Change Is Constant in Democratic Race

NEWTON, Iowa, Dec. 31, 2007 — -- The Democratic presidential campaign in Iowa has been transformed into a freewheeling contest over the meaning of a single word: change.

Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards wants to usher in change in drastic fashion, with a populist wave he wants to use to swamp special interests. To New York Sen. Hillary Clinton — and to several second-tier Democrats who are fighting to make their voices heard — change is a more gradual process, requiring deep experience and expertise to massage a complicated process.

And to Illinois Sen. Barack Obama, change is a deeply rooted campaign theme: It starts with his biography, and extends through his broad promise to remake the nation's politics.

Obama Touts 'American People' as Change Agents

"Ultimately it is the American people who are the real change agents in this country," Obama said Sunday in Newton, with a banner behind him reading "Change We Believe In," and a huge sign off to his right stating "Jasper County Stands for Change."

"We can't afford a politics that spends all its time tearing opponents down instead of lifting the country up," Obama said. "The real gamble in this election is having the same old folks doing the same old thing over and over and over again and somehow expecting a different result."

The Democrats' intense focus on change taps into deep-seated anger among party activists at the Bush administration. All of the Democrats regularly rail against President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney, even though Bush and Cheney have appeared on their last ballot.

Candidates Showcase Personal Histories

In appealing to the desire for change, the candidates are using different elements of their personal histories to present themselves as the person who is best prepared to deliver.

Edwards cites his working-class background and refusal to accept money from political action committees to craft a populist appeal that angrily denounces special interests. His central claim: that it's impossible to negotiate with "the big corporations and powerful interests who control Washington."

"I want to be absolutely clear that the corporate greed that is destroying the middle class of this country and stealing your children's future, it is stealing the future of Democrats' children, Independents' children, Republicans' children," Edwards said at a campaign stop Sunday in Boone, Iowa. "This is a message and a cause we can unite America around."

Clinton talks about her experience in the Senate and as first lady in arguing that she could handle the job as president immediately upon taking office. Her closing argument is more subdued than the fiery appeals being offered by Obama and Edwards.

"It is time to pick a president; the stakes are high, the job is hard," she said Sunday in Vinton, Iowa. "We know there are challenges we can't foresee. We know we have to pick a president who is ready to lead on day one."

Selling an Alternative to Partisan Politics

Meanwhile, the other Democrats who are struggling to register in Iowa — Sens. Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, and Gov. Bill Richardson — are portraying themselves as alternatives to the partisanship that has long defined presidential politics.

"John Edwards and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — all really good people, but everyone knows that that's going to spark a really spirited, spirited fight that's not likely to change in tone from the last election," Biden said Sunday on CNN. "Whereas if I were nominated as the Democrat, or Chris Dodd for that matter dominated as the Democrat, you would see the boiling point lower a great deal. And we both have long records of cooperating extensively with Republicans, without yielding one bit on our principles."

Negative Campaigning and the Caucuses

Candidates in Iowa are often careful not to engage in overtly negative attacks on their opponents. Caucus-goers are known to bristle at negative campaigning, and the Byzantine rules of the Iowa caucuses make second choices important, meaning no candidate wants to alienate another candidate's supporters.

"What you enter that night [with] in that caucus room is not going to be your final tally," said David Plouffe, Obama's campaign manager. "There's a remarkable amount of fluidity in the race right now."

Questioning Opponents in a Fluid Race

But the Democrats are finding ways to question their opponents' ability to bring about change. Obama, who has made change central to his argument from the start, is calling into question the other candidates' backgrounds in building himself up as the candidate of change.

"I think it's good that Democrats and Republicans and independents recognize that it's time for change. I think the question you ought to ask yourself is, who can best deliver such change? Who is best equipped to make change happen?" Obama said in Newton on Sunday.

"We don't need somebody to play the game better in Washington, we need to put a new game plan in Washington," he said.