Bernie Sanders was in Sioux City tonight..

[Peacetrain]

Packed room at Morningside College.. Very well received.

[cyberswede]

1. Great!

Did you go? What are your impressions?

Gotta love the opportunities to see the candidates in Iowa.

[Peacetrain]

3. Has a great message..

Maybe between 300 - 400 people.. very packed room.. He is truly an advocate for the average man and woman.. make no doubt of that..

I am going to caucus for Martin O'Malley I have made that decision.. (unless Joe Biden jumps in, then Katie bar the door... he has a lot of people sitting on the sidelines locally)

But love the message.. hope everyone gets the chance to hear all the candidates..and ask questions..(which we do)..

Bobby Jindahl was in town too, but I do not think he had a house meeting with the populace..

Just wanted all of Senator Sanders supporters to know he was well received in a very conservative corner or Iowa

[xocet]

10. Isn't the whole of western Iowa essentially equally conservative, or would Council

Bluffs be some sort of anomalous hotbed of progressive thinking? It always seemed that one could go from Hamburg to Sioux City and not encounter anything but deep-seated conservatism.

[Peacetrain]

12. Western Iowa has a deep red contingency

But places like Sioux City and Council Bluffs have a fairly good group of liberals.. People are too quick to dismiss these areas as "fly over" country.. not a a good thing to do..Iowa flips all over the place...blue, purple, dark red..

[xocet]

14. I don't discount the area....

Having lived in Montgomery and Johnson counties, though, I must say that there is quite a difference. Conservative ideas get more extensive coverage in Iowa City than progressive ideas get in Montgomery county. Being in Montgomery was like being in a sea of red. I do have to admit that I just assumed that the rest of western Iowa was quite similar. However, this was quite a while ago, and things do change....

[Peacetrain]

15. Oh we are red.. that has not changed

But our population is changing.. and times change.. but it is always the issue of getting people out to vote.. the conservative voters are there on a dime.. I have to give them credit for that.. they know how to turn out their bases..

You know what the oldsters in the republican party call Johnson County.. The Peoples Republic of Johnson County .. gets no bluer than Iowa City.. Hats off to a great town..

[jwirr]

16. You are right about much of what you say but underneath that consevative cover are a lot for

Democratic voters who continue to work for better government. My family there often drive clear to Sioux City to meet candidates. One of the problems in any farm area is that a lot of the youth leave the area for jobs and they are often the ones who would be voting Democratic.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

2. Is the Sioux City soft drink company actually in Sioux City?

I really like their sarsaparilla. (Hmm, autocorrect says that's how it's spelled, but that looks really weird.)

[Peacetrain]

4. No do not think so..

Never seen the company around here..

[RufusTFirefly]

8. Sioux City? That's a good'un

[Comrade Grumpy]

5. Is Steve King your rep?

If so, I'm sorry. He's an embarrassment to the whole region.

[Peacetrain]

6. Oh yeah.. he is and yes it is an embarrassment

sigh.. We have to work very hard here.. whew..

[Beagle One]

7. So... is it O'Malley, Bernie or Clinton?

Just wondering...

[Peacetrain]

11. O'Malley

[CoffeeCat]

9. Very interesting!

Sioux City is the heart of extreme, right-wing, country in Iowa. It's the part of the state represented by tea-party crazy Steve King. It's also got a large number of extreme Evangelicals.

Even though Sanders visited a college in this area, which would have more young people and more progressives--this is still a very right-leaning part of the state. He could have chosen to visit colleges in more liberal areas of the state.

I think this is a cool strategy. I'm sure there are libertarians and some Republicans who are sick and tired of the clown bus that is the Republican field of candidates.

Bernie's desire to end corporatism, corruption and also his appeal to the middle class--may play to some in these areas.

I think it's a bold move.

Most Democrats just sorta skip that part of the state! I know I avoid it at all costs.

[Peacetrain]

13. Always good to go everywhere..

If you can't handle a little red heat, how in the world would you a candidate be able to handle the office of the Presidency..