New Years Eve in North Eastern Iowa…

Dear Friends and Other Gentle People;

First, Happy New Year. Today more then all the other days spent in Iowa I miss my family. My daughter Breanna (picture to the left) loves this Holiday and enjoys staying up to see the “ball drop”. Sadly, I will not be there to share this moment with her. However, the work Bill and I are doing out here in Iowa is critically important to the future of our nation, making our sacrifices well worth it.

We now have been assigned three caucus sites Bill and I will be working with. Our effort today was attempting to locate AFSCME Caucus Captains for each site. Each Caucus in the region will have an AFSCME presence symbolized by the famous AFSCME green shirts. Bill and I met for over one hour this morning with Lynn McFadden, a retired union member who has aligned herself with the AFSCME effort and will be one of our Caucus Captains. We went through a full Caucus Captain training session in Lynn’s living room. Like Lynn, we are starting to create one-on-one relationships with Pro-Hillary AFSCME members. The bottom line is that we need to get the Pro-Hillary voters to the caucuses. If that effort is successful, Hillary will win in Iowa.

Tomorrow, Bill and I will be delivering caucus packages to AFSCME members who live in rural areas along the Wisconsin border. These packages will help us to ensure the AFSCME effort will reach into every corner of the state of Iowa.

As Bill so eloquently pointed out in a previous post, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls region has become ground zero in this election. Hillary will be in our area again tonight to help welcome in the New Year with the residents of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls region. As you can surmise at this point, Bill and I will be at the Hillary visit helping out in any manner we can.

Good day friends and God Bless,

- Robert


Articles of note:

'You don?t have to yell and scream,' Clinton says

02 days until the Jan. 3, 2008 Iowa caucuses

72 Hours Out: Where Things Stand

Caucus Countdown: Women Keep One Eye on Iowa, the Other on New Hampshire


________________________________________

Bill and Robert swing into action!!!!

Well friends, today we really swung into action. Waterloo and Cedar Falls have been determined to be the epicenter of the Iowa campaign and Robert and I wouldn’t want it any other way. We started the day by assisting the Clinton folks doing some door-to-door visits. I am continuously astounded by the gracious acceptance the Iowans give us as we rap on their doors incessantly. Our task was to convince people who would not commit to caucusing for Hillary previously to do so. We used every bit of charm and persuasiveness that we could muster in 6-degree weather to convince them to do so, and were successful beyond my expectations. We finished our evening at the University of Northern Iowa where we attended a speech by Hillary to a crowd of approximately 1200 people. I had the opportunity to speak to a professor of Business Administration at Northern Iowa and a high school physics teacher who were sitting with me. They take the responsibility of caucusing very seriously and the discussion was a lively one. Hillary gave an extremely inspirational speech, outlining the many problems that she would tackle when she takes office as our next President. Tomorrow we will again hit the streets in a final push to get as many Hillary supporters to the caucus as we possibly can. Bill Clinton will be visiting Waterloo tomorrow night and we will be there to hear him speak, and Hillary is slated to return to the area on the second of January for one final visit. We will do whatever it takes and go wherever we need to insure that our efforts are successful.

Stay well, I miss you all and look forward to seeing you upon our return!

- William

_________________________________________

Clinton leads in Iowa!!!!!!!!

By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent

DES MOINES, Iowa (Reuters) - Democrat Hillary Clinton holds a narrow lead in Iowa four days before the state opens the presidential nominating race, while Republicans Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney are virtually tied, according to a Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll released on Sunday.

Click here for the whole story....

_______________________________________



Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll:




_____________________________________

Sunday Morning in Iowa

It is 7:30am on Sunday morning (at +6 degrees) and I am getting ready to head out to the Labor Temple. The polls in Iowa remain fluid and tight. The political buzz in Iowa is that anything could happen Thursday night. Bill and I have developed a “fire-in-the belly” commitment to helping the AFSCME Hillary Team win the Iowa caucuses. So friends and readers your prayers and positive thoughts are needed as we head out into the Waterloo – Cedar Falls neighborhoods scratching for every vote we can find.

In an effort to help folks understand what is going on out here in The Hawkeye State, here are some great sources of information:

Iowa Independent - is a collaboration of bloggers and journalists across Iowa with the goal of breaking news and influencing the conversations about issues that face our state. Serving over 70,000 page views per month (based on an average of July, August, and September 2007), they are Iowa's largest online-only news outlet.

The Des Moines Register - This is Iowa's largest newspaper.

Blog for Iowa - The Online Information Resource for Iowa's Progressive Community.

Click Here For HuffPost's 'Round The Clock Iowa Coverage

Good Day and God Bless;

- Robert

_____________________________________

On the campaign trail….

Photobucket Album

Iowa: Land of friendly, thoughtful people....

Our first full day on the caucus trail was a busy one indeed. We started this morning with a staff meeting attended by our Region 1 (Waterloo, Cedar Falls, Dubuque, and eastern Iowa) staff. We then were given our list of contacts for door to door canvassing and hit the road. Robert and I were assigned the Cedar Falls area. I was impressed once again by the friendly spirit of the people of Iowa, just as I have been in my previous campaign experiences in Florida in 2000 and in Wisconsin in 2004. Again and again we were met with thoughtful people who freely gave us their time to explain there caucus intentions. In the afternoon we were scheduled to attend a 3 pm class for precinct captains at the labor temple we are working from in Waterloo. This training was given by AFSCME staff and entailed the entire caucus process. I found the training to be very informative, in light of my complete ignorance of what really transpires here. I had no concept of the wide-open process and of the nuances that make the caucus system so different from what we are used to in New York. In the caucus system used here, a candidate must have a 15% showing of those who choose to attend in each precinct or they are considered “not viable”. Their supporters can then either throw their support behind another “viable” candidate or can simply walk out of the caucus. Supporters of viable candidates can attempt to persuade supporters of those found not viable to join them. There is a thirty-minute time limit to attempt to accomplish this. It sounds to me like a possible madhouse, but they assure me that it works! I am looking forward to seeing what I learned put into practice this Thursday. Following the training we were told that Hillary will be visiting Cedar Falls tomorrow, and we will, of course, be in attendance. We then returned to the streets to continue to canvass, ending our day by returning to the temple just after 8 pm. I am now watching the Giants attempt to beat New England. Following the game I am turning in for the night to rest my aching knees. I send all my best to each of you and look forward to seeing you upon our return.

With warm regards;

- Bill

____________________________________________

Iowa - Day One

Dear Friends;

Our boots are on the ground in Iowa. I must say our boots hit the ground running. When we arrived in Waterloo it was amidst a fairly significant snowstorm with temperatures hovering in the high teens to the low twenties. Our first day was mostly travel as we left Rochester about 6am and hit Iowa about noon (getting up at 2am). We procured our vehicles and rooms and we are off. Most of the rest of our first day was talking with folks one on one about Hillary. While we were well received so far, it appears the state of Iowa is still full of undecided voters. I was very surprised by the lack of visible political activity. Very few campaign signs were around the Waterloo - Cedar Falls region of Iowa. The good news is that of all the campaigns, Hillary was the most visible. The other thing that struck me was the ambivalence of many voters towards the caucuses. Organization is obviously the key to an Iowa victory. The candidate that gets their supporters to the caucuses will be victorious. The other good news is that AFSCME has a splendid ground operation in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls region. Both Bill and I are very proud we can play a part in this important effort. Keep an eye on this page as it will be updated daily.

God Bless;

- Robert


Stumped on caucus jargon?
For more information on the Iowa Caucuses click here!

New York Times
Iowa Caucuses - NYT

Get unbiased coverage at CQ
And what actually happens at the caucuses?

The Caucus Step by Step
http://yougogirl.com/

________________________________________

My report- We traveled for most of the day.

When we reached Minneapolis, Minnesota, and were boarding our puddle jumper for Waterloo, there was an announcement that “some passengers” needed to have new seat assignments to balance out the load on the plane. You can imagine my surprise when only my companion was asked to change seats! Seriously, we arrived in time to canvass some Iowans, and we were genuinely surprised at the lack of political signs, ads, etc., that are visible in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. Tomorrow we start with a staff meeting and then we will be going door to door to ensure that Hillary supporters will attend the caucuses and to offer anyone who needs it a ride on caucus day. This is vital work and we are determined to push as hard as we can to put Hillary over the top. Stay tuned, we will fill you in on every step from now through caucus day.

Warm Regards;

- Bill

________________________________________

Bill and Robert’s excellent adventure….

Dear Friends and other Gentle People,

Tomorrow morning Bill and I will travel to Waterloo Iowa to help Hillary take this country back from the special interests. I firmly believe that the day Hillary is sworn in as President of the United States of America, Halliburton, Blackwater, the Pharmaceutical conglomerates (etc, etc) will no longer have a strangle hold over the entire government. I am not so naive to believe that everything will change in an instant (Rome was not built in a day, yatta, yatta) however, we will be on the road to taking our country back.

For all the reasons listed below in Representative Jim McGovern's excellent article (Why I Support Hillary Clinton), education issues, experience, etc, I too support Hillary. However, to look deep inside my psyche is the heart and soul of the reason I support Hillary so strongly. The real reason lies in the eyes of my eleven year old daughter Breanna. When I was growing up I was often told any boy in America can grow up to be President. Now we can expand that dream to include “boys and girls”. I want my daughter growing up in an America where anyone can grow up to be President, regardless of race, religion or sex. That is my American Dream!

Stay tuned to this channel my friends for the next week and you will see history in the making.

Good day Friends and God Bless. -Robert

Why I Support Hillary Clinton

By Rep. Jim McGovern

As you know, I have long opposed the war in Iraq and have consistently fought hard to end it. I also strongly support Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Presidency. Yes, I believe she voted the wrong way the first time - but so did every other candidate who was in office when the vote happened (the exception being my good friend, Dennis Kucinich). But, to be totally honest--after five long years of war--I'm less interested in the past and more interested in what's next.

Hillary has made it clear: If George Bush hasn't ended his war by January 2008, then as President she will. I believe her. If I didn't, there is no way in hell that I would endorse her. She has the much-needed skill, ability, strength and standing to bring this sad chapter in our history to an end. It won't be easy, but she will do it.

I am the co-chair of the House Hunger Caucus in the Congress, which is dedicated to implementing policies that will end domestic and world-wide hunger. The fact that in 2007 anyone in America or around the world is hungry is one of the greatest moral failings of our generation. Hunger is a political condition. We have the resources to end it; but we lack the political will. Hillary will change that.

On the domestic side, Hillary's record on ending hunger in America is impeccable. She will expand the safety net and will champion policies to eradicate poverty.

On the international front, Hillary is a strong backer of universal school feeding programs and is the author of legislation calling for a global commitment to universal education. Imagine if the United States were known around the world as the leader in an effort to end hunger, illiteracy and hopelessness. Imagine if the world's poor looked at us as part of the solution instead of part of the problem. Hillary gets it. She understands that we must move in a dramatically different direction in order to create a safer, more tolerant and more just world. And, just as important, she has the leadership skills to implement change.

If Hillary is President, the world will change overnight. She understands we need a foreign policy that represents what we're for--and not just what we're against.

I am also backing Hillary because I believe in health care for all. It's a national scandal that so many in our country--the richest nation on earth--do not have health care. She has been a leader on this issue longer than anyone and has a plan that will cover everyone.

All the Democratic candidates for President are quality individuals who would lead this country infinitely better than George Bush. I know Hillary and believe she's not only a good candidate but a good, decent and honorable person. I want change--and I want it badly. I view Hillary's candidacy as not only change--but also as bold and history-making.

Let's face it--the next President of the United States will inherit a mess. It will take not only vision, but skill to fix it all. Hillary has both. I am proud to stand with her.

Why I support Hillary Clinton

By: Kris Hasstedt

As soon as I found out that Hillary Clinton was running for president, I immediately went to her Web site to look at her stance on issues.

I looked at every presidential candidate's Web site, both Republican and Democrat, and I narrowed my choice down to two candidates, one being Hillary. I went back and forth for months between the two, and I finally decided that Hillary Clinton is the candidate I believe will make the best president of the United States.

Hillary has fought for children and early childhood development ever since graduating law school and continues to do so. I like Hillary because she has experience reaching across party lines to get legislation passed. I respect the fact that Hillary worked very hard to get the Pentagon to improve health insurance, combat pay and body armor for our troops, and worked with her Republican counterparts to get it done.

I know that Hillary will get us off our dependency on foreign oil, something I believe is long overdue. She is very innovative in the sense that she is considering all types of renewable energy options, whether it's wind or ethanol. I think putting time and money into researching these types of renewable energy sources is a good thing, and she and I agree on that.

One of the most important reasons I am supporting Hillary for president is because of her standing among world leaders. After World War II, America was the hero to the rest of the world. This view has changed drastically since, especially in the past seven years, and I know that Hillary will change the way the rest of the world looks at us. Since she served as first lady, Hillary has befriended many of the leaders of different countries, and she is respected around the globe. I believe Hillary is the only candidate that has what it takes to turn our situation around.

Hillary is very experienced in Washington politics and knows how the game is played. She bore the brunt of the lies and scandals that rocked her husband's presidency, and she knows how these can ruin a politician's career.

As first lady she withstood this type of behavior from her peers. She did it again when she ran for Senate and won by a landslide, and she's doing it again as a presidential candidate.

Every day, she has people slamming her for something and yet she continues to lead in the polls. We need a president who can take criticism and continue to do her job. To me, this is the sign of a great presidential candidate, and I see that in Hillary.

I have had the opportunity to meet Hillary a couple of times, and every time I have, she has been very personable. Hillary is always willing to take a picture or sign something while she is engaged in conversation.

I think that all of the things I mentioned above put her above all of her competition, and that's why I do and will support a Hillary Clinton administration.

- Kris Hasstedt is a senior in liberal studies from Ames.