Obama reacts to caucus criticism
Clara Hogan - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 12/5/07 Section: Metro
- Page 1 of 1
Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., doesn't understand why he has received recent criticism for encouraging out-of-state Iowa students to come back to caucus Jan. 3, he told The Daily Iowan after a rally late Tuesday night.
"It just doesn't make sense to me," he said. "We're talking about Iowa students caucusing in the Iowa caucuses. As residents of Iowa, we should be encouraging them to caucus, and if they are away for the holidays, we should be encouraging to them to come back."
With under a month until the largely anticipated Iowa caucuses, Obama spoke to hundreds about its importance in the Field House for nearly an hour. The majority of the crowd was made up of UI students.
"I need you to stand up, to stand up and deliver, to stand up and caucus for me," he told the students. "And then I promise I will stand up for you."
Obama repeatedly asked the crowd not to forget to caucus because, he said, the entire nation was looking to Iowa's decision.
With the caucus date moved to Jan. 3, many UI students will be back home for winter break. Recently, the campaigns of Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., voiced opposition to Obama's encouraging students to return to the state for the event.
Obama told students from Iowa to caucus back home and students from out of state to find a way back.
He told the DI that although some may doubt the youth, he has faith that they will turn out to caucus.
"We know there are going to be a lot of young people motivated to caucus," he said, noting their involvement in his campaign. "There are going to be people more casual, who are sort of interested but don't know much about the caucus, and it's our job to encourage them."
The general consensus among students present at the rally was an uncertainty about whether they would show up to caucus.
UI sophomore Patrick McCarthy, who is from Wisconsin, said he isn't sure if he'll caucus. He will be in Iowa on Jan. 3 but said laziness may steer him away from his precinct. McCarthy said if he did participate, he would probably vote for Obama, though he hasn't given much though to any other candidate.
Some students in attendance had their minds made up about their chosen candidate.
UI freshman Elliot Cook, an Iowan, said he is planning to caucus for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Cook has been to numerous political events in town and has seen Obama several times. He said that although he is set on Richardson, Obama could be his second choice.
There were also dozens of high-school students in the crowd. West High student Caroline Dvorsky, 16, said even though she can't caucus, she has volunteered for Obama's campaign all year.
"He's a very good candidate for young people because he talks about the future," she said. "He talks about issues we care about, such as global warming, college costs, Social Security. Those are things we will hold the burden of fixing."
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
"It just doesn't make sense to me," he said. "We're talking about Iowa students caucusing in the Iowa caucuses. As residents of Iowa, we should be encouraging them to caucus, and if they are away for the holidays, we should be encouraging to them to come back."
With under a month until the largely anticipated Iowa caucuses, Obama spoke to hundreds about its importance in the Field House for nearly an hour. The majority of the crowd was made up of UI students.
"I need you to stand up, to stand up and deliver, to stand up and caucus for me," he told the students. "And then I promise I will stand up for you."
Obama repeatedly asked the crowd not to forget to caucus because, he said, the entire nation was looking to Iowa's decision.
With the caucus date moved to Jan. 3, many UI students will be back home for winter break. Recently, the campaigns of Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton, D-N.Y., and Sen. Chris Dodd, D-Conn., voiced opposition to Obama's encouraging students to return to the state for the event.
Obama told students from Iowa to caucus back home and students from out of state to find a way back.
He told the DI that although some may doubt the youth, he has faith that they will turn out to caucus.
"We know there are going to be a lot of young people motivated to caucus," he said, noting their involvement in his campaign. "There are going to be people more casual, who are sort of interested but don't know much about the caucus, and it's our job to encourage them."
The general consensus among students present at the rally was an uncertainty about whether they would show up to caucus.
UI sophomore Patrick McCarthy, who is from Wisconsin, said he isn't sure if he'll caucus. He will be in Iowa on Jan. 3 but said laziness may steer him away from his precinct. McCarthy said if he did participate, he would probably vote for Obama, though he hasn't given much though to any other candidate.
Some students in attendance had their minds made up about their chosen candidate.
UI freshman Elliot Cook, an Iowan, said he is planning to caucus for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson.
Cook has been to numerous political events in town and has seen Obama several times. He said that although he is set on Richardson, Obama could be his second choice.
There were also dozens of high-school students in the crowd. West High student Caroline Dvorsky, 16, said even though she can't caucus, she has volunteered for Obama's campaign all year.
"He's a very good candidate for young people because he talks about the future," she said. "He talks about issues we care about, such as global warming, college costs, Social Security. Those are things we will hold the burden of fixing."
E-mail DI reporter Clara Hogan at:
clara-hogan@uiowa.edu
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bryan
posted 12/16/07 @ 9:36 AM CST
The Electoral Asses
By Heinrich Heine
They'd had enough of freedom now,
The republic of animals clamored
For one single regent with absolute rule,
Of this they were enamored. (Continued…)
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