The last place I expected to be on a Monday night was listening to Martina McBride’s "Independence Day" waiting for John McCain to show up. But with the new professionalism (and professional status) with the Iowa Independent connection comes a stretching of the boundaries, so I hit my first Republican event in about 15 years in North Liberty Monday.
I’ve meant to do a GOP event for a while and this one seems like the perfect start. Wasn’t sure how I was going to write this but I’m finding myself in the same groove I get with an Edwards or Obama speech. No wi-fi so this is mostly live-written but cleaned up.
5:15. Back in my public radio days I had a junior partner who was active in the GOP (Yo, Libants!) and he was my people-spotter. No such assistance tonight.
The first thing I’ve noticed that’s different is the music is a lot quieter. The only stuff I’ve been able to pick out over the crowd chatter is the theme from Rockies One and Three (“Eye Of The Tiger”). (Rocky 4 – “Living In America” - would be funkier and maybe even usable.) But the pledge cards at every table, that’s the same. Only they’re “volunteer cards.” Harder to follow up on a pledge when the GOP caucus is a secret vote.
He’s got an in the round setup with a stool and a waterbottle waiting. (This worked well for giving everyone in the crowd face time, but as a one man team I'm my own photographer and got a lot of back of the head shots.) The food for the evening is soup. Three TV cameras, but I didn’t see any tower trucks; despite the fortuitous hour I don’t think anyone’s doing the live at 6 thing. The usual local print is present too.
5:23 Chuck Wieneke is doing some intro-ing, notes his veteran status. (There’s a special “veteran’s sign-in” table.) They’re hauling out more tables as they play “Good Vibrations” and turn the volume up a notch. Playing the vet card plays to the McCain bio – but that worked sooo well for President John Kerry…
OK, this is something you don’t see at most Dem events: an Eagle Scout is presenting the colors and we do the Pledge of Allegiance and the national anthem. Not sure if this is a McCain thing or a GOP thing. I stand, type this sentence with no caps one-handed with my right and hold laptop with left; realizing at the last second I’m wearing a hat. Tuck the hat under my arm at about “banner yet wa-ave.” (Post-speech annotation: I end up losing the hat.)
Leon Mosley, former Black Hawk supervisor and current RPI co-chair, leads a prayer. A “party of Lincoln” reference, some “lord let the people see our way” kinda stuff but no platform planks. But he ends with an unequivocal “in the name of Jesus we pray.” Wouldn't hear a reference that specific at a Dem event...
Head of Students for McCain speaks, gets nervous with audio issues. She’s been designated with the bio details. I’d guess the crowd between 150 and 200 but I’m not good at that. Other reporters are riffing on crowd counts with a theme of “everyone in Iowa east of I-35 was on the Pentacrest for Obama.” The student for McCain’s name is Hillary, which prompts a joke. (That’s the only by name reference to any of the Dems.) One of the reporters gets back from asking a staffer about crowd and renews the banter: “3000, he says.” Without hard number I’ll say: not bad for commute time.
Some country music: “you’ve got to stand for something… or you’ll fall for anything.” My country skills are 20 years out of date. Clearly we’re in Stall Mode ad McCain is running late.
I’m getting no overpowering sense on the superficial demographics; the differences between a Dem crowd and a GOP crowd are more subtle. Polo shirts vs. t-shirts on the young (though one fellow about my age sports a Metallica “Kill `em All” concert shirt), and no male long hair, the older folks a little dressier…
5:43 and a staffer breezes by the sound guys: “Play another song.” They choose the Bonnie Tyler `80’s chestnut “Holding Out For A Hero.”
5:50 and he’s on. A couple snowbird and weather jokes, and about two too many politician jokes.
5:55. Why the GOP lost `06. “I don’t believe it was the war.” Cites Lieberman. He thinks being in government post-1994 changed the GOP and spending is too high, gets first applause. Plays on the government-spending riff for a while. Cites earmarks, Alaska Bridge To Nowhere (not naming Ted Stevens). Pledges vetoes, gets loud applause. Cites scandals (naming Duke Cunningham and no one else). “The system is broken, and I promise to fix it.”
The jokes per minute ratio is high and it seems like he’s trying really hard to be funny. Nothing that brings down the house, though.
Plays the abortion and court card, cites the nuclear option fight and his role in the Group of 14. Calls Roberts and Alito “two of the greatest justices.” (“Of all time” or “at present” isn’t said.) Hopes partial birth (sic) will be banned worldwide.
“Chuck Grassley and I have a glass of ethanol every morning” is the funniest line of the night. McCain acknowledges he was not a fan of ethanol when oil was $10 a barrel, but the situation has changed and now energy independence is more important. Climate change is real. “Ethanol and nuclear power - and nuclear power” (repeated for emphasis) are important.
Iraq was sad, badly mishandled. But we have a new strategy. This Iraqi has to be more inclusive. There’s good news and bad news in Iraq today. (Mike craps out makes joke that DNC paid for mike).
“When we lost in Vietnam, we came home. It was over except for healing our wounds. In this war, they want to follow us home. This is a titanic struggle between good and evil.” No applause there, but there was for praise of troops. (Throughout the night, those were the biggest applause lines: not for any policy of this administration or of the prospective McCain administration, but for the “bravery and sacrifice of our troops.”)
He closed the prepped remarks with a tale of the troops he saw at Bethesda Naval Hospital. The buildup leads to a wounded soldier saying, “We can win this fight.” A beat, no applause till he says thanks. Good applause but not shake the rafters applause; wasn’t that kind of a speech.
6:10 and the first question: China and copyright. McCain: China will be a superpower, the question is how. They’re improving in some areas such as copyright… worse in others (anti-satellite weapons, human rights, Taiwan). Use Olympics for leverage. The Vietnamese, believe it or not, are our best friends in Asia. China has been a little help with North Korea, none with Iran.
The Fair Tax Question appears to be the GOP equivalent of the Iowans for Sensible Priorities Question. McCain says he’d sign, but passage unlikely. Wants taxes “fairer and flatter.”
Interestingly, a Blackbar question about “mercenaries.” McCain says they do security, etc. duties freeing more troops for battlefield, but he’s examine getting rid of them.
A Iraq vet says, “The Dems are beating us up on this every day. We have to have a way forward.” And because of our involvement, what will you do about the vets?
McCain thanks him for service and gets loads of applause. The guy says, “I’d go back tomorrow if I could” and gets the biggest applause of the night, for McCain or anyone. McCain said Iraqi oil revenues “could pay us back for a lot of what we’re doing.” The region has an interest in stability. He makes an odd reference to “Bill Russell, the senator from the Boston Celtics”; I couldn’t tell whether it was a joke that missed the mark or a reference to Bill Bradley. Huh? Back on topic, he says “It’s not the presence of troops that bothers Americans, it’s the casualties. If we could create a climate of stability” then there’d be support for a continued presence, noting that there are few objections to our ongoing presence in Korea.
For vets, he offers people vouchers if the VA can’t squeeze ya in. VA needs to focus on their unique skill with combat wounds. He also says he was unaware of the Walter Reed conditions and he regrets that and will be sure it never happens again.
Young person asks about North Korea. “I hope the UN would act effectively, but Russia and China have been unhelpful.” The Chinese help prop up the regime as they fear collapse will lead to millions of refugees. Calls North Korea “a gulag of incredible proportions”
American citizen born in Egypt notes hostility toward US overseas, and references Carter speech. McCain says we can’t deny our prestige has slipped. “I would close Gitmo.” (Very scattered applause.) “I’d actively attack climate change.” If we are wrong that humans have caused warming, we’ve made the world cleaner. But if humans have caused change and we do nothing, it’s catastrophic. We need to be a little more humble, pay more attention to Western Hemisphere. USA Still greatest noblest, nation on earth, but we have work to do especially in Islamic world.
Richard Tibbets asks about health care. McCain says it’s a great long-term challenge. US health care is best in world – but to go to single payer “as was proposed in the 90’s” would be a disaster. (Hm. Hillary Clinton, and some of us who were pushing for single payer instead of her plan in 1993, might dispute that characterization.) “I’m not for government run health care” gets more applause than closing Gitmo. He offers a long list of private sector stuff: corporate incentives for low income to buy private insurance, health savings accounts, malpractice reform. Cites “My experience is in reaching across the aisle.”
6:30 and hydrogen and nuke energy. “Nuclear power is not only possible but being used in other parts of the world.” Waste disposal is the key. Plays the Navy card and says we’ve never had an accident on a nuclear navy ship in 60 years. (A matter of definition – ask the Guardfish.) Nuclear power is not the answer but it’s a big part.
Last question is immigration. “I knew I should have shut this down.” Nervous chuckles in the crowd. Securing borders #1 (big applause.) Make the commitment with sufficient guards, electronics etc. Once we’ve assured people the border is secure, then we move forward on temporary worker programs and the people here (he says of 12 million undocumented, 1/3 just let their visas expire). We need a tamperproof biometric document to assure employers. Prosecute employers who hire illegals “to fullest extent of law”; applause. As for the 12 million “some who’ve been here 40, 50 years, they can stay. Those who just got here, they can’t.” In between? Still seems to be working that through. “The status quo is not acceptable.” Grateful for Bush’s leadership on this (one of the few direct Bush references.) “And I’m sorry I recognized you” he tells the questioner.
Change of plan: one more. Tommy Thompson wants to split IQ into three states, do you? “Partition throughout history does not wok. It’s not a simple case. The Turks won’t stand for Kurdish independence. Most Iraqis identify themselves as Iraqis first, then as Shia or Sunni or Kurdish.”
Summing up: “I’m not the youngest candidate, but I am the most prepared.” World leaders, military, congress. “I have the vision and the experience. I promise we will disagree on an issue or to, but I will make decisions after careful consultation as to what’s best for this country.”
6:40 and he’s done. The scrum is the same wherever you go. I realize that almost all of the questioners prefaced their queries with “thank you for your service.”
Waiting for the interviews, a 35 or so guy with a Mark McGwire red goatee tells the tall blonde TV reporter “I never watch news but I watch (your channel) because I’m in love with you.” She gives him a moment for a pic but her answer is priceless; pointing at his buddy taking the picture and holding a child, she asks the guy “is that your baby?”
At least three interloping Dems are sighted (not counting me – I have a legit press pass); two get a lot of McCain face time despite their union t-shirts.
On to the press questions. Asked who the “they” are who want to follow us back home from Iraq, he says Al-Qaida, and victory is a stable and effective Iraqi government. His one on one speaking voice is surprisingly quiet – not Jim Leach, turn the levels up to the max quiet, but low key. Says his campaign is about getting back to the fiscal discipline basics of conservatism. Says he’s not worried about how photos of the massive security around his Iraq trip will effect the campaign. I follow up on immigration; he says most people realize that it’s a complex issue. Shakes hands with all us pressy types, (earlier, one press photographer had a McCain moment, held the camera at arm's length and got a posed shot of the two of them) moves on to meet some folks who look like they had some one on one time planned.
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