Sounding less like a campaign?
Posted: Thursday, May 15, 2008 4:04 PM by Domenico Montanaro
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Ron Allen
From NBC's Ron Allen
Did we get off the bus at the wrong stop? Did something happen we didn't hear about as we flew a couple of hours from D.C. to South Dakota?
We're on the campaign trail with Sen. Clinton, but you really have to listen very closely here at the Jones family farm in Aberdeen to hear any hint she's fighting for the Democratic nomination.
Maybe we're getting a bit ahead of things, maybe its just the place and time, maybe its that we're all looking for clues about her intentions, but the vibe feels different.
Clinton began her remarks talking about how great it is that South Dakota is going to vote, and how important those votes will be. But what followed was a detailed talk about farming and rural issues, not why she's still in the race, nor much of her usual stump speech.
No mention of the delegate math, recent endorsements in the news, nor how much "we need a fighter" in the White House.
Clinton talked a lot about why she supports the Farm Bill that just passed the Congress and that President Bush has threatened to veto.
That's the "news" or theme for the day her press people highlighted. We've heard about the need to strengthen the safety net for small farmers, the need for disaster relief programs, mandatory country of origin labeling, and the "Farm to Fork" program Clinton started in New York. And by the way, there are 34,000 family farms in New York, just like some of the farms here, Clinton explained, anticipating that most people in rural communities think of skyscrapers in New York, not apple orchards and dairy pastures.
So far, just one mention of Barack Obama. It was the standard reminder that Clinton and Obama have "differences" over issues like health care, and whether everyone will have coverage.
Clinton also criticized John McCain and President Bush because of their opposition to the farm bill, the only mention of McCain other than something like the usual lines about how he's a friend, a good man, but with the wrong ideas.
Mostly, it's a beautiful sunny afternoon here on the farm, perfect day for a nice chat with some voters. There's a relatively small crowd of perhaps a couple hundred people. No one is waving "Hillary" signs and cheering Clinton on, but clearly they're here to support her. And based on the surroundings many in the crowd probably had to drive quite a ways to get here. The energy level is low -- comfortably so. And we sure have learned a bit about issues affecting farmers, rural communities and Clinton's very detailed plans to address those concerns.
Every campaign stop isn't a big rally. And as I said, we're all looking for hints that may, in fact, just turn into illusions. Yesterday, the campaign made it clear she will compete in all the remaining primaries, and fight to seat the delegations from Florida and Michigan -- and fight for the nomination.
A man in the crowd just asked Clinton a question, and offered to be her vice president. She asked for his resume. Everyone was quite amused. Not exactly the question many of us have for Clinton about the Democratic Party's VP slot, but that was perhaps one of the most "campaign-like" sounding moments we've heard on the trail so far in South Dakota.
