Express Line dispatch: Can politics heat up Cedar Rapids?
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CNN correspondent Bob Franken
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From Bob Franken, CNN correspondent:
(CNN) -- Not only is this the "oatmeal" capital, but Cedar Rapids was the home of artist Grant Wood ... to say nothing of various movie stars. It's also the personification of small-town America.
Yes, there truly is a difference between the cold of the larger metropolises and the smaller ones and it's awfully pleasant to get to bask in that warmth.
But that was the only warmth we experienced today. It was mighty cold outside -- so cold it was a struggle to speak in coherent sentences. A struggle I fear I lost.
From Judy Woodruff, CNN anchor:
Posted: 4:41 PM ET
(CNN) -- It was a frigid Wednesday night in January, but six Iowa Democrats of different ages and backgrounds came in from the cold to join us in an Iowa City living room to talk about their choices for president.
What was striking was how much they have already thought about which Democrat can beat President Bush in November.
Bob Ingles, 71, who is retired, said he had earlier leaned to Howard Dean, then to John Kerry, but after meeting John Edwards, Ingles said he is persuaded that the North Carolina senator has the youth, the buoyancy and the geography to compete with Bush in the electoral vote rich south. Ingles was adamant that Howard Dean would get "creamed" by President Bush.
But another Iowa City resident -- 57-year-old writer Larry Baker -- argued the opposite. He says he is for Dean because he thinks Dean is the only Democrat who can stand up to Bush. Mike Einvins, a member of the Teamsters, made the same argument for Dick Gephardt.
The Iowa caucuses are only four days away. Stay tuned.
From Dale Fountain, CNN Election Express bus driver:
Posted 11:38 AM ET
Crew call 4:00 a.m. (originally 5:00 a.m., but bumped up due to Carol Moseley Braun's breaking news). Temperature: 13 degrees. Today's Express location: The Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Population: 120,758.
Right now the CNN bus is perched on May's Island, overlooking the Cedar River. It's a pretty chilly spot on a day like today. Did you know that Cedar Rapids is the only city in the world with its municipal offices on an island?
This town is also home to a giant Quaker Oats factory, and you can smell oats everywhere you go. Along with Bob Franken, Judy Woodruff and Paul Begala, Robert Novak climbs onboard the Election Express today. That's right --"Crossfire" will get an infusion of good old Midwestern charm.
Wonder if Bob knows that this is the hometown of Hollywood celebrity Ashton Kutcher? On second thought, wonder if Bob even knows who Ashton Kutcher is?
Anyway, stay tuned. We'll have lots of Republican and Democratic activists out here cheering us on.
Today's TV lingo: "Dish." That's the piece of equipment that sends the video signal to a satellite 22,000 miles away, in order to get it to your TV.
