At Iowa Caucuses, Politics Really Is Local

Campaigns And Their Supporters Undertake An Unprecedented Get Out The Vote Operation

(CBS)  This story was written by CBSNews.com political reporter Brian Montopoli.

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The solicitations began almost as soon as supporters walked into Hillary Clinton’s New Year’s Eve celebration in downtown Des Moines.

“Would you be willing,” a clipboard-wielding volunteer asked, “to drive someone to the polls on Thursday?”

For all the hype about the Iowa caucuses, there are a small number of votes up for grabs: Estimates at the higher ranges call for a turnout of 150,000 Democrats and 90,000 Republicans at over 3,500 caucus sites across the state tonight.

And that means presidential campaigns spend much of their time making sure each and every supporter gets to their caucus meeting, despite cold, snow, or the hassles of everyday life.

Their efforts this year have been unprecedented.

The John Edwards campaign, according to Edwards’ Iowa spokesman Dan Leistikow, is “helping to find babysitters, locating handicapped parking spots, offering rides, providing meals, [and] helping people find their precinct location.”

The campaign says it had 1,000 canvassers working the state Wednesday, and 51 active phone banks “with hundreds of volunteers and supporters.” It has set up a hotline that Edwards supporters anywhere in Iowa can call if they need a ride caucus night, and has even lined up all terrain vehicles to get supporters to the caucuses in case the weather turns sour.

The Clinton campaign, according to Iowa state director Teresa Vilmain, has secured over 600 shovels and pounds of salt in case of snow. It has 5,000 people ready to drive voters to caucuses (and nearly as many identified as needing rides.) It’s hosting pre-caucus gatherings for supporters, complete with food.

Fred Thompson’s Iowa executive director, Bob Haus, says the Thompson campaign is calling up to 10,000 people per day from Thompson’s Iowa headquarters. Like rival campaigns, the Thompson campaign asks those who come to events to fill out cards so they can be contacted and encouraged to caucus for the candidate.

How will they make absolutely sure voters actually show up on caucus night?

“We’re thinking about hot toddies,” jokes Haus.

The Iowa state director for Mitt Romney, Gentry Collins, characterizes his campaign’s turnout operation as “very traditional.”

“We’ve got a volunteer operation in all 99 Iowa counties,” he says. “We’ve been working hardest on offering rides to people who can’t get themselves to the caucuses. You can’t just run a van or a bus around town. You’ve got to have somebody matched up with each person who needs a ride.”

The turnout operation for Mike Huckabee, who the polls suggest is Romney’s main rival for GOP voters’ hearts in Iowa, is anything but traditional: With less money available to establish a statewide organization than Romney, Huckabee is depending in large part on tight-knit groups of pastors and home-schoolers to ensure that supporters get to the caucuses.

“We are doing what we need to do to contact voters all across the state and let them know where their caucuses are, what time their caucuses are, what to expect when they get there,” says Eric Woolson, Huckabee's Iowa campaign manager.

But Woolson acknowledges that the Huckabee campaign has little planned when it comes to driving people to their caucus.

“By and large, what we’re finding is folks are able to get themselves where they need to be,” Woolson says. “The biggest question I’m getting is what people should do with their kids. I told a guy to just take them with him.”

The Clinton campaign, by contrast, has been lining up teenage baby-sitters for supporters.

Barack Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton characterizes Obama’s turnout operation as “massive,” though he declined to offer specific numbers. Burton did say the campaign is “active in every precinct in every county in the state.” Defying conventional wisdom, the Obama campaign has targeted independent voters and those who have not caucused in the past.

Because of the logistical challenges inherent in caucuses, campaigns rely on local activists to motivate voters in each of the state’s precincts. The most sophisticated operations have differing approaches for different categories of voters - they might make a different pitch in their phone calls to solid supporters than in their calls to undecided voters on caucus day, for example.

Rudy Giuliani and John McCain, who were not expected to do well with the state’s largely conservative and religious GOP electorate, do not have the volunteer network here that some of their rivals do. (The candidates are still doing some campaigning in the state, however, and McCain has seen a recent bump in Iowa polls.)

“Organization is huge,” says Drew Ivers, Iowa state chairman for Ron Paul. “At least 30 percent of the total outcome will be organization, and you could argue it’s higher than that.”

Ivers says that if Paul’s supporters haven’t shown up to their caucus 15 minutes before it is scheduled to start, the campaign will make a phone call to make sure they are on their way. He says 250 college students are working the phones to make sure people turn out for Paul.

Even the most passionate supporters need encouragement, argues Ivers.

“Who wants to get up on a cold winter night in Iowa,” he asks, “and go to a meeting?”

[blancadebree]

What a great country we live in, where a bunch of country rubes get to pick the leader of the free world, the commander of the last super power, and arguably the most important human on earth. A bunch of folks who think cow tipping is a sport and who still think Minnie Pearl is funny are first in the nation. Go figure.

http://blancadebree.blogspot.com
Come into the Blancasphere

[prinzowhales]

Another crock-of-BS story courtesy of CBS-AP-WP...
Nothing to say about the Israeli defense firm that will be tallying the caucus votes because no one in the entire state of Iowa--save a few inbreds--have more that ten fingers and ten toes and therefore are incapable of tallying the vote themselves.

No mention, of course, of the fact that because the Golf-Delta caucuses are on a work day, it is less likely that working people will be able to attend.

And, of course, it doesn''t seem important that Dennis Kucinich has to sue the Golf-Delta Democratic Party of Texas because he refuses to sign a loyalty oath to support whatever War Pig the Party eventually nominates to run against the Republican candidate. It is way past time for the People to destroy the entire corrupt edifice of the Demo-publican party-- the primary instrument of Oligarchichal control in this country. As with the old question, "What if they gave a war and nobody came?"..."What if the Demopublicans put up candidates and nobody voted for them?" If you don''t have a Paul or a Kucinich to vote for...you might as well be voting for Bush or his cousin, Kerry, again...

Boycott FOX and its advertisers!

[grazinggoat]

"What if they gave a war and nobody came?"..."What if the Demopublicans put up candidates and nobody voted for them?" If you don''''t have a Paul or a Kucinich to vote for...you might as well be voting for Bush or his cousin, Kerry, again...
Boycott FOX and its advertisers!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by Prinzowhales at 10:18 AM : Jan 03, 2008

-Great posting Prinz!

[prinzowhales]

tuckerndfw--The parties may be private, but so is the media, the money-creating edifice of the FED, Big Oil, most electric generation...Its time for the masks to come off...we are not fighting a tyranny of people pledged to the common good and supporting the expansion of government...We are fighting a PRIVATE TYRANNY that uses government for its own purposes, its own gain--We are fighting the fascism of three-piece suits, spread sheets, private profit and public loss...As long people vote for the lesser of two evils...the left and right arms of Mammon... then fascism wins...I''ll support Paul or the Libertarians...or, I''ll support Kucinich, Nader and the Statists who will use the State for the common good...I prefer the former, but I''ll take the later over the human filth who are running this nation today...and running it straight into the ground. I don''t trust the Left to use power wisely...but better to give them a chance than to continue to be ruled by psychopaths of the Bush, Giuliani, McCain persuasion.

Leaving the ''private'' parties, is the first necessary step in turning things around--or taking over lock, stock and barrel, one of the major parties.

Boycott FOX and its Advertisers!

[marcodele]

To earthlives: Do you think the fact that there was a Whitewater investigation means there was something to investigate? If you remember correctly (instead of what FoxNews and Rush tell you to think) the Whitewater investigation squandered 60 million taxpayer dollars and six years to try to find something sinister about a 25 year old Arkansas land deal. What they discovered was the President was diddling an intern. I hope you got your money''s worth. None of the Clinton scandals involved the death and destruction of over 4000 U.S. soldiers and tens of thousand of Iraqi civilians all based on lies fed to the congress. You don''t consider that a scandal or a waste of trillions of dollars? Katrina? The US Attorneys being fired for not targeting Democrats? The CIA leak from Cheney and Rove? Weapons of mass destruction? Uranium from Africa? Iran making nuclear weapons?

You sure have some funny priorities when it comes to political scandals. Shouldn''t you be listening to Rush Limbaugh the Oxycontin addict making more jokes about Ted Kennedy''s liver?

[hwy71so]

blancadebree,

You''re one sad little person.

Its those "country rubes" that make this country strong. All the rest are just urbanites that wouldn''t survive a week if they didn''t have someone to feed them. Go ahead and poke your fun. Where will YOU be when the food runs out? How about your clothes? Fuel for you SUV and minerals for the batteries in your cell phone?

Stay warm now. We''ll keep the power going for you.

[culturechang]

This is not even a real vote anyway. Its a collection of party extremists casting thier vote. Its intended to be symbolic. Its intended to weed out the good guys and prevent meaningful changes by keeping the same dysfunctional political machine working inspite of how dissatisfied the poeple are.

I agree with one of the posters. We are facing a tyranny. We have a govt that represents itself...not use. It does what it wants despite the Constitution, common sense or the will of the people. And it shoves its will down out throats. And the machine makes sure it stays that way.

[jack3213]

Hillary%u2019s triangulation strategy is symptomatic of the Clintons%u2019 character. In the absence of any legal, ethical or moral compass, the Clintons'' only character strength is their lust for power simply for powers sake. As a nation we continue to experience the depths of legal, ethical or moral abandon that the Clintons will stoop to in their quest for power.

The next time your making a %u201CMade in China%u201D purchase at Wal-Mart remember this, without attaching any strings that would impede China%u2019s growth (strings such as protecting the environment or labor and property rights to levels that are comparable to western standards), the Clinton-Gore administration supported China%u2019s entry into the World Trade Organization (WTO) after the 1996 Clinton-Gore re-election campaign accepted illegal campaign contributions from Chinese nationals.

Today China is not only a leading contributor to global warming (thank you very much Mr. Nobel Laureate, Al Gore), it is also pushing up oil and other commodity prices, taking our jobs and stealing our intellectual property.

China almost certainly has more dirt on the Clintons and would love to have another Clinton administration in the White House so as to advance China%u2019s dominance even further. Shame on the Clintons for fooling us once. And shame on us if we let them fool us again.

[briannorwood]

billysmith6:

Please stop with the childish jibberish.

[buddhabman]

It''s time for a change, hopefully it will come in the form of Obama or Edwards in 08. These are both smart men, who will bring real talent to the White House instead of Republican political crony hacks. A vote in 08 for a Republican is a vote for incompetence and the culture of corruption. Hillary will still be better than any of the Republicans, no question she will bring the talent, but just to much baggage to get anything accomplished.

Obama 08

[prinzowhales]

Whitewater was a PR stunt--it gave the dogs something to gnaw on while the real crimes of the Clinton were hidden from view by stained blue dresses and Oval office assignations. Mena was ignored. The money laundering through the Arkansas bond office was ignored...the assassination of Vince Foster was ignored--as were the secret accounts in Switzerland.
And little wonder! The partner of the criminal Clintons was ''Poppy'' Bush whose private phone number was found in the belongings of the judicially set up and assassinated CIA drug smuggler, Barry Seal.

Whitewater was nothing! The crimes of the Clintons, the murders, the statutory rape, the misfeasance and malfeasance have yet to be examined--and he was saved from impeachment by the vote, if memory serves, of the BCCI''er Repubican Senator from Utah--either Garn or the other one....The Demopublican circle of criminality is closed!

[mike71067]

Hitlery Clinton is #3 in the polls currently, but even if she loses Iowa, she will win the nomination. Don''t mess with the Clintons. They''re creepy.

[mike71067]

"Boycott FOX and its Advertisers!"
-Posted by Prinzowhales at 10:55 AM : Jan 03, 2008

Uh, good luck with that, I guess. There''s a reason Fox News is #1 (and well ahead of it''s closest competitor): They fill a vacuum and provide balance. If the other networks did this, Fox News wouldn''t exist. Rupert Murdoch is a smart guy. "Oh, but they''re not FAIR AND BALANCED!!!! Waaahhh!" Well, neither is CBS News, ABC News, CNN, etc. They''re all liberal. Fox News is conservative, and as such, their existence PROVIDES balance that wasn''t there before.

Hate to break it to you like this, but the left-wing choke hold on the news is gone for good.

[sgtrds]

Edwards/Clark ''08.

[sgtrds]

A bunch of folks who think cow tipping is a sport and who still think Minnie Pearl is funny are first in the nation. Go figure.

Posted by blancadebree at 10:02 AM : Jan 03, 2008

Cowtipping is a myth. It can''t be done.

[mike71067]

"Cowtipping is a myth. It can''''t be done."
-Posted by SgtRDS at 01:12 PM : Jan 03, 2008

Are you sure about this? I witnessed an attempt about 15 years ago in Germany when my friends and I were drunk. The cow was standing there, asleep, and my friend ran toward it with the intent of slamming it over with his shoulder. The cow heard him, awoke, then laid down. I said, "That''s one smart cow".

[barackoblogg]

Supporters of Barack Obama who want to caucus but don''t know their caucus location can go to:

www.iowa.barackobama.com to find their caucus location.

Republicans and independents who wish to support Barack can change their party affiliation at the polls to Democratic.

6:30pm tonight!!!

[barackoblogg]

Supporters of Barack Obama who want to caucus but don''t know their caucus location can go to:

www.iowa.barackobama.com to find their caucus location.

Republicans and independents who wish to support Barack can change their party affiliation at the polls to Democratic.

6:30pm tonight!!!

[mandylou4u]

But Woolson acknowledges that the Huckabee campaign has little planned when it comes to driving people to their caucus.

Huckabee knows that the voters aren''t all stupid and could actually figure out that candidates are campaigning right now. Who the helll doesn''t know there is about to be a new pres.? We don''t need all these adds, it''s all a bunch of *** and a waste of money, at least Huck won''t waste the money if he gets in office. He''s proving that right now.

[barackoblogg]

Supporters of Barack Obama who want to caucus but don''t know their caucus location can go to:

www.iowa.barackobama.com to find their caucus location.

Republicans and independents who wish to support Barack can change their party affiliation at the polls to Democratic.

6:30pm tonight!!!

[barackoblogg]

Supporters of Barack Obama who want to caucus but don''t know their caucus location can go to:

www.iowa.barackobama.com to find their caucus location.

Republicans and independents who wish to support Barack can change their party affiliation at the polls to Democratic.

6:30pm tonight!!!

[mike71067]

"Republicans and independents who wish to support Barack can change their party affiliation at the polls to Democratic."
-Posted by barackoblogg at 02:01 PM : Jan 03, 2008

Uh, ok. I''ll get right on that.

[usayesterday]

Good luck and may Hillary Clinton''''s campaign fade into the sunset along with her hubby, his fat ugly girlfriends, and the Bush crime family. . .

Posted by tuckerndfw at 01:34 PM : Jan 03, 2008
............

Those who fail to learn history are doomed to repeat it.

It seems many Americans were "sleeping in class" during the Clinton administration. They think another "Clinton" would repeat the bounty of the mid to late 90s. But another Clinton would only repeat the past seven years...

...actions and decisions made that are best for the special interests, and NOT the American people.

The economic bounty of the late 90s will not be repeated based on who we elect. They will only be repeated if another "big idea" becomes a "boom" again.

[roncraw]

Obama is the candidate of change? What a farce. Without a willing congress the only thing he can change is his underwear.

[sgtrds]

Are you sure about this? I witnessed an attempt about 15 years ago in Germany when my friends and I were drunk. The cow was standing there, asleep, and my friend ran toward it with the intent of slamming it over with his shoulder. The cow heard him, awoke, then laid down. I said, "That''''s one smart cow".

Posted by mike71067 at 01:15 PM : Jan 03, 2008


Cows sleep lying down (I grew up in dairy country in a small Michigan town). When they''re standing in the field at night it may look like they''re asleep, but they''re actually quite aware of what''s going on around them. Besides, they''re too heavy to shove over, esp when awake. Cow tipping is one of those things everyone has heard of, but no one has ever really witnessed. Google cow tipping and see.

[samthetvcat]

"Barack Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton characterizes Obama%u2019s turnout operation as %u201Cmassive,%u201D though he declined to offer specific numbers."

Dang, that would totally blow if Obama gets beat because his campaign didn''t follow through with the ground logistics. The college set are basically kids who still need everything done for them and need for stuff to be ''fun''. They vast majority of them won''t show up unless all they literally have to do is actually show up.

[omega39-2009]

The economic bounty of the late 90s will not be repeated based on who we elect. They will only be repeated if another "big idea" becomes a "boom" again.

Posted by USAyesterday

And even if another "big idea" came along, it would be built in China or India. I''m still waiting for all those bio-tech jobs that Bush promised as he watched the technical and manufacturing sectors move overseas.

[apolloknowsa]

Huck definitely is not presidential...sure, he is funny on late-night teevee and I would vote to keep him on last comic standing, but he is not fit for the White House.

We need someone who has experience in turning companies around, someone who can not only identify a problem but identify the solutions and the ramifications of the solutions. Instead of reacting, Mitt Romney anticipates not only the economy, but he understands how government interferes with innovation.

Many posters here said that the next boom/innovation will come from India or China. That will be true if you vote for Huckabee or some other person who will increase the size of government regulation.

Mitt understands that government can encourage good things, but usually gets in the way of private enterprise and prevents innovation. Boeing (I am from Seattle) built its entire Everett plant (the largest single-building in the world at the time) in less time than it took them to get permits for a 1000 square foot utility shed. I am not making this up.

We need our businesses to be nimble. Mitt will return us to the country of innovation.

[mike71067]

I never understood the Iowa caucuses. And now, the more I read and learn about the process, the stupider it becomes. Why is a small segment of Iowa''s population responsible for deciding for the rest of us who''s gettin'' the nomination?

Personally, I can''t stand Hillary. Iowa apparently can''t, either. But Democrats across the rest of the country love her.

I''m a Republican, and I don''t believe Huckabee is a conservative. If anything, he''s a member of the "religious left". But Iowa seems to like him. I don''t get it.

Why is so much power in the hands of a few people in Iowa?

[mike71067]

"Obama is the candidate of change? What a farce. Without a willing congress the only thing he can change is his underwear."
-Posted by roncraw at 02:48 PM : Jan 03, 2008

Gee, thanks for the mental image that I will never be able to erase.

[samthetvcat]

My gut''s saying Huckabee''ll eek out the win based on the fact that 37% of the country still approve of the job Bush is doing - clearly something else is at play there.

The Tonight Show appearance was huge because it put Huckabee back in the control seat highlighting his best attribute - his folky likeability.

Senior Christians worry about going to heaven, and if the majority of Republicans are older Evangelicals who want to vote for Huckabee over Romney but were hesitant because of the doubt Romney cast with his negative campaigns, they probably reconnected with Huckabee through last night''s appearance.

I don''t know that rural evangelicals are troubled as much by his intolerance as urban people if they don''t have a lot of diversity. And aren''t Romney and Huckabee basically on par when it comes to immigration, their balancing of the budget, and lack of foreign policy experience?

I don''t know . . . just a gut feeling.

[antoniof123]

I''''m a Republican, and I don''''t believe Huckabee is a conservative. If anything, he''''s a member of the "religious left". But Iowa seems to like him. I don''''t get it.

Why is so much power in the hands of a few people in Iowa?

Posted by mike71067 at 04:14 PM : Jan 03, 2008

Dear Mike Religion is far right it always has been and it always will be. You can not change it just because you want to give it a different name. Like fascism it is far right in fact it is what we like to term reactionary. Now please understand I am not saying this to attack you but others will see it and not only correct you but attack.

[gunownerdan]

The Clintons members of the CFR(Council on Foreign Relations) just like Bush, Cheney, Obama, Giuliani, Huckabee, Edwards, Romney, Biden, McCain, Richardson, and Thompson to name a few.
The CFR has hijacked the foreign policy of both parties and their main goal is to destroy American sovereignty and our constitution leading to the formation of a North American Union with Canada and Mexico.
Dr. Ron Paul is not a member of the CFR and he is the only pro-liberty and pro-constitution candidate running for president.

[sgtrds]

I''''m a Republican, and I don''''t believe Huckabee is a conservative. If anything, he''''s a member of the "religious left". But Iowa seems to like him. I don''''t get it.

Posted by mike71067 at 04:14 PM : Jan 03, 2008

the very first person I ever voted for for president was Jerry Ford and he was a conservative. Since him I have not seen on single GOP presidential nominee who was a conservative. Not one of them. they all have the (R) after their names, but Goldwater and Ford turn over in their grave every time on of them claims to be a conservative or a even republican. The real republicans seem to be hiding and afraid to challenge the neocons who have hijacked their once great party.

[jetranger7]

VOTE "INDEPENDENT" VOTE "INDEPENDENT" GET RID OF AND DUMP BOTH CORRUPT PARTIES DUMP THE REPUBLICANS AND THE DEMOCRATS !!!!!!! VOTE "INDEPENDENT" !!!!!!

[hhkeller]

Happy Obama is running and winning.
Shows a vitality in the country for politics.

Without good politics we are domned to be like the Russians. The Republican world and national view seems to be more like Russias everyday. Criminality seems almost normal in the White House.
Whoever wins the primary will have a lot repairs to make for the sake of the nation.

[thirdrailrad]

Check out this awesome Iowa Caucus post mortem analysis at http://thirdrailradio.blogspot.com/2008/01/iowa-caucus-post-mortem.html

[weezee4bill]

Hello from Iowa. There are now 4 Dems off to N.H.
Check www.billrichardsonforpresident.
PROVEN EXPERIENCE=7term Congressman,2 Term Govenor,
U.N. Ambassdor, Energy Secretary, Personnaly rescued Servicemen & Hostages from Iraq, N. Korea, & Sudan.
NO ON THE JOB TRAINING NESSARY.END THE WAR IN IRAQ!
In my SMALL precinct Richardson got 1 Delagate to the County Dem Convention, GOOD ENOUGH, He did not DROP OUT!!
We would have loved to show better,but #4 gets a ticket on to New Hamphshire!!!!!!!! A real GRASS ROOTS EFFORT by supporters. The only DEM Candidate FROM WEST OF THE MISSIPPI RIVER. He can WIN THE WESTERN STATES, unlike Kerry/Edwards in ''04. Help Bill Richardson Bring our Country Back to Being Respected Again. New Hampshire WE ARE COUNTING ON YOU. VOTE BILL RICHARDSON FOR PRESIDENT!!!!!