War of Words Becomes Distasteful in Iowa
As the Iowa caucuses approach, voters are making their views known with buttons, bumper stickers and -- barn writing?
Scrawled in large letters on the side of a barn outside Marshalltown was a simple message: "HILLARY STAY HOME." The barn literature was more than offset by pro-Hillary Clinton lawn signs in the area.
But 40 miles west in the city of Ames, the political war of words became distasteful.
Handwritten notes were discovered at Iowa State University urging people to vote for Democrat John Edwards and -- presumably -- not vote for Democrats Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama. The note said to "vote for the White Man!" and not to support two other candidates, whom the writer described using a derogatory word in one case and a racial slur in the other.
News outlets across Iowa have been buzzing about the notes, which were first reported by the Ames Tribune. The paper said the notes — handwritten and photocopied — were found on a campus magazine rack, a bulletin board and in a residence hall. It also reported that the notes were signed by a "local man" but that the paper "has chosen not to reveal alleged author's name."
A spokeswoman for the Edwards campaign told the paper the notes are "deeply offensive and unacceptable."
- David Greene
7:53 PM ET | 11-28-2007 | permalink
