Salena Zito: Hawkeye Dems disgruntled

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ^ | September 15, 2012 | Salena Zito

[2ndDivisionVet]

GLIDDEN, Iowa - William J. Clinton and three other locals — Tim, Jeff and Jack, who declined to give their last names — sat at the Dairy Mart lunch counter, a Carroll County roadside staple on the Lincoln Highway for more than 60 years.

Besides a name, Clinton said, he shares only one thing with America’s 42nd president: “We are both from the South and both Democrats.”

He and his lunch-counter buddies voiced displeasure with America’s direction.

“Let me tell you something,” Clinton said. “It takes more than pretty words to run the country. I was fooled once by the president. I am not going to be fooled again.”

One by one, all four said they are Democrats, voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and, in Clinton’s words, “cannot wait till election day to vote for Romney.”

“You guys have it all wrong,” said Mike Johnson from behind the counter, where he cooked four pork tenderloin sandwiches. With oil sizzling in a large cast-iron pan, he insisted that “Obama’s a nice guy, I’m voting for him again” — to a collective groan from his customers.

Johnson’s father built this red-and-white-checked ice cream shack in the 1950s, complete with an incredible innovation for its time — a drive-thru window to entice families using the coast-to-coast highway for great American road trips.

He admitted he has “no solid reason” to support Obama again, adding: “I guess I just don’t want him to fail.”

“Fail? Hell, he did that a long time ago,” said Tim, who owns a small business down the road.

Iowa is tight, according to Steffen Schmidt, an Iowa State University political science professor.

“Not leaning, but a complete tossup,” Schmidt said.

In 2008, Iowa put Obama on the political map by kicking off his string of caucus and primary victories. It followed that with an easy Obama win over Republican John McCain in the fall.

Today, Democrats across the state feel the same disillusionment articulated by the lunch-counter quartet.

More than 500 miles of crisscrossing Iowa uncovered scores of Hawkeye Democrats unhappy with the country’s direction and the White House under Obama.

Winery owner John Guinan said he “wanted to put a sign outside that said, ‘I can’t wait to vote,’ but I thought it was a bit over the top.”

Five years ago, Guinan and his wife, Rose, transformed an old Ford assembly plant-turned-auto-dealership into the enchanting Santa Maria Vineyard & Winery, with stone courtyards and a restaurant offering the feel of Tuscany. Guinan said it’s “the third largest winery in the state.”

He admitted his passion to vote for Mitt Romney didn’t exist until Romney picked Paul Ryan as his running mate: “Right then and there, he had my vote. Ryan is very bright, very capable, and understands the serious problems facing the finances of our country.”

The small businessman, who employs more than 70 in the town of Carroll, found Obama’s “you didn’t build that” comment “galling, but not surprising. It is reflective of the concern I had about him on the front end,” referring to the value that Obama puts on government over individuals.

Obama still could win Iowa’s five electoral votes by galvanizing young people, aggressively promoting the farm bill now before Congress and playing “Mediscare” with seniors, Iowa State’s Schmidt said. “But social issues could mobilize Republicans and pull over enough … independents to give Romney the edge.”

Along the Lincoln Highway between Council Bluffs and Davenport, most cornfields were leveled due to drought-provoked early harvests; marching bands practiced on high school football fields alongside players scrimmaging without pads for the big Friday-night game.

And Mike Johnson gave a big “How ya doing?” to another customer who pulled his pickup truck up to the Dairy Mart’s drive-thru window. “You don’t want to come in here today, Bill. They’re talking politics,” Johnson told the regular.

“Well, as long as no one is voting Obama, I’m fine,” Bill replied.

Johnson sighed deeply, rolled his eyes and reached for a cone to top off with homemade, freshly whipped cherry ice cream.

[2ndDivisionVet]

Uh-huh. Midwesterners aren't stupid. You might pull the wool over their eyes once, but not twice.

[Unam Sanctam]

I was fooled once by the president. I am not going to be fooled again.

I'm glad they might be coming around now, but for the life of me, how could anyone with any clear thinking have fallen Obama's patently phony and vacuous hype in 2008? I just can't get over how stupid American voters have become.

[ripley]

“I was fooled once by the president. I am not going to be fooled again.”

It wasn’t the president who fooled them. It was the Progressive media masquerading as American media.

IMHO

[nathanbedford]

When I was little boy I knew by heart the batting average, RBI, and slugging percentage of every Brooklyn Dodger player. I knew the pitching records, their weaknesses and strengths, and as a boy less than 10 years old I had sophisticated notions about whom to pinch-hit or whom to pitch in relief.

I watched the games on grainy black-and-white television when I could and read about them in the evening paper (yes, it was delivered to our home). I nearly expired when Bobby Thomson hit his home run.

Today I had no idea where the Dodgers finished in the standings, I cannot even tell you which division of what league they play in. My disillusionment set in when they pulled stakes for California and only increased as I aged.

When I was a child I thought as a child but when I became a man I began to put away childish things.

Most of voting American, and an even higher percentage of nonvoting America, has no recognizable idea of American politics because it is equally ignorant of American history, the American Constitution, the American economic system. They do not know, and they do not want to know.

Another group, somewhat less ignorant, form their political opinions from television images, family lore, ethnic or racial identity, and bumper stickers.

Barak Obama won in 2008 because he was an empty suit and that meant that the media could fill the hollow image with the image of a Messiah. And so the Magic Negro became the solution not just to America's racial cancer but to all our problems. And we had so many problems because the media had also told us that George Bush was the focus of incompetence and evil.

The bulk of the electorate was defenseless to this giant fraud and much of the electorate today remains ignorant. Few are the individuals with moral and intellectual integrity enough to acknowledge that they were played the fool as I was as a preteen fan of the Brooklyn Dodgers.

[T-Bird45]

Love your closing paragraph - DITTO! There do seem to be some rumblings among the bamboozled of 2008, as illustrated by the article — it’s just enough to give me some hope.

[98ZJ USMC]

I’m glad they might be coming around now, but for the life of me, how could anyone with any clear thinking have fallen Obama’s patently phony and vacuous hype in 2008? I just can’t get over how stupid American voters have become.

---

Agreed. Everything that was needed to understand this abortion was available, as long as one looked for it. No one, who voted for the Choomer-in-Chief, gets a pass from me. You were fooled, you didn’t do your homework, you were stupid, you weren’t thinking.

You are Democrat and you are a traitor.

[USS Alaska]

Love your closing paragraph - DITTO! There do seem to be some rumblings among the bamboozled of 2008, as illustrated by the article — it’s just enough to give me some hope.

This same story is repeating itself in every town and village in the USA {I'm not sure about the top 25 cities}.

I have talked with, and got commitments from 12 people that either didn't vote, or voted for obama in '08 but have sworn that they will vote for Romney.

I have not met {or heard of a single person} that voted mcpain but will vote for obama in 2012.

[Fireone]

Quickest way to destroy a customer base, and a business, is to impose your political beliefs on your clientele. You are
guaranteed to alienate 50% of your customers immediately.
Why can’t these business geniuses figure that one out?

[Carriage Hill]

0bummer was a “shiny object” the MSM threw out to distract 52% of the American public from reality. The sad thing is, 46-48% are still distracted by “shiny objects”. By all rational, sane, non-ewmotional accounting principles, Romney/Ryan should be ahead by 15-20pts.

[God luvs America]

nope- it was the idiots who voted for ayatollah obama who fooled themselves....they were lazy and rather than take five minutes to research this POS they preferred to listen to him read words off a teleprompter which someone else wrote for him...

sort of like the housewife who makes herself believe her husband is not cheating because he says he’s not despite the fact he comes home from work five hours late smelling like women’s perfume...

[Always A Marine]

One by one, all four said they are Democrats, voted for Barack Obama in 2008 and, in Clinton’s words, “cannot wait till election day to vote for Romney.”

Four here, four there - this is not an unusual story around the country. But I defy anybody to show me ONE McCain-Palin voter who is switching to Obama this year. Just ONE. The MSM narrative is a lie.

[ken5050]

Mega kudos!!! A brilliant essay..

[Verginius Rufus]

Iowa had 7 electoral votes in 2008 and currently has 5 Congressmen. I don’t think they lost two seats as a result of the 2010 census.