When we were trying to figure out what we were going to do today, we thought about going to an antique show a couple of hours south of here.
Then we checked out the forecast. Ninety degrees and windy. Blech. . No thanks. Plus we would have had to get up early. Double no thanks. As we were lounging away the day (ok i was lounging, my wife Ann was doing laundry) I noticed in the newspaper that Senator John Edwards was going to be in Storm Lake this afternoon.
This was exciting for two reasons. First of all, he is someone we are both considering supporting in the upcoming Iowa caucuses. Secondly, we live in a very Republican county (Bush carried well over 70 percent of the vote in 2004), so we were looking forward to being with similar minded people for a change.
When we were getting ready I realized I had only been to two political rallies before, and they were both Republican! Here’s the deal. In College, former Green Bay Packers legend Reggie White was campaigning with presidential hopeful Gary Bauer. A few of my buddies and I went for one reason and one reason only. To see Reggie White (and to be able to walk around yelling "White Bauer, White Bauer" without having to worry about getting our asses kicked was too good to pass up ). The other time was in graduate school when Rudy Giuliani was campaigning with Norm Coleman. I literally walked right by the room the rally was in after class one day. I had to poke my head in and see what they were saying.
We got to the Edwards event fairly early, and one of the campaign staffers asked us where we wanted to go and if we wanted to sit in front. Being in a wheelchair has its perks! There ended up being a very good crowd, considering how red this area is. I would say there were around 200-250 people there and the room was overflowing.
Senator Edwards brought his two youngest children along. Right away I could see his little boy Jack eyeing my wheelchair. I gave him a smile to let him know I was not half man, half machine. Edwards gave a short speech about healthcare and then spent the vast majority of the time taking questions from the audience.
First of all, I have to say I was overall very proud of the questions my fellow Iowans asked. Aside from the first hostile question regarding Israel and Palestine (lets just say that the questioner will not be honored by the anti-defamation league anytime soon), they were relevant and well thought out. Edwards spoke knowledgeably about everything thrown his way.
While Ann was gushing over the fact that he looks pretty good in a pair of Levi’s, I was pretty much nodding in agreement with most of the things he was proposing. The man has a plan and I think he learned a lot from his first run in 2004.
After he was done addressing the audience, he took the time to sign autographs, shake hands and pose for photos. As he was about to leave the room, my brave wife spoke up and got his attention to come over by us and pose for a photo by me and my wheelchair. He shook both of our hands and then I thought he would be on his way. But he lingered by me for a few extra moments and told me thank you for coming out to the event and he patted my shoulder and arm. The man has charm. Ann thought he had great charisma.
I still don’t know if I will vote for him in the caucus. But I am impressed with how knowledgeable he is and how well laid out his plans are. it would be nice to elect an intelligent president who can handle complex issues and not just someone you would like to have a beer with.
Edwards is one of several Democrats who I would be proud to support in the general election. It was refreshing to go to a political event and not feel the need to immediately take a shower when i got home!
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