(Crossposted at
RussForPresident.com)
Kyle of "Diary of a political madman" (a local Iowa blog) has has an excellent piece on the Senator's visit to Clinton and Davenport over the weekend. As a local blogger in touch with the political scene he's had the chance to attend events for a few of the 08 candidates and has a good sense of their appeal in Iowa.
I'm now the proud owner of a "Run Russ Run!" button, and I would be surprised if the issues he presents don't resonate with the large portion of Iowa voters who supported Ed Fallon. Feingold is also probably the only candidate I'd get up at 5:45 on a Sunday to see, and as it turns out, that's what I did.
Read below the fold to find out why:
update: the title was suggested in a comment below. This commentary is about Senator Feingold's visit to Clinton, IA. Thanks
If you're wondering what the message of our movement is, look no further than this photo of the Senator with me wearing my "Run, Russ, Run!" button. You can
zoom in to see the button in depth.
Feingold does things a little differently from the other candidates I've seen. Instead of standing up and commanding attention and giving long speeches, he sits down in the room, introduces himself, gives a short overview, and then opens the floor up for questions.
This is the first thing that a lot of people notice is different about the Senator. He brings his listening sessions to Iowa to hear what people have to say instead of just telling them his vision. The Senator's own views come out clearly enough when answering questions but this allows the people in the room to be active participants in determining the topic of discussion.
At the two events I attended, Feingold was asked 24 questions. Twelve of them were about foreign policy. When you allow the crowd to ask you questions, you allow the crowd to determine your direction. Feingold spoke to two groups with large contingents of people concerned about foreign policy on a day when tensions between Israel and Lebanon were peaking. As a result, he ended up answering a lot of questions about foreign policy.
This is a really important point to remember. The Senator didn't "bring his anti-war message to Iowa" as media reports have claimed. The Senator came to Iowa to listen to the issues and found that voters are worried about foreign policy and want an alternative to George Bush instead of a rubber stamp. It's why the Senator got a round of applause when it was pointed out that he had been against the war from the very beginning. And that vote still matters today because 2008 candidates need to be held accountable for their decisions to support the war.
The enthusiasm for a Feingold candidacy in Iowa is real. Should the Senator choose to run he'll find that there are quite a few people from Iowa and beyond willing to get up at ridiculous hours just to help out with the campaign. Show Kyle some love and read his entire piece on the Senator's visit - there's even a great discussion brewing in his comments.
Then head over to RussForPresident.com and join our list to show the Senator that we support him in 2008.