We are in Iowa for a few days attempting to visit my mom. I say attempting because my mom lives in a nursing home and Cindy and I both have bad colds. Because of the delicate conditions of the residents, you are not supposed to enter if you are ill. I guess that makes sense.
I have been following the race for the presidency, but I now realize that I have been following the process at a distance. The experience is very different in Iowa. This morning while watching Charles Osgood’s Sunday news program I saw the same seasonal Obama ad three times – it is the one that ends with a slightly different intonation of the the phrase “I approve THIS message” and his two kids say Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday. I am guessing Barak wishes you a Merry Christmas too, but he may not be able to afford the greeting as frequently where you live. I didn’t notice the same repetition with ads from other candidates but nearly every ad spot was for a candidate. I do not watch a lot of television, but I had viewed none of these ads before.
The Sioux City Journal, the local paper here, has endorsed Obama and Romney. I think the Des Moines Register, a more influential paper, endorsed Clinton and McCain. I am thinking my fascination with the Iowa political scene will wane about the time I leave the state in a couple of days. The opportunity to move in and out of this political preoccupation has been weird.
Hey, in case I am off-line for a few days, Merry Christmas from Cindy and me.
