‘I don’t want to be President for only half of America’

Minnesota senator and Democratic presidential candidate Amy Klobuchar visited with Iowans Saturday afternoon at Adams Street Espresso in Creston.

Klobuchar’s campaign visit was part of a 3-day, 27 county bus tour throughout Iowa. Klobuchar began the route Friday following the Democratic debate Thursday night in Los Angeles, an event in which her performance garnered a wave of support. In the short time since the debate, Klobuchar’s campaign has raised over $1 million in online donations.

“I don’t know if any of you saw our debate in Los Angeles,” said Klobuchar. “In those 24 hours after the debate we got on that bus and have been on the trail ever since.”

Victory in Iowa this election cycle has additional stakes. Iowa is the state with the most counties that voted for Obama in the 2008 and 2012 elections that also supported Trump in 2016. Klobuchar said people that fall in this category are exactly who she is trying to reach.

“Here in Iowa there was a state legislator who was Republican for decades but in last spring said they couldn’t stomach it anymore and changed parties,” said Klobuchar. “Those are those voters. My plan is that we can win in Iowa, not just in the primary, but in the general election.”

Klobuchar may have gained support from within her party but she was also met with protest during the event. When speaking on programs she would integrate as president, a member of the audience shouted “How are you going to pay for it?” Klobuchar continued her speech but did reference the interruption when she discussed her plan to cover the expenses.

“A question was raised from within the peanut gallery about how we would pay for things,” said Klobuchar. “I have actually outlined how I am going to pay for every single thing I am going to propose.”

Klobuchar said one of her main plans to fund her policies would be to raise the corporate tax rate, undoing the tax break President Trump had signed in 2017.

Klobuchar had welcomed those in attendance who support President Trump, saying that she doesn’t intend to leave them out of the conversation.

“When I’m on that debate stage I know there are people watching that are fired up Democratic base,” said Klobuchar. “But there’s also independents watching, there’s moderate Republicans and people from within our own party who actually stayed home in 2016. That’s what we have to remember, because I don’t want to be the president for only half of America. I want to be president of all of America.”

Klobuchar said the ability to have meaningful conversation and debate with those who disagree with one’s beliefs is vital — not just in government — but for voters as well.

“You have to have a willingness to listen,” said Klobuchar. “You have to go, not just where it’s comfortable, but also where it is uncomfortable. I have done that in every campaign that I ever led.”

Furthering the message of bipartisanship, Klobuchar shared a story of her relationship with the late Republican Arizona Senator John McCain, recounting the last time she had seen her colleague before his death in August 2018.

“I learned from him in his dying days when my husband and I went to the ranch to him to see him and Cindy,” said Klobuchar. “He pointed to some words in his book. He couldn’t really speak so he just pointed to those words that said, ‘There is nothing more liberating in life than fighting for a cause larger than yourself.’”

Despite pressing the need for bipartisanship, Klobuchar didn’t hold back when discussing her issues with the President and the current administration. She said she believes the best move for the nation is for Democrats to take the senate and replace members of congress who she believes put the interests of their political party over the needs of the nation.

“My grandpa save money in a coffee can so my dad could go to community college,” said Klobuchar. “That gave him not a sense of entitlement, unlike what I think the president got when he got 413 million from his dad. Instead of having an obligation to our country he had this source of entitlement.”

Klobuchar said she views the election as a chance to give America a ‘decency check’ within the White House, discussing the President’s passing of the major tax reform in 2017.

“Did he come here to Creston after he passed that bill?” said Klobuchar. “No. He went to Mar-A-Lago and said to his friends ‘You just got a lot richer.’ Were any of you down there? No, you weren’t invited. When I’m president, I would want to come to towns like Creston and tell the people that I brought them universal childcare, safe retirement, an increased minimum wage and a sane ag policy.”

Klobuchar pressed heavy on healthcare, bringing up the work she had done with Senator Grassley to accommodate the needs of patients in rural areas.

“Living life in rural America you’re going to have different kinds of healthcare,” said Klobuchar. “That’s why Senator Grassley and I worked together to not only keep the critical access hospital classification but also creating a new one we are trying to get done for emergency rooms.”

The humor and tone of Klobuchar throughout the speech resonated with voters in attendance, with frequent laughter and applause filling Adams Street Espresso. Following the Creston town hall Klobuchar’s campaign made its way to the Ringgold County Freedom Rock in Diagonal.