Clinton Endorser and Iowa Campaigner Governor Ted Strickland of Ohio says “Iowa Unattractive in the Wintertime” and that the Caucuses are “Hugely Undemocratic” and “Must Be Brought To An End”.
This is going to help Edwards and Obama, there is no doubt.
Voters in Iowa (and New Hampshire) are a defensive bunch when it comes to their “first-in-the-nation” status. It's one reason why candidates were so willing to pledge to avoid campaigning in Michigan and Florida when both states jumped ahead in the primary calendar.So a few eyebrows were probably raised when one of Hillary Clinton's most prominent backers, Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland, lashed out against not only Iowa's spot on the calendar, but also its arcane caucus process – something of which the state's Democrats are very proud.
According to the Associated Press, Strickland called the caucuses “hugely undemocratic” and, because they require attendance at a certain time, intentionally exclude those who might be working or are too old or too sick to get to the caucus venue.
“I'd like to see both parties say, 'We're going to bring this to an end,'” Strickland told The Columbus Dispatch for a story Monday. His comments came only days after campaigning for Clinton in Iowa over the weekend.
This story already has big coverage:
Key Clinton Backer Slams Iowa Caucuses As “Undemocratic”
CBS News, NY – 19 hours ago
Voters in Iowa (and New Hampshire) are a defensive bunch when it comes to their “first-in-the-nation” status. It's one reason why candidates were so willing …
Clinton Surrogate Veers Off Script
New York Times, United States – 22 hours ago
By Jeff Zeleny JEFFERSON, Iowa – Over the weekend, Gov. Ted Strickland of Ohio was traveling alongside Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton here, asking voters to …
Prominent Clinton backer criticizes Iowa caucuses
CNN International – Dec 31, 2007
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (CNN) — Days before the Iowa caucuses, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter criticized the state's privileged role in the presidential …
Oh-eight (D): Channeling Howard Dean?
MSNBC – Dec 31, 2007
CLINTON: Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's critique of Iowa's role in the nominating process didn't go over well with some Iowans. “In an interview with The …
Ohio governor and Clinton backer criticizes Iowa caucuses
Toledo Blade, OH – Dec 31, 2007
AP COLUMBUS, Ohio — The governor of Ohio, a must-win state for presidential candidates, is criticizing the Iowa caucuses. Gov. …
Ohio governor and Clinton backer criticizes Iowa caucuses
WDTN, OH – Dec 31, 2007
AP – December 31, 2007 9:15 AM ET COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Governor Ted Strickland is criticizing the Iowa caucuses, saying the process is undemocratic because …
Strickland gets a chilly reception in Iowa
Columbus Dispatch, OH – Dec 31, 2007
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland's critique of Iowa's role in the nominating process didn't go over well with some Iowans. “In an interview with The Dispatch last week, Strickland said the Iowa caucuses make ‘no sense.’ He called the GOP and Democratic caucuses ‘hugely undemocratic,’ because the process ‘excludes so many people.’ Anyone who happens to be working or is sick or too old to get out for a few hours Thursday night won't be able to participate, Strickland said. ‘I'd like to see both parties say, “We're going to bring this to an end,”’ Strickland said, adding that he has no problem with the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8, because ‘at least it's an election.’”
“Since endorsing Clinton in September, Strickland has campaigned for her three times in Iowa, including what was to be a quick trip Dec. 9 that turned into ‘the trip to hell and back,’ Strickland said. He expected to return to Columbus via Chicago early that Sunday night but was waylaid by bad weather, getting home at 6 a.m. Monday — via Las Vegas. ‘Iowa is not an attractive place to be in the wintertime,’ Strickland said, adding that Iowa ‘is not a representative state and the caucus is not a fair way to register public opinion, in my judgment.’”
”The Clinton campaign yesterday sought some distance from the governor's comments. ‘Sen. Clinton believes that Iowa and New Hampshire play a unique and special role in the nominating process, and that process should be protected,’ spokesman Isaac Baker said. ‘We're proud to have Gov. Strickland's support, but on this issue they disagree.’”
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Days before the Iowa caucuses, a prominent Hillary Clinton supporter criticized the state's privileged role in the presidential nominating process, forcing her campaign to declare she did not agree.
Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland told The Columbus Dispatch it “makes no sense” to grant Iowa the right to hold the first presidential contest.
He called the GOP and Democratic caucuses “hugely undemocratic,” because the process “excludes so many people.”
“I'd like to see both parties say, 'We're going to bring this to an end,'” Strickland said in Sunday's edition of the newspaper.
Strickland has made three trips to Iowa on behalf of Clinton, the paper reported.
Competing campaigns seized on the article and e-mailed it to reporters Sunday night to highlight Strickland's comments.
The Clinton campaign issued a statement shortly after midnight, distancing the New York senator from the governor's remarks.
“Senator Clinton has worked her heart out campaigning in Iowa because she knows it plays a unique and special role in the nominating process and that process must be protected,” the statement said. “As she has said many times she is glad Iowans are entrusted with this responsibility because they take it so seriously. On this issue Hillary and Gov. Strickland strongly disagree.”
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The Clinton campaign was quick to distance itself from his remarks, issuing a statement declaring “Hillary and Governor Strickland strongly disagree.”
“Senator Clinton has worked her heart out campaigning in Iowa because she knows it plays a unique and special role in the nominating process and that role must be protected,” said Mo Elleithee, a spokesman for Mrs. Clinton. “As she has said many times she is glad Iowans are entrusted with this responsibility because they take it so seriously.”
There is, of course, hardly a shortage of criticism about the outsized role that Iowa – and New Hampshire – play in the presidential nominating contest. But here in Iowa, at least in political circles, denigrating the Iowa caucuses is akin to blasphemy.
Who can forget the closing stretch of the 2004 presidential campaign when old videotapes were unearthed by a rival campaign, showing Howard Dean criticizing the traditions of the Iowa caucuses? The tapes quickly made their way to the local news here.
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Strickland gets a chilly reception in Iowa
Clinton, residents disagree with his caucus stance
Monday, December 31, 2007 3:08 AM
By Joe HallettTHE COLUMBUS DISPATCH
DES MOINES, Iowa — Gov. Ted Strickland's viewpoint that Iowa is the wrong place to begin the presidential nominating process caused some angst yesterday in the campaign of Hillary Clinton and drew the ire of some voters here.Despite saying that Iowa does not deserve its first-in-the-nation status, Strickland has made three trips to the state on behalf of the Democratic New York senator, showing up again Saturday, with no advance notice, to join Clinton for several campaign rallies in eastern Iowa.
As governor of arguably the most important battleground state in the 2008 general election, Strickland's mission was to assure audiences that Clinton can win Ohio and help ease fears by some Democrats about the senator's electability.
In an interview with The Dispatch last week, Strickland said the Iowa caucuses make “no sense.” He called the GOP and Democratic caucuses “hugely undemocratic,” because the process “excludes so many people.” Anyone who happens to be working or is sick or too old to get out for a few hours Thursday night won't be able to participate, Strickland said.
“I'd like to see both parties say, 'We're going to bring this to an end,' ” Strickland said, adding that he has no problem with the New Hampshire primary Jan. 8, because “at least it's an election.”
…
“Iowa is not an attractive place to be in the wintertime,” Strickland said, adding that Iowa “is not a representative state and the caucus is not a fair way to register public opinion, in my judgment.”
The Clinton campaign yesterday sought some distance from the governor's comments.
“…
A half-dozen Iowans who were asked about Strickland's comments yesterday all disagreed with him. Kent Balduchi, a Des Moines lawyer attending a rally for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, said Strickland was “sadly mistaken.”
“The process here leads to a lot closer contact with the candidates and you get to put them to the test,” Balduchi said. “You get to ask them questions and then judge for yourself whether they give you straight and honest answers.”
Jerry Stewart, a woodworker from West Des Moines also attending the Richardson rally, said Strickland “doesn't seem to be paying attention when he's in Iowa, because in some ways it's the most democratic process you can have. We get an opportunity to really decide what the candidates are made of, and if you don't have an Iowa or New Hampshire, the national media do that for you.”
4 Comments
well, I'm not a fan of the caucus system myself
so I have sympathy for his point of view.
I don’t think many undecided voters are going to move away from Hillary because of what the Ohio governor said. I think a lot of undecided voters have already ruled her out, but the ones who haven’t are not going to take this out on her.
desmoinesdem Tue 1 Jan 4:05 PM
You're probably correct. Her vote for the war in Iraq without reading the NIE is far more important than this
in deciding who to vote for.
dems-will-win Tue 1 Jan 4:51 PM
Could Hillary get 3rd place?
Could Hillary Clinton get 3rd place in Iowa? The final pre-caucus poll by the Des Moines Register suggests as much…
Obama was the choice of 32 percent of likely Democratic caucusgoers, up from 28 percent in the Register’s last poll in late November, while Clinton, a New York senator, held steady at 25 percent and Edwards was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.
The telephone survey of 800 likely Democratic caucusgoers was taken Dec. 27-30. Interestingly enough, support for Edwards rose significantly — by 3% — for those sampled in Dec. 27-28 versus those polled Dec. 29-30, while Clinton’s numbers have declined by 4% in that time period.
If this is an actual trend, as opposed to a statistical variance, then Hillary Clinton might find herself with a very disappointing 3rd place finish in Iowa… something likely to significantly impact her results going into the other primaries.
Interestingly enough, when respondents were asked which candidate best matched their core principles, 28% said Barack Obama, 25% said John Edwards, and 21% said Hillary Clinton.
Clinton campaign chief strategist Mark Penn — the guy who made a point of referring to Obama’s teenage cocaine use, even after Hillary’s campaign promised to stop bringing it up — tried to spin this bad news in a pretty negative way.
“The Des Moines Register poll adopts an unprecedented new turnout model for the caucuses, and its new poll is out of sync with the other polling done in the race. . . So we do not see this poll as accurately reflecting the trends we are seeing in other polls, on our nightly canvasses or in our own polls, and voters should understand this is a very close race, and that their participation on caucus night could make all of the difference.” Indeed. Mark Penn is annoyed that The Register is predicting that Iowans feel that this is a very important election, and that they are more motivated to caucus this time around. He’s annoyed that the Register aren’t ignoring the opinions of a higher percentage of Iowans, by writing them off as not being “likely voters”.
He is counting on independent-minded Iowans — young voters, first-time voters, disillusioned voters, voters tired of an unending, unaccountable conflict in Iraq, tired of sacrificing their rights and freedoms, tired of politics as usual — *NOT* to vote, because he believes that as long as enough people *DON”T* show up to causus, Hillary Clinton could win.
He’s right. This is a close race, and your participation on caucus night could make all the difference.
Go vote!
markkraft Tue 1 Jan 10:48 PM
I've been saying all year
that Hillary would finish no better than third in Iowa. In the summer and early fall the Clinton supporters practically laughed me off the screen at MyDD. Now they are a bit worried.
I still think she has a chance to pull out a win here, but in my mind a third-place finish is more likely for her.
desmoinesdem Wed 2 Jan 12:38 AM