Having never attended the Harkin Steak Fry before, I thought to myself, “This year, maybe I oughta go.” Senator Obama, my home senator along with the great Senator Dick Durbin, was speaking, so I threw down my $15 for a student ticket and prepared for an afternoon of political excitement.
After enjoying a steak (and the challenge of eating it with plastic forks and knives) and some superb potato salad, I gathered a group of Drake Democrats and moved to the field for some listening. The first group was local officials.
The importance of electing local Democrats is often overlooked, but in many ways is extremely important. The decisions they make, while sometimes mundane and esoteric, can effect us in many ways. Certain school boards, for example, may vote to remove evolution from the classroom. And each Democrat elected to Iowa’s state House and State senate brings us that much closer to a Democratic majority in the Iowa legislature, which will be invaluable to our next governor, Chet Culver. Denise O’Brien, the Democrat running for Iowa’s Secretary of Agriculture, spoke about the importance of the position, which cannot be denied in Iowa. Michael Mauro spoke about the importance of Secretary of State–a position which has gained, as he noted, new importance in the years after Katherine Harris’ butchering of the 2000 Florida recount and Ken Blackwell’s 2004 Ohio practices, which the word “questionable” doesn’t even start to cover. Dr. Selden Spencer, running for Iowa’s 4th Congressional District spoke on government accountability, which is an important theme.
We also heard from Chet Culver, whose tight race against the oft-unmentionable Jim Nussle (”Daggonnit, Jim Nussle!”) has inspired much rhetoric, including the “Nussle Hustle,” which is a pretty cool turn of phrase to describe the a man who presided over the best years of budget planning in Washington, if you like wasteful spending and large deficits. Chet Culver talked about women’s rights, and if you’ve been paying attention to Jim Nussle’s campaign, his “Secret Plan” plan to fight abortion and respect women’s rights has just about reached asinine status.
We heard from Mark Warner, as well, who has been around Des Moines, who called for Americans to be globally competitive in a new world. Gearing up for 2008, Mark Warner’s visits have become more frequent, and he’s definitely getting at least a bit of attention. His points are definitely on the mark (along with the rest of the crew that was there, of course.)
Tom Vilsack spoke as did Tom Harkin, both leading (indirectly and directly) leading up to the star of the day, Barack Obama. Both expounded on the need to get out the vote and bring in the Democrats in Iowa and across America.
Barack Obama, though–it was his day Sunday. Given that its his first visit to Iowa, it can be safely assumed that before this event, most Iowans had never seen Barack Obama and thus only saw him on TV and in pictures, where its hard to get a feel for how well he delivers. I’ve seen him once before, at Governor’s Day at the Illinois State Fair in August, and he never fails to inspire.
I was not disappointed, nor was the crowd. Senator Obama roused the crowd, culminating with Newt Gingrich’s “Had Enough” quote. Democrats, he said, are willing to believe in government that can help, that can make things better, and that it is time for us to have hope again. Interestingly, he told us our problems are not as great as they seem–something that at first thought is not a very endearing thing to say. As people, we don’t like having our miseries and injustices diminished; it makes us feel petty. But Senator Obama was right–we have faced greater challenges in the past, and we can solve those obstacles facing us. We can triumph, if we unite against the things that distract us and divide us.
It’s hard not to feel a sense of genuine excitement after the Harkin Steak Fry. 3000 attendees, all reminded that there is hope, that there is something out there worth fighting for, and that what we do is not in vain as Democrats, progressives, people who wish for a better country and a better world. I know I’m moved.
