As many of you know, today I am embarking on a 4-week journey that will either cure me of my addiction to politics — highly doubtful — or prove to be one of the more interesting projects I’ve embarked on. (Pssst… Frankly, I think it’ll be the latter).
It was a perfect storm; I shut down the restaurant and found myself with tons of free time. Donald Trump turned out to be the Roger Rabbit of politics, making this presidential election cycle the most interesting and consequential of my lifetime, the Democrats have the most competitive and diverse field in recent memory, and I have a car with only 12,000 miles on it and a lease that allows me 30,000.
So I decided to head right into the eye of the storm, to Iowa, where the political scene is reaching a fever pitch in anticipation of the February caucuses, and write about it. I will be traveling throughout the state, attending candidates’ town hall meetings and rallies, interviewing common folks, and going to political events, starting with the Liberty & Justice Celebration on November 1.
On the way to and back from Iowa, I will be traveling through Flyover America, that vast stretch of land between the two coasts, and recording my conversations and observations. I will not drink myself to death, become a Buddhist, take myself too seriously nor self-indulge, so please don’t think of me as Jacques Kerouac. I just want to quench my curiosity and write about it.
For those of you who share this curiosity about these fascinating political times and would be interested, I will be recording my experiences in this blog that I plan to update daily. I will try to report as objectively as I can, but I will also occasionally editorialize, and when I do express personal opinions, I will so indicate clearly.
Please keep in mind that I am new to this blog business so it will be a little rough around the edges until I get it figured out. Please be patient. Thank you!
I have also created a Twitter account, going live today, hoping to get into the thick of today’s zeitgeist, listen to the cacophony, join the conversations and debates, and contribute my occasional 280 characters in Turrets format. I will be posting my very first Tweet soon, and I plan to send out a tweet each time I post to the blog, so following me on Twitter would be a good way to be notified each time there is a new entry.
Twitter: @JacFiorentino
