Caucus Day for Iowa

It’s cold, crisp and clear. The winter sun is rising over the Iowa state capitol on caucus day. The attendance for tonight is estimated anywhere from 125- 200,000 voters from across the state. The leading contenders – both Democrat and Republican – continue to claim victory in a dead heat. The race is simply too close to call

At the Polk County Convention Center, the media circus of over 2500 journalists, photojournalists and bloggers from all over the globe is being played out. What must that carbon footprint look like? Everyone is hunting for the elusive scoop or the great interview “get.” I remind them politely, that I will see them again in St. Paul September 1st -3rd when they come to my town to cover the Republican national convention.

When I arrived on Sunday, my hotel lobby was filled with young African-Americans from Yale passionately arguing for Senator Obama. Equally passionate Hispanic students from New Mexico argued for Governor Richardson (his campaign is headquartered there.) A group of mature women from the Midwest, calling themselves ‘Hill’s Angels’, advocated for Senator Clinton. It was and remains exciting and electric to be here. Indeed, it is definitely renewable energy. Not since 1952 has the country had a wide-open field like this in the run for the presidency. The tension is high and the focus on Iowa’s capitol city extremely intense.

Monday brought a briefing with trained RE-AMP messengers old and new. Craig Stark, a father and grandfather who is retired from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says his faith calls him to act for global warming solutions. Dr. Ray Heinicke, a founding board member of the Iowa Environmental Council and a man who has worked for over a generation on environmental issues from a moral and stewardship of the earth perspective as member of Caring for Creation, SE Iowa Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America joined us. Business leader Ed Woolsey of the Iowa Renewable Energy Association was there too. Marian Riggs Gelb, executive director of the Iowa Environmental Council, Steve Falck, project director of Iowa Global Warming Campaign and Paul Knupp, a former coordinator of environmental concerns for the Iowa Republican party rounded out the sessions. They all generously agreed to make themselves available to the media over the next few days and Lynn Laws, communications director at the Iowa Environmental Council and I are pitching our hearts out.

A lot of credit should be given to organizations like IEC, Iowa Global Warming and others working just as hard in the RE-AMP region for getting the issues we’re working on into the media. This week more than others, the world is focused on the Des Moines Register. The proof is in the ink – like this great story on the front page of the Metro section from New Year’s Eve.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...