The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

On the Scene in Iowa

Posted on | August 6, 2011 | 18 Comments

DES MOINES, Iowa — Friday, I visited the Iowa HQs of the Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain presidential campaigns, and then attended a Christian music festival in West Des Moines where Bachmann spoke.

Bachmann poses for a photo with a boy and his frog.

Bachmann poses for a photo with a family. The man in the background with the white beards is part of her security detail.

Bachmann shakes hands with a young admirer.

It was pouring rain most of the day at the Midwest Spirit Christian Music Festival, and these teenagers were covered in mud. On purpose.

Front door of Herman Cain’s Iowa campaign headquarters in Urbandale.

Michele Bachmann’s Iowa campaign HQ is right across the street from Cain HQ. Her bus was preparing to depart for an event in Dexter.

While Bachmann was on her bus tour, four other GOP hopefuls — Tim Pawlenty, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum and Thad McCotter — were speaking last night at a local Republican dinner in Tiffin:

Reflecting the stakes of the straw poll, Santorum told the Friday night dinner crowd of about 400 activists the event would narrow the field and he urged them to give his struggling campaign a boost. He accused the media of ignoring him because he would be the strongest GOP candidate.

Let’s hope that Santorum’s rivals have the necessary sense of irony to appreciate that claim.

My next byline will be filed from somewhere on the road. My plan at this point — and plans may change en route — is to spend tonight in Sioux City, 200 miles west of here. Herman Cain’s bus tour begins Monday in Sioux City, and his advance team is arriving there tonight.

Let’s try the Santorum method: The media is ignoring me, so hit the freaking tip jar.




UPDATE: Changing schedule, making a detour: I just found out Santorum will be at a 4 p.m. event in Roland, Iowa. That’s not really not much of a detour on my way to Sioux City, so I’ll be there. My Twitter buddy Lisa Graas is a huge Santorum fan, and I don’t want to be accused of being part of the media that are ignoring Santorum on purpose.

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Category: Election 2012, Fear and Loathing in Iowa

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