Interesting NYT Article On The Iowa Campaign Subculture

[DrFunkenstein]

Out-of-Town Tryouts For the West Wing

THE 25 or so cars in the overflowing parking lot on a recent night at Wellman's Pub here had license plates representing a dozen states and bumper stickers from three current presidential campaigns, not to mention decals from six colleges and universities.

Inside, dozens of young workers from Senator John Edwards's campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination gathered at the dark wooden bar. Campaign workers for Representative Richard A. Gephardt sat at tables near the dartboards and jukebox, and campaigners for Senator John Kerry claimed the back corner. Interspersed were a few isolated workers for Dr. Howard Dean.

All week, the young foot soldiers of the candidates work 14-hour days, and they tend to gather in separate bars and restaurants to hash over daily events. But on weekends these aspiring James Carvilles and Mary Matalins, just a few years removed from student council days, check their rivalries at the door of Wellman's, Des Moines's version of neutral Switzerland, to mingle over bottles of Leinenkugel's beer at $1.25 and leave 50-cent tips.

Together, they form a subculture — transient, zealous and competitive, though bonded by common denominators like nights on leaking air mattresses, meals of cold pizza and long hours selling their candidates' visions door to door. Many even live in the same building in Des Moines, at 3000 Grand Avenue (usually called just "3000 Grand"), a modern building with a gym and three-bedroom apartments that go for $1,000 a month. Needless to say, the Iowa troops are overwhelmingly young.

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It's a pretty long piece, but it gets more interesting.

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/fashion/16IOWA.html?ex=1069477200&en=488cc696e0d7a4db&ei=5062&partner=GOOGLE

[UTUSN]

1. "We're all friends, despite what your boss might have done on Medicare,"

Words to live by.

[blm]

2. Really interesting insight into that aspect of the campaign.

I hope more people take the opportunity to read it.