April 20, 2007
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- Bill Richardson made one campaign stop in this city of 123,000 people Friday, to a senior center.
If you aren't from Iowa, you might ask if this was a good use of precious time for a presidential candidate. It's a presidential caucus here next January, not a presidential primary. You don't just drop in and vote, you participate for a few hours. You barter, you lobby, you listen. Then you vote. On a winter night. In Iowa.
But the candidates quickly learn that Iowa skews old, and that going out in potentially frigid weather for a night of political participation doesn't scare off Iowans who care about the process. No matter their age.
Richardson spoke to an audience of about 75 at downtown's Witwer Senior Center. The gathering was about two-thirds seniors. All seemed to pay close attention to the Democratic governor from New Mexico. A few asked pointed questions.
For all of Richardson's lines that got light laughter ("I'm not a rock star ... but close," "I'm going door-to-door. Well, door-to-door is a little difficult. I just drove up from Des Moines. There weren't too many doors when I drove up."), the one that got the biggest laugh was delivered by a male senior when Richardson facetiously claimed "I don't see any old people here."
"You got my vote!" the man in the crowd instantly responded, earning howls from his fellow seniors.
If 59-year-old Richardson could actually connect with Iowa seniors that easily, he'd have some traction in trying to close the distance between himself and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and John Edwards, the real "rock star" Democrats in the race. Combined, those three will visit Decorah, Des Moines, Dubuque, Indianola, Iowa City, Marshalltown, Muscatine, Newton and Oelwein by the end of the weekend. Richardson needs to make a lot of friends and create a lot of new supporters just to be part of the discussion.
"Just give me a chance," Richardson asked the gathering here. "You know, we've got ten (nine, actually) months to go and they've already announced the winners. My God -- you have a responsibility as Iowans. So bring your candidates and test them and scrutinize them, look in their eyes. I believe I'm the best qualified. I have the most experience."
Cedar Rapids' Doreen Meier, 73, looked into Richardson's eyes, scrutinized him, and enjoyed what she saw and heard. But it may not be enough.
"I really like Governor Richardson, I've admired him from afar," Meier said. "He's very qualified. I think he cares about what happens to people. We need to dialogue, talking rather than taking up arms. I'm always for that."
But ... "I do have a certain candidate in my heart and in my mind."
She wouldn't name her favorite. With nine months still left of Iowa campaigning, Richardson needs all possible caucus-goers to keep their hearts and minds open at least a crack.
"I've met quite a few of the candidates," Meier said. "It's going to be a horse race. Out of the respect we need to give them, I try to listen and learn.''
Whether she'll attend the caucus simply isn't a question.
"It's an honor for me to go. I'm proud of our state being the first in the nation to go. It behooves all of us here to go."
Meier grew up in London. She and her husband moved to California in 1955 when she was 21. They returned to England for 10 years, then moved to the U.S. for good. She became a U.S. citizen in 1979. She raised seven sons here.
"When my sons travel abroad, I want them to be as well-received as I was in the United States by Americans. I love America, and I take great pride in getting my citizenship here. It's been very good to me. I want that to happen for everybody, to get the respect I was given.
"I'm an activist. I was one of the 'Kerry babes' when he ran for president. We feel we need to stay together, stay focused. We meet regulary every week. I feel we will work again for a campaign because we care, and this is a beautiful state."
This was one of the hearts and minds Richardson wooed Friday. An older one, yes, but one whose voice and vote will count as much as any other next January.
"I will be here ... forever,'' Richardson said, exaggerating for comic effect, though not with total success. "I'm not going to just drop in and do a rally in a gym and then leave."
But once his hour at the senior center was done, he was in a Chevrolet Impala on the road to the University of Northern Iowa for a late-afternoon talk on Darfur and international peace missions. UNI is in Cedar Falls,
Before he took off, he said: "We're going to Cedar, uh, Cedar, uh ..."
"Falls!'' several in the crowd responded.
"We're in Cedar Rapids, right?" Richardson asked, knowing he was. But he was serious when he asked "Where are we going now?" to his staffers before climbing inside the Chevy.
That was Cedar Falls, Governor, about 60 miles north of Cedar Rapids. It has confused many others who aren't from here.
During his address to the Cedar Rapids crowd, he struggled to remember the name of a regional economic agency.
"It's hell to get old," Richardson said about himself. Now that got a laugh.