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All eyes on Hillary Clinton as she returns to Iowa for first time since 2008 caucus loss All eyes on Hillary Clinton as she returns to Iowa for first time since 2008 caucus loss
(about 4 hours later)
INDIANOLA, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton returned to Iowa on Sunday for the first time since her demoralizing loss in the 2008 presidential caucuses amid anticipation of her potential 2016 presidential campaign. INDIANOLA, Iowa — Hillary Rodham Clinton jumped back into the partisan fray here Sunday, framing the November midterm elections as “a choice between the guardians of gridlock and the champions of shared opportunity” and warning Democrats of the consequences of complacency.
Her appearance at retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s 37th annual and final steak fry has drawn thousands of Democrats to an open grassy field here, eager to hear Clinton rally the party faithful at a time when control of the Senate is up for grabs and could be decided in Iowa. On a day when many activists were sizing her up as a potential 2016 presidential candidate , Clinton sprinkled her speech with playful teases about what may be coming. She began her remarks with, “I’m baaaaaack!” and ended it by saying, “Let’s not let another seven years go by.”
“I’m glad to be back,” Clinton said as she flipped steaks with Harkin and her husband, former president Bill Clinton. Clinton’s visit to retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s 37th and final steak fry was her first trip to Iowa since her demoralizing loss in the 2008 presidential caucuses and one of her few partisan appearances since joining the Obama administration as secretary of state. She acknowledged that she is thinking about another run, but urged her audience to focus squarely on the November midterms, when control of the Senate is up for grabs and could be decided in Iowa.
Hillary Clinton ignored questions shouted from reporters about the 2016 campaign, but across the field, one of the early speakers called out from the stage, “Are you ready for Hillary?” The crowd roared. “In 50 days, every Iowa voter needs to know that from the president on down to local officials, we Democrats are for raising the minimum wage, for equal pay for equal work, for making college and technical training affordable, for growing the economy to benefit everyone,” Clinton said. “And our opponents are not.”
The Clintons touched down in Des Moines Sunday morning to attend a private fundraiser with Harkin before making their way south to a balloon field just outside Indianola. In a nod to the state’s role hosting the first presidential caucuses, Clinton added, “Too many people only get excited about presidential campaigns. Look, I get excited about presidential campaigns, too. But . . . use the enthusiasm that Iowa is so well-known for every presidential year and channel that into these upcoming elections. Don’t wake up the day after the election and feel bad and wonder what more you could have done.”
Party activists began arriving well before noon, claiming their places in folding chairs on the sloping and still slightly muddy field in front of a stage adorned with bales of hay, pumpkins and a giant American flag. Clinton and her husband, former president Bill Clinton, drew an estimated 10,000 Democrats and some 200 members of the press corps on a crisp, clear-skied Sunday to a sloping, grassy balloon field outside Indianola. As the couple spoke from a stage adorned with bales of hay, pumpkins and a giant American flag, the atmosphere was both festive and serious.
On this crisp, clear-skied day, the atmosphere was both festive and serious. Many said that a principal reason they were here was to pay tribute to Harkin, an unabashed prairie populist who through 40 years in elective office has become a legendary Democratic figure in the state. The Clintons paid tribute to Harkin, an unabashed prairie populist who through 40 years in elective office has become a legendary Democratic figure in the state. And the senator cast the Clintons as progressive standard-bearers, dubbing them “the comeback couple in America,” a reference to Bill Clinton calling himself “the comeback kid” in the 1992 campaign.
But equally important to many was the chance to size up Clinton for the first time since she finished a surprising third in the 2008 caucuses, behind Barack Obama and John Edwards. Clinton left Iowa feeling scorned and her husband voiced criticism of the state’s unique caucus system, irritating some Democratic activists. Concerns remain about Clinton and her 2008 campaign team, who came across to many Democrats in Iowa as aloof and presumptuous. Harkin also credited Hillary Clinton with the fight for universal health care, saying that even though she was secretary of state during the passage of the Affordable Care Act, “her fingerprints are all over that legislation.”
“Unlike the media, I don’t care if she announces anything. I can wait,” said Brent Paulson, a state worker from Indianola attending the steak fry. Hillary Clinton has been under pressure to address growing concerns in her party about income inequality, not only because of her ties to Wall Street and the business community, but because of the centrist economic policies of her husband’s administration. She did so here on Sunday.
At Sunday’s steak fry, Clinton honed her retail skills, although in a controlled and highly supportive environment. She flipped steaks at the grill and was expected to shake hands on the rope line following her speech, as she did in 2007 at her last steak fry appearance. “Today, you know so well, American families are working harder than ever, but maintaining a middle-class life feels like pushing a boulder uphill every single day,” Clinton said. “That is not how it’s supposed to be in America.”
Clinton’s visit here marks her debut on the campaign trail this midterm season, and she is expected to throw her support behind Rep. Bruce Braley (D), who is locked in a tight race against Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst to replace Harkin. Clinton talked about her late mother, Dorothy Rodham, who was abandoned and mistreated by her parents but “channeled her own struggles into a deep conviction that there is worth and dignity in every human being.”
Many Democratic activists here will be listening for signals from Clinton about where she would lead the party and the country should she run for president again. There are doubts among some in this state that she is too hawkish on foreign affairs and too friendly to business interests when it comes to economic policy. Both Clintons urged Iowa Democrats to do all they could to elect Rep. Bruce Braley (D), who is locked in a tight race to replace Harkin, and referenced his opponent, state Sen. Joni Ernst (R), although not by name. Hillary Clinton mentioned Ernst’s opposition to a federal minimum wage and noted that women hold a majority of minimum-wage jobs, including those that rely mostly on tips, such as waiters, bartenders and hairstylists.
Even Harkin, her host today, said he was unsure about her commitment to the progressive causes that he’s spent his career championing. Hillary Clinton was followed on stage by her husband, who delivered a more conversational speech that mixed partisan criticism of the Republicans with a lengthy call for Democrats and Republicans to find more ways to work together.
When asked on Friday where she fits into the current Democratic Party, Harkin told The Washington Post, “I think that’s probably yet to be determined.” But he also said, “She is much more progressive in her thoughts and her inclination than most people may think.” “We have got to pull this country together to push this country forward,” he said.
In an interview that aired Sunday morning on ABC’s “This Week,” Harkin sounded more skeptical. Asked if he still had “unease” about where she stands on economic and foreign policy, Harkin said, “We’re always nervous about people moving too far to the right.” The former president noted that too many politicians go to work with blinders over their eyes and their ears plugged up. “Think about America: we are less racist, sexist and homophobic than we’ve ever been,” he said. “But we do have one continuing problem. We don’t want to be around anyone who disagrees with us.”
Harkin’s steak fry has been an excuse for a weekend of political activity and networking in anticipation of the 2016 campaign. The event has drawn people from around the country, including many strategists and operatives in the Clinton orbit who form the backbone of the outside already set up to aid her if she runs. For Hillary Clinton, Sunday’s steak-fry appearance was a chance to rebuild her ties to Iowa, where she finished a surprising third in the 2008 caucuses — behind Barack Obama and John Edwards. She left here feeling scorned, and her husband voiced criticism of the state’s unique caucus system. To many Democratic activists, her campaign came across as aloof and presumptuous.
Ready for Hillary, the pro-Clinton super PAC that has been laying the grass-roots foundation for her campaign, has a major presence here. Their logo-wrapped bus is stationed at the entrance to the steak fry, and dozens of young volunteers are distributing Ready for Hillary bumper stickers. They also have erected scores of barn signs around the field saying, “Thank You, Tom!” and “Thank You, Ruth!,” as tributes to Harkin and his wife. On Sunday, Clinton tried to make a more personal connection in Iowa. She was chummy with Harkin and some supporters as she cheerfully flipped steaks at a hot grill. Later, in her speech, she said she is eagerly awaiting her first grandchild — “I’m calling Chelsea every five minutes,” she quipped.
In Des Moines, a mobile billboard saying “Ready for Hillary” circled the streets downtown all weekend to generate enthusiasm. And at the entrance to the Des Moines International Airport, the group has a huge billboard advertisement featuring the iconic photo of the then-secretary of state in black sunglasses reading her Blackberry on a military aircraft, but with a catchy message: “Please Don’t Text & Drive.” In his introduction, Harkin said, “Over these years, both Bill and Hillary have become a part of our Iowa Democratic family. They’ve been in our homes, they’ve broken bread with us, they’ve become our friends and our inspiration.”
Hillary Clinton’s speech resonated with the Democrats who packed the balloon field, including some who had backed Obama over her in 2008.
“I think she’s ready,” said Marilyn Reese, an Obama supporter from Des Moines. “I’m ready for her. She has the intelligence and already the moxie to make some headway.”
Glenn Camp, a retired middle school principal who now lives in Indianola, called her speech “outstanding.”
“The only thing she could have done better was to announce that she was going to run, but I think she indicated that she is going to run,” Camp said.
Harkin’s steak fry has been an excuse for a weekend of political activity and networking in anticipation of the 2016 campaign. The event drew people from around the country, including many strategists and operatives in the Clinton orbit who form the backbone of the outside groups already set up to aid her if she runs.
The Harkin steak fry began modestly back when he was a young member of Congress. Tickets cost $2 and the first such event included a few dozen friends and supporters of Harkin grilling their own steaks and sitting on bales of hay, talking politics.The Harkin steak fry began modestly back when he was a young member of Congress. Tickets cost $2 and the first such event included a few dozen friends and supporters of Harkin grilling their own steaks and sitting on bales of hay, talking politics.
In the intervening years, the steak fry has become one of the signal political events on the fall calendar for Democrats. Bill Clinton will be making his fourth appearance as a featured speaker, the most of anyone who has appeared on the stage. In 2003 and 2007, Harkin invited all the party’s presidential candidates, though the 2003 event also included Bill Clinton. In the intervening years, the steak fry has become one of the signal political events on the fall calendar for Democrats. Bill Clinton was making his fourth appearance as a featured speaker, the most of anyone who has appeared on the stage.
The last steak fry has drawn more than 250 current and former Harkin staffers, who have spent the weekend reminiscing and gossiping about the next presidential campaign at a nonstop series of gatherings. Harkin was emotional in his remarks Sunday night — he thanked longtime staffers, even calling one up on stage for a hug — but also resolute about the political battles ahead. He called on his supporters to “give [Republicans] a good whipping” in November.
The roster includes Democratic strategists who have been pitted against one another here in caucus battles over many years, including the epic contest in 2008 that launched Obama and that dealt Clinton a devastating setback. “Since I got into politics, I always believed that an obligation of our government is to make sure we leave the ladder down for others to climb, too,” Harkin said. “I may be retiring from the Senate, but I’m not retiring from the fight.”