The issues of interest to Iowa caucus-voters “tend to be the same issues that everyone is concerned about around the country,” ABC's Kate Snow maintained Tuesday night, a contention she illustrated by citing “one voter” who recited to her a litany of liberal agenda topics: “She's worried about health care, Social Security and...'getting the Hell out of Iraq.'”
Snow's conclusion from Des Moines followed a World News piece from Jake Tapper in New Hampshire where he similarly found getting out of Iraq is the most important issue, at least to “independent” voters. After pointing out how there are more independents than either Republicans or Democrats in the Granite State, Tapper explained that “a key issue for so many independents here, such as contractor Gerry Hamel, is opposition to the war in Iraq.” Hamel expressed his view that “we can only be there so long and it's time to leave.” Tapper helped Hamel out as Tapper unintentionally showed how Snow's take on Iraq matched the Democratic position: “And the Democratic candidates are saying that, not the Republicans?” Hamel agreed.
Partial excerpts from the back-to-back stories on the September 4 ABC's World News:
GERRY HAMEL, INDEPENDENT VOTER: “We can only be there so long and it's time to leave.
TAPPER: And the Democratic candidates are saying that, not the Republicans?
HAMEL: I think the Democrats are.
TAPPER: Hamel went for McCain in the 2000 presidential primary, but is now leaning Democratic.
Then, in the next story, Kate Snow checked in from Des Moines, with the Iowa state capitol in the background, and after she noted how an Obama rally attracted young people, she concluded her report:
The majority of caucus-goers, though, are over 50, they are white, they are well-educated, they're not all farmers. Far from it. In fact, a lot of voters in Iowa now live in urban areas like this, in Des Moines, or suburban areas. Their issues tend to be the same issues that everyone is concerned about around the country. One voter said to me yesterday she's worried about health care, Social Security and, Charlie [Gibson], “getting the Hell out of Iraq.”
