just back from my precinct party for obama here in des moines. these were gatherings that were held in most every precinct across the state tonight, and provided a chance for supporters and those considering caucusing for obama to come together to discuss/debate the various candidates, and to listen in on a conference call with obama.
there was lively debate about the merits of the various candidates, and definitely a feeling that the democrats have a strong slate of candidates to choose from. but the love was not universal...
i thought my captain did a nice job, in that she focused on getting the word out about the gathering to people who are leaning towards obama, but not necessarily those who are coded a "1" by the campaign--i.e. a strong supporter--in our precinct. not sure if other precincts put such an emphasis on the undecideds/leaners, or used it as more of a pep rally for the true believers. i live in a large precicnt, and i'd say there were 20+ people there. probably about 6-8 left having signed supporter cards when it was all said and done.
the most interesting thing that came out of the evening was a palpable anti-hillary sentiment. no one spoke out in her defense. people said she's divisive for both democrats and republicans. most did seem to say they'd support her over the republican, but one woman--who moved to iowa after 30 years in nyc--said she'd vote for guiliani over hillary. edwards seemed to be the other candidate people felt good about.
on the conference call, obama thanked everyone, encouraged everyone to come out and caucus for him and to bring one friend along with them. then he took three questions that had been submitted from precinct captains from across the state. the first question dealt with his position on immigration, the second question focused on how he would hire/appoint people in his administration, and the final question covered which charities he likes to donate to--sort of an odd one, but better than diamonds or pearls!
i don't think the other campaigns have done something on this large of a scale--i understand there was a gathering in the majority of precincts in iowa tonight.
never posted a diary before, so go easy on me. i just have read many postings where people are interested in "what it's like" in iowa. so here's what it was like for me...