THE DEMOCRAT’S CASTING COUCH IN IOWA: HILLARY FACES SKEPTICS
http://online.wsj.com/articles/hillary-clinton-to-face-skeptical-iowa-voters-1410477688?mod=WSJ_hp_RightTopStories
Hillary Clinton Faces Skeptical Iowa Voters by Peter Nicholas
Ahead of Possible 2016 Run, Former Secretary of State to Make Her First Visit to the State Since 2008
DES MOINES, Iowa—It was Iowa that punctured Hillary Clinton‘s bid for the presidency in 2008. If she runs again, it looks like she still has work to do.
Some Democrats who backed other candidates in the state’s caucuses in 2008 say they haven’t yet warmed to Mrs. Clinton. Others bristled at her recent criticism of President Barack Obama‘s Mideast policy. Accustomed to watching presidential candidates up close, some say they want to see a more accessible and authentic candidate than the one who finished third behind Mr. Obama and former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina.
Mrs. Clinton remains the favorite to win her party’s nomination, should she run in 2016, and a super PAC is already making a substantial effort to help her here and in other states. She will have a chance to make new impressions when she returns to Iowa Sunday for the first time in six years to headline, along with former President Bill Clinton, a Democratic fundraiser and speak at an annual steak fry hosted by retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin.
Mrs. Clinton’s public image has taken a hit since she left her job as secretary of state. Some 43% of registered voters viewed her positively in a national Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll taken early this month, down from 59% when she entered the State Department in 2009.
Dale Todd, a former Cedar Rapids city councilman who backed Mr. Obama in 2008, said he didn’t take well to Mrs. Clinton’s criticism in a magazine interview of the president’s delay in arming rebels in Syria and her suggestion that Mr. Obama needed a stronger organizing principle for foreign policy. “If there is some political consultant who thinks that’s the way to win Iowa, I would suggest they are incredibly wrong,” he said.
But Bret Nilles, chairman of the Linn County Democratic Party and backer of Mrs. Clinton in 2008, said her global experience is an important credential. “Events in the Middle East—particularly in Syria and Iraq—are an area of concern. Her background at the State Department and her knowledge would be a valuable asset,” he said.
Asked about Mrs. Clinton’s ratings, the Republican governor of Iowa, Terry Branstad, pointed to a similar tumble on the part of Mr. Obama. “She was part of his administration,” he said.
Linda Langston, a 2008 Obama backer who serves on the Linn County Board of Supervisors, said Mrs. Clinton didn’t come across as approachable in that race, and that Mr. Obama seemed the more down-to-earth figure. “In 2008, there was this sense of entitlement: ‘This is mine, and I should be able to move forward with this,’ ” said Ms. Langston, who is leaning toward backing Mrs. Clinton now.
Steve Sovern, a former Democratic state senator from Cedar Rapids, said Mrs. Clinton hasn’t joined the fight to diminish the influence of money in politics, and that he would like to see liberal Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) enter the race. “I feel it’s time to turn the page,” he said. “It’s time for a fresh start.”
At the same time, some Iowa Democrats have warmed to Mrs. Clinton since her service as secretary of state under Mr. Obama. Libby Gotschall Slappey, of Cedar Rapids, backed Mr. Obama in 2008 but is now lining up with Mrs. Clinton. “Frankly, she has softened a bit,” she said, adding, “She’s really earned her stripes.”
Any sense that Mrs. Clinton is vulnerable in the first nominating state could entice more Democrats to run. Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was in Iowa last weekend for a fundraiser. Mr. Todd said he saw Mr. O’Malley at an event in Iowa a few months back and was impressed to later receive a handwritten note from him.
In recent speaking engagements, Mrs. Clinton has begun to sketch the outlines of a policy platform, a preview of what might turn into a campaign stump speech. She has been far more downbeat about the state of the economy than Mr. Obama, describing everyday Americans as “really, really nervous” about their future. She has described climate change as a global challenge and called for tax measures that promote renewable energy, an issue of particular interest in corn-growing Iowa.
Should she seek the nomination, Mrs. Clinton would enter with a head start potential rivals would envy. A super PAC called Ready for Hillary has paid staff and volunteers in Iowa building lists of supporters. The PAC says it has organized supporters in all of Iowa’s 99 counties and has signed up backers at 84 party conventions around the state.
At one summer event, a gay pride festival in Des Moines, the group collected 200 names and other contact information. Organizing meetings in the state began in January when a Ready for Hillary senior adviser, Craig T. Smith, came to Iowa and met with grass-roots activists and labor leaders, among others. Organizers say they’re tapping into widespread excitement from Iowans eager to see Mrs. Clinton become the first woman president.
Scott Brennan, chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, said, “If I were her, I would come into Iowa and I would spend whatever it takes—and then the nomination is over. It’s just done. Because no one else gets any oxygen.”
Jan Bauer, chairwoman of the Story County Democratic Party, supported Mr. Obama in ’08 and says she is at this point uncommitted. When Mrs. Clinton speaks at the Harkin steak fry, Ms. Bauer said she’ll be “looking for an attitude as much as anything.” She said she doesn’t want to hear that “it’s just a given that everyone will be supporting her.” Not just Iowa but the nation expects their leaders to earn their support,” she said.
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