MOUNT PLEASANT:Winter is clinging to the plains of Iowa but the crowd packed inside the MountPleasant coffee house is snug and warm as they await the latest candidate inthe 2020 presidential race. Dozens of people have turned up at Central ParkCoffee, curious to hear what former Texas congressman Beto O'Rourke, a risingstar in the Democratic Party, has to say.
The 46-year-oldsurprised the television cameras and the crowd by slipping quietly in through aback door before rolling up the sleeves of his trademark blue shirt to addressthe gathering. The skateboarding former punk rocker rocketed to fame by runninga close race in November against Republican Senator Ted Cruz in Texas, areliably conservative state, and announced his candidacy for the presidency ina video on Sunday. O'Rourke, whose given name is Robert but goes by"Beto," promised to deliver a positive and unifying message as hejoined the crowded field of Democrats seeking to oust Trump in next year'svote.
Using sweepinghand gestures, despite the mockery of President Donald Trump the previous day,O'Rourke spoke for about 10 minutes, expressing his condolences for the victimsof the massacre at two New Zealand mosques. He then touched on some of theother major themes of his campaign -- universal health care, criminal justicereform and climate change. The biggest annual event in this town of some 8,500people in southwest Iowa surrounded by corn and soy bean fields is the MidwestOld Threshers Reunion, an agricultural fair.
Henry County,where Mount Pleasant is located, voted for Trump in 2016 but the trade warslaunched by the president -- and the tariffs which have cut into their exports-- have lost him some support. And not just among farmers. Robert Morrison losthis job as a machinist when Siemens closed its plant in Burlington to moveoperations to the Czech Republic and India. "It is very unfair whathappened," Morrison said. "If you knew what happened, it was a dirtydeal." He said he hoped O'Rourke "would do his best to try and keepour jobs in the United States, to keep us working."Morrison said he foundO'Rourke to be "very charismatic, very positive." "He gets hismessage across very well," he said. "I think he would make a goodpresident."
'Fresh voice'
Ted Bowling, a62-year-old retired teacher who is originally from Texas, said he foundO'Rourke to be a "breath of fresh air." "It has stagnated for the last two and ahalf years and I think Beto has a fresh voice," said Bowling, who waswearing a "Beto 2020" hat and backed Democrat Hillary Clinton thelast time around. Like Morrison, Bowling also said he found O'Rourke to be"very charismatic." At 17, Garrick Dodson is not old enough to votebut he will be by February of next year when Iowa becomes the first state tohold a presidential caucus.
Dodson said hewas leaning, however, more towards Bernie Sanders, the standard bearer for theleft wing of the Democratic Party. "I just wanted to see what's up withBeto O'Rourke," he said, calling him an "interesting candidate.""He does remind me a lot of Obama, but I think he could be moreprogressive," Dodson said. "If you look at the whole field of who wehave today, he's not the most progressive and I probably won't caucus forhim."
Rachel Beatty, an85-year-old retired teacher, said she was impressed by the"enthusiasm" of O'Rourke. "But there are so many goodcandidates," Beatty said as she checked out the Instagram app on hersmartphone. Beatty was asked if she was following the social media savvyO'Rourke on Instagram. "God no," she said. "It's the only way Ican communicate with my granddaughter." - AFP