Major presidential candidate forum will be held in Sioux City.
By Bret Hayworth Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, July 03, 2007
What is expected to be a major forum drawing 2008 Republican presidential candidates has been slated for October in Sioux City.
The forum is scheduled to take place in the Orpheum Theatre downtown, and will rank as the largest politically related event ever held in the Orpheum, development director Kim Steffen said. With expectations of national media attention, the picturesque Orpheum will get major exposure around the nation, Steffen added.
In the three decades since the Iowa caucuses took on greater political importance by catapulting Jimmy Carter to a presidential win in 1976, Sioux City has never been the host site of a major national presidential candidates forum.
A few weeks ago, AARP announced the kickoff of the Divided We Fail, Together We Can Do Anything campaign, which is designed to put financial security and health-care issues before the presidential candidates when they campaign in the states with the earliest presidential contests.
That means Iowa has been front and center in Divided We Fail, due to the Jan. 14, 2008, caucuses in which presidential preferences become clear. The Oct. 25 forum will be for Republican candidates; an earlier forum for Democrats is set for Sept. 20 in Davenport.
Both 90-minute debates will be aired live on Iowa Public Television and other PBS stations nationwide. Judy Woodruff of PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" will moderate the discussions, and Steffen said she expects a slew of national media to cover the event. The Orpheum is making plans to expand capacity to handle the news media.
"This is going to be a very big event for the Orpheum, and we are excited," Steffen said.
AARP spokeswoman Ann Black said it's too early to know which candidates among a field of about 10 men might accept but said, "We've had some good responses from candidates, that they are interested."
For sure, she said, "We will be inviting all the candidates who have (campaign) offices in Iowa." She said a few candidates have contacted the campaign after Divided We Fail was announced. "We think it speaks to the interest in the issues," she said.
In the most recent forum in the state, six Republicans -- Tommy Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter -- spoke Saturday to 900 people attending the Iowans for Tax Relief and Iowa Christian Alliance forum.
When the AARP campaign was announced, the organization's national chief operating officer, Tom Nelson, told the Journal that at a time when Americans are struggling with health care and financial security, Divided We Fail will put candidates' feet to the fire, forcing them to definitively say on the campaign trail how they'll address those issues. That grew into the exploration of the candidate forums.
"We are pleased to team up with Iowa Public Television to bring 2008 presidential candidates' focus on the critical domestic issues of health care and financial security for current and future generations," AARP Iowa Divided We Fail campaign manager Bruce Koeppl said in a release.
Daniel K. Miller, executive director of IPTV, said having a moderator of Woodruff's caliber and the national distribution aspect are plums for the forums.
Nelson said there are some startling statistics that should draw concern. Nine percent of Iowans and 45 million people nationally have no health insurance, health care costs have risen 7.6 percent annually since 1980 and Americans on average have saved only $35,000 for their retirements, he said. People are losing their expected company pensions and students are departing college with increasingly large debt loads, Nelson added.
Both forums will be free, but tickets will be required for attendance. Information on obtaining tickets should become available after Aug. 1 from AARP. Iowans are invited to get involved by e-mailing questions for consideration to mfetterhoff@aarp.org.
Divided We Fail is being particularly geared to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which are at the front of the presidential selection process. In Iowa, Divided We Fail has the support of AARP, former Gov. Terry Branstad, Communications Workers of America, Iowa Health Care Association, Iowa Caregivers Association, Iowa Credit Union League and Wells' Dairy in Le Mars.
AARP is nonpartisan and does not have a political action committee or endorse candidates. But AARP will summarize candidate stances on Divided We Fail issues for voters to consider.
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
The forum is scheduled to take place in the Orpheum Theatre downtown, and will rank as the largest politically related event ever held in the Orpheum, development director Kim Steffen said. With expectations of national media attention, the picturesque Orpheum will get major exposure around the nation, Steffen added.
In the three decades since the Iowa caucuses took on greater political importance by catapulting Jimmy Carter to a presidential win in 1976, Sioux City has never been the host site of a major national presidential candidates forum.
A few weeks ago, AARP announced the kickoff of the Divided We Fail, Together We Can Do Anything campaign, which is designed to put financial security and health-care issues before the presidential candidates when they campaign in the states with the earliest presidential contests.
That means Iowa has been front and center in Divided We Fail, due to the Jan. 14, 2008, caucuses in which presidential preferences become clear. The Oct. 25 forum will be for Republican candidates; an earlier forum for Democrats is set for Sept. 20 in Davenport.
Both 90-minute debates will be aired live on Iowa Public Television and other PBS stations nationwide. Judy Woodruff of PBS' "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" will moderate the discussions, and Steffen said she expects a slew of national media to cover the event. The Orpheum is making plans to expand capacity to handle the news media.
"This is going to be a very big event for the Orpheum, and we are excited," Steffen said.
AARP spokeswoman Ann Black said it's too early to know which candidates among a field of about 10 men might accept but said, "We've had some good responses from candidates, that they are interested."
For sure, she said, "We will be inviting all the candidates who have (campaign) offices in Iowa." She said a few candidates have contacted the campaign after Divided We Fail was announced. "We think it speaks to the interest in the issues," she said.
In the most recent forum in the state, six Republicans -- Tommy Thompson, Mike Huckabee, Sam Brownback, Mitt Romney, Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter -- spoke Saturday to 900 people attending the Iowans for Tax Relief and Iowa Christian Alliance forum.
When the AARP campaign was announced, the organization's national chief operating officer, Tom Nelson, told the Journal that at a time when Americans are struggling with health care and financial security, Divided We Fail will put candidates' feet to the fire, forcing them to definitively say on the campaign trail how they'll address those issues. That grew into the exploration of the candidate forums.
"We are pleased to team up with Iowa Public Television to bring 2008 presidential candidates' focus on the critical domestic issues of health care and financial security for current and future generations," AARP Iowa Divided We Fail campaign manager Bruce Koeppl said in a release.
Daniel K. Miller, executive director of IPTV, said having a moderator of Woodruff's caliber and the national distribution aspect are plums for the forums.
Nelson said there are some startling statistics that should draw concern. Nine percent of Iowans and 45 million people nationally have no health insurance, health care costs have risen 7.6 percent annually since 1980 and Americans on average have saved only $35,000 for their retirements, he said. People are losing their expected company pensions and students are departing college with increasingly large debt loads, Nelson added.
Both forums will be free, but tickets will be required for attendance. Information on obtaining tickets should become available after Aug. 1 from AARP. Iowans are invited to get involved by e-mailing questions for consideration to mfetterhoff@aarp.org.
Divided We Fail is being particularly geared to Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina, which are at the front of the presidential selection process. In Iowa, Divided We Fail has the support of AARP, former Gov. Terry Branstad, Communications Workers of America, Iowa Health Care Association, Iowa Caregivers Association, Iowa Credit Union League and Wells' Dairy in Le Mars.
AARP is nonpartisan and does not have a political action committee or endorse candidates. But AARP will summarize candidate stances on Divided We Fail issues for voters to consider.
Bret Hayworth may be reached at (712) 293.4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
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Buck wrote on Jul 3, 2007 3:14 PM:
SC wrote on Jul 3, 2007 1:49 PM: