Can a maverick Democrat who once endorsed Nader, cut his teeth in the peace movement, and refuses PAC money win Iowa's top job?


By Tim Schmitt


Can
[Ed Fallon], an inner-city Democrat who refuses all special interest
money and speaks bluntly about the problems within his own party build
a grassroots effort and appeal to enough voters across the state to put
him in the governor's chair?

Fallon
[says] that he can reach a wider audience than many believe, largely
because he doesn't buy into the idea that Democrats and Republicans are
somehow inherently different.


“The
distinction is not between Republican and Democrat, liberal and
conservative…” says Fallon. “The distinction is between 90 percent of
us and the 10 percent made up of the handful of corporate interests
that fund campaigns and can afford the lobbyists and consume more of
our resources every year in tax breaks and subsidies.


“Politics
ought not to be regarded as a team sport…it ought to be about public service.”
And though some Democrats have been vocal about Fallon's errant ways
and others have given him the silent treatment, others have expressed
appreciation for his work and a belief that he is a legitimate
candidate.