Open Dialogue

I Saw Hillary

My sister, Nancy, called me last week and told me that some secret service agents had been in her coffeehouse in Newton. The end result was a request for Hillary Clinton to make a visit on Saturday, April 21 at 1:00.

The Iowa Caucuses tend to bring some attention to this state every four years. During the last election, four of the democratic candidates made stops at Nancy's coffeehouse for appearances. Brian Williams from NBC news did a small piece on Newton and it's lure for candidates to make stops. They also featured my sister's coffeehouse.

So, I wasn't surprised that Hillary's camp had chosen Nancy's coffeehouse for a campaign stop. What did surprise me was how awestruck my sister was with this one. She's seen candidates before, but having Hillary in her place was a rockstar moment.

My friend Beth and I made the trek to Newton to see Hillary on Saturday. The thing that stood out to me most is that she is a petite woman and that photographs do not do her justice. She is very dynamic and worked the crowd well. There were probably 100 people crammed in--including a contingent of red-hat ladies--and she made the rounds to shake hands with everyone.

Christie Vilsak, former first lady of Iowa and wife of former democratic presidential candidate Tom Vilsak, introduced and endorced Hillary. I got to talk to Christie Vilsak afterward and she commented a lot on how much she felt Hillary was prepared for being President. One of the main things she mentioned was how much they had lived through and come out stronger during her husband's presidency.

So, Hillary gave her speech and it was a typical candidate speech. National healthcare garnered a lot of applause. Immediate withdrawel of our troops in Iraq garnered less applause. The lack of savvy in foreign policy brought the crowd back.

When it came time for questions, there wasn't anything too pressing. Mainly Hillary patiently gave a civics lesson.

While I helped my sister clean up after the crowd left, my friend Beth was talking with Dennis Black of the Iowa Senate. Beth is an incredible lady. She got married young and put her dream of going to law school on hold. Several years and three daughters later, she is working, has two daughters in high school, and going to Drake Law School. Senator Black gave her some contacts and I think it was a good networking time for her.

One of the things I like about being back in Iowa is that we do get attention and see candidates during election years. When I lived in Georgia--it was such a red state--that we got next to nothing.

posted by Susan @ 11:26 AM