Did Mayor Pete attend? He had to miss the last informal all-hands-on-deck due to a shooting the last time his fellow candidates were together (other than the debates).
10
I enjoyed the lighthearted article!
Nice after all the hate and hostility of the world.
17
Glad DiBlasio is working so hard to reduce homelessness, the schools, housing and the subways
5
I’ll never be an Iowan, despite having lived here for 43 years. But this story might make me change my mind. Really enjoyed it. Gotta go. My Minnesota butter on a stick, deep fried,is almost done.
5
@Gail
Syracuse has the best Fair food🥨🍕salt 🥔!! Enjoyed the fun the article shared...my head was about to explode this week! And I have lived in Atlanta for 50 years but my stomach loves NY best!!
5
Joe Biden’s remark about poor kids being as smart as white kids doesn’t count as a gaffe to haunt? Wow.
7
@elizabeth
A HUGE gaffe that he immediately restated
Of course when Trump says his father was born in a different country or can't pronounce origins or denies what he said yesterday or talks about shootings in TOLEDO (it was Dayton) . . . .
No one whines about that,
21
7 corn dogs total -- it looks like Andrew Yang won the Iowa State Fair! He not only has the most fun personality of all the candidates, he is also the only one bringing real solutions to the table.
15
Where's Marianne Williamson? I'm not interested in the others. They're boring.
3
@D. Wagner
We aren't electing a Talk show host!
15
Think this through. FDR, Carter, Clinton--all governors. Reagan, Bush 43--both governors.
There are powerful advantages to being a governor running for president--a Washington outsider, no Congressional voting record to be attacked, executive experience, balanced budgets, etc.
Look for Gov. Inslee to emerge from the pack.
10
Not enough reporters to cover Joe Sestak? Priorities to the corndog beat? NYT blew it. No I wasn't there but his entire speech was broadcast by the Des Moines paper. It would not surprise me in the least if his was the one who should have been listened to. I have, long ago, heard and seen too much Bernie. Warren is probably a better prospect. Harris and Klobuchar are, in my opinion, just so much noise.
Sestak gave a gripping and moving account of his life (who knows him - no one covers him and yet he may well be the most interesting and the most qualified candidate). He's well educated and has held highly responsible positions – how about Admiral for one?. In other words, he has been around, knows what's going on in the world beyond Washington D.C. and sounds considerably more presidential than most of the others.
7
Thanks, that was fun...what a relief
8
This fair seems to be a lot of fun despite the politicians!
6
Fun article (and yes, the Minnesota State Fair is tops)...but the endless attention every four years to everything Iowa is just off-putting. One of the smallest and most homogeneous states in the country, only noteworthy because of its "first in the country" caucuses.
15
The reality of Iowa is more diverse than it's image, not that that would take much... But still, think 'meat packing plants'. The businesses in the nearby small towns all have bilingual signage.
As for 'first in the country' being small, that's good because Iowa is a caucus state. That's a very different kind of test than a primary. It involves much closer scrutiny of all the candidates by the potential caucus-goers, as they actually have to argue for their candidate choices at the caucus. Thus, candidates with real substance like Barrack Obama can show their strength in ways they can't in a simple private ballot. I don't know if that kind of democracy is practical in the larger states, though I wish more would try. But caucus-state early makes a lot more sense than caucus state later.
7
It's sad that a politician's prospects are more determined by how many corn dogs they can eat vs. their positions on the issues.
15
This is a fun article. As an Iowan (born/raised), we are willing to have a laugh. I hope that Vanessa Friedman will do a more thorough fashion review, but I can assist by ranking the fair-appropriateness of the garb shown here, from best to worst:
Klobuchar (tie for 1st) (high marks for the layers, plus her shirts are washable, bonus, the shirts looks like they have been worn before)
Booker (tie for 1st) (high marks for wearing a shirt that is washable, bonus, the shirt looks like it has been worn before)
Warren (Not much shows, but I’ll assume that orange sweater is washable, high marks for layers)
Steyer (high marks for the washable denim tux)
Biden (at least the shirt is washable)
Sanders, Harris, Castro, Bullock, de Blasio (the shirt may be washable, who wears a button-up oxford to a hot weather event?)
Gabbard (jacket – not washable – also probably too hot)
Gillibrand (cute, but the grounds are uneven and may feature what horses/cows/pigs leave behind – like Castro experienced – plus, that dress is probably dry-clean only)
Yang (Suggestion for next time: Google “Iowa State Fair” and do an image search.)
10
@A,
Do you think Biden washes his own shirts? They are sent out.
1
Red mustard? I am assuming so, for putting ketchup on a corn dog is verboten.
13
@Chumley Writing from the home of the True Corn Dog, Fletcher's at the State Fair of Texas, I completely agree. The Texas Legislature might have passed a law banning it.
1
Why the hate for Pete Buttigieg?
I don't get it.
It's like he's suddenly got the plague and by all indicators he is doing quite well in Iowa.
24
@mj
The authors could have at least mentioned that Buttigieg had not been to the fair yet at the time the article was written. He had a great day there today and the article would make you think he might have been there but had a lackluster presence.
17
Why didn't you include Pete Buttigieg?
29
@John H He's there at this very moment (Tuesday afternoon). Just didn't make it before this was written.
1
@John H I think he hadn't gotten to the fair yet
1
@MidwesternReader
It would have been nice if the authors had mentioned that.
6
What is this god awful writing put out by the NYT? The most qualified and interesting candidate is grumpy? Are we forgetting that Bernie is from Vermont, a state much akin to Iowa (albeit slight "hillier"). He's the only person there (apart from Yang) that wasn't shilling to the Iowa masses. Good lord.
31
@Andrew Not as grumpy as his supporters, it seems.
25
You know what? I'm mad about the Trump Trashing America too. BUT, I'd like to read and laugh at articles like this right up to voting day. Then, I don't care who the Democrat candidate is, I'll vote for him or her. Heck, I'd vote for the Butter Cow if she is a registered Dem.
102
Not sure what this all means, but it was a fun read (and maybe that's the point).
It does seem to confirm the image that Bernie appears to be comfortable being cast as the anti-social grouch. Me? I prefer engaging pols; retail politics. Lizzy, Amy, Joe & Andrew. I'm so done with grouchy & cantankerous...and I actually voted for Bernie in 2016, so step off, Bernie Brats!
14
I wonder why you did not mention Pete Buttigieg. I can understand giving Gillibrand two mentions in this context, but why omit Buttigieg?
64
@CTR He's there at this moment (Tuesday afternoon). Just didn't make it in time for this writeup. Maybe there will be a part 2??
5
He had yet to speak at the Fair when this was written.
3
@MidwesternReader
Great idea or at least an addendum/update to the article.
7
Joe's GOT to lose the sunglasses!
I've never forgotten the long-ago family excursion we were on, maybe in the 1950's, during which we stopped en route so my dad could make a sales call. He carefully removed his prescription sunglasses--with which he had been driving--and put on his clear bifocals so he could look the customer in the eye, required for making the sale.
Now that I have age-related vision problems, I'm happy to pass along this tip: A billed cap or visor plus a pair of over-spectacle sunglasses on a leash around one's neck are a quick and easy way to both protect one's eyes from further sun damage and be able to look the voter in the eye at a moment's notice. A nearby CVS or similar carries the over-glasses, and "Joe for President" caps/visors should be on order ASAP.
7
@gianna, He thinks he looks cool in his sunglasses. No way will he give that up.
6
8 Corn Dogs to the Democratic Presidential Candidate with the Best Plan to Ensure the Continued Prosperity of the Agricultural-based Iowa State Fair and the State of Iowa: Governor Jay Inslee with his comprehensive and action-oriented Climate Change Mitigation Plan. Read about Governor Inslee’s plan here:
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2019/6/24/18715163/jay-inslee-climate-plan-phase-out-fossil-fuels
23
Marianne Williamson gave a brilliant "soap box" speech. Why no mention?
17
I'll vote for any one of these over Trump. In fact, I'd vote for the butter cow.
54
It’s so nice to see people in the state of Iowa being able to interact with candidates for free so easily while the rest of the country either has to stand in line forever, know an insider, or pay thousands of dollars to meet presidential hopefuls.
20
The Iowa State Fair looks awesome. Watching all the hoopla, my husband and I don't want to be there in a Presidential year (minus 1) but we put it on the bucket lust for another year.
12
This unbelievable article, in words and photos, design and social commentary, I read each entry and thought wow, this is a nutshell of our culture, our times, but from a strange perspective: a state fair. With all the ills facing our country I could not stop reading and often laughing....power of the pics, blue sloth, deep fried this and that, Biden in shades and khakis. Obviously, the candidates are wanting the platform, the photo opts or all the things that announce their commitment to a huge stage. Still, after so many months of bemoaning our state of the union, I did get a laugh....and another surge of energy to make me believe I'll be behind any one of the candidates running as a DEMOCRAT. THANK YOU FOR THIS ARTICLE,
I LOVE IT!!! A few minutes without worries.
63
Good to see Andrew Yang included, though he has many detailed ideas, not just universal basic income. While he's unlikely to make it to the top I'm glad at least one candidate is addressing the current and near future threats of automation. What will millions of people do when there are no more driving jobs or service industry jobs? Retrain to become computer programmers? Artificial Intelligence is/will be taking most of those jobs also.
25
@Michelle He's only unlikely to make it if we all decide to vote for Biden/Sanders/Warren because they have a "better chance." Sure, vote for them if you agree with them, but I assure you, they have no better chance against the president than Mr. Yang (or honestly, any of the "lower tier" candidates).
15
So Bernie is the 'grumpy' one, eh? Well, me too. I'm sick of the New York Times marginalizing the most likely Democratic candidate. I'm sick of babies in cages less than a hundred miles from my house. I'm sick of people being clandestinely murdered to shut them up. I'm sick of our white supremacist 'president' and the media making a circus out of our pending extinction. Grumpy? Heck yeah. I'd use a stronger word, but crudeness has lost its appeal.
94
@Michele Mike Murphy We hear you, but criminy, it's a state fair. If there's one time to not take yourself seriously, it's then. Looks like some of them got that.
19
@Michele Mike Murphy I do conquer on that.
Saw an analysis on The Hill, now known for its liberal bias, where they said Bernie’s electability was the highest and he outmatches Biden in the important states. But Nyt just love DCCC. Sadly.
15
@Michele Mike Murphy These endless attacks on Bernie from the Times are getting ridiculous. Here is Bernie eating a corn dog https://youtu.be/D7SJyTSP3o0?t=20 What exactly is grumpy about it?
22
Congrats on balanced reporting. Unlike some of the media that have made certain candidates their obvious favorites.
7
Very fun article! Enjoyed reading it.
27
I really would have appreciated a picture of the famous butter cow. I've gone to fairs in my time and I have never beheld such a wonder.
56
Just google iowa state fair butter cow@Tom Chapman
1
@MPVRB
I just googled it. I was the 2,892nd viewer of the Iowa State Fair Butter Cow 2015 on IowaPublicTelevision's YouTube channel.
I could not stop thinking of humanity's overconsumption craze of cow produce as a main global climate catastrophe driver next to it being a main pesticidal ecocide driver by way of how its fodder production chain is managed next to it being a main cause of multi drug resistant bacteria poised to knock out half of humanity.
The Golden Calf was less of a threat to the God of Moses and his Ten Commandments helping us co-create Heaven on Earth than the Butter Cow is to the near-divine and very humane helpfulness of present-day prophets who have visited present-day mountains of wisdom.
It's not that this wasn't known quite in time for us to respond to the threat we pose to ourselves with our obstinacy in sticking to our own unhinged consumerism and Big Ag's stupid dictates. See for example John Robbins' Mooing Spring Bible of the Skip No Beat But Eat Less Meat Generation to come, his 1987 breakthrough book Diet for a New America.