Monday, Bill Clinton for Hillary; today, Tim Robbins for John Edwards!1
The expression on Robbins’ face reminds me of a freshman who have been assigned a speech. The words on the page were never far from his eyes, and he paused at what seemed like awkward times to review the notes and carry on. He looked unhappy and unkempt.
Not so John Edwards, who never looks unkempt—not even in this blurry photo I took of him while he waited for Robbins to finish. The room was crowded, and I happened to be standing at the door he entered through. I had to shake his clammy hand because of it.
It was his standard stump speech, nothing surprising. I didn’t hear the Q&A because I had to get back to work.
1 One of these days soon I’ll write up my assessment of the candidates and tell you who I’m caucusing for. After all, my vote counts more than yours; you have a right to know.
robbins's got an “i’m sorry i slept with that woman” or a “yes, i did take the steroids” kind of look on his face…
by Balthasar Gracián—Dec 12, 10:54 PM
John Deeth liveblogged the event for Iowa Independent.
by greg—Dec 12, 10:59 PM
1: It does look that way, doesn’t it?
by greg—Dec 12, 11:01 PM
I’ll look forward to your take on the candidates. I imagine your illustrious state will name what will be confirmed when my state goes to the polls on Super Tuesday.
by Scott—Dec 13, 09:23 AM
Yeah, Robbins was surprisingly uninspiring for someone with such a hell-raiser reputation. He was also very pale; maybe he was sick or had a bad flight or something.
Edwards wasn’t as tall as I expected him to be. (We did just see him not too long ago; should have noticed then.) But his hair was very shiny and his hands were cold.
Now to the less important observations…G noted that Edwards didn’t attack Obama or Hillary at all—didn’t even mention them. His speech was definitely a shoring up of his die-hard supporters, I think. He’s very good, but my eyes tend to glaze when he gets to his dad and the mill (and grandpa, too, this time!).
Anyway, I’ll out myself: Edwards is my guy. I think I’ve finally committed. Plus, I signed the form promising to caucus for him, so his people can probably take a crowbar to my kneecaps if I change my mind.
by kl—Dec 13, 10:02 AM
somebody likes pretty boys with baptist haircuts…
by Balthasar Gracián—Dec 13, 10:09 AM
(pausing from grading 28 sets of gen ed papers) edwards was my guy in 2004. couldn’t forgive kerry for going against his constituents (us) on the war. that is not to say i have paid a lick of attention to this year’s candidates, except to sigh with relief that any of the top 3 dems are a vast improvement over the current situation, and none of the repubs seem to have a prayer.
(back to 28 sets of papers—that’s 28 times 26 papers, not 28 total papers)
by mary—Dec 13, 10:46 AM
Methinks K & M need to explain why they like Edwards in ways that are not related to his devilish good looks.
7: 28 sets is a lot of papers, BTW. I hope you have read (most of) them before?
by greg—Dec 13, 01:00 PM
I came out as an Edwards supporter several months back on my blog. Alas, I’m afraid it’s not going to take. I can live with Obama, however.
Or Kucinich.
by Scott—Dec 13, 01:36 PM
28 sets of 26 papers??! WHA?!
We caucused for Kucinich last time around…Now back to reality…
Besides the Baptist haircut (which I think has improved since the last time he ran, but is still kind of questionable…not to mention expensive), Edwards is the only person out there consistently saying what I want to hear in terms of workers’ rights, unions, and other social justice issues. He was the first to stick his neck out in terms of offering a detailed proposal for universal health care…
I like Obama, too, but I’m afraid of the equivocating he’s done and might do in the future…Supporting ethanol…Okay, I know any Illinois politician might feel pretty screwed on that issue, but come on! Even we cornfed midwesterners know this is not the way to go…But, on the whole, I like him a lot and would be happy to support him. There will no doubt be many in IA who will caucus for him strategically, to beat Hillary. Maybe I’ll be tempted to myself when it comes down to it.
by kl—Dec 13, 03:05 PM
I did half the papers today, and I am not going to multiply out exactly how many 26*28 is. This is what happens when you have students turn in work online—there aren’t piles of papers on your desk (or at least not as many), and so it’s easy to forget they’re there. In my case, I “forgot” to keep up with grading after midterm. And yes, I know my job is a paid one b/c I am expected to grade. I’ll do better next time, and am grateful there will be a next time.
I did not say I was still an Edwards supporter. Not that a vote in my state matters, but this time around, I am probably going to vote with my uterus, or at least for the person who has one. I know that is not a popular sentiment around here, but getting paid not to do your job probably isn’t either, so I will just go out with a bang and hope you will all forgive me and love me anyway.
by mary—Dec 13, 10:27 PM
Hearing BC this week made me realize that, although I’m still not inclined to vote for the uterus-having candidate before the general election, and even though because I do have a few questions about her, I’ll be mostly OK with her if she gets that far.
by greg—Dec 13, 11:35 PM
You’re just under his thrall.
by kl—Dec 14, 01:23 PM
i know someone in a blue dress that was under his thrall too
by Balthasar Gracián—Dec 14, 09:58 PM
That joke is so 1997.
by greg—Dec 14, 10:13 PM
but it still makes the republicans laugh…
by Balthasar Gracián—Dec 15, 07:36 AM
The ones stuck in 1997, that is. All the rest are too worried about the looming threat of islamofascism to our very way of being.
by greg—Dec 15, 08:17 AM
I would probably be caucusing for Edwards too, if I were still in Iowa, for the same reasons kl mentions. I’m sort of relieved to be far away from it all, though, I must admit.
I’m not sure how caucusing works out here, but I’ll try to give you a report.
by Laura—Dec 16, 10:29 PM
Laura—Maybe you’d miss our scene more if we’d sent you the coffee bean caucus postcard we’ve had lying around for you…Maybe we’ll still send it…
by kl—Dec 17, 10:16 AM
That, and the other, super special postcard we picked up for you in Arkansas.
by greg—Dec 17, 10:18 AM
But there may be other lucky people who could receive a special postcard from Arkansas, one that might put them under a warm, fuzzy little thrall…You can never know until it arrives in your mailbox to make your day.
by kl—Dec 17, 10:31 AM
Most certainly there will be others.
by greg—Dec 17, 10:32 AM
Well, mail it soon or you’ll just have to give it to me in person!
by Laura—Dec 17, 08:41 PM
Or, we’ll have to mail it after we see you!
by greg—Dec 17, 10:15 PM