Absent Biden Looms Over Iowa Kickoff Event as Opponents Take Aim

(Bloomberg) -- The Democrats’ 2020 dilemma was on display at the first major event of the Iowa calendar, as the man who wasn’t there, Joe Biden, was once again the subject of veiled attacks by a pack of challengers who have so far been unable to dislodge him as the front-runner.

Senator Bernie Sanders, Biden’s closest competitor, took the most pointed swipe at the former vice president, but each of the 19 candidates gathered Sunday night for the Iowa Democratic Hall of Fame dinner tried to show they were the one to lead the party against President Donald Trump.

"There are some well-intentioned Democrats and candidates who believe that the best way forward is a ’middle ground’ strategy that antagonizes no one, that stands up to nobody and that changes nothing," Sanders said without naming Biden. "It is a failed political strategy that I fear could end up with the re-election of Donald Trump."

Biden missed the dinner to attend his granddaughter’s graduation, but he’ll be in Iowa for campaign stops on Tuesday and Wednesday. He also skipped last weekend’s California Democratic Convention, where 14 candidates spoke. He’ll join up with the crowd for the first time at a weekend of events in South Carolina in two weeks. At the end of the month, the first debate among the Democratic candidates will be held in Miami.

Poll Lead

Biden’s strategy of staying away from the pack has worked so far to keep him in the lead in national and most state polls. A Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom poll released Saturday showed him still leading in the state, but other candidates, primarily Senator Elizabeth Warren and South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg are rising.

Buttigieg, 37, made implicit criticism of Biden, 76, part of his message of generational change.

“We’re not going to win by playing it safe or promising a return to normal," he said. "We are where we are because normal broke. We Democrats can no more promise to return to the ’90s than Republicans can deliver on their promise to return to the ’50s.”

Ro Foege, a former state legislator who attended the dinner, said he agreed with the sentiment that Biden should cede way to younger leaders.

“I think we needed younger ideas and newer people to be in office,” Foege, 80, said. “Of course, if he ended up as our candidate, I would fully support him. I like Joe Biden a lot as a person. I don’t have anything against him. But, I can say this as an old guy, it’s time for us to move on to younger people in leadership.”

Internet Entrepreneur

The only candidate to mention Biden by name was Andrew Yang, an entrepreneur who has found pockets of support in online forums. Yang began his speech, by saying, “Joe Biden must really not like to travel.”

The gathering of the other candidates in Iowa followed a rough week for the former vice president that began with accusations of plagiarism aimed at his climate change proposal and ended with him flip-flopping on the Hyde Amendment restricting federal funding of abortion. For decades, Biden supported the measure, which is regularly added to federal funding bills, but he reversed his position on Thursday after intense pressure from the Democratic base and allies.

Troy Price, the chair of Iowa’s Democratic Party, said Biden still has the benefits of his long history in the party and high name recognition from his two terms as Barack Obama’s vice president.

“You know, stuff happens, people aren’t able to come,” Price said after the Hall of Fame event. “We totally get it. He called today to express how he wished he could be here.”

The rest of the candidates mostly stuck to their stump speeches. Senator Kamala Harris of California leaned in her background as a prosecutor, outlining the “case” she would prosecute against President Donald Trump.

Climate Change

Washington Governor Jay Inslee called for a full-scale effort to defeat climate change.

Warren, who has separated herself from the field with a litany of detailed policy proposals, called for instituting a wealth tax on the country’s wealthiest individuals to pay for programs like canceling student debt and universal child care.

Beyond the brief speeches at the Hall of Fame dinner — or as Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio joked, “It’s been a pleasure speed-dating with you” — campaigns looked to demonstrate their organizational skills, making it abundantly clear that a changed primary map hasn’t diminished Iowa’s role as a critical clearinghouse for presidential nominees.

The candidates have fanned out across the country to campaign, seeking viral moments as part of their effort to build name recognition and support among the party’s diverse base. California’s earlier primary date has also forced candidates to devote more attention there. But, this weekend showed candidates still believe Iowa, where the first nominating contest is held next February, can’t be overlooked.

“Iowa is a state where organizing matters,” Price said. “You can’t just put it all on TV or all in mail or all in digital ads. You have to come on the ground and you have to do the work to reach out to voters, connecting with voters and talk about your policy.”

Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota had supporters on top of pickup trucks, shaking tambourines, ringing cow bells and holding signs while cheering for “Amy!” Immediately across the street, amid a plethora of “Amy for America” signs that had been planted earlier, Harris organizers were chanting “Ka-ma-la” through megaphones and blasting soundtracks like “Respect” by Aretha Franklin.

’Warren Warriors’

Warren’s supporters had taken on two sides of the street, and with signs that read “Warren Warriors,” were chanting ‘I’m a Warren Democrat!” Next to them, Beto O’Rourke’s campaign parked a taco truck as organizers stood holding “Beto for America” signs.

Just a few feet away, organizers for Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, former Representative John Delaney and Senator Cory Booker had set up shop back-to-back, holding up signs and in some instances, cut-out letters of their candidates’ names. A few Delaney organizers paraded around with bag pipes.

A few blocks away from the hotel, Buttigieg spoke to his supporters at a picnic organized by his campaign, which featured a live band, food trucks and outdoor games. A large crowd of supporters cheered on Buttigieg as he tested his skills at a game and as he joined the band on stage to play a Miles Davis song on the keyboard.

Meanwhile, Sanders joined workers at a McDonald’s before leading them on a march to the hotel where the dinner was held. Sanders arrived at the hotel with protesters demanding a $15 minimum wage. Just before entering the hotel, Sanders came face-to-face with Harris supporters who chanted, “It’s time for a woman in the White House!”

To contact the reporters on this story: Tyler Pager in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at tpager1@bloomberg.net;Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou in Cedar Rapids, Iowa at megkolfopoul@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Joe Sobczyk at jsobczyk@bloomberg.net, Max Berley

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