DES MOINES, Iowa - “Madam!” President!” “Madam!” “President!” The chants were loud and often at Hillary Clinton’s post-caucus rally in Iowa Monday night at Drake University.
It was akin to worship, not admiration.
For all the “I Believe That She Will Win” chants, Clinton’s anticlimactic arrival lasted about five minutes.
One of the first things Clinton said was that she was a progressive. In fact, most of her remarks focused on leftist policies we’re more likely to hear her opponent Bernie Sanders champion. That’s because Sanders gave her a serious run for her money. Clinton won Iowa by a razor thin margin – nothing to be proud of for perhaps one of the most well-known politicians in the world.
That’s why I hesitate to call Clinton’s rally a “victory.”
While most of the event was typical of your average political rally, I was struck by the crowd’s reaction to Marco Rubio’s speech, which they played live on CNN before Clinton’s appearance. Rubio, who surprised pundits by impressively placing third Monday night, at one point thanked Jesus for guiding him to the successful run. That’s when a few Clinton supporters in front of me mocked Rubio’s faith. They balked at the idea that Jesus had a hand in his success: “Christmas is over, so Jesus had time,” they ridiculed.
It reminded me of when attendees booed God at the 2012 DNC convention.
As soon as Clinton stepped on the stage, she seemed anxious to get to New Hampshire. Who can blame her? Sanders is up by double digits.
The room was much too small and I’m pretty sure we broke several fire codes. I did want to make friends with one of the attendees though: The girl who was sick of waiting and left before Clinton showed up because she had an 8 a.m. class.