Iowa Public Television

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  Program: Iowa Press #3510
  Broadcast Date: Nov. 9, 2007
  

• Collection: Iowa Press: The Presidential Candidates

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Senator Barack Obama is given one minute to define why he's the best candidate.

This interview was recorded November 9, 2007 at Iowa Public Television.

www.iptv.org/campaign08/

Yepsen: One thing we like to do on this program is give candidates a free-throw, let you have a commercial, if you will. Why you? Why should a Democrat stand up for you on caucus night?

Obama: I think we're in a defining moment in American history. The nation is at war. We are seeing the dream of a generation slipping away. People are working harder for less. They are having more difficulty saving and retiring. So ordinary politics I don't think will actually solve our problems. We've been talking about health care. We've been talking about energy for years, and nothing happens. What I can do that no other nominee I think can do is to bring the country together. I'm able to appeal to Republicans and independents around a progressive agenda. I think that I have a track record that is superior to any candidate in that race when it comes to taking on the lobbyists and winning. And most importantly I think that I've had a level of consistency and truth telling in this campaign but also in my political career that America needs right now. They don't need poll-driven, poll-tested approaches that end up going nowhere. What they need is some, you know, hard headed thinking about how we're going to solve problems.

Yepsen: Senator, one of the things I hear from a lot of caucus going Democrats is that among all the Democratic candidates, there's really not that much difference on policy issues. They're looking for somebody who can win in November. So why are you the most electable Democrat in this field?

Obama: Well, the polls and surveys show that I am able to appeal to Republicans and independents in a way that none of the other nominees can, and that means we can widen the field. If you start off with half the country not wanting to vote for you, you don't have a lot of margin for error. And we can win I think in suburban areas. We can win in states like Virginia, and that I think is important, not only for winning an election but also, more importantly, for creating the kind of working majority that actually delivers on health care, that is actually getting a new energy policy. And I feel confident that the kind of success I've had in the state of Illinois, a big diverse state, in attracting Republican and independent votes will translate nationally as well.

• Barack Obama
• campaign 2008
• Democrats
• Iowa
• politics
• Republicans

Post Date: June 4, 2008