Published Thursday | January 3, 2008
Volunteers, media and other workers abuzz in Iowa
DES MOINES - Need a haircut? Running for president of
the United States?
Scott Sales has a deal for you.
For a limited time, presidential contenders could get a haircut and shave for the bargain price of $75.
The special deal, posted on the downtown skywalk window of the Executive Forum Barbershop, was a joke - a dig at Democrat John Edwards, who caught flak for paying $400 for a haircut earlier this year.
"I take that personally," Sales said, "so I'm not going to let that story die."
Sales cut the hair of Sen. Christopher Dodd on Wednesday morning. The Connecticut Democrat didn't pay $75, Sales said, but left a hefty tip.
The sign in the skywalk drew quite a few looks from caucus workers and out-of-town reporters, who were easy to spot with laminated credentials dangling from their necks.
The influx of more than 2,500 news media members on the eve of the Iowa caucuses joined scores of campaign workers, making downtown Des Moines a caucus-themed circus of sorts.
In Kaleidescope at the Hub indoor mall, lines stretched from nearly every restaurant, from Gringos Mexican food to the Friedrich's Coffee stand. Every table in the second-floor food court was jammed with men and women in business suits.
The streets outside were mostly deserted, as a cold wind blew through downtown, but pedestrians flooded the skywalk linking most of the buildings.
At the Marriott Hotel, connected to the Polk County Convention Complex by skywalk, a steady stream of camera crews and well-dressed TV reporters wandered in and out of the lobby.
"It's just a crazy, fun week for us," said Cindy Roberts, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. "We're more of a media center, because it's easy to get the cameras into the convention center from here without going outside."
The Marriott's 415 hotel rooms were mostly booked by the end of the summer, Roberts said.
At the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines, where Democrats often stay during the caucuses, staff members enjoy the atmosphere even as they stress over the long hours.
"Overall, it's cool. . . . I mean, Monday night I kept seeing Bill and Hillary (Clinton) walking through the lobby," said Jason Potter, director of sales at the hotel, which booked its 234 rooms over the summer.
Marcia Barfield used her lunch break to peer through the glass walls of the skywalk toward the press check-in area at the Polk County Convention Complex. Barfield, who works at a downtown insurance company, was hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.
She wasn't willing to go to great lengths to see the television crews and reporters. When a crew from MSNBC filmed a spot at Java Joe's just a few blocks away, she decided it wasn't worth venturing outside in the cold.
At the candidates' campaign headquarters around downtown and in West Des Moines, volunteers devoured cold pizza and called thousands of Iowans, reminding them where to caucus.
In Mike Huckabee's third-floor office in downtown Des Moines, about 30 volunteers gathered in a semicircle for a midmorning pep talk.
"What are we doing this for?" a staff member hollered to the room.
"To elect Mike Huckabee!" everyone shouted back.
Working the caucuses for a presidential campaign means hours of tedious data entry and phone calls, but the electric atmosphere in Des Moines keeps everyone energized, volunteers said.
"It's been breakneck speed for all of us campaigning. We've got this deadline looming and everyone is out there talking to people or calling on the phones," said Adam Husein, 20, a University of California-San Diego student volunteering for Ron Paul.
"There's never an idle moment. It's 12-hour days, minimum, for everyone at this point."
Scott Sales has a deal for you.
For a limited time, presidential contenders could get a haircut and shave for the bargain price of $75.
The special deal, posted on the downtown skywalk window of the Executive Forum Barbershop, was a joke - a dig at Democrat John Edwards, who caught flak for paying $400 for a haircut earlier this year.
"I take that personally," Sales said, "so I'm not going to let that story die."
Sales cut the hair of Sen. Christopher Dodd on Wednesday morning. The Connecticut Democrat didn't pay $75, Sales said, but left a hefty tip.
The sign in the skywalk drew quite a few looks from caucus workers and out-of-town reporters, who were easy to spot with laminated credentials dangling from their necks.
The influx of more than 2,500 news media members on the eve of the Iowa caucuses joined scores of campaign workers, making downtown Des Moines a caucus-themed circus of sorts.
In Kaleidescope at the Hub indoor mall, lines stretched from nearly every restaurant, from Gringos Mexican food to the Friedrich's Coffee stand. Every table in the second-floor food court was jammed with men and women in business suits.
The streets outside were mostly deserted, as a cold wind blew through downtown, but pedestrians flooded the skywalk linking most of the buildings.
At the Marriott Hotel, connected to the Polk County Convention Complex by skywalk, a steady stream of camera crews and well-dressed TV reporters wandered in and out of the lobby.
"It's just a crazy, fun week for us," said Cindy Roberts, director of sales and marketing for the hotel. "We're more of a media center, because it's easy to get the cameras into the convention center from here without going outside."
The Marriott's 415 hotel rooms were mostly booked by the end of the summer, Roberts said.
At the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines, where Democrats often stay during the caucuses, staff members enjoy the atmosphere even as they stress over the long hours.
"Overall, it's cool. . . . I mean, Monday night I kept seeing Bill and Hillary (Clinton) walking through the lobby," said Jason Potter, director of sales at the hotel, which booked its 234 rooms over the summer.
Marcia Barfield used her lunch break to peer through the glass walls of the skywalk toward the press check-in area at the Polk County Convention Complex. Barfield, who works at a downtown insurance company, was hoping to catch a glimpse of a celebrity.
She wasn't willing to go to great lengths to see the television crews and reporters. When a crew from MSNBC filmed a spot at Java Joe's just a few blocks away, she decided it wasn't worth venturing outside in the cold.
At the candidates' campaign headquarters around downtown and in West Des Moines, volunteers devoured cold pizza and called thousands of Iowans, reminding them where to caucus.
In Mike Huckabee's third-floor office in downtown Des Moines, about 30 volunteers gathered in a semicircle for a midmorning pep talk.
"What are we doing this for?" a staff member hollered to the room.
"To elect Mike Huckabee!" everyone shouted back.
Working the caucuses for a presidential campaign means hours of tedious data entry and phone calls, but the electric atmosphere in Des Moines keeps everyone energized, volunteers said.
"It's been breakneck speed for all of us campaigning. We've got this deadline looming and everyone is out there talking to people or calling on the phones," said Adam Husein, 20, a University of California-San Diego student volunteering for Ron Paul.
"There's never an idle moment. It's 12-hour days, minimum, for everyone at this point."