So, anyone see any local candidates in July 4th parades this year? The regular July 4th parades in Edmonds and Everett are usually a reliable bet to catch Snohomish County candidates in action. Wherever you find them, such parades are a great test of the ability of candidates to stay friendly and energetic in adverse conditions. Hours under the hot sun plus the chaos of working the crowds along the parade route is much, much different then simply camping out on the sidewalk to watch the same procession.

This year's July 4th was a bit unique in the world of candidates, with Presidential candidate swarming into Iowa for the holiday festivities. Which reminds me, you can sometimes see a political pundit - or a commenter at this site - proclaiming that Iowa is less important a state in Presidential politics this cycle because of the accelerated primary season where bigger states like Florida, California, and New York are voting earlier then ever.

If that's true, how come the Presidential candidates are all spending so much time in Iowa? Two major candidates even marched in the same small-town parade? It's a bit startling, but a reminder that even in races for such high office, politics down to the most basic grassroots level matters.

Here's another thing that matters to candidates: phone time. Readers may recall this post discussing a column by Casey Corr describing the reality of how candidates dial for dollars. Is it any surprise then that the financially hurting John McCain "bristled at making fund-raising calls," Barack Obama was raising money hand over fist by impressing one of the Democratic Party's most storied fundraisers:

As [Clinton] campaign chairman, Terry McAuliffe, discovered, Obama "works the phones like a dog. He probably did three to four times the number of events she did" in the first quarter. "No matter who I call," McAuliffe says, "he has already called them three or four times."

It all reminds me why top-flight political candidates are a bit like elite athletes: the best ones always seem to have a bit of a screw loose. Their uniqueness is part of what allows such people to drive themselves to such success. Because really, who likes marching in parades under the brutal sun and spending hour after hour on the phone calling strangers?