An Open Invitation

As much as I'm sure I could be posting daily here on my political blog, I've avoided doing so. Sometimes because I find other social media posts, articles or blogs that accurately describe my same thoughts and feelings and many times in a much more eloquent way than I ever could. Sometimes because the thought of taking the time to write out all of my thoughts on recent actions would mean digging up a lot of anger and frustration that sometimes I just don't want to do deal with. And sometimes, things that have happened or have been said have left me completely speechless and I just don't have any words. 

But America as we know it is changing. Things are happening that I honestly thought I'd never see in my lifetime. I do believe that America is a great country but this is not the America that I believe in. This is not the America I want to live in. I want better. We deserve better. 

But this post isn't about any one event or incident in particular. After recent events in Charlottesville, I've seen this Facebook post being shared a lot. 

And I get it. People are angry. But I refuse to share something like this on my page. I refuse to take this route. I think unfriending someone because they have different beliefs from you will only cause a larger gap in our already divided nation. 

Now, let me say right here, I am not okay with what that picture represents. I, personally, don't understand how some people have those views, have that much hatred for other people. But. That doesn't mean I don't want to try and understand. It doesn't mean I won't listen to what you have to say. 

I am a big believer in listening to all sides of the story. I want to try and understand why you have your beliefs. And I hope in turn, you'll want to try and understand my beliefs. Nothing good can come from us continuing to separate ourselves from those who believe in something so different from us. In order to try and find some middle ground, you have to be able to understand each side. 

I'll admit, I don't have many Republican friends on Facebook. Or maybe I don't have many vocal Republican friends on Facebook. And I know Facebook's algorithm doesn't help with this. But I want to hear your thoughts. I want to listen to you. I want to hear from you! My Independent friends, please join our conversation as well! You also have a different viewpoint I'd love to hear more of. 

So here's my open invitation. Join my conversation. Share your beliefs. Tell me your thoughts on recent events. I want to know. I hope that you'll take the time to listen to me as well but I can respect if you don't want to. I promise to keep any conversations from me civil. I don't want to fight, I just want to try and understand. 

So ask to be my friend if we're not already. Comment your thoughts on my posts. Write something on my wall. Message me. Follow me on Twitter (@lizzaruba) and reply with your thoughts. Maybe we can just spend some time asking each other questions. It doesn't matter. I want dialog. And yes, I will state here that I know I post a lot of political posts on Facebook and I'm sure it could get annoying to see them pop up in your newsfeed so often. What I would ask here is that you just adjust your settings so you see less of my posts or don't "follow" me, but stay connected as friends.  

Again, I'm not looking for fights. I'm not looking for arguments. I'm looking for conversation. For dialog. For trying to understand each other's beliefs. If we can't start to do this, we can't start to move forward. I hope you'll consider my invitation to conversation. 

Perhaps a little bit of a rant...?

I know, I know. I've been way behind on this blog when it comes to all the events that have happened since my last post. We've had quite a few primaries/caucuses and a lot of other things I have comments on as well. :)

Last month, after the Iowa Caucuses, we had primaries in New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. I won't go into too much detail about these but what I found interesting was that each state picked a different winner. It came back that Santorum had actually won Iowa (after lost votes were counted). Romney took New Hampshire and Gingrich took South Carolina. So for the first three events, there were three different winners. Romney then took Florida as well. At that point, it seemed like the GOP couldn't yet agree on who should run against Obama. Perry and Huntsman had of course dropped out of the race after poor showings. 


February has already seen four votes as well. Romney took Nevada first (a strong Mormon showing). And then in a little bit of a surprise, Santorum swept the board most recently with three wins in a single night in Minnesota, Missouri and Colorado. Again, all this shows me is that there's really no strong consensus in the GOP.

There are also things I just want to say about each candidate. I honestly try to keep an open mind about things and I feel like I stay informed. But I just can't agree with some of the things these Republican candidates are saying and I can't understand why everyone doesn't just agree with me?! :) Kidding. (Sorta!) haha Anyway, so I'm going to just take a little big of time writing out some of the things that I have opinions on. Because this is my blog so I have that right. 


Romney: Really, probably the most "liberal" conservative in the race but he's playing up that he's not liberal. But if you look at this record, you'll see otherwise. I feel like he's only had a lot of wins because he's the least hated out of all the candidates. But that's just me. One thing I really can't stand about Romney is the fact that he pays a lower tax rate than the average American. I understand that a lot of his money comes from investments or whatever and that he's following all the right laws, but how is this okay? The fact that his housekeeper probably pays a tax rate at 35% and Romney only pays 15%? Granted, I don't know a lot about tax rates and whatnot, but why can't everyone pay a flat rate? We all work hard for our money and the rate deserves to be fair. This needs to change. If anything, I'm glad he's running because it has really brought this issue into light and I really hope it can change.

Gingrich: I think he's a little crazy. I mean, a moon colony? Really? I think there are more important things to try and accomplish before sending people to live on the moon. But hey, that's just me. I also feel like he's just out of touch on a lot of issues. But the biggest thing I want to say about Gingrich is this: I'm personally torn on how much one's personal life should affect their run for office. I can see the arguments both ways. And normally, I'm not sure I would have a problem with Gingrich and his three wives. I don't know what happened in those marriages and I don't think it's any of my business. But what I do have a problem with, is Gingrich going on and on about the "sanctity of marriage", "traditional marriage" and how gays shouldn't be allowed to marry. Not cool. If anything is destroying traditional marriages, it's divorces, and Gingrich knows all about those. 


Santorum: Well frankly, there are a lot of things I don't like about Santorum. I feel that he is a radical conservative with a lot of radical ideas. Again, I go back to my point about how Republicans are all about not wanting a big government and to get the government out of our lives, but they have no problem pushing their religion at everyone. How is that not hypocritical? I believe that Santorum does this. He's also told people that kids are better off with a dad in prison than with two moms or that people born with cancer and thus a "pre-exisiting condition" are on there own when it comes to health care. I just can't agree with what he says and I honestly don't understand anyone who does. He is pushing his religious morals on to the American people - which is not okay. 


And a couple of other events... I thought it was pretty crazy when the Susan G. Komen Foundation decided to pull their funds from Planned Parenthood. For an organization trying to find a cure to fight breast cancer, it makes sense to not support another organization that provides thousands of free breast exams to women every year. I was glad when they reversed their decision but now they have a PR nightmare on their hands.

Another is the issue about birth control, which is getting a lot of press and I don't understand why. President Obama has made it so that women should get provided free birth control by their employers - this means everyone. But the Catholic Church has made a big fuss about it because they don't believe in birth control. The Republicans have of course started to claim that the President has waged war against religion - which is so not the case. He's not saying that every women needs to be on birth control. He's simply stating that all women should have the opportunity to receive free birth control from their employers. There are so many women that maybe work at a Catholic institution but aren't Catholic - why shouldn't they receive the benefits of everyone else? And why is anyone arguing against free birth control? Aren't the Republicans the ones that are so against abortions? You know, if more people had access to free birth control, I'd bet there would be fewer abortions. I'm just saying.

And of course, perhaps some of the most exciting news lately - Prop 8 in California was official overturned and has been ruled unconstitutional! This is a huge victory but there is still a long ways to go. People need to understand that marriage in the governments' eyes has nothing to do with religion or belief. It's about the benefits that all married couples should get. I was really excited to hear this and I hope this great momentum keeps going!

Most of this post was a rant and I apologize for that. I get a little frustrated sometimes. :) But if you have any different opinions from mine, I would honestly love to hear them. I'm always open for some good conversation and maybe a little debate. :)

Faith and Politics

I read an article a while ago called "What it means to be a Liberal Person of Faith". While this might seem like an oxymoron to some people, we are out there. If you haven't read the article, I encourage you to do so. It is well written and brings up many good points. You can find the article here.

I've been meaning to write about this article since I read it, but I figured after the Iowa Caucuses and the speeches from candidates that followed after, now would be a good time to discuss this. If you listen to the speeches that candidates gave after the votes were in on Tuesday, almost all of them mentioned God and thanked God. Now, don't get me wrong, I am a Christian and I have no problem if you want to mention God or even thanks Him. After all, He does great things. The problem with most of the speeches after Tuesday is that they felt almost like a sermon. This is where politicians need to be careful not to cross a line. They need to remember that there are other people of different faiths out there.

Going back to the article, it talks about what it means to be a "liberal person of faith". The quote from the article is this:

"It means to believe in God... It means to draw on religious teachings and beliefs when making judgments about matters of public policy. But at the same time, it means to know that when we, as people of faith, make a public argument, we must ground our statements in reason and a language of morality that is accessible to everyone -- to people of different religions, for example, or of no religion. It means to understand that "person of faith" does not only mean the Religious Right... It means being concerned about the poor and the needy, and giving a fair shake to all... It means that we share many of the concerns of conservative people of faith... It means that we welcome dialogue with our fellow citizens who have a more conservative religious viewpoint..."

These are some of the things it means to be a liberal person of faith. Not that our faith is the right way or the only way for that matter. Not that we don't take our faith into consideration, but that we also take everyone else into consideration as well. 

Christians are not the only people here in America. America was in fact founded on religious freedom - not Christianity. So if you're a politician and a Christian - great! I have no doubt that their faith makes them who they are as a person. But they have to be willing to open the doors for conversations with people of other faiths. They have to be willing to understand that their personal belief in something might not be the best action for the entire country. They have to understand that there is a separation of church and state and it is there for a reason. Don't forget, there are many different types of people of faith out there. They deserve a voice too. 


Another reason why I decided to write this post today was because of another article I read, although this one was rather more frightening. Rick Santorum placed a very close second in the Iowa Caucus on Tuesday. But even so, not much is known about him and he really hasn't gotten much media attention before now. I didn't know much about him either so I'm not claiming that I did. One thing I did know however were his extremely conservative beliefs. Now, as a liberal, that's already not going to make me like someone very much, but after reading this article and hearing some of the things Santorum believes, I really don't like him. In fact, I'm scared to think of what would happen if he were to get into the Presidency. Read the article here.

To understand this article plainly, here is a quote that sums it up: 

"Plainly put, Rick Santorum wants to convert our current legal system into one that requires our laws to be in agreement with religious law, not unlike what the Taliban want to do in Afghanistan."

Of course, his religious law would be the Christian law. The ironic thing, of course, is that Santorum has also been telling everyone that "Muslims want to impose Islamic law -- called Sharia law -- upon non-Muslims in America." Exactly what he wants to do, but it's okay if he does it because he's a Christian. What?! No. That's not how things work, buddy. America is not a Christian nation and how anyone can think it would be okay to make our laws in agreement with a specific religious law is beyond me. I mean really, how is this okay? That is not what America stands for - at least not the one I believe in. Yes, I'm a Christian and I have faith, but I acknowledge that not everyone shares my same faith.

The article states that Santorum has not shied away from these thoughts either. And he has stated that his policies would be based on "biblical truth". Some of the possibilities if Santorum was in office?

• Rape victims would be forced to give birth to the rapist's child. Life begins at conception you know.
• Gay marriages would be annulled. He also supports a federal constitutional amendment that would ban them - which is totally unconstitutional and would totally destroy all current gay marriages and their families.
• Santorum would also ban all federal funding for birth control and would be okay with making it illegal if states wanted to. 
  

That is not the type of place I would like to live. All of Santorum's beliefs are a direct danger to the separation of church and state. Although I know this is an ironic choice of words for me to use, but I pray to God (my God) that there are not enough people in America that also support these ideas.

Finally, one thing that I personally find ironic... most conservatives want less government. Less government control in our lives. But they have no problem pushing their faith and beliefs on all of America.




 

Iowa Caucus 2012

January 3rd, 2012 - Iowa Caucus Night

You know, I love politics. I really do. And I think that if you have a privilege/opportunity/responsibility like voting in a caucus, that you should make sure you do that. Especially if you have an opinion about anything. Which I tend to have. (Hence a political blog...) With all of that being said, I wasn't going to go to my caucus precinct tonight.
The way I figured was that since Obama is our incumbent candidate, there wasn't a reason to go because there wouldn't be any voting last four years ago. And frankly, I didn't want to sit through all the business that would take place instead. The one thing that kept me from saying no completely was the opportunity to become a county delegate. But I have also been bugging my husband about the fact that he needed to go caucus tonight as he had never experienced it before. He was also a little undecided on whether he would go caucus as a Democrat or a Republican. In the end, he decided to go to the Republican Caucus and he guilt-ed me into going to mine.

Now let me just point out here that this caucus night is so much different than four years ago. For one, it was a lot colder four years ago and we actually had snow! :) But more importantly than that, it was a very special and unique election process four years ago. There was no incumbent four years ago on either party and that's something that doesn't happen very often. And Iowans turned out in record numbers last time and in overwhelming support of Obama.

So tonight, we headed to our separate caucus locations to do our duty as Iowans. AJ told me that there were 66 people that showed up to caucus for the Republicans. In his precinct, Mitt Romney came in first and Ron Paul came in second within six votes. 
When I showed up at my location, it was a much smaller turnout. We had just under 30 people there and we had about five precincts that were combined at our one location. So in my specific precinct, there were only seven of us. At first, I was some-what surprised at the small turn-out, but then I thought, well people probably didn't show up just as I wasn't going to - Obama has it. After some people did some introductions, we had a live broadcast with President Obama. That was pretty cool! His first words were, "Hello Iowa! I miss you!" Always good to know that we've been missed... :) There are some quotes of his that I took down I'll mention later, but first he took some questions from a couple of precincts elsewhere. One was in Coralville and the other in Cedar Rapids. When they showed those precincts I was shocked at the number of people that were there! One was at a performing arts center and the other at a gym at a school - and they were packed!! It was then that I realized probably the true reason why there was such a small turn-out at my caucus tonight. I now live in Western Iowa. It is largely a Republican area. There are just far fewer Democrats on this side of the state compared to Eastern Iowa, which was where I caucused four years ago.
Here were some of the quotes I liked from Obama's speech tonight: 

"Change is not easy. It never is."
"You guys inspire me every single day."
"There is nothing we can't accomplish when determined citizens come together."
"We've done a lot, but we have much more to do." 

After Obama spoke, it was time to break up into our precinct and pick our delegates for the county convention that takes place in March. As I said earlier, there were only seven us in my precinct (which is determined on where you live) and we needed to elect three delegates. My chances were looking good! However, I didn't want to step on anyone's toes but after a while (and some chit-chat) no one was really speaking up. So I spoke up and said I would like to be a delegate. And that was that! I'm now going to be a delegate at the county convention in March! And I'm very excited!! It should be a great experience and hopefully I'll learn even more about how the party works. Plus it'll give me more things to blog about! :) 
I also have to mention here another quote from tonight that I really enjoyed. There was an older woman at the caucus who said she had been volunteering with the Democratic Party since she was 15 - so for some time now! And she had a really great quote that really makes you think:

"A democracy is run by the people, not money. But I'll be damned if it's not being run by money these days." 

I couldn't help think what a great quote that is! I don't care what party you support, but our democracy - what America is founded on - is run by the people. But things have gotten away from us and more and more it's the money that counts. And that's not a country I'm okay living in. It needs to change.

Now that we're both back at home, we're watching the results come in on CNN. And I have to say, this is what I was looking forward to the most. Even within the last couple of weeks, Iowans have continued to keep an open mind and different candidates jumped in and out of first place in the polls. And the incoming results are showing the same thing. Right now (with about 48% reporting) it is a very close tie between candidates - Santorum and Romney with Paul fairly close behind in third. Even with almost half of the state reporting, they can't make a prediction because it's too close. This wasn't the case four years ago. So now we wait and see what the final results tally in as...

In the meantime, here are some pictures from my caucus tonight (take via my cell phone)

Message from President Obama

With 88% of Iowa precincts reporting, CNN made their prediction. Although it was a little unusual... they only mentioned who would win third place, fourth, fifth and sixth place. 

Look at this screen shot. They couldn't, at this point, determine who would get first or second place. The tie between Romney and Santorum was too close. In this screen shot, it was a difference of 13 votes! 13!! In true Iowa Style (as my husband says), Iowans are making every vote count. It is literally a "to-the-vote" process. It's unbelievable but also incredibly awesome. And, in all honestly, it gives me hope and belief in our democracy and political process. 

Ron Paul (21%) and Newt Gingrich (13%) have both made announcements that they will of course continue on to New Hampshire, which is no surprise. It will be interesting to see how New Hampshire will vote, especially after such a close race here in Iowa. Surprisingly, Michele Bachmann is also going to continue to New Hampshire with only 5% of the vote. At least according to her speech. After such a poor showing in Iowa, I really don't think she'll last very long after New Hampshire. Rick Perry, who came in with 10% of the vote, is going back to Texas to "reassess" his campaign. Interesting choice of words... but I'm betting he doesn't continue on.

Before all the votes are in and counted for, Rick Santorum takes to the stage to thank Iowa. He is still tied with Romney at 25% but the two keep flip-flopping back and forth between 1st and 2nd with the vote difference ranging anywhere between 13 and 125. Santorum's speech is very much faith based and also sounds more like a political rally speech than the normal "thank you" speech you hear after election nights. He's definitely taking this opportunity in the national spotlight to help gear up his campaign before New Hampshire. Which is probably a smart move on his part because I don't believe he's been very popular in polls elsewhere in the US.

Mitt Romney has also taken the stage yet without all of the final numbers in yet. He's playing the "good sportsman" card as he congratulates the other candidates first. Already this sounds like the more appropriate "thank you" speech that candidates normally give. As Romney is speaking, CNN is showing 99% of the precincts reporting and Santorum is ahead by 5 votes. Five. Un-be-lievable! They're also reporting that this will be the closest Iowa caucus results in history, the last closest were back in 1976 with GHW Bush and Regan they were separated by 2100 votes! It will also most likely be the closest caucus/primary vote throughout the US as well. The previous record was held in South Dakota at their primary in 1936 which was decided by 257 votes.

Check out this screenshot... 

There is a ONE vote difference!! ONE VOTE!! WOW! This was still with 99% reporting and taken at 12:39am. Just... wow. But this does prove a point - every vote counts. So get out and vote! Otherwise, you lose the right to voice your opinion.

The (almost) final tally - Santorum: 29,968      Romney: 29,964

I'm calling it quits. We're waiting on one precinct in Iowa. And so I'll write another blog tomorrow with the final final tally. (Just a note, the rest of this was written previously, just in case it doesn't make sense...)
What an unbelievable finish. I did not expect this. Not this close! And I'm not very happy about it! haha Apparently I'm the type of person that has to stay up to hear the final results and so this has made for a very late night! But, as my husband continued to point out to me - it's history in the making. Never has there been such a close vote! Never have I seen the two top candidates flip back and forth between first and second place! It's been fascinating to watch, don't get me wrong. I just wish it would have ended a couple of hours ago... :) 

Well, the Iowa Caucuses are now done. We've spent the time listening to the candidates, asking our questions and figuring out who had the best answers. The rest of the nation is up. We've done our part. Let's see if they follow the path we've laid out. Here is a quote from the Huffington Post about those who have won the Iowa Caucuses in the past: 

Seven democrats in 10 caucuses who won in Iowa have ended up winning their party's nomination, according to the Des Moines Register. (Two were incumbents who ran unopposed.)
Six Republican winners in Iowa, out of nine contests there, have gone on to win the GOP nomination. (Three were incumbents who ran unopposed.)

So, does Iowa really matter? Eh, maybe not. But do we pride ourselves on our first in the nation status? Yes. There is one thing however that I think we can all agree on... we'll be glad to get a break from all the political ads and robo-calls for a while... :) 

An introduction to this blog

So I know this isn't my first post in this blog, but I wanted to properly introduce the blog. I do have a personal blog that I keep to update our family and friends. I've also posted some blogs about politics and my personal opinions. I've decided (after writing two separate political blogs today) that I have a lot to say with the upcoming caucuses and election. And so I've started a separate blog for just my political posts. And here we are.

I have included the other previous blogs I've already written in this one. And I've also included some blog posts from when I was a student involved in a First in the Nation project. (read the blogs below to learn more!)

So welcome to my new blog and enjoy! And as I mentioned on the sidebar, these are just my own personal opinions and thoughts. I'm always open to hear what your thoughts and opinions are, especially if they differ from mine. And I also want to say that I don't know everything. If I have said something that's not correct, please let me know so I can fix it. Thank you! 


Let the political craziness begin! 

FIN Blog #3

TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2007

Ready for Fall

Well, the summer is pretty much over. And I can honestly same I'm so excited! :-) I can't wait for school to start this fall. Okay, well I'm excited for the activities and friends, maybe not classes yet... ha. But this year is promising to be a great one! And I can't wait for that!
The rest of my summer (since my last blog) has gone by very quickly. Unfortunately, there weren't too many more political events I was able to go to due to work and whatnot.
Towards the end of July I was able to fly out to Washington D.C. with Jake and Justin to visit Heidi and Emily. That was an amazing time. We spent an extended weekend there taking in the sights and activities of our nation's capitol. We of course - being the political active students that we are - sat in on a Senate session at the Capitol. Unfortunately, it wasn't a debate or anything so there weren't many members of the Senate there. We did hear a few Senators speak about SCHIP (children's health care). We even heard Senator Grassley which is one of the sponsors of the bill and the Senator Emily and Heidi were working for. So that was pretty cool. I wish we could have seen more people though. That's my only complaint. And maybe less rules. They are strict at that place! The best part about the trip was being back with some of my FINS and being able to talk about politics non-stop again for a few days! :-) I do love my FINS...
The rest of the summer I stayed busy working. I watched the news as much as possible to keep up with current events. Here are some of those events and my thoughts:

United States presidential 'hopeful,' Republican candidate Tom Tancredo said that another terrorist act in the U.S. should be "followed by an attack on the holy sites in Mecca and Medina."
Wow. When I first heard about this I didn't even know what to think. The only word that came to mind was 'arrogance'. Terrorist does not equal Muslim.

Iowa Straw Poll Results: Romney in first; Huckabee in second. I wasn't surprised at all by Romney coming in first, I think we all saw that coming. I was very surprised by Mike Huckabee coming in second. It was obvious that McCain and Giuliani weren't going to do well since they weren't participating. But I was still surprised at the ultra-conservative coming in second. Remember, this is the guy who made a public announcement about mini-skirts and how bad they are... But I'm not judging.
I was actually on vacation during the Straw Poll so I made sure to catch the news and check online for the results! Ha... I don't even escape politics when I'm on vacation and I love it!

I was actually on vacation in South Carolina - we as we all know, have moved the date of their primary up to Jan. 19th. Which makes things very interesting for the 2008 election. Especially with New Hampshire and Iowa both having laws saying they have to be first in the nation. Will this be a Political Christmas in December? I wouldn't mind... instead of opening presents on Christmas Day, you receive the caucus results? ha ha. Maybe not...

Some more thoughts about some current events:

• Will Fred Thompson really announce? Some say he's short on money... Hm?
• Rove resigning - all I can say is about time. Although, who will think for the President now? ha ha okay... a little harsh. Maybe.
• I applaud the Democratic candidates that participated in the debate at the gay issues forum. That was one for the history books.
• Another for the history books: the YouTube debate on CNN. I'm sad to say I missed most of it due to the cable being out. But truly awesome. What a great idea! Actual citizens asking the questions. The Republican debate is actually coming up soon... I'll be sure to catch that one.

I think that's about it for current events. I'm sure there was more, but that's what I have right now.

So, let's get this school year off to a great start. I'm ready to jump in and get these students engaged in political activity. Here's to the year of Civic Engagement at Wartburg College. *Cheers* Let's raise some issues, have some debates, get students registered to vote, create some chaos at the caucus, enjoy the winter weather in NH, and be political engaged!

FIN Blog #2

TUESDAY, JULY 10, 2007

Thoughts from a different world.

I've been meaning to post this blog for quite some time now... however it always seems to slip past me. It has been a couple of weeks since our FIN adventure ended, but the memories of those three politically fun-filled weeks are still fresh in my mind. It was an amazing experience and one that I will be sure never to forget. I met some amazing people, developed wonderful friendships and learned so much more about the importance of IA/NH, the political process, my country in general, and myself. I would not trade those three weeks for anything in the world!

I think if you were to ask any FIN about how they're dealing with class being done, any one of them would tell you how hard it is to find other people to talk about politics. We - as FINS - were placed in this other world for three weeks. A world where we literally only discussed politics. And it was amazing. Being surrounded by students who were as interested in this as you were. Now, outside of our FIN-world, we struggle engaging other students. And not even just students - but friends and family members as well. I think my mom got sick of me calling home during those three weeks because I had nothing to say except politics. :-) It was wonderful being in a place like that. And I look forward to the time when we all meet again!

On July 4th, I had an awesome experience. Amanda (my roommate) and I managed to get tickets from Eric to the Billy and Hillary Clinton event in Waterloo, IA! It was something else. It was different from any other political events I had been to thus far. There were different sections for people - whether you were a volunteer or a caucus supporter, etc. And there were a lot of people. I'm sad to say I didn't get my picture with either of them though. Just a picture with them in the background. (My goal is to have my picture with the future President of the USA!) But it was a good event. They really got the crowd going. Especially since it was Independence Day. But it was just so cool to be there at that event. With a former President and another President hopeful. It's part of history. And it's sad more people don't take advantage of that.

All in all - life has been good, just missing politics. :-) I will continue to blog with my thoughts and experiences as they come along. As for the rest of this month, I'm looking forward to visiting DC with Jake and Justin to see Heidi and Emily. It will be a great time! And I'm very excited for it!