2017
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What Mike Carberry Could Bring To A Gubernatorial Race
Mike Carberry, a Johnson County Supervisor, said in a recent interview he was considering beginning an exploratory committee in a run for Governor. That admission sounds like he could be persuaded to run if he received sufficient encouragement. He said his interest in running is growing as a result of the prodding by others, most…
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You Did This: Democrats Pumped After Big Win On Obamacare
Democrats and their grassroots supporters’ victory at blocking the Republicans’ Obamacare repeal provides a much-needed boost to morale. Since the election, national Republicans have been riding a wave of enthusiasm as they anticipated turning back the clock on everything Obama. Democrats needed a win and this is a giant one. The odds of saving Obama’s…
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Omaha, Please Elect Richie Rich So Des Moines Can Get An NFL Team
In the race to be the next economic powerhouse city of the Midwest, the future winner will be crowned by one decisive factor: whether Omaha or Des Moines lands an NFL team. Wait, what? That’s emerged as a key issue for Omaha’s increasingly ridiculous mayoral race, or at least for its most colorful candidate. Taylor Royal, a Donald…
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The State Of Iowa Democrats’ Gubernatorial Primary
After some quiet early months following the 2016 elections, the Democratic field to take on Kim Reynolds (or maybe Ron Corbett) is quickly taking shape. Last week Representative Todd Prichard officially launched an exploratory committee for governor and appears to be all-in. Senator Nate Boulton spoke at Scott County Democrats’ annual fundraiser this weekend and…
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Oops: Group Runs Ad Thanking David Young For Vote That Didn’t Happen
Central Iowa viewers watching the NCAA tournament last night may have been a wee bit confused when they saw a TV ad congratulating David Young for a vote he didn’t take on a bill he didn’t support. Deadspin found the humorous mixup made by the conservative American Action Network PAC, which somehow ran a number of ads…
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Another Mess: Branstad And Reynolds Are Bankrupting Iowa
By the time Terry Branstad leaves for China, Iowa’s treasury may be as empty as his many campaign promises about fiscal responsibility. And Kim Reynolds is about to take on both the political responsibility and near-impossible governing responsibility of cleaning up her and her current boss’ huge mess. The Des Moines Register reported late Friday…
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An Iowa Lesson On Diplomacy For President Trump
A few years ago, I was having lunch with Kenneth Quinn, who is president of the World Food Prize in Des Moines. We weren’t talking about food production, at least not directly. Quinn had me on the edge of my seat with his riveting description of an evening back in 1997 when he and his…
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Round 2: Kim Weaver’s Fundraising Against King A Game-Changer?
It’s hard to imagine anything positive resulting from Congressman Steve King’s latest anti-immigrant rants and tweets. However, there may be one silver lining to the dark and ugly racist cloud surrounding King: donations are pouring in to Kim Weaver, encouraging her to run against King again in 2018. Weaver challenged King in 2016, but failed…
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Blum And Young Should Work In Bipartisan Way On Healthcare Fix
Guest post from Austin Haywood of Adel, Iowa Republicans in Congress are making a fatal mistake when it comes to passing a bill that repeals and replaces the Affordable Care Act. By keeping details of the bill secret from everyone, including Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Republicans are setting up their bill…
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What Starting Line Has Accomplished – And Why You Should Help
In the age of Donald Trump, an independent media that holds our elected officials accountable is more important than ever. This is especially true in Iowa, where the new Republican majorities have rammed through an extreme right-wing agenda that brings something new and disastrous seemingly every single day to the Statehouse. Fortunately for those of us…
