Five Iowa Democrats in search of a president

James Flanagan, West Des Moines

msnbc.com James Flanagan

Here’s one Democrat who has found the presidential contender he wants, John Edwards.

Flanagan, an account executive for an information technology research company, said, “As the parent of two toddlers, the last thing I want is Iraq as another Korea as Bush envisions.”

Flanagan said he likes Edwards’ stances on health care and ending poverty. “He is by default the next Democratic leader. He ran on the national ticket last time, he deserves my support,” he said.

Clinton, he said, “is too much of a corporatist… she’s a little too right of center for me.”

Jean Pardee, Clinton
The Democratic chairwoman in Iowa’s First Congressional District and a Democratic activist for 40 years, Pardee supported Dean in 2004.

She voiced concern most about which Democrat can win in November 2008.

msnbc.com Jean Pardee

Although Pardee is from the city of Clinton in eastern Iowa, she has some doubts about candidate Clinton. Electability “one of the factors that worries me about Hillary, because her negatives are so high nationally” said Pardee.

"But I’d love to have her as the first woman president. I think she’d be wonderfully credible and could do a good job. But that electability factor still worries me.”

As she listens to the candidates’ proposals to get U.S. troops out of Iraq, she wonders, “Does that mean we’re going to have Vietnam all over again with people getting on the last helicopter to leave? I just can’t tolerate seeing that again. We’ve got to leave in an orderly way, but, God that makes me sounds like a horrible conservative!”

She added, “I like Biden a lot, I liked him when he ran the last time, I love his ability to clearly articulate, my concern is where he is in the polls.” Two recent polls in Iowa found Biden getting only single-digit support.

As for Obama, “I think he’s got wonderful appeal…. But I thought his early speeches were extremely empty. He finally got somewhat more substantive” in his Sept. 12 speech on Iraq.

Pardee said the only Democratic candidates she ruled out were former Sen. Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich.

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