Saturday was the big Johnson County Democrats Barbecue, and it was also a politician's dream. A couple of thousand or more people in one place, to socialize and have dinner, sure, but mainly to hear what politicians had to say. OK, so the main attraction wasn't the slate of Iowa City Council candidates, and yes, Hillary Clinton and John Edwards, et al., do have a bit more star power that I do. It was still fun.

I spent an hour+ spooning cole slaw onto people's plates, then beat a retreat down the line to slap together my own sandwich, doused in Ralph Neuzil's amazing BBQ sauce. Then I made the mad dash to the Iowa City Council candidate's table, where I joined Regenia Bailey, Matt Hayek and Brandon Ross, and met with an amazing number of IC residents who wanted to talk issues. And talk we did. I folded up my shop about 7:45; my voice was shot (I'd been campaigning for 12 hours at that point) but I talked to a lot of people and I learned a lot that day. It was local politics at its finest. I was happy to have been part of it.