‘Tis The Season for Campaign Event Cancellations
EmailABC News’ Sunlen Miller Reports: With fog as thick as pea soup besieging in Iowa, Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was forced to cancel two campaign events in the early caucus state Friday because of weather and travel problems.
It marks the first time the Obama campaign canceled a campaign event due to weather.
A crowd of 580 people were waiting patiently at a mid-morning town hall meeting in Davenport, Iowa, when Davenport Mayor-Elect Bill Gluba told the crowd he had a bit of bad news.
"Barack Obama won’t be able to make it here today," he said, "he was flying in here from New Hampshire and the fog just made it too dangerous to land."
Obama was trying to fly from Manchester, New Hampshire to Moline, Illinois — the closest airport to Davenport, Iowa — when his plane was diverted to Chicago because of fog in Moline.
The Obama campaign also canceled a second event in Coralville, Iowa due to time constraints.
After landing in Chicago, Obama jumped into a car to make the 265-mile trek to Washington, Iowa for his third event of the day.
From Washington, Iowa Obama said: "I am also just happy to be in Iowa because I was supposed to fly in last night to Davenport but there was fog. Couldn’t get in. The pilot says, ‘don’t worry, tomorrow morning it’s going to be just great. So, after flying over Davenport, circling back and landing in Chicago, we got in a car and we just drove from Chicago. So if I seem a bit stiff – it’s not because I’m old. It’s because I just drove four hours from Chicago."
While the Senator stayed behind in New Hampshire Thursday night, most of the traveling press corps traveled throughout the night via plane and bus to make the Davenport, Iowa event, arriving just hours before it was scheduled to start.
Julia Blazevic of Davenport took the cancellation in stride.
"We’re very disappointed," she said," but the most important thing is that he stay alive."
Obama wasn’t the only one waylaid by the bad weather.
Former President Bill Clinton was scheduled to appear at a campaign event for his wife Friday afternoon but had to call in to the event instead because his flight was late landing in Des Moines, Iowa due to fog.
ABC News’ Eloise Harper contributed to this report.
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Obama, Obama, Obama. I am sick of hearing all simple news about this guy. How come there is not press coverage for the other candidates. Is like CNBC, Chris Mathews and ABC can’t get enough of Obama.
Give me a break of Obama…can’t way for him to lose and go away!
Posted by: john | December 21, 2007, 2:40 pm 2:40 pm
John, you may want to start getting used to it. He will be our next President.
Have a Merry Christmas!
Posted by: Matthew Sutton | December 21, 2007, 2:44 pm 2:44 pm
Matt, what country you live in? Obama has not chance at all. He will lose. LOL
Posted by: mary_iowa | December 21, 2007, 2:48 pm 2:48 pm
Obama is the only honest and trustworthy candidate there is, plus he has a great understanding of the issues and runs an excellent campaign. He knows what he’s doing, even republicans admit that.
Posted by: Brian | December 21, 2007, 3:14 pm 3:14 pm
Brian,– Of course the Republicans “admit it” they will love to have Obama as the Democratic candidate, they will crash him.
Trustworthy? of course, thats because we don’t know much about him and every time they try to call him on something he and his campaign complain about being attacked.
Scary to trust someone we don’t even know enough, we didn’t knew enough in Illinois and we don’t even know enough now.
Understanding of the issues? all he has are sounds bites and way to run around the issues without really talking about it -is all head lines-; smart tho; but dishonest. He will not get away with that for long when we really get to know him and the republicans open up his closet!
For you all the Obamarama movement, enjoy the Holidays because it will not last for to much longer.
Posted by: Tiffany | December 21, 2007, 3:31 pm 3:31 pm
Tiffany – This argument that Republicans are inclined to attack Obama moreso than any other Democrat nominee truly shows a scary level of narrow-mindedness. By what magical reasoning will any other Democrat nominee escape the scrutiny of a Presidential race? Obviously you’re under an other-worldly impression that the Republican party and all of its factions will just lie down for every Democrat nominee except Obama, readily conceding the Presidency of the United States to HRC, Edwards, Biden, Dodd, Richardson or Kucinich, right? And if you truly wanted to learn about Obama, all you would have to do is some available research that would educate you beyond the ignorance of your statements and perhaps help you towards making an informed decision. Obama sponsored over 820 bills while serving in the Illinois Senate (serving 8 years, from 1996-2004). He authored the most sweeping ethics reform bill passed into Illinois law in over 20 years. He sponsored a law enhancing tax credits for low-income workers, negotiated welfare reform and promoted increased subsidies for child care. Obama also led the passage of legislation mandating videotaping of homicide interrogations, and a law to monitor racial profiling by requiring police to record the race of drivers they stopped.
In 2002 Obama spoke out publicly against the war in Iraq, saying he does not oppose all war, just dumb wars, and proceeded to accurately predict the quagmire of Iraq. Obama was elected to the United States senate in 2004. In his first year (before he decided to run for president) he authored 152 bills, and co-sponsored another 427. These included the Coburn-Obama government Transparency Act of 2006 (signed into law by Bush), The Lugar-Obama initiatives (working with republican, Richard Lugar) aimed at nuclear non-proliferation and conventional weapons threat reduction. He is one of only 2 lawmakers sponsoring a campaign finance reform bill that currently sits in the senate. There are 890 bills in Obama’s name since he entered the Senate. He has co-sponsored 1096. I could go on about the fact that Obama has 11 years of elected office experience over HRC (by 4 years), and Edwards by 5 years, more practical years working in the community at a grassroots level on issues affecting everyday Americans, that Obama has a degree in International Relations, a Law degree, and that he taught constitutional law for 10 years, etc., but the real issue here is why are people blatantly lying about Obama’s record? You and others perpetuating these preposterous fantasies about Obama really need to do some introspection. While you’re at it, ask yourself why you would allow your ability to “reason” to fall victim to embracing the lowest common denominator available to you, diminishing any intelligent debate you join.
Posted by: Eyzwidopn | December 21, 2007, 4:06 pm 4:06 pm
Brian2-Don’t get me wrong experience is a good thing but not the only thing when it comes to being President. Being President is about doing the right thing and being an ambassador to the world to create friends not enemies which the Republican party has done with their last 2 President’s the Bush’s. The only person that can win that has some sort of experience is Hillary at this time and she was the coaches wife. But most of the time you have 2 Candidates that do not have experience running for president. In 2000 with Bush and Gore really niether had experience being president. One was a Vice President aka Asst Coach and the Asst Coach is not like the Head Coach. Basically Senator Obama is an intelligent well-spoken individual that does not talk or act like your average black suit & red tie politician. It is refreshing to see and they try to get at him by talking about miscellaneos garbage from when he was a kid. Who cares? Lets talk about how America will be viewed by the world After electing a Minority in this Country as the Leader of the free world. America let’s really change the world and make it 1 planet. Go Barack!
Posted by: Marcellus | December 21, 2007, 4:33 pm 4:33 pm
Eyzwidopn:
You sure have a long message in comparison……You really like Obama, huh?
Posted by: tony | December 21, 2007, 6:22 pm 6:22 pm
The MSM gave alot of attention to Huckabee, an now he is one of the front runners. This could be an election decided by the MSM. I always get nervous when the Liberal Papers, Magazines, start pushing a Repub. Are they trying to find the weakest link to run against a Demo???????
Posted by: homjett | December 21, 2007, 6:32 pm 6:32 pm
I believed that Sen. Obama
will become the next president,
in Jesus Christ Name Amen!!!!!!!
Let’s make our country OBAMANation
for peace and prosperity.
Your brother in Christ.
Posted by: Phil Quintos | December 21, 2007, 7:45 pm 7:45 pm
Next news headline will be “Obama brushes he’s teeth up and down instead of side to side!” or “Obama has just walked on water!”. I’m tired of all the fluff pieces. If he was held to the same standards as all other canidates, democrats and republicans, he wouldn’t have such a strong following. Obama supporters are starting to sound like brain washed cult members. No offense to anyone, this is just my view.
Posted by: Kardasia_Prime | December 21, 2007, 9:00 pm 9:00 pm
Americans voted George W Bush because he’s the one they like to have a beer with. Never mind if his knowledge of foreign policies and diplomacy was zero. Never mind if he does not appear as smart as Al Gore or John Kerry. Americans voted with their hearts (they can’t stand smart people). See where you are now? Looks like it’s going to be dejavu in 2008. Thanks to the extreme liberals and NBC who take upon themselves as king maker as they build a protetcive wall round the young king to be. He is untouchable which is ridiculous. Have you heard Chris Mathews on Morning Joe spewing such venom over the presents ad? I just can’t believe the deviant parallel he drew with Evita! Frankly, he should seek psychiatric help for that outburst. Such mentally unstable support is more a liability than an asset.
Posted by: epsa | December 22, 2007, 2:49 am 2:49 am
This is not the time to wish for the wrong black male or the wrong female for president. As senator, Obama has as much at fault as Clinton. He was against a “dumb war” and yet, as senator he consistantly votes to fund a “dumb war”. God help this country!
Posted by: Maria | December 22, 2007, 3:43 pm 3:43 pm