’s edition of "Iowa Press." Campbell’s appearance, alongside David Miles — the president of the Board of Regents, focused mostly on the University of Iowa sexual assault investigation and university-related issues. The last part of the program, however, featured this back-and-forth among me, Campbell and David Yepsen of The Des Moines Register. Subject matter: Sarah Palin.
Henderson: "In 1994, Bonnie Campbell was the Democratic Party’s nominee for governor."
Campbell: "I remember that, yes." (Laughter)
Henderson: "And then this past cycle in the Iowa Caucuses you were a keen supporter of Hillary Clinton. What do you think of Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin?"
Campbell: "Well, I don’t know exactly what to think of the very positive response to her because I’m not a Republican and I’m not supporting her, but let me say that from the perspective of a feminist to have clearly a strong individualist, pioneer, pioneering woman on the Republican ticket is historic with or without my support of her."
Yepsen: "One of the reasons — we’re into politics; we always do that on this show." (laughter)
Campbell: "It’s gotta be."
Yepsen: "Well, one of the reasons John McCain picked her was an effort to attract Hillary Clinton supporters. Now, as one of the leading Hillary Clinton suporters in Iowa, did he succeed?
Campbell: "Well, not with me, no."
Yepsen: "Do you see Clinton people now going over to McCain/Palin as a result of that decision."
Campbell: "I don’t and I keep looking at polling data that suggests that white women are supporting McCain. My theory about what’s happening — I’m not a pollster, as you know — is that those are probably independents who made choices based on other things, but for me to imagine that philosophically people who supported Hillary Clinton because of her experience and her background and her political perspective would support someone who is ideologically the opposite seems a huge stretch."
Yepsen: "We have about 20 seconds left. Is Barack Obama going to be able to carry this state?"
Campbell: "Yes, significantly."
Yepsen: "Why do you say that?"
Campbell: *We know him. It reminds me of 1988. That was mentioned earlier. I just think that Iowa seems to like him and we’re well organized. We’ve registered more Democrats. It ought to be a very good year. We could determine the presidency."
McCain/Palin Rally in Cedar Rapids
September 18, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 45 Comments
I arrived on scene about an hour and a half before the event was to start. The traffic along I-380 was starting to get dicey as folks in vehicles were waiting in line to enter the parking area and wait there for a shuttle to the airplane hanger where the rally will take place.
The McCain campaign set up tables and chairs and erected a white tent outside the hanger and relegated local print and radio reporters like yours truly outside. This is my view of the stage (hint: as you can see from the photo, I cannot see the stage).
I stood along the barriers erected to separate the media area from the crowd and chatted with a few folks and it seems as if McCain is sort of superfluous today. Bill & Bonnie Hammel of Dubuque are here. "There’s a certain excitement here. I think she’s revved up the Republicans and people are looking for change, but they want real change. She’s the only outsider running and I might be so bold to say, the most experienced. Most of our presidents were governors," Bill Hammel said. His wife, Bonnie, wouldn’t have been as excited about voting for McCain if Palin hadn’t been on the ticket. "To me, she’s down home. I can related to her. I’ve got five kids. She has five kids….I think she can change, you know like everyone else has been in 20 years or more and she hasn’t."
Bill Meek of Montezuma drove over to see Palin. "That’s probably true of a lot of folks," Meek said. "McCain made an excellent choice."
There was a bit of consternation among some Cedar Rapidians that McCain and Palin are just making a fly in, fly out visit and won’t be going to see the flood damage here. Donna Martinson works in a building in downtown Cedar Rapids. "They can only be in so many places. It doesn’t matter to me that they didn’t tour," Martinson said. She also was among the folks who Caucuses for McCain. "I think it’s his time and he’s earned it," she said.
Mickey Burgess of Springville told me Palin made the difference for her. "I’m hoping that they will do something different. They’re saying they’re going to, that they’re going to stir things up," Burgess said of McCain/Palin. "(My husband and I) think that these senators and congressmen should not have lifelong terms. We think they should only be allowed to serve two terms like the president."
I pointed out to her McCain has served more than eight years in the U.S. Senate. "But I just think that we need new blood. Yes, he’s been in there a long time," Burgess replied. "But actually what me really look towards him was Sarah and I hope she can shake things up."
Buel Smith of Farmington in far southern Iowa got up at 4:30 this morning to get to the rally. "We’re just hoping," Smith said of the McCain/Palin ticket.
Montana governor: “Don’t be picking on the moose.”
September 14, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · Leave a Comment
Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer was the keynote speaker at the 31st annual Harkin Steak Fry, held this afternoon on a wind-swept, chilly field on the outskirts of Indianola.
Schweitzer and Senator Tom Harkin did a little comedy routine as they flipped a few steaks for the cameras. "I hope I’m not eating caribou," one man standing behind the pair said. Another bystander added: "Or moose."
"Nothing wrong with moose, let me tell you," Schweitzer said. "Don’t be picking on the moose."
Later, during Q&A with reporters, Schweitzer refrained from picking on moose burger lover Sarah Palin, merely saying that she would bring western issues to the fore front Listen to the 12 minute mp3 here. Now, back to the chatter over the steaks on the grill:
"Woodrow Wilson was in his first term when you did your first steak fry, wasn’t he?" Schweitzer asked.
"Wait," Harkin replied. "No, Teddy Roosevelt."
Schweitzer noted the cost of a ticket for the first Harkin Steak Fry 31 years ago was $2. Today, a ticket cost $30. "They’d pay $40 if we throw out the speeches," Schweitzer quipped.
There was some joshing about Schweitzer’s pet dog, Jag, who came along for the ride to Iowa, too. In case you didn’t know, there’s a book about Jag. "It’s the story how the last pup in the litter grew up to become the first dog of Montana. It could happen to anybody, right?" Schweitzer said.
Biden — in Des Moines, Iowa — says McCain health care ideas a “bridge to nowhere”
September 8, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · 1 Comment
"Ladies and gentlemen, let’s get serious. As Barack said, ‘What do they think we are, completely stupid?’ Completely stupid that they’re going to change the way things are when in fact they say nothing, nothing," Joe Biden said of the messages delivered by John McCain and Sarah Palin at the RNC in St. Paul last week. "…John has this great idea. He’s going to give every American a $5000 tax credit which is going to encourage every employer to say, ‘Well, now I can drop health insurance,’ but the average cost of every plan is $12,000 and that’s what I call a bridge to nowhere, an absolute bridge to nowhere. That is a bridge too far."
Listen to Biden’s 35 minute speech (mp3 at bottom of page).
What follows is a live blog of Biden’s appearance in DSM, IA:
Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden is due in Des Moines at an event on the Iowa State Fairgrounds in about an hour. It’s his first trip back to Iowa since he was revealed as Obama’s pick for a running mate. It’s also his first stop back in Iowa since the January 3rd Caucuses.
The venue is a large, barn-like structure in which baby animals are housed during the 11-day run of the State Fair. An American flag has been suspended along the northern third of the western wall. About 300 chairs have been set out; all but a few have been occupied an hour before the event is to start. A long line of folks waited along the outside of the building, in the rain, until they were allowed entry shortly before two o’clock.
The campaign soundtrack includes some of the familiar songs, including the song "Move Along" by the All-American Rejects. "…Move along, move along like I know you do; And even when your hope is gone; Move along, move along just to make it through; Move along; (Go on, go on, go on, go on)’ When everything is wrong we move along; (Go on, go on, go on, go on); When everything is wrong, we move along; Along, along, along."
At 2:30 p.m., the crowd is asked to rise for prayer. A woman who I don’t think identified herself Reverend Angie Witmer of Plymouth Congregational Church in Des Moines is at the microphone "…Be with all those who work, day after day, to change the world, one person, one moment at a time…Remind us that changing the world isn’t something that other people do. It’s up to all of us…May we all feel your presence…May what we see and hear and experience here today set our hearts on fire…Together, with one another and with you, we can change the world. May it be so. Amen."
Next, the crowd rose to recite the Pledge. A brief interlude of audience kibitzing fills the air with chatter from the crowd, then it’s back to the campaign soundtrack. "Ain’t no stoppin’ us now," a 1970ss disco hit from McFadden & Whitehead, is next up on the play list.
King says Palin is the Iron Lady, the “golden girl,” Mary Lou Retton…
September 4, 2008 by O.Kay Henderson · Leave a Comment
Congressman Steve King, a Republican from western Iowa, spoke this morning to the Iowa Republicans who gathered for breakfast at the La Quinta in Bloomington, Minnesota. Most in the room have been delegates or alternate delegates at the RNC in St. Paul this week and everyone in the room saw Alaska Governor Sarah Palin speak last night.
You can listen to King’s comments here (there’s an audio link to his 24 minute speech at the bottom of the page). King compared Palin to a list of women. I hope I can remember them all.
1. "She drilled a 10. She’s our Shawn Johnson," King said, referencing 16-year-old gymnast Shawn Johnson of West Des Moines. Iowa’s governor called Johnson Iowa’s "golden girl" before she even got to China. Johnson, in case you missed it, led the crowd at Invesco Field in Denver in saying the Pledge to open the Thursday night of the Democratic National Convention.
2 and 3. King talked about 1984 Olympic gold medalist Mary Lou Retton, the gymnast, and perhaps 2008 Olympic gold medalist Jessica Mendoza, the best hitter on the USA Softball team, too. "I got asked all day yesterday, ‘What happens if Sarah Palin, what if she muffs it? What if she drops the ball? What if she boots it? What happens if she collapses out there on the stage? What are you Republicans going to do then?’" King told Iowa Republicans this morning. "I said, ‘I am not worried. I’m not worried because, you know, I saw Mary Lou Retton practice and when no one was around her when she did extra after the gold medal 10 across the pommel horse at the Olympics’….When you know there’s somebody who’s got it inside and they’ve demonstrated and performed every day of their life and they get to the point where the whole world is focused on her, like they were last night on Governor Sarah Palin, hocky mom extraordinairre. She took that pitch that came right down the middle of the plate. She cracked it right out of the ballpark."
4. While not using the name Anne Oakley, a sharpshooter star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, King became another in a long line of the men who’ve talked to Iowans this week about what a great shot Palin is when it comes to firing a gun. Former UN Ambassador John Bolton suggested Palin should have a shoot-off with Vladmir Putin. This morning, King suggested a shooting contest featuring Palin and McCain against Obama and Biden (although King did misspeak at one point and suggest Palin and McCain face off). "I propose this: Let’s put our ticket up against the other side…Put those two up there and give them a 30-06 and we’ll put John McCain, our top gun, up against crackshot Sarah Palin or those two together against Obama and Biden and we’ll settle this thing," King said. "Who’s the best shot?"
5. King closed with a reference to the Iron Lady, Britian’s prime minister from 1979-1990. "We’ve needed a strong, conservative leader," King said of Palin. "I’ve said for a long time I’d vote for Margaret Thatcher if she were American."
