An unexpected bonus wifi signal, a couple credit card numbers and an unwanted browser switch (some folks just don't get it with Firefox) and Iowa Independent is live from Cedar Rapids at the Hawkeye Labor Council's candidate forum. Seven count 'em
It's 4:39 PM and the doors are just opening. Staffers are starting their table staffing; others are engaged in some healthy sign war outside. 
Team Clinton gets the prize, for the audacity (sorry Obama) of bringing a live donkey.
A camerawoman from the Netherlands has just parked next to me on the press platform, so clearly this event is drawing interest from a lot of places.
Dutch TV is a spouse team. They'll be at the debate tomorrow too. Mr. Dutch TV asks why the debate is so early: "it's uncivilized!" I say "This is Iowa, we have to get up early to milk the pigs." He realizes I'm joking and laughs. That was always my test for my brother's friends from Chicago: if they took me seriously on "milk the pigs" I knew they were clueless.
Candidate videos are rotating on large screens. Not many people are inside to watch yet. Hillary's starts with the "Invisible" ad, followed by a longer talking head piece on the same theme.
5:09 and folks are chowing down. The food line is moving with ruthless efficiency. Looking for a veggie alternative would definitely slow things down: a scoop of beans, meat on a bun, a bag of chips.
The stage announcer just said SIX candidates so I inquire. "Richardson's not coming," says the man on the mike. "He committed three months ago, then the other day said he wasn't coming. He's shunned labor as far as I'm concerned."
The Kucinich table is staffed by a volunteer who just moved to the state. He's a bit frustrated: "You tell people what Dennis is for and they go yeah, yeah. Then they vote for someone else." "You get that everywhere," says a young man in a Dodd shirt.
But in line to get into the building, Al Achtner and Dennis Ryan of Iowa City are sporting Kucinich stickers. "He holds up a picture of perfection for everyone else to aspire to," says Achtner. Dennis for Dennis adds: "He's the only one who's not lying about his health care plan."
Iowa City nurse Pauline Taylor is backing Obama. She committed to him at the Earth Day rally at the University of Iowa: "I told (a staffer) if he can invigorate people like that, he's my man."
5:51 and... when are the caucuses? "It may have to be December," former congressman Dave Nagle tells me. We grumble a bit about Michigan -- sotto voce, because former Michigan congressman David Bonior, John Edwards' national chair, is right behind us. "I was fighting with (Michigan Sen.) Carl Levin over dates back in 1982," says Nagle, who was Iowa Democratic chair at the time.
I turn to Bonior and seek his thoughts. His opinions may be mixed: as Iowa is Edwards' strongest state, anything that diminishes the caucuses can't help Edwards. "I hope Michigan stays with the caucus" rather than a primary, he tells me. The state's former Republican governor established photo ID requirements "that disenfranchise 300,000 to 600,000 people." As for the date? "It'll have to play itself out, it's very much up in the air." Bonior was working on State Senator Rob Hogg -- who steadfastly stayed uncommitted.
Also uncommitted is Norm Sterzenbach Sr. of Cedar Rapids. "All of the six major candidates are impressive," he says, but notes he was a little disappointed in Richardson's performance at the State Federation of Labor on Wednesday.
State Rep. Art Staed of Cedar Rapids said he's heard no news on a special session to loosen the eight days before anyone else law.
A little civics duty as I explain the significance of Bonior to Mr. Dutch TV.
6:34 and illustrious arrivals are beginning. Hillary Clinton is in the building. One nameless wag suggested I plop the raspberry beret on her head as she passed by; I replied that being wrestled to the ground by the Secret Service sounded like loads of fun. Congressman Dave Loebsack and Terri Loebsack are here as well.
An Obama-Edwards sign war is raging near the gate. I'm deliberately not reporting a winner. Someone should do a cost a cost-benefit analysis of the amount of energy placed into sign war vs. the number of votes swayed.
Several other legislators say no special session word. Opinions vary on caucus date, no consensus.
6:38 and formal festivities are beginning.
The speaking order is front-loaded. Hillary first, Obama and Edwards follow, Kuci
Interrupted for the patriotic stuff.
Kucinich last. A journalist less hard working than myself could, in theory, file early and ignore some of the lower-polling contenders. But I myself would never do that, we're Iowa Independent!
6:48. While the labor thank-yous continue, I corner Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal on the caucus date. Summary: we're working with candidates to get them to boycott states that jump the calendar. "There's a remote possibility we may have to have a special session." What if the parties go with different dates, I ask. "Won't happen."
6:57 and the legislators and local officials get a stroll across stage. Mostly Johnson and Linn except Gronstal and Elesha Gayman.
6:58 -- Loebsack. Bruce Braley and Leonard Boswell and I are trying to put US back on track. Thanks and praises the earliest supporters: "My labor friends were the backbone of this campaign." Notes that his committee was named "Education and the Workforce" under GOP. "Our first act was to restore the rightful name of that committee to Education and LABOR."
We've seen the power of labor decline since Reagan era. I'm proud to say that we passed Employee Free Choice Act for better organization and bargaining. (This crowd loves it.) Mental health parity, SCHIP. "If George Bush wants to fight us over children's health, that's one fight I want to have."
7:06. Bruce Braley. Lookin' casual in short sleeves and no tie. Draws a "House-cleaning" line into White House cleaning and the crowd loves it. Tells story of 26 year old work boots from his days on the Poweshiek County road crew: "I promised I would wear my work boots on the House floor when we passed the Employee Free Choice act." Shows a picture of just that.
7:11. Ten minute speeches, folks. Showtime...
Hillary Clinton enters and actually uses the Celine Dion song.
There is nothing American can't do if we make up our minds to do it. We've been so poorly served last 6.5 years (big applause) Middle class made America great, hard working people. Key to a middle class was labor movement. What's happening now is middle class is under assault. I sense the fear insecurity and confusion about what's happening. Productivity is up, but average income down. We know we can do better. I'm running because I want to set big goals again. Affordable health care foe every American (appl.) I've got scars from last time (where have I heard her use that line before? Oh, yeah, every speech.) "Universal health care when I'm president within the first years." (That's what I heard.)
7:20 Strategic energy fund "Take the tax subsidies away from the oil companies" gets biggest appl. yet. 5 million new "Green collar jobs." Now education: pre-K. Name checks the Vilsacks. "We sure do need to fix No Child Left behind which is an unfunded mandate" and affordable college.
"Unions are an essential part of how we moved to shared prosperity." "We'll appoint people who are actually pro-labor to the Dept. of Labor." "Republicans believe in a society that's You're On Your Own... we believe in solidarity, in a society where we're all in this together."
Trade agreements that emphasize labor and environment -- and no more toys from China (gets huge applause.) "Get back to being in charge of our own fiscal house."
The sentence that starts "bringing our troops home and ending the war" gets drowned out in applause.
"When I'm president, every American's going to be visible."
She wraps and we get Jesus Jones with "Right Here Right Now." Making history, if you know what I mean and I think you do. I didn't see a departure, she seems to have disapparated. Maybe the Secret Service has such powers. There's a music glitch and the same 90 seconds of "Right Here Right Now" keeps repeating. We get the point.
With local supporter Rep. Ro Foege, John Edwards waits to take the stage.
7:34 and I try to get a picture of the John Edwards entrance. I get a little too close and get accidentally sucked into a stream of people chanting "Go John Go." Edwards takes the stage to Springsteen's "Promised Land" and with local legislators Staed and Foege and a bunch of sign-holding chanters. They stay on stage with him for the speech unlike Hillary who stood alone.
Edwards on stage with supporters -- a touch no one else repeated.
Edwards begins with "Elizabeth's fine" if you're playing at home. "We need a president who will stand up and fight these people. I fought these people for 20 years in courtrooms, and I beat `em and I beat `em and I beat `em again and I'll beat `em as your president."
Plays the lobbyist card "Their money is no good to us any more." "I am the president who will walk out onto the White House Lawn and proudly say the word union."
"If you can join the Republican party by signing a card, any worker in America ought to be able to join a union by signing a card." "Nobody, including no SCAB, should be able to cross that picket line..." drowned out by immense applause beginning with the word scab.
"I was against NAFTA, it was a huge mistake." "The first question in an Edwards Administration is will this trade agreement be good for working Americans." He's doing a lot of visioning himself as President, talking about leadership rather than bill numbers. China: "When are we gonna have safe trade?" Country of origin labeling gets big reaction.
"I was the first candidate to come out with a specific, truly universal health care plan." "Everybody in America is entitled to health care coverage, it is a right..." again getting drowned out. "Ask candidates, are you taking money from dug company lobbyists, health insurance lobbyists? I don't want to be their president, I want to be YOUR president."
"Minimum wage out to be at least $9.50, it ought to be indexed."
"I've been blessed in my life" (mill worker reference) "These are the people who made America great, and every minute I'm in the Oval Office I'll fight for those people. I will never forget where I came from or who I'm fighting for."
Leaves stage to U2, "Where The Streets Have No Name," which has like a two minute instrumental intro. Great Edge Guitar, but delays the Bono message. At least it's not "Beautiful Day." Maybe Dennis Kucinich will use the "outside it's America" part of "Bullet The Blue Sky."
Looks like a scrum in the corner of the room so it appears Edwards is exiting through the crowd. Nope, the scrum was the side door.
That winning (he hopes) smile: Obama works his way to the stage.
7:51 and time to Barack the house. Obama enters to "Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson. The song starts a second time, they're multitasking and doing the bucket pass during Obama's entrance. (Update: that's 'cause they knew a lot of folks would sneak out after The Big Three.)
Talks of size of crowds and "I'm reminded of the reason I'm in politics. I moved to Chicago to be a community organizer where steel plants were closed. I didn't like the idea of working people being laid off without anybody advocating for then." Ordinary people can do extraordinary thing. "What I've enjoyed most isn't the big crowds, it's the quiet moments, talking to workers." He's more anecdotal than Edwards and Clinton were. References his day with SEIU's Walk A Day in My Shoes project.
"If the Democratic Party means anything, it means we value labor. It's all of you that built this country." Bush: "They don't believe in labor, they don't believe in workers." The Department of Labor is "the Dept of Management."
"If we're going to bring about real change we have to organize like we never have before" and bring new people into the process. "And yes we have to reach out to independents and Republicans." "I don't want to just win an election and not deliver if all we have is a divided county." "We have to change the political math in a way we haven't for a very long time."
"Who can help change our politics in a fundamental way. I'm tired of playing defense, I want to play some offense."
Ends with a story with the punch line and chant "Fired up -- ready to go!" Leaves the stage to Aretha Franklin singing "Think." The original, not the version from the Blues Brothers movie, so extra points.
8:14 and Chris Dodd enters to Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down." The hall is still reasonably full but there was a noticeable exodus post-Obama. Dodd makes his way reasonably quickly to stage; folks nearby shake hands, but there's no push and scrum. His "stage escorts" are partly made up of Connecticut labor folks.
Audience hubbub is noticeable. Dodd talks of trust and loyalty. "Where have you been, and were are you now?" "For 32 years, six in the house, 26 in the senate, I have never left organized labor, and I never will."
"My Sec of labor will be a union guy or woman, and the members of the NLRB will be union people." Pledges to impose employee free choice act by executive order on day one.
Make No Child responsive to kids and families or get rid of it. Tuition free community college.
"It is shameful that in the United States of America we don't have a universal health care plan." I passed Family and Medical Leave act, it took me seven years, three presidents and two veto. "And I'm going to make it a paying leave program."
"Giving away the store" on trade. I was first person to cal for suspend China trade. "I know the difference btw. a pension fund and a slush fund."
Unions stick with their friends. "If we want to build a middle class we need more union households." People lost their lives in the fight for wages and unions. "I've been a union guy.. and I'll do it as your president."
Here's his angle: Caucuses are unique in America. "I stand very strongly for first in the nation." "I don't think you're impressed by celebrity. You want to see what we believe in. I like that process. "I think you're going to give a guy like me a chance to be heard." "If you give me a chance to be heard, I'm confident I can win the Iowa Caucuses." Exits to U2, "Beautiful Day." What was I saying before? The ONE campaign was here, maybe it's a pitch for the Bono vote.
8:32. Biden takes the stage with no music (Update: Biden staff says that was a technical glitch and he was supposed to have John Fogerty's "Centerfield," you know, put me in coach.) Support crew includes one local legislator, Dick Taylor. Noticeably more room here on the press platform.
Sometimes it was easier to watch the wide side screens.
Biden: big crowd means "we can hardly wait to get rid of George W. Bush." "I owe my Senate seat to labor and I've been loyal from that day on."
Talking about the war at greater length than anyone else (but Dennis is next). "This war must end now." (big applause from the remaining crowd.) And "Bush is waging war on the house of labor, the house that built the American middle class." Says of labor "you underestimate yourselves."
We now have a majority so we can slow down Bush's assault, but we can't stop it without a president. "White collar workers have finally figured out the only reason they have benefits is because of labor, and they've figured out just how good their employers are to them." We need them as allies and to organize.
Tie CEO pensions to employee pensions, applause line. "unless we end the war and change the tax structure, we're gonna be at the end of the line."
Bush could have used post 9/11 capital to get an energy plan but did not.
8:44 Biden is done, again no music. Good applause but fades fast.
8:48 Dennis Kucinich enters to the Rocky Theme with some random supporters and his wife. Starts with health care, emphasizes his sponsorship single payer bill. Loses presidential points for using a bill number and looking congressional. "Insurance companies make money NOT providing health care. It's time to end the for-profit health care system."
"Jobs outsource, building plants abroad, stocks go up. We need a president who wants the stock of American workers to go up." Pledges to kill NAFTA in first week. Attacks other candidates over NAFTA. "Buy American, it's time to have a president who understands that." 
Dennis Kucinich makes a point and inadvertantly notes his percentage in polls.
"NAFTA was about cheap wages and hurting labor's power at the bargaining table."
"End war as an instrument of policy" is key line of anti-war riff; general antiwar discussing gets good applause. "I would not hesitate to defend this country in an hour of need, but we need a president who knows the difference between defense and offense." "A Kucinich administration will respect the constitution." This gets applause that builds and peaks with impeachment.
"There are those who said 'we're glad you're here, Dennis, because you're keeping other candidates honest.' But I'm here to give the American people an honest choice."
Ends with louder applause than Biden. I'm getting a "his folks stayed to the end" vibe. Music on exit is Rocky again. I have to note that the tall redheaded Elizabeth Kucinich looks rather striking in person. She appeared to be the only spouse present. We likely would have heard if Senator Clinton's husband had been here.
Hall's about half empty; some folks are waiting for the $10,000 raffle but I recall some do not have to be present to win about that. They just held the rest of the crowd with two words: "FREE BEER." Alas, I have to drive to Iowa City.
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