Barack Obama made headlines this weekend by choosing not to attend the Iowa Hall of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids. The Hall of Fame Dinner is just a fundraiser for the Iowa Democratic Party, not a debate. Besides, there are more candidates than courses already. The attendees are probably relieved that they don't have to listen to another speech.
This is one hazard of having a two-year-long election cycle, especially in Iowa. No candidate can attend every event, and no candidate should be expected to do so. Iowa Democrats will have a great opportunity to see several other candidates tonight, including Hillary Clinton and Joe Biden, who rearranged his schedule to attend after first announcing that he had a scheduling conflict.
This event is a great opportunity for a room full of Iowa Democrats to see the candidates, but not to really interact with them. Even in Iowa, you have to pay a couple of hundred dollars to attend a pre-reception with the candidates, and even then getting a handshake or a personal word with them is a crap shoot.
I have some stories of how I've gotten close to the candidates in the past. Stay tuned and I'll tell you some great stories.
I had a yard sale today, and while I was cleaning out some boxes, came across an orange knit cap from the Howard Dean invasion in 2004. It was worth $100 on Ebay right after his famous "Yaaaaa" heard around the world. I wonder what it's worth now?
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