Bush courts Catholics in swing states, Many Democrats also conservatives

Chicago Tribune ^ | May 10, 2004 | John McCormick

[Land_of_Lincoln_John]

DUBUQUE, Iowa -- There are no fewer than 11 Roman Catholic churches in this picturesque Mississippi River town of about 60,000 people, a place some locals call "little Rome" in reference to its religious leanings and hilltop construction.

So on the face of it, this heavily blue-collar city may have seemed a curious place for President Bush to target late last week in his first official campaign tour in the Midwest battleground states of Iowa and Wisconsin--states he narrowly lost in 2000.

The city's strong Catholic and Democratic traditions--which include a Kennedy Mall, John F. Kennedy Drive and Kennedy Elementary School -- would seem to favor Sen. John Kerry, another senator from Massachusetts who is Catholic and wants to be president.

But Dubuque County--one of the most Catholic in the nation--also is filled with social conservatives who might be persuaded to vote for a Republican who appeals to their values and sense of patriotism. It's the sort of place where Bush needs to convince at least some voters that he deserves a second term.

"It's not that Dubuque isn't within the reach of a Republican candidate, but you have to have that message that will appeal to those people who will cross over and vote for a Republican," said Mayor Terry Duggan. "There are a lot of Reagan Democrats."

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I think Dubuque has produced some left-wing Iowa Democrats over the last couple of decades. It is a rather insular city...if you didn't arrive in Dubuque in a Conestoga wagon, you're considered "new people."

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Liberals and Dems are centered in the larger Iowa cities. Des Moines, The Quad Cities area, Sioux City and Cedar Rapids-Iowa City. In almost every case, they are connected to the remaining UAW locals that used to be quite powerful in tractor making plants (which are almost gone now). Sioux City, Dubuque and Fort Dodge used to be big meat packing communities but the average meat cutter now speaks Spanish or Viet Namese so this base is gone.
The southern and western part of Iowa is generally conservative.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Of course, even conservative farmers in the south and west love those government checks. Sluuuuurp !
Hey, honey, I guess we can get that new pickup after all...