Archive | December, 2007

Former Political Hired Gun Discusses Life in an Iowa Call Center

It’s doubtful that anyone running into Cedar Rapids resident Jason Hedges would move to the other side of the street to let him pass. He’s young, tall and attractive, with bright eyes and bouncy brown curls atop his head. Until a few weeks ago, however, he was political hired gun, pitching a Republican message in [...]

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Three Days Before Caucus Night and…

… Iowa phones are ringing off the hook. Several odd poll-type phone calls have been hitting households in eastern Iowa. One of the calls begins by asking if the recipient thinks favorably of President George W. Bush. Regardless of the response, the next question is if the individual plans to attend the Republican caucus. If [...]

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Photos: Ann and Mitt Romney in Mount Vernon

Republican presidential hopeful former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney traveled across eastern Iowa today with his wife, Ann, by his side. The “Mitt Mobile” pulled into Mount Vernon just before 3 p.m. this afternoon and the candidate made a short visit to the Fuel & Nest on 1st St. East. A handful of supporters gathered at [...]

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Four Days Before Caucus Night and …

… retail politics is just another synonym for family. Barack Obama’s mother-in-law, Marian Robinson, and sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, were walking through neighborhoods in snowy eastern Iowa Saturday afternoon. The pair was canvassing door-to-door on behalf of their family member, the Illinois Senator. Afterward, they delivered at least three signed supporter cards to headquarters. Obama’s wife, [...]

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Five Days Before Caucus Night and …

… another blanket of two to six inches of snow has fallen on eastern and central Iowa. The seven-day weather forecast calls for snow flurries on Monday and Tuesday and high winds on caucus night. If temperatures don’t rise enough to melt the top of the snow, providing an ice crust, high winds could pose [...]

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Recent Events Bring Added Favor to McCain’s Last-Minute Iowa Pitch

Over the summer when John McCain announced he would not participate in the Ames Straw Poll fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa, it was not difficult to find Iowans who proclaimed the Arizona senator’s campaign dead in the water. Recent events, including newspaper endorsements and an assassination on the other side of the globe, [...]

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Six Days Before Caucus Night and…

… the campaign for New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton has announced it will run a two-minute television ad statewide on caucus eve — a closing statement, if you will. According to campaign insiders, the spot has yet to be filmed and will be aired during evening newscasts on all eight Iowa markets. … former [...]

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Seven Days Before Caucus Night and …

… volunteers from across the nation are telling Iowans to scoot over and make room. The campaign for New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson sent an email to supporters, announcing the influx of “Richardson Roadrunners” in the state. According to the email, hundreds of volunteers left New Mexico Wednesday morning in order to volunteer for the [...]

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Bill Clinton (And It’s Snowing Again)

There were just a few flakes of snow blowing around when I got in the Jeep and began the drive from the Cedar Rapids area to Solon in Johnson County. The purpose of the drive was to cover a Clinton campaign stop featuring Pres. Bill Clinton. I made good time on my way there (despite [...]

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ICSW: 2008 Legislative Policy Agenda

The Iowa Commission on the Status of Women (ICSW) advocates for changes in state laws, supports studies and champions gender-specific changes within state government in order to eliminate inequities for women. As a part of that charge, the agency annually submits proposals to the Iowa Governor and General Assembly, which outline goals and areas of [...]

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