Obama urges first-time caucus-goers to turn out tonight
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Will it be a whole new kind of politics with armies of students, independents, and even Republicans turning out to put Barack Obama over the top in today's Democratic presidential caucuses, as one controversial poll suggests?
Or will it be like most years, when the students stay home and the union members and other veteran caucus-goers show up to choose someone like John Edwards or Hillary Clinton?
(AP)
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Countdown to caucus
"All of you who are caucusing for the first time, they don't believe right now you'll turn out," Obama told a crowd of 1,000 at Veterans Memorial Stadium Wednesday. "Those of you who are independents, they don't think you'll show up. Are we going to prove 'em wrong?" Obama asked.
"Yaaaa!" the crowd shouted.
"I can't hear you -- Are we going to prove 'em wrong?"
"YAAAAA!" the crowd shouted again.
Not only do they need to come, but they need to bring two friends each, he later told a crowd at a stop in Waterloo.
Clinton and Edwards had their own last day tours of the state going, and they had their own polls which show the race on the Democratic side to be a three-way tie.
But it was the Des Moines Register poll that showed Obama riding an unprecedented wave of support from first-time caucus-goers, students and independents to a 32 percent support rating, compared to 25 percent for Clinton and 24 percent for Edwards that made the biggest splash.
All three candidates purchased two-minute commercials to make their final case. The airwaves are full of commercials from them and the second-tier candidates, Sens. Chris Dodd and Joe Biden and New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson. The true test comes today -- to see which candidate can get their supporters to the caucuses.
Chicago precinct captains are walking the streets in Iowa, helping to turn out the votes for Obama. And some Chicago people are also there for Clinton.
"A lot of these houses don't even have addresses," 49th Ward Committeeman David Fagus said as he canvassed the small towns of northeast Iowa. "All that talk about the young people for Obama is true where I am. Everyone under 30 here is supporting him."
Even at this late hour many Iowans have not yet made up their minds. Robert Naujoks, 72, and his wife Sharon Reilly, 62, listened to Obama's speech here after listening to Edwards and Clinton earlier and preparing to listen to Biden.
"I guess it's a good thing to have so many fine Democratic candidates," Naujoks said.
I really don't know what to do," Reilly agreed. "I've just never been in this much turmoil."
Sarah Pringle, 51, of Cedar Raids, and Karen Owen, 46, of Knoxville will both be voting in their first-ever caucuses because their daughters talked them into it. Pringle was leaning toward Clinton and Owen toward Obama, but both were still undecided.
With no incumbents or vice-presidents in the race, a marathon 10-month campaign and an unprecedented amount of money spent on advertising, turnout could be a record high for tonight's caucuses, Obama's chief strategist David Axelrod said.
Obama's campaign held a conference call Wednesday to announce the endorsement of former South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges. Hodges now works as a lobbyist. Obama spends much of his stump speech talking about how lobbyists are not funding his campaign and will not control his administration.
The Illinois senator stood on an improvised wood-crate-and-masking-tape platform at his first stop in Davenport Wednesday after the truck that was carrying his riser hit a deer.
"We feel bad for the deer. We feel bad for the truck," Obama said. "We've had to improvise. That's why I'm on a soapbox here."
But Edwards had to contend with an even worse metaphor than a soap box: His campaign bus broke down, ot least suffered enough electrical problems that it needed to be replaced, a spokeswoman said.