USA Today: Iowa activists welcome Bernie Sanders to race

[Omaha Steve]

Last edited Fri May 1, 2015, 10:01 AM - Edit history (1)

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt. arrives at a town hall meeting on Dec. 16, 2014, in Ames, Iowa. (Charlie Neibergall, AP)

http://onpolitics.usatoday.com/2015/04/30/bernie-sanders-iowa/

By Jennifer Jacobs 16 hours ago

On one recent Iowa visit, Bernie Sanders showed he’s the kind of presidential contender who’s perfectly comfortable speaking at a podium that’s actually an overturned milk crate on a tabletop.

Sanders, a no-frills man of the people, will be welcome in the presidential race because he’s so sincere about his ideas for making working-class Americans’ lives better, some Iowa Democratic activists said Thursday. It’s possible the Vermont second-term U.S. senator can become a real contender here — and peel away votes from frontrunner Hillary Clinton — if he can explain himself to enough voters, they said.

Instead of dwelling on “Canadian birth certificates and pants suits,” Sanders gets to the heart of problems that bog down the national economy, said Ken Sagar, president of the Iowa AFL-CIO.

“All the labeling about, ‘Oh, he’s a left-wing person’ — if you just set that aside for a second and listen to him talk about the issues, a lot of the stuff he talks about is pretty important,” Sagar told The Des Moines Register Thursday morning. “If you’re a Republican, you have kids who have student loan debt, too. If you’re an independent, you’re worried about retirement, too.”

FULL story at link.

[morningfog]

1. "No frills man of the people."

This is going to be a fun campaign.

[rurallib]

2. This Iowan is so happy that Sanders is in

imagine a campaign with issues at the center? Not sure if I can remember such a thing.

We will be at the caucuses. As of now we lean Sanders.

[TM99]

3. No kidding.

When was the last time that issues were at the center of the presidential campaign? The 1960's? Maybe the early 1970's.

I love seeing him just push aside all of the bullshit media narcissism and just go right to the straight talk on important issues that impact all of us, no matter what our party affiliation.

[rurallib]

4. and no code words or code talking and no pandering to this wing or that

his positions are for all citizens.

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Hope you will share with us how the caucuses are going up there.

I like to avoid media bias.

[rurallib]

10. I will do what I can

most likely I will chair my precinct, so will have no idea what else is going on anywhere else.

[Duval]

9. This North Carolinian is happy, too! nt

[Cheese Sandwich]

5. nice. nt

[dotymed]

7. Iowa Activists?

I didn't read anything in this op about any "activists." Just average people...

[progressoid]

8. Exactly. Regular people.

Wonder if choosing that word was done deliberately to make him seem like a fringe candidate, or if the writer is just an idiot.

[dotymed]

12. Deliberately IMO......n/t

[CoffeeCat]

11. Don't underestimate Iowans!

Remember the 2008 primary when Hillary was "inevitable."?

She sauntered into Iowa as if our state was a formality that she just needed to endure on her way to New Hampshire.

Surprise!

Iowans take their "first in the nation" status seriously. We demand to know these candidates, speak to them, ask
them tough questions and get in their faces. We're polite, but we are serious about our duties.

Bernie could do very well here, and Iowa could give him some momentum from the get-go.

Hillary came in 3rd in the 2008 primary caucuses. Obama, of course won all 99 counties in Iowa. We took a look at him, listened to him and we liked what we saw and heard. If Bernie does a good job of communicating, he could actually surprise some people.

Most Progressives in Iowa are unhappy with Hillary. Our state is still a bit sour from her last rounds here, where she was inaccessible, cold and mainly gave empty, canned speeches with little dialog. She even rigged a "town-hall" meeting. She was supposed to take questions from the audience, but it was discovered that all of the questioners were her staffers who were asking her pre-rehearsed and planted questions. The story made the Des Moines Register. We didn't exactly appreciate that.

It wouldn't surprise me at all if Bernie had a very strong showing in Iowa.