Elana Berkowitz and Mark Pike, OffTheBus correspondents, follow the youth beat this week while traveling through Iowa. Know of people they should interview? Events they should attend? Email us at campaigntrail@huffingtonpost.com
Robocalls for candidates galore punctuate dinners of Christmas leftovers. Looming over the main drag along 42nd street in Des Moines reads a sign proclaiming "Ron Paul will stop the IRS." Joe Biden nursing a coffee with advisors in a local Starbucks doesn't cause a single Iowan to bat an eye. It must be about a week till the Iowa caucus.
Though a Clinton campaign stop in Cummings, IA brought out a healthy crowd, it seems that many Iowans are getting a bit sick of caucus-mania even as the campaigns ramp up into high gear. One blonde woman bundled up to her chin whispered confidentially, "I cannot wait until January 4th."
The most excited woman in the crowd approaching the Celebration Barn, home to tonight's festivities, when asked what generated such levels of enthusiasm said: "I live in Russia. We haven't even seen Putin!" And, despite the 17 degree weather, snow and ice, she proclaims, "I am not even wearing socks!"
Clinton's campaign stop included a rousing pre-game singalong of "Hello Dolly" and revisited a number of signature themes of policy issues for the Senator: health care reform, her years of experience, and a desire for a renewed post-Bush position in the world (Her recent proposed legislation to prevent the Bush Administration from entering into any long term contracts that would require future commitments from the US government drew hearty applause.)
The crowd was mostly made up of families and older folks though there were a smattering of independent students in the crowd. Most of whom we spoke with were from out of state or were not planning on caucusing in Iowa. These students seemed particularly enthusiastic about Clinton's support for enhancing college affordability and her commitment to young people who did not attend college, saying "they are fighting our wards, they are building our buildings ... and getting nothing in return." Almost all the Democratic candidates and almost none of the Republican candidates have advocated for reforming financial aid for higher education. For an overview of the policy proposals out there, click here. (http://www.finaid.org/educators/presidentialcandidates.phtml)