Six Presidential Candidates Speak at 2007 Harkin Steak Fry

Tom Harkin, Dean of Iowa Democrats, often welcomes presidents and presidential candidates to his annual steak fry. However, the September 16 event was the first to bring six presidential candidates to the stage. Against a backdrop of a huge American flag and bales of hay, the six (Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Chris Dodd, John Edwards, Barak Obama, and Bill Richardson) spoke for about 10 minutes each to the crow of almost 12,000 attendees.

Before speaking the candidates plunged into the first few rows of seats in the open field, giving attendees the rare opportunity to rub elbows with nearly all of them in a short time. It was almost impossible to talk to them, because enthusiastic paid staff and volunteers chanted the candidates' slogans and were at times louder than a football crowd.

While most candidates spoke about the need for an end to the war in Iraq, the emphasis on the topic varied greatly. First to speak was Barak Obama. He stressed values and principles, but had the least amount on proposed policy changes. He advocated overall change to the "game of politics" and noted that while he has 20 years of public service experience, most has been outside of Washington. Governor Richardson spoke largely on energy policy and the need for greater fuel economy in industry and transportation if the nation is to become less dependent on oil. As did the other candidates in one way or another, he advocated universal access to health care.

Hillary Clinton tackled the "is the nation ready for a woman as president?" issue head-on. Her short answer, of course, was yes. She encouraged voters to be part of history to elect her and then be part of rebuilding the American middle class and reforming government after the harmful years of the Bush administration. She said that the day after the election she would ask distinguished Americans to visit world capitals to let international leaders know that the era of cowboy diplomacy is over.

Chris Dodd spent much of his time talking about Tom Harkin's accomplishments and their long-term working relationship. He drew laughter with the comment that he had "no idea what could be put on a stick" until he came to Iowa and found such delicacies as a fried pickle on a stick. Perhaps his most substantive comment was that the politics of fear is destroying the country and it is time to end the "era of fear" in America.

John Edwards called for substantial change because the system in DC does not work for ordinary Americans. He stressed that the nation does not have universal health care because drug and insurance companies and their lobbyists make sure it does not happen. He said he does not want them to have a "seat at the table" in designing a new health system because they will "take all the food." Why has American not addressed global warning seriously? - oil and power companies and their lobbyists. To the ears of an experienced caucus goer, his remarks were the boldest.

Last to speak was Senator Biden, who devoted almost his entire speech to international issues, with most focus on the war. He wants U.S. troops "out of the civil war" and reiterated his proposal to partition Iraq into three regional entities. He also emphasized the need to give the troops the supplies they need and veterans the service they deserve. Only at the end of his talk did he mention a domestic agenda, and then it was in the context of devoting some of the resources used for the war to such areas as health care and education.

Voters who focus on the national polls may not realize that the contest in Iowa is much closer, with John Edwards most consistently in the lead, followed closely by Hillary Clinton and Barak Obama. Listening to the contenders at the Steak Fry and the crowd reactions to them, every candidate in the group was a strong one. Even Senator Harkin, who endorsed Howard Dean in 2004, has said he does not plan to endorse anyone before the caucuses - whether they are held January 14, 2008 as planned or move to an earlier date.