...can't be at all the presidential events on the campaign trail? Our producers give you the rundown:
The Obama campaign wanted to hold this event outside with the skyline as a backdrop, but since the weather did not cooperate, they moved it indoors to the Polk County Convention Center - which might explain the low turnout for "rockstar" Obama. It looked as though there were about 250-300 people in attendence. Pretty sedate crowd overall. Incidentally, the Governor of Iowa spoke just before the Obama event in the room next door to the Iowa Board and Commission Members orientation ceremony.
This speech is a modified version of his Chicago speech (per the campaign) and is entitled "A New Beginning." The sign on the podium read "Judgment to Lead."
There were a few state and local politicians on hand, including Jim Maloney, who spoke about the caucus process. Not sure how much the crowd was paying attention though. Asked the crowd to recruit friends and reminded them that enthusiasm is contagious. He then offered up some trivia questions (prize - a bumper sticker or T-shirt).
Famous JFK speechwriter and adviser Ted Sorensen made the trip out to Des Moines and spoke before Obama - saying "My eyesight might be bad, but i have more vision than the POTUS."
Sorensen harkened back to when JFK ran for president and recalled that people said Kennedy was too young and inexperienced. But, Sorensen said, he had judgment. He then remembered JFK's role in the Cuban Missile Crisis.
He then called BHO "the only serious candidate" running for POTUS. "the only serious Democrat" running with a chance who has stated in one of the national debates that he favors talking to our friends and foes - said that characterized JFK's foreign policy as well. JFK had an understanding of how the rest of the world perceives the USA. BHO is "the only serious Democratic candidate" running for POTUS who has lived overseas.
More parallels: JFK was baptized Catholic, Obama was born black. Both were "young and inexperienced."
BHO took the podium at 1730 (Eastern):
He praised Sorensen as a "witness and maker" of history and called him a mentor.
Right off the bat he talked about being a community organizer - he recognized that these types are "underpaid and unrecognized." He recognized his staff was "underpaid and under recognized." He then gave a shout out to a Polk County volunteer named Chelsea. He then urged the crowd to fill out cards to volunteer for the campaign - or recruit people to caucus for him.
He then acknowledged that Iowans like to take their candidates out for a test drive and that there is starting to be "a nip in the air." It's getting to be time to make a decision. He asked the crowd to caucus for him and said, "you can't say that I didn't ask you." He got a polite applause.
prepared remarks began at 1734
BHO read his speech, but did not use a teleprompter
BIGGEST APPLAUSE LINES (overall this crowd was pretty sedate, though - no sustained applause. It almost felt as though they were applauding because they were applause lines):
1738:
The American people weren’t just failed by a President who rushed to war - they were failed by much of Washington.
1740:
Well I’m not running for President to conform to Washington’s conventional thinking - I’m running to challenge it.
1741: This is not just a matter of debating the past. It’s about who has the best judgment to make the critical decisions of the future.
1743: The first thing we have to do is end this war. And the right person to end it is someone who had the judgment to oppose it from the beginning.
1744:
Let there be no doubt: I will end this war.
1746: . And that’s why when I’m President America will lead the world in the direction of a world without nuclear weapons.
It’s time to turn the page on the Bush-Cheney diplomacy of not talking to our adversaries.
1748: To lead the world, we must lead by example. When I’m President, we’ll reject torture - without exception or equivocation; we’ll close Guantanamo;
1750: It’s time for us to stand up and tell George Bush that the government in this country is not based on the whims of one person, the government is of the people, by the people and for the people.
1751:
I will always tell the American people the truth. I will always tell you where I stand. It’s what I’m doing in this campaign. It’s what I’ll do as President.
