With caucuses near, candidates hunt for undecided Iowa voters: Offer babysitters, snow shovels

[DeepModem Mom]

CNN: With caucuses near, candidates hunt for undecided Iowa voters


Barack Obama appears with daughters Malia, left, and Sasha during a campaign stop in Des Moines, Iowa.

DES MOINES, Iowa (CNN) -- The presidential candidates began the new year making their pitches to undecided voters and working hard to motivate their supporters to get out and participate in Thursday's Iowa caucuses. It is crunch time as campaigns offer everything from babysitting services to snow shovels to help supporters get to the caucuses. The candidates were crisscrossing Iowa, appearing at rallies, house parties, restaurants -- wherever voters can be found. Also the campaigns and independent groups working here are making aggressive outreach efforts through phone banks and canvassing.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll out Tuesday shows both the Democratic and Republican races to be tight, with Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama essentially tied for the lead in the Democratic race in Iowa and Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee neck-and-neck in the Republican race in the Hawkeye State. But even with the hundreds of campaign appearances, phone calls to voters and a barrage of television ads in the last few months there are still a large number of undecided voters.

In the new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll, 17 percent of likely Democratic caucus-goers said they are still trying to decide who to support, and 11 percent said they were leaning but not definitely decided. More than a quarter of Republican caucus-goers said they were still trying to decide, and 21 percent said they were leaning....

***

The Clinton campaign was distributing hundreds of shovels to help clear the sidewalks of supporters which may be key to getting the first-time caucus goers to the polls. The Obama camp is organizing baby-sitting services for its supporters....

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/01/01/iowa.2008/index.html

[Flabbergasted]

1. kick

[MethuenProgressive]

2. k&r

Nice story, thanks.

[bklyncowgirl]

3. Wow I want to live in Iowa--I've never had a politican offer to shovel my sidewalks!

Imagine a snowy caucus night. As you look out at the drifts mounting in your driveway all of a sudden the motion detecting light goes on illuminating a tall, dark, handsome stranger holding a show shovel--it's Barack Obama.

"I'll get you out, Ma'aam" he says.

"Wait a minute Obama" says another voice. "I know the business end of a show shovel better than you, After all, I'm the son of a mill worker"

"Yeah, right Edwards, I'm from Illinois. We get more snow in a day than you get all year in South Carolina--I know snow!"

"You're both woefully inexperienced when it comes to snow." says a female voice from over behind the hedge. "Sometimes the best man for the job is a woman."

The three candidates clear my driveway in record time.

"Wow, thanks, guys, I say." this is really a help.

"Just remember to caucus for me tonight." says Obama.

"Forget it, she's planning on voting for me." says Edwards.

"Female solidarity" says Hillary, "We girls have to stick together"

"Well, actually" I say, "I'm planning to caucus for Bill Richardson. "He'd be here but he's over at my mother-in-law's ranch carrying her to her precinct site on the back of his horse--he got there just ahead of Biden when Joe's snowmobile blew a sparkplug. But I do appreciate the personal touch you give all of us Iowa voter. I mean, imagine if I lived in some place like, New Jersey. I'd never get to meetin any of you."

[sandnsea]

4. lol, cute n/t

[bklyncowgirl]

5. They could come rake my leaves--but I live in Jersey--forgotten country nt

[sandnsea]

6. They could hold my umbrella

I'm in Oregon, just as forgotten as Jersey it sounds like.

[bklyncowgirl]

9. No one cares about us late states, Sandnsea, (sigh)

Who'd think it would come down to snow shovels and babysitters.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. EXCELLENT, bklyncowgirl -- thanks! nt

[youthere]

8. Most precincts have free child care...

at least the precincts that are in the counties with a chair that's worth a shit!