MASON CITY, Iowa -- Baby boomers lined up outside the Mason City High School tornado shelter Wednesday evening, eager to see a 69-year-old politician, former President Bill Clinton, whom they have followed for decades.
RELATED ARTICLE
http://www.arkansas…">Trump still out; rivals drill for debate
Across town, a younger demographic descended on Music Man Square to cheer for Hollywood star Susan Sarandon and the nation's highest polling Democratic socialist, 74-year-old U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders.
The two rallies, barely 1½ miles apart, made the Cerro Gordo County seat, population 28,079, a political battleground, just five days before the Iowa caucuses.
"The epicenter of the Democratic world tonight is Mason City. It's exciting," said undecided voter Matt Berry, 60, of Clear Lake, shortly before Clinton's speech.
Between now and Monday, Iowa will be the center of the American political universe. That means Iowans will have plenty of other opportunities to see presidential hopefuls, as well as the nation's 42nd commander in chief.
On Friday, the Hope, Ark., native is scheduled to start in Fairfield, then head to Muscatine and finish the day in Davenport, making a joint appearance with his wife at the final stop. On Saturday, he'll have "Get out the Caucus" events in Iowa Falls and Grinnell, and then share the stage with Hillary Clinton in Cedar Rapids. On Sunday, he'll campaign in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids before joining his wife in Des Moines.
Patrick Burgwinkle, a former Democratic Party of Arkansas spokesman and the Clinton campaign's Iowa spokesman, said the former president is "remembered fondly by a lot of Democrats" in Iowa and will be an effective surrogate.
"I think President Clinton can make the case for Secretary Clinton as to why she's the fighter the American people need in the White House. No one knows her better, her life's work, her record of fighting for women and children," said Burgwinkle.
On Wednesday night, Bill Clinton was in farm country, an area covered in snow and dotted with mammoth windmills roughly midway between Des Moines and Minneapolis.
He spoke for 40 minutes about the former Arkansas and U.S. first lady, former U.S. senator and former secretary of state, crediting her with strengthening Arkansas' public schools, expanding health care for millions of the nation's children and improving America's image around the world.
"She's a born change-maker, and everything she ever touched, she made better," he said.
The former president also portrayed his wife as a leader who can forge bipartisan solutions, noting that she'd worked with former Republican House Majority Leader Tom DeLay to promote adoption, with President George W. Bush to rebuild after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and with Sen. John McCain, the 2008 Republican presidential nominee, to focus attention on global warming.
"As a senator from New York, every single significant change that she was a part of, she had support of at least some Republicans," Clinton said, predicting that she would work hard to build bipartisan coalitions.
He sounded upbeat about his wife's chances, telling the crowd, "I am really optimistic," but he urged supporters to make phone calls, invite neighbors to caucus and volunteer in the campaign's final hours.
The audience stood for 40 minutes as the former president spoke. The crowd repeatedly interrupting his speech with applause. Afterward, Bill Clinton stayed more than a half-hour shaking hands and posing for selfies.
The speech drew longtime supporters to Mason City, and also Iowans who simply wanted to be able to say they'd seen a former White House occupant.
Margaret Jordan, who drove 50 miles to hear Wednesday's speech, said she supported Barack Obama during the 2008 Iowa caucuses but she'll support Hillary Clinton this time because Clinton has "huge credentials."
"I mean if you're a business person and you're going to hire somebody for a job, you take the one that's got the best qualifications, and she does. What she did for this country through her secretary of state [tenure] proved to me she'd be wonderful for this job," the 65-year-old retired teacher said.
Asked if Bill Clinton was a bigger celebrity draw than Sarandon, she said: "He's the president. He trumps everybody."
Patty Kisley, 63, a registered nurse who drove from Osage, didn't need any convincing. Hillary Clinton already has her vote. "She's absolutely the best. ... She's fabulous, and I've seen her five times," Kisley said.
But Wednesday was the first time she has seen Bill Clinton.
"Oh, that's on my bucket list. I've always wanted to see him face to face," she said.
Afterward, she showed off several selfies she'd taken. He'd greeted her warmly and lingered to visit with her about health care. "He held my hand for quite a while," she said. "I told him it was the best day of my life. ... I got to hug the greatest president we've ever had."
A Section on 01/28/2016