Anxiety that built in Iowa over at least three decades crested during the pandemic and continues to needle the body politic. Inflation dropped like a stone to 3% while wages rose 4% in the latest report. The border is quiet for now. Russia is on its heels with Ukraine. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack just dropped $25 million on a new cattle slaughter facility in southwest Iowa. Farmers have made good money the past few years.
In Minnesota Pawlenty had eight years to destroy the infrastructure so that when Dayton took over his first term was choked by orange traffic cones as govt tried to fix everything at once with D's taking the heat for commuter disruptions that were years in the making.
Beating Reynolds is not enough. You need an IDP that's got its stuff together. Find out who was working there the last time Iowa elected a D to Congress and then see if you can rehire them. The IDP used to know what it was doing but then the DNC preempted them and started picking your candidates for you.
If you want Iowa to elect Democrats again, you need to fire the DNC and ban them from participating in Iowa politics. You can win without their money. Real candidates don't need to be showered with donations, they get their wins directly from the voters without myriad consultants getting commission on every media buy. /rant
Jul 19, 2023·edited Jul 20, 2023Liked by Art Cullen
Republicans hold a 63-36 majority in the Iowa House and a 34-16 majority in the Senate. Yet the breakdown of registered voters by party in Iowa is not so one-sided. Democratic Party: 658,191 (30.47%) Republican Party: 673,191 (31.16%) Third Party/Other: 17,882 (.83%) Unaffiliated: 811,138 (37.55%). Republicans only hold about a 15,000-vote edge in a state of more than 2 million registered voters and the biggest voter block is unaffiliated. So how does the GOP hold more than 60 percent of the seats in the Iowa Legislature, all the U.S. Congressional delegation seats and all but one of the elected state executive branch seats? One party clearly needs to do a better job or pack it in and move to Minnesota or Illinois. The Iowa Democratic Party needs to wipe the egg off its face about the 2020 caucus fiasco and pull its collective head out of its Golden Circle. Since Gov. Branstad defeated Gov. Culver in 2010, the IDP has run three consecutive nominees from Des Moines and they all lost. I'm sure they all were fine, accomplished individuals in their fields of endeavor, but unless you're a real politico, well, the Jethro's BBQ by Prairie Meadows had more statewide name recognition.
My neck of the woods is a rare Democrat stronghold and we've had a bit of turnover in our local Statehouse delegation. Several dropped out from frustration and fatigue. And one was treated rather dismissively by the state party for having the temerity to aspire to higher office from out here in hicksville - with thousands of unionized manufacturing workers and the town with the highest percentage Black population in the state.
In Minnesota Pawlenty had eight years to destroy the infrastructure so that when Dayton took over his first term was choked by orange traffic cones as govt tried to fix everything at once with D's taking the heat for commuter disruptions that were years in the making.
Beating Reynolds is not enough. You need an IDP that's got its stuff together. Find out who was working there the last time Iowa elected a D to Congress and then see if you can rehire them. The IDP used to know what it was doing but then the DNC preempted them and started picking your candidates for you.
If you want Iowa to elect Democrats again, you need to fire the DNC and ban them from participating in Iowa politics. You can win without their money. Real candidates don't need to be showered with donations, they get their wins directly from the voters without myriad consultants getting commission on every media buy. /rant
Republicans hold a 63-36 majority in the Iowa House and a 34-16 majority in the Senate. Yet the breakdown of registered voters by party in Iowa is not so one-sided. Democratic Party: 658,191 (30.47%) Republican Party: 673,191 (31.16%) Third Party/Other: 17,882 (.83%) Unaffiliated: 811,138 (37.55%). Republicans only hold about a 15,000-vote edge in a state of more than 2 million registered voters and the biggest voter block is unaffiliated. So how does the GOP hold more than 60 percent of the seats in the Iowa Legislature, all the U.S. Congressional delegation seats and all but one of the elected state executive branch seats? One party clearly needs to do a better job or pack it in and move to Minnesota or Illinois. The Iowa Democratic Party needs to wipe the egg off its face about the 2020 caucus fiasco and pull its collective head out of its Golden Circle. Since Gov. Branstad defeated Gov. Culver in 2010, the IDP has run three consecutive nominees from Des Moines and they all lost. I'm sure they all were fine, accomplished individuals in their fields of endeavor, but unless you're a real politico, well, the Jethro's BBQ by Prairie Meadows had more statewide name recognition.
My neck of the woods is a rare Democrat stronghold and we've had a bit of turnover in our local Statehouse delegation. Several dropped out from frustration and fatigue. And one was treated rather dismissively by the state party for having the temerity to aspire to higher office from out here in hicksville - with thousands of unionized manufacturing workers and the town with the highest percentage Black population in the state.
Hello?
NICE! Keep writing the truth and thanks. Linda Sturdevant
A sad sigh from this life-long Iowan . . .