Political Wire: How I Spent My Summer Vacation

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

"The hottest summer destination for progressives this year might be Swing State U.S.A. For blue state activists, a presidential election that will be decided by voters in the 17 battleground states poses a dilemma. How soon to drop everything and head to the nearest swing state?"

Hey, any of my friends in deep blue or big red states are welcome in Iowa. But leave your orange hats at home. As a Deaniac I have bad memories of Perfect Storm 2004. Depending on what part of Iowa you are in people have special vision that allows them to see that your granddaddy was Not From Round These Parts, and in the dark days that led up to The Darkest Night (3rd place and YEAAAAH!), the out of state origins of many Stormers literally became an issue. My excitement that these kids would drop their lives and stream into my state was slapped down by the Gephardt camp's "they're gonna cheat" accusations.

A story, perhaps apochryphal. When I first heard it, the joke was on Dukakis.

New out of state staffer: What's that stuff in the field?
Iowan: That's corn.
Pause.
Staffer: That corn looks different than the other corn.
Iowan: That's beans.