News in the Driver’s Seat of a Campaign’s Final Days
On Thursday, undecided voters, supporters, and press crowded into the family room of Des Moines contractor Fred Hubbell to watch Senator Dodd’s live interview on MSNBC’s Olbermann Report. Dodd provided an analysis of the assassination of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto.
Dodd’s long relationship with Bhutto positioned him as a candidate able to thoughtfully discuss the assassination’s implications on U.S. foreign policy. On the show, Dodd took a swipe at Governor Richardson’s call for Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to step aside in the wake of the assassination. The Senator reasoned that immediate U.S. pressure on Musharraf could throw the nuclear armed country into chaos, presenting Islamic fundamentalists with an opportunity to wrest control and seize nuclear warheads.
Caucus-goers at the Hubbell household responded well to Senator Dodd’s attempts to assert his foreign policy prowess amidst a news cycle dominated by international affairs. Dodd arrived at the event shortly after his television appearance and informally fielded questions from the assembled guests. Much of the conversation focused on the Senator’s thoughts on the Pakistan situation and the emerging crisis’ relationship to the war in Iraq.
Following the event, several caucus-goers filled out support cards. These cards, distributed by campaigns, allow Iowans to pledge their support to a specific candidate. Iowa residents take this step in the caucusing process extremely seriously and will not fill out a support card until they are confident that they have found their candidate. Staffers at intimate events such as the Hubbell house party work the room speaking to attendees and encouraging them to get behind their candidate. I spoke to two women who were vacillating between Senators Dodd and Biden and predicted that they would make a decision by the end of the evening. Before going home, each asked me to provide them with a support card.
