Thread by @studentactivism

Well, damn. #IowaStateFair

If you’ve never been to a state or county fair, you should go if you can. They’re wonderful.

We’re at the food judging pavilion.

Susan S. just won the no-bake dessert competition. Is there anything she can’t do?

Best shirt so far.

The space for presidential candidate speeches is TINY.

Gov Bullock is speaking in 15 minutes. I’m 15 feet from his mic.

Here’s the full lineup. All on this same tiny stage.

And yes, we saw the butter cow.

“Try not to heckle.”

Bullock: “I’m a pro-choice, pro-union, populist Democrat from a red state.”

He’s better in person than on the debate stage.

Bullock on gun control: “Nobody should be afraid to go on an outing like this.”

Bullock on climate change: “Fire season is 72 days longer in Montana than it was forty years ago.”

Asked his favorite non-president historical figure, Bullock says Jeanette Rankin and the folks who passed the Corrupt Practices Act of 1912.

Tally on the day so far: One confederate flag shirt, two queer pride shirts.

Biden speaking next, to a much bigger crowd.

Biden flubs Trump’s Charlottesville line at the top of his speech. “Very fine people in both groups.”

An energetic but scattered speech.

Biden thought he only had five minutes, so he was racing through. Someone just told him he has fifteen minutes left when he thought he was almost out of time, and he immediately slowed way down. Much more effective.

Still very scattered—jumping from topic to topic. But on a moment by moment basis, much better.

“Endowed by our creator ... in order to create a more perfect union, et cetera.”

“We choose unity over division, we choose science over fiction, we choose truth over facts!”

Asked his favorite figure not a president, Biden says “there’s a couple philosphers,” then says Jefferson, then quotes JFK.

Bullock was so much stronger of a speaker. Night and day.

Teenage girl with green hair singing Dream A Little Dream Of Me in the fair’s talent show. Accompanying herself on the uke.

Fear not.

Second best shirt.

Just passed David Axelrod eating a turkey leg.

The two ge... well, you know.

Elvis and her cousin got called to the talent show stage for a hula hoop competition. Cousin won!

Wandered past Bullock doing an extended interview for (I think) local TV.

Straw poll: “Cast your kernel.”

I just had a chat with the governor of Montana about lowering the voting age.

Me: “I’m surprised you weren’t more scandalized by me discussing skinnydipping in his home state.”

Elvis: “Well, it’s you, so...”

(Bullock wants everyone registered in advance of their 18th birthday, but is concerned about parents influencing their kids’ votes. I made my pitch.)

I don’t know what I was expecting.

(It wasn’t even on a stick.)