2016 Democratic presidential candidates come together for first time in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS — It's been nearly eight years since Democrats had to pick a presidential nominee, and five candidates for the 2016 ticket made the most of their appearance before more than 1,300 Iowa political activists determined to maintain control of the White House.

'It's palpable how excited they are,' Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire said. Party activists clapped and cheered their candidates and officeholders, and hooted at what she called the GOP 'circus.'

'They're excited about talking about their issues. They're excited about talking about having more congressmen than in '14,' McGuire said.

'They're excited about tickets up and down the ballot. We're excited about having a new presidential candidate, about having the next president in this room tonight,' McGuire said.

What wasn't in the room, according to Fred Brown of the Republican National Committee, were the solutions voters are looking for.

'Instead of trying to increase opportunity for all Americans, they are talking about how much further to the left they should go and how much more they can drag Americans backward,' Brown said.

That didn't stop the candidates from taking turns lambasting Republicans, burnishing their credentials and asking the first-in-the-nation Iowa Democrats for support.

The Democratic hopefuls spoke in alphabetical order. Lincoln Chaffee, a former Rhode Island senator and governor, kicked off the main event, telling the Iowa Democrats they were going to hear from 'five good candidates with a wide range of passions and experiences.'

Chaffee talked about his vision for America as a world leader working with other nations and the United Nations, where fewer resources are spent overseas and more to provide college education without burdening students with crushing debt, where seniors live in dignity and 'where once again everyone has a change at the American dream.'

If the candidates were the main event, Clinton was the top card. She was greeted with cheers, applause and chants of 'Hillary, Hillary, Hillary.'

Clinton boasted her agenda for equality for women and opportunities for the poor and minorities, while lamenting Republican ideals such as former President Ronald Reagan's trickle-down economics in the past.

'We're not yet running the way America should, and now we have to choose whether we're going to return to the failed top-down policies that wrecked our economy before or move forward to chart a stronger, fair and more prosperous future,' Clinton said.

The former secretary of state took shots at Republican candidates for president, calling the party's ideals outdated and damaging to the country.

'I'm never going to let the Republicans rip away the progress we have made,' Clinton said to a rippling standing ovation throughout the crowd. 'We Democrats are in the future business, but from the Republican candidates for president, we see the opposite. They may have some fresh faces, but they are the party of the past.'

Martin O'Malley followed Clinton by laying out the progressive agenda — a higher minimum wage, same-sex marriage, freezing college tuition, driver's licenses for immigrants and a state Dream Act — much of which was enacted in Maryland under his two terms as governor, he said.

Today, economic inequality threatens to tear apart the nation 'because the economy is leaving a majority of us behind,' he said. He called for opposing 'bad trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

'Many of you remember the return on NAFTA. It was nada,' he said about the trade deal negotiated by President Bill Clinton.

In the end, O'Malley said that progress is a choice.

'Whether that (American dream) is made true again for all American families or not is not up to the big banks, it's not even about the big money trying to take over our elections,' he said. 'It's up to you and me.'

Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont followed him with a demand for a 'political revolution,' calling for income equality, tuition-free universities, a higher minimum wage and political reform that takes power away from billionaires. He received numerous standing ovations and cheers of 'Bernie, Bernie' from audience members.

'Nothing will get done unless millions of people stand up and loudly proclaim enough is enough, this country belongs to all of us and not a handful of billionaires,' Sanders said.

He called the United States an embarrassment for not offering free health care, having a high level of income inequality and for charging what he says is too much interest for student loans.

As for his social platform, Sanders argued for women's right to make reproductive decisions, said he supported the Supreme Court's decision to allow same-sex marriage and called for a higher minimum wage.

'It is fact that we have billions of people working longer hours for low wages, and that's why we have to raise the minimum wage to a living wage,' Sanders said.

Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb introduced himself as the 'only statewide candidate ever elected to office with a union card, two Purple Hearts and three tattoos.'

His vision of the American dream is what he calls the 'American trifecta.'

'What I mean by that is that when our system works right, we have a safety net under people who need it, who fall onto hard time or are retired, we have absolute fairness in the middle and then if you truly make it you can go all the way,' Webb said.

What they said

'I have great concerns about the agreement that was just signed with respect to Iran. I would not as president sign any executive agreement establishing a long-term agreement with Iran if it tips the balance of power in that vital region of the world. I would never accept directly or indirectly Iran's' acquisition of nuclear weapons.' - Former Virginia Sen. Jim Webb

'Whether that (American Dream) is made true again for all American families or not is not up to the big banks. It's not even about the big money trying to take over our elections. It's up to you and me. It's about whether we have the ability as a people to move our country forward. You have a vital choice to make and I need your help.' - Former Gov. Martin O'Malley

'Avoiding war is worth every bit of our energy,' - Lincoln Chafee on the agreement President Barack Obama reached with Iran on its nuclear development. The choice in the 2016 election is 'prosperity through peace or endless war.'

'I have this old fashioned idea that we can't afford to leave anyone on the sidelines. Women who want to work should be able to do so without worrying everyday about how they're going to take care of their child, or what will happen if a family member gets sick. That's not a luxury, that's a growth strategy: paid leave, earned sick days, childcare, minimum wage, these are not women's issues, these are family issues, and they're economic issues.' – Hillary Clinton

'Today, in our great country, we are the wealthiest country in the history of the world… but most don't know that because almost all of the wealth rests in the hands of the few. The issue of income and wealth inequality is the great issue of our time. It is the greatest economic issue of our time. It is the greatest political issue of our time, and together, that is an issue that we will address.' – Bernie Sanders