Candidates on the stump

Editor's note: This is the first in an occasional series of columns written by community representatives to The Gazette's editorial board reflecting on their experiences of the 2016 presidential election.

On May 5, community representatives to The Gazette's editorial board attended an event featuring Dr. Ben Carson, candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, at the Cedar Rapids Marriott. For some, this was their first time attending a political event. Others had more experience. Here, they share their thoughts.

THE POWER OF A GROUP

Teresa Daubitz

This being my first opportunity to witness a caucus campaign, I wasn't sure what to expect, other than your typical 'rah-rah, vote for me, get America back on track” type of speech. Over the years, I have heard the sound bites from these stump speeches, doctored by whatever media outlet is reporting. Now, as a community member of the editorial board of The Gazette, I had the opportunity to attend a speech by candidate Ben Carson.

The event was an affirmation of the power of a group of people in a room. They were excited and enthusiastic from the 'opening prayer” through the singing of the national anthem - in which everyone joined in singing (loudly). I did have the urge to yell, 'Lets play ball” when we were through. Both the prayer and the anthem caught me off guard until I realized that this was an event for the political 'Right”. Many in the crowd were older and expressed their desire for the country to go back to where it has been before.

Carson seemed intelligent and well spoken. He is not a seasoned politician and he demonstrated his ability to laugh at a world that at times brings us to tears. He shared stories from his upbringing as a young boy who in the welfare system and his rise to success. Sometimes we forget that people who benefit from government programs are proud and have a desire to be independent and achieve goals; the hand up, not handout theory.

He reminded us that if you have a problem, you should come to the table with a solution rather than complain. He said that is how he came up with an idea to revise the Affordable Health Care Act by creating a health savings account-type investment for every American at birth and allowing for it to be passed on to family members after death. I found that very interesting. It sounded like there were some legitimate studies done to prove this as a viable option.

Carson also expressed his flat tax idea, which many complain about. Isn't it only fair that everyone pay a certain percent?

I would be interested in attending another political event, but would hope they could pick a room that would have enough chairs to accommodate the crowd, rather than worry about how empty seats might look on TV or in the paper.

Ideally, we could have a campaign event without media; no cellphones, cameras, photographers and reporters. Getting a real feel for who people are when the lights are off. The candidates would only be able to share what they are going to do for the country. Like a job interview, tell us why they are great for the job, rather than criticize the others applying for it.

Heads up Iowa, the candidates are here. Get off your sofa and experience a political event. Maybe for no other reason than you can say you went. Maybe to learn something new. Or maybe to get affirmation that we still live in the greatest nation in the world.

PITTING 'US AGAINST THEM”

Bev Taylor

As this was my first experience in witnessing a political campaign event in person, I was overwhelmed by the similarities to the atmosphere that exists at a Carver Arena basketball game when the Hawkeyes play against Illinois. It was without a doubt an 'us against them” game plan.

It all began with newly elected congressman Rod Blum lambasting the politics of the federal government in Washington, DC. Blum called for term limits, a repeal of Congressional pensions and Obamacare; he also called for making it easier to fire government employees. I was left with an impression of an ISIS beheading of our federal government structure, one that Blum had just been elected to.

An overflowing and enthusiastic group warmly applauded Dr. Ben Carson as he stepped to the podium. He had a warm smile and an articulate, soft-spoken demeanor, immediately dispelling my preconceptions, based on an Internet 'crash course” about his past political statements.

He adamantly told the group he was not a politician. He spoke of pervasive divisions along the lines of race, gender and religion. He said our unity was the source of America's past greatness.

Carson proceeded down memory lane, describing the youthful indiscretion of throwing rocks at cars (an act that I found abhorrent, but one that he got a few in the audience to admit to). He remembered running from his 'older” victims and the police, 'back in the days before they would shoot you” - a comment the crowd didn't seem to know how to respond to. The reaction pointedly illustrated that empathy sometimes requires firsthand or shared experience.

Carson's speech focused primarily on his objection to the Affordable Care Act, based on the perceived premise that Obamacare was an overreach of government power over individual choice.

Carson's solution involves establishing health savings accounts for every child at birth and allowing them to pass those accounts on as an inheritance. This resonated with many in the audience. However, there was no mention of the fact that in order to qualify for an HSA, one must first purchase the premium for a high deductible health plan.

The ACA forces individuals, with taxpayer subsidies, to purchase health insurance. Carson's plan would seem to give the federal government the power to force an individual at birth to pay the premium for a high-deductible health plan and continue to pay for contributions to the HSA. Neither plan reduces the role of federal government power.

I find this pervasive anti-federal government sentiment perplexing. At times of local disasters, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is at the top of our list. When crops are destroyed, it is the federal government who is called upon for relief. For women and minorities, the role of the federal government takes on an entirely different light, when you consider that it was the federal government that gave them the right to vote.

FINDING A VOICE

Neal Baty

My direct experience with Iowa caucuses happened back in 1980. My son was in grade school and I wanted to make sure that the party platform contained the education planks that I thought were important, so I attended my precinct caucus.

The party candidate selection that year was fairly cut and dried so the only real conversations were about the platform. My experience was not great. The party regulars, or 'old timers” as they called themselves, made it clear to me and the other newcomers that they were 'owed” due to their longtime party allegiance.

The other new attendees and I maintained a large enough block to have some say and I was fortunate enough to be elected as a county delegate and move on to the county convention. I found that was a more intense version of the precinct caucus and my voice was unheard by the longtime party regulars.

The following months gave me a barrage of requests for donations so I dropped the party affiliation, registered as an independent and have remained so ever since.

Over the subsequent years there have been many changes. One thing that has not changed is the traditional political party attitudes. That attitude leaves us with Hillary Clinton and Jeb Bush as the front running candidates for their party's nomination for the 2016 election.

I had no opinion about Carson before seeing him and I must say that nothing he said either improved or reduced that opinion.

He believes that a great deal of conversation out of Washington, D.C. today is dedicated to dividing the county into segments instead of bringing it together. That is a fact that cannot be disputed.

Another of his beliefs is that the greatest problem we have in the electorate is the uninformed voter. He stressed that everyone should spend 15 minutes every day learning about something they don't know. That is a difficult goal for many of us but certainly a worthy ambition. It is also a goal that may someday get us away from the traditional party honor system.

My last observation was about the crowd that came to see Carson. It could never be said that they were a cross section of today's society. They were heavy on some demographics while others were nonexistent.

They were an excited group. The best thing they demonstrated to me is that they are not about to let the traditional parties dictate the party candidate to them.

I encourage everyone to take some time this year and go listen to some of the prospective candidates. Please don't let the 2016 election become another one where you have to decide to vote for the lesser of two evils.

A RESPONSIBILITY AS IOWANS

Justin Wasson

I led my precinct caucus in 2014 and 2012. I enjoy leading these caucus efforts and getting to meet my neighbors who are interested in politics.

These candidate events are another great venue to meet people who are politically active. This event was very similar to how I thought it would go. The room was, however, much more crowded than I expected.

Ben Carson is much more laid back in his speech style than the other candidates. He seems to draw an older crowd to his events. He has many interesting stories about his childhood that make him an appealing candidate to some unique demographics.

I attend as many of these presidential events as possible. Being Iowans, we have an incredible responsibility to get to meet and vet the candidates. The presidential potentials will often go into the crowd to meet with you one-on-one and answer your personal questions as well as take a picture with you. Politics aside, it's just cool to get to meet these influential people.

I think it is up to the candidates to get their messages out to the voters. The debates are helpful and the many candidate appearances give a great opportunity to learn about the candidates. History shows that there are three tickets out of Iowa after the caucus so I think it is a very effective way for us to narrow down the candidate field.

Candidates need to take time to shake everyone's hand at an event. They need to talk to us, hug us, answer our questions, get on a personal level with us. Iowa's unique first-in-the-nation status requires up-close and personal interactions with voters.

As Iowans, it's our responsibility to take the time to listen to the candidates. Go to different candidate events even if you have already made up your mind on who to vote for. On the Republican side, this will be the first time the Caucus is a binding vote, so it is even more important to get active in the process.

' Comments: (319) 398-8469; editorial@thegazette.com