Michelle Obama, the Politics of Turnout, and the Politics of Race
We made it out of Des Moines to head about an hour east to the great little college town of Grinnell where Michelle Obama had an event at a retirement center a few blocks from the Grinnell College campus. Check the jump for a report.
About 150 folks--mostly residents of the center and random Grinnell citizens--filled the community room at the center. Michelle Obama is a more restrained speaker than her husband. She's also funnier, although her humor has an edge, e.g. her joking about her mother's disappointment that Barack hasn't made enough money.
This event, like most this week, is about promoting caucus turnout and about assauging lingering doubts of voters. Each are particularly crucial for the Obama. As I mentioned last night, there is consensus that if turnout is through the roof (150,000 or above as compared to turnout of about 122,000 in 2004) then Obama is the beneficiary. Turnout in places like Grinnell, a liberal college town that is prime Obama turf, needs to be high. I talked with a couple of Grinnell College students who say that organizers are attempting to use social networking technology to get students back to town to caucus. But, this is uncharted territory. Obama spent most of her speech answering whatever doubts might linger about Obama: That's he's "tough" enough (noting he had survived the "mean, tough, bloodtough politics" of Chicago) and that he's "experienced" enough. But, she also attempted to sell Obama's racial background as a plus for her husband--that he "crosses lines of race," that he brings with him the communitarian values of the African-American community where he organized, that his success is emblematic of change, and that his election would send a message to the world that American has changed. I'm still grappling with it, but there are simply some fascinating racial politics going on in Iowa this year.
I'm off to check out New Year's Eve in Des Moines. I'm sure some interesting tales will follow.
Comments
Hurray for Obama. I got one of his books, "Dreams of my Father," for Christmas He wrote it after he was elected the first black
president of the Harvard Law Review. It's excellent so far.
Grinnell's an excellent little liberal arts college. Top 15 in the nation.
Posted by: JD![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 31, 2007 08:01 PM
Des Moines register final poll results: (link at my name)
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has widened his lead in Iowa over Hillary Clinton and John Edwards heading into Thursday's nominating caucuses, according to The Des Moines Register's final Iowa Poll before the 2008 nominating contests.
Obama's rise is the result in part of a dramatic influx of first-time caucusgoers, including a sizable bloc of political independents. Both groups prefer the Illinois senator in what has been a very competitive campaign.
Huckabee, Obama maintain leads
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, a former North Carolina senator, was virtually unchanged at 24 percent.
Posted by: Eureka Springs, AR![[TypeKey Profile Page]](http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/nav-commenters.gif)
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December 31, 2007 09:24 PM