DES MOINES, Iowa — The Democratic rivals courted urban liberals and racial minorities, both key to winning the nomination and the White House, by vowing to empower Americans on Saturday even as they struggled with an ice storm that scrambled a marathon campaign day.
Pressed to explain how he would deal with economic disparities facing minorities, Sen. Barack Obama touted his plan for middle-class tax breaks he said would bring back economic hope.
“The dream that so many generations fought for feels like it’s slipping away; that’s being lost not just for African-Americans but for all Americans,” said Obama, the only African-American in the field.
The tenor of both forums was restrained, though Sen. Chris Dodd pressed rival John Edwards to explain why he voted for a bankruptcy reform bill several years ago when Edwards also was in the Senate.
“I was wrong, and you were right, Chris,” said Edwards, maintaining later that “it is the cause of my life to do something about 37 million people who live in poverty.”
Five rivals opened the day with a storm-stilted forum before community organizers from Iowa and other states, then seven headed to a forum before Latino and African-American activists.
Sen. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton was forced to telephone in for the first forum, and Sen. Joe Biden arrived late for the second. Their travel plans were skewed because of an ice storm that closed the Des Moines airport and made travel hazardous.
Biden also weighed in on the immigration fight, saying it’s time to stop pitting people against each other.
“Look, that’s what white boys have done for a long, long time, bang people against each other,” said Biden. “Let’s not let the established system play one against the other.”
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson was asked to explain the income disparities facing minorities, and he pointed to their high dropout rate and called for more spending on education and preschool programs.
At one point, Richardson joked about his status as a Latino as he pleaded for more time.
“Is there any chance we could have some more civil rights equity and let the brown guy get a little more time?” Richardson said.
Richardson asked Clinton, given her husband’s tenure in the White House after being governor of Arkansas, whether it wasn’t logical to say governors make good president.
“Well, Bill, I also think they make good vice presidents,” Clinton said.
Obama was asked how he would bring the hip-hop generation of minority youngsters into play, and he said that’s part of his effort to reach out to young people.
“They are eager to be involved. They haven’t been invited to be involved,” Obama said. “They feel as if nobody is speaking to their issues; they feel as if nobody is listening to them.”
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Dems strip Michigan of its delegates
VIENNA, Va. — Democratic leaders voted Saturday to strip Michigan of all its delegates to the national convention next year as punishment for scheduling an early presidential primary in violation of party rules. In spite of the vote, some party leaders and officials said they believed the delegates would eventually be seated at the convention.
Michigan, with 156 delegates, has scheduled a Jan. 15 primary. Democratic Party rules prohibit states other than Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina from holding nominating contests before Feb. 5. Florida was hit with a similar penalty in August for scheduling a Jan. 29 primary.
Video “tracker” lands paid job.
The young man whose video helped bring down former Sen. George Allen of Virginia has resurfaced as a paid staff member in the communications office of Democratic presidential hopeful Bill Richardson.
S.R. Sidarth, a suburban Washington student of Indian descent, was a volunteer “tracker” for James Webb’s Senate campaign, when he shadowed Allen with a video camera, hoping to catch the Republican in an unguarded moment.
Allen’s dismissive comment about Sidarth — “Say hello to macaca, or whatever his name is” — helped doom Allen’s re-election bid in 2006.
