Democrates at the Heartland Presidential Forum

The people got more microphone time than the politicians.

Five Democratic presidential candidates who spoke at the Heartland Presidential Forum Saturday in Des Moines could do little more than nod and listen as person after person – mostly out-of-state residents – shared emotional stories of perceived injustice.

And the audience of 3,600 did not hesitate to express emotion. As they listened to descriptions of loss of health insurance, the stench of a nearby factory farm, or a family split up by immigration officials, the crowd frequently yelled out: “That ain’t right!” and booed.

Hillary Clinton, a U.S. senator from New York, felt the glare of their displeasure after Billy Lawless, a Chicago immigrations rights organizer, asked her if she’d commit to giving undocumented workers a path to citizenship in her first 100 days as president.

Clinton, who spoke via telephone after weather prevented her flight to Iowa, said immigration reform is a top priority.

But Lawless pressed her, asking if she’d do it in the first 100 days.

Clinton said it’s up to Congress to pass such reform, but as president she would do as much as possible.

The crowd booed, apparently upset that she wouldn’t commit to a 100-days promise.

Chris Dodd, a U.S. senator from Connecticut, was the next candidate to get that question, and he quickly answered: “Absolutely, absolutely.”

“One of the great sources of our wealth and strength of our country has been the diversity of our people,” Dodd said. “We’ve never done anything worthwhile as a nation when we’ve done it out of fear and hate.”

Saturday’s crowd was hardly just caucus-eligible Iowans. People were bused in from Missouri, Kansas, Illinois and Minnesota, and organizers said people from 33 states were represented as part of a kick-off to the Campaign for Community Values.

The forum was hosted by Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement and Campaign for Community Values, a movement that includes about 100 community organizations.

Only one Republican responded to the invitation – businessman John Cox - but the hosts’ lawyers advised against a solo member of one party because it would appear to be an endorsement.

Also in attendance were former North Carolina senator John Edwards, Illinois senator Barack Obama and Dennis Kucinich, a representative from Ohio.

Here's some of what they had to say:

EDWARDS: He listened to Virgene Martin of Bridgewater’s story about 400 people banding together to fight a factory farm. They failed, and the hog operation is now located next to Martin’s own family farm.

“What’s happening is these big corporate farming operations, and big multi-national corporations that are taking over farming in America, these corporate predatory lending operations, these big drug companies, big insurance companies, big oil companies, big banks, big gas companies we see what they’re doing to destroy our land,” Edwards said. “We see what they’re doing to destroy our people and take away our assets. How long are we going to let these people run the United States of America?”

Edwards, a former trial lawyer, said he beat those big corporations in the courtroom, “and I’ll beat ‘em again.”

KUCINICH: Irlanda Helgen of Marshalltown got teary-eyed telling Kucinich about a father of five children whose wife left for work one day and never came back because of an immigration raid.

“There are no illegal human beings,” Kucinich said in English and Spanish.

Deb Thomas of Wyoming told Kucinich that oil and gas companies that use hazardous chemicals in drilling are turning communities “into toxic wastelands.”

“We understand why we’re in Iraq, in a word,” Kucinich said and held out the microphone to capture the audience shout the word “Oil.”

Kucinich gave a fiery answer about his plan to move the country away from reliance on coal. He talked about a “full employment economy,” where everyone has a job, as well as health care for all, and education for all, from age 3 through college.

And he got wild applause when he said: “We must give those who come to this country a path to legalization.”

CLINTON: Patricia Divine Wilder of the town of Walla Walla in Washington state said she’s a small business owner who can’t afford health insurance. Her 36-year-old nephew also had no insurance, and by the time he went to the doctor for pain in his back and shoulders, his cancer was incurable.

“James died,” Wilder said, then paused to cry.

“Take your time,” Clinton said softly.

“James died,” Wilder continued, “just six weeks later."

“We have to have a better government safety net,” Clinton said, then gave a summary of her health care reform plan.

DODD: Emira Palacios, of Wichita, Kansas, told Dodd she came to the United States 22 years ago as an undocumented worker. She has spent over $15,000 during the process of becoming a citizen, and she and her 18-year old son will vote for first time in the next election.

“Take your time now,” Dodd said when Palacios became too emotional to speak.

Dodd said the country has to “have secure borders, obviously.”

Later, a moderator cut him off when his answer crossed the two-minute limit.

“I get more time here than I get at those debates, though, I can tell you that,” Dodd said, chuckling.

OBAMA: Deidra Lewis of Massachusetts said her daughter woke up with a burning feeling in her eyes one day. Lewis had to cut back her work hours to deal with her daughter’s rare eye disease. In January, she lost her health insurance.

But she enrolled in the State Children’s Health Insurance Program, and the public program made the difference between a child going blind or keeping her eyesight.

“Can you look into Alexsiana’s eyes and tell me don’t all God’s children deserve medical care?” she asked Obama.

Obama said yes. Alexsiana crossed the stage to hug him. The audience couldn’t hear what he whispered in her ear.

Obama vowed to have a plan in place for health insurance for all Americans by the end of his first term as president.

After a string of stories told by people from the Bronx, Cleveland, Mississippi, South Carolina and California, Debra Carr told Obama she is from Des Moines.

Obama immediately said: “I want you to caucus for me.”