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Washington, Iowa: ‘Life is good’

Residents of this thriving town in the state that kicks off the GOP presidential nominating process see a parade of candidates talk about problems they largely don’t have.

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Dec. 30, 2011

From left, Robert Kennedy, John Thorne, Keith Lazar and Dean Garrett meet regularly at the Coffee Corner in Washington, Iowa. With the town's economy humming, Lazar, a banker, has had a banner year. “Couldn't be better," Lazar says when a customer asks how he's doing. "Life is good."

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Charlotte Soboroff, 6, and her little brother Henry, 2, draw pictures in the condensation of a coffee shop window in Washington, Iowa. The town boasts a 4 percent unemployment rate.

Dec. 30, 2011

Charlotte Soboroff, 6, and her little brother Henry, 2, draw pictures in the condensation of a coffee shop window in Washington, Iowa. The town boasts a 4 percent unemployment rate.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A view of South Marion Avenue in Washington, Iowa. Fueled by a strong farm economy, the town's small businesses are growing. Its population is, too.

Dec. 29, 2011

A view of South Marion Avenue in Washington, Iowa. Fueled by a strong farm economy, the town's small businesses are growing. Its population is, too.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Banker Keith Lazar looks out a window at the town his bank has helped to grow. 'Pretty awesome year,' he says of the bank's finances. His situation doesn't much resemble politicians' talk about an angry and troubled country, and he feels disconnected from the national political discourse. 'What could they say that I really need to hear?' Lazar says.

Dec. 30, 2011

Banker Keith Lazar looks out a window at the town his bank has helped to grow. "Pretty awesome year," he says of the bank's finances. His situation doesn't much resemble politicians' talk about an angry and troubled country, and he feels disconnected from the national political discourse. "What could they say that I really need to hear?" Lazar says.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, center, greets people during a campaign stop in Washington, Iowa. 'This is a nation in crisis,' the Texas governor told voters.

Dec. 29, 2011

Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry, center, greets people during a campaign stop in Washington, Iowa. "This is a nation in crisis," the Texas governor told voters.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Wanda Zuehlke, 86, right, waits in a Washington, Iowa, coffee shop for Rick Perry to make a campaign stop. Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses have secured the candidates’ attention in the town.

Dec. 29, 2011

Wanda Zuehlke, 86, right, waits in a Washington, Iowa, coffee shop for Rick Perry to make a campaign stop. Iowa's first-in-the-nation presidential caucuses have secured the candidates’ attention in the town.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Wanda Zuehlke, 86, poses for a snapshot with Rick Perry.

Dec. 29, 2011

Wanda Zuehlke, 86, poses for a snapshot with Rick Perry.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Residents gather at the Coffee Corner to listen to Rick Perry speak.

Dec. 29, 2011

Residents gather at the Coffee Corner to listen to Rick Perry speak.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Members of the Kiwanis Club sing 'America the Beautiful' to begin their meeting in Washington, Iowa. The club solicits community-improvement donations, which have funded have funded a weight room, a fountain in the park and a municipal bandstand.

Dec. 30, 2011

Members of the Kiwanis Club sing "America the Beautiful" to begin their meeting in Washington, Iowa. The club solicits community-improvement donations, which have funded have funded a weight room, a fountain in the park and a municipal bandstand.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Steve Bohn, center, executive vice president of Washington State Bank, helps serve up a chili dinner at a Kiwanis Club fundraising event at a Washington, Iowa, church.

Dec. 29, 2011

Steve Bohn, center, executive vice president of Washington State Bank, helps serve up a chili dinner at a Kiwanis Club fundraising event at a Washington, Iowa, church.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Banker Keith Lazar and his wife, Sam. As much as political Washington is unpredictable, their life in their Washington is an exercise in routine. They've been married 35 years. He's been at the bank for 20. And 'It's a Wonderful Life,' one of his favorite movies, plays on their TV every Christmas.

Dec. 30, 2011

Banker Keith Lazar and his wife, Sam. As much as political Washington is unpredictable, their life in their Washington is an exercise in routine. They've been married 35 years. He's been at the bank for 20. And "It's a Wonderful Life," one of his favorite movies, plays on their TV every Christmas.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

A bust of the first president stands in the town square of Washington, Iowa.

Dec. 29, 2011

A bust of the first president stands in the town square of Washington, Iowa.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 19: Vice President Joe Biden speaks before the Frederick Douglass statue now permanently placed in the US Capitol's Emancipation Hall in Washington, DC on June 19, 2013. The statue of the abolition leader was chosen by District residents to represent them in the Capitol because of his stance on self governance according to Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC). The statue by artist Steven Weitzman, was blocked from it's placement in the Capitol for years, a victim of rules that stated that only the 50 states can display statues of their favored sons and daughters in the Capitol. The House and Senate passed a resolution last month allowing DC to be represented in Emancipation Hall which features statues of notable leaders nominated by each state. (Photo by Linda Davidson / The Washington Post)

Frederick Douglass statue unveiled in the Capitol

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TV presenter and conservationist Anneka Tanaka-Svenska wears a hat designed by Louis Mariette during the first day of Royal Ascot, in Berkshire, west of London, on June 18, 2013. The five-day meeting is one of the highlights of the horse racing calendar. Horse racing has been held at the famous Berkshire course since 1711 and tradition is a hallmark of the meeting. Top hats and tails remain compulsory in parts of the course while a daily procession of horse-drawn carriages brings the Queen to the course. AFP PHOTO / ADRIAN DENNISADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images

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Royal Ascot, protests in Brazil, Lego exhibition, flooding in India, Cheetah-Cub robot and more.

Two-year old male rat named Dyatlik wears a costume during a rodent exhibition in Minsk, Belarus, Saturday, June 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)

Rodent exhibition, swimming with elephants, Mexico’s feline mayoral candidate and more.

NEW YORK, NY - JUNE 18: Madonna attends the Dolce & Gabbana and The Cinema Society screening of the Epix World premiere of 'Madonna: The MDNA Tour' at The Paris Theatre on June 18, 2013 in New York City. (Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images)

Eye on entertainment

Madonna, Michael Buble, Barbara Streisand, Jackie Chan, Jerry Seinfeld, Estelle and other celebrities.

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 14: Johnathon Carrington, valedictorian at Dunbar High School, laughs with family and friends after his school's graduation ceremony at Howard University on Friday, June 14, 2013, in Washington, DC. Carrington, who grew up in Tyler House public-housing apartments and is graduating from one of DC's low-performing high schoolsy, where academic expectations are high. (Photo by Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

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In this June 8, 2013 photo, youth compete in the Sao Carlos slum local soccer tournament in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The pitch is just dirt and the incandescent lights aren't so bright. But when the boys' feet strike the football in the Sao Carlos slum as night falls every Saturday, big league dreams glow, inflated by the hope of escaping the shantytown with sporting skills. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

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Inmates walk at a high-security male prison camp outside Russia's Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk May 14, 2013. High-security male prison camp number 17 is intended to house male inmates who are serving a sentence for the first time, and have been convicted for serious crimes. Prisoners at the facility work in wood and metal processing shops, manufacture furniture, sew clothes and do other kinds of work. They can also take part in educational, sport and cultural programs. Picture taken May 14, 2013. REUTERS/Ilya Naymushin (RUSSIA - Tags: CRIME LAW SOCIETY) ATTENTION EDITORS: PICTURE 4 OF 29 FOR PACKAGE 'INSIDE SIBERIA'S PRISONS' SEARCH 'ILYA PRISON' FOR ALL IMAGES

Life in a Siberian prison

A look inside a high-security prison camp outside Krasnoyarsk, Russia

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