In a previous
diary entry, I described my trip from Minneapolis to Albuquerque. This entry describes my return trip with an eye to the political situation through the heartland of America.
Leaving Albuquerque
As previously observed, Albuquerque is a hotbed of political activity. During my ten days there Michael Moore, John Kerry and Jenna Bush visited on separate occasions. Kerry went from Albuquerque to Santa Fe, which is about 45 minutes north, while Bush visited the small oil town of Hobbs in the SE corner of New Mexico. It seemed as if Bush was trying hard to stay in Texas with that visit.
Heading east from Albuquerque I was able to listen to Air America Radio for a hundred miles. The radio station must have their radio transmitter on top of Sandia Peak, which sure pays off. As the rolling foothills of the mountain range gave way to high plains the Kerry/Edwards signs dropped off and a few Bush/Cheney signs appeared. This is far different from the drive north to Sante Fe, which passes through a couple of reservations and Kerry/Edwards signs are very evident.
Observations from the road
Unlike the trip to Albuquerque the return trip was a southern route, through Amarillo, Oklahoma City, Kansas City and Des Moines. Again, the route was sparsely-populated ranch and farm country. To my surprise there were essentially no visible presidential signs in the 700 miles from Albuquerque to Wichita, across New Mexico, the Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma and Kansas.
Moving north from Wichita to Kansas City and onto Des Moines, there were political signs for local and state races, but almost nothing for Kerry/Edwards or Bush/Cheney. Missouri, surprisingly, had almost no signs. The ones that were seen were evenly split between the two candidates.
Entering Des Moines in south central Iowa was a bit discouraging. It was here that Bush stickers on cars became quite frequent. The disappointment of that was eased by seeing hand-lettered signs in the smaller towns decrying Bush or supporting Kerry. One hand-made sign in a car window in a tiny town read, "I support our troops...just not George Bush!"
A city transformed
Returning home to Minneapolis felt good, but it was a changed city from the one I left. Nothing unexpected, but different. When I left at the beginning of October it was sunny and warm. Returning found rainy, cold weather. Fall had arrived, and the leaves on the trees had turned bright colors. More than that, Kerry/Edwards signs had appeared throughout South Minneapolis and southern suburbs, finally putting on a display rivaling the Bush/Cheney signs that had appeared suddenly at the beginning of September. The block I live on is still almost entirely Bush/Cheney, but the surrounding blocks now are predominantly Kerry/Edwards signs. It feels good to drive by them, particularly when I see Veterans for Kerry or AFSCME for Kerry signs.
The other pleasant surprise was Air America Radio. When I left for Albuquerque the Twin Cities had AAR on a pair of low-power AM stations that had to stop broadcasting at about 7pm every night. Air America Radio now is on a full-power AM station that broadcasts around the clock. I had gotten used to listening exclusively to AAR in Albuquerque and I now can do so at home as well.
Final word
Based on my personal observations as I traveled across the center of the country, I get the impression that Bush's support is tepid. There is a vocal group of supporters out there who are making as much noise as possible, not unlike Bush's fake rallies where only a handful of people are arranged to give the impression of large turnouts. The Bush camp has created an image of support on television, but the reality on the street is obvious. I can't help but feel an undercurrent that exists for putting this country back on the right path.