2017
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Reynolds Admin Officials Lobbied Against 9/11 Victims For Saudi Arabia
There was an overwhelming amount of national and Iowa news this past week, from the Trump campaign indictments to Sam Clovis’ withdrawal from the USDA position to AmeriHealth Caritas leaving Iowa’s Medicaid system to the Texas church shooting. And then there was one story that surfaced this past Thursday from the Associated Press’ Ryan Foley…
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Wrong To Keep Muscatine Taxpayers In The Dark
One of the nastiest controversies in local government in Iowa in many years was the impeachment in May of Muscatine Mayor Diana Broderson by the city council. I’m not here to pass judgment on the council’s decision. That’s something Muscatine residents can do in the city election. But I do know this: City Administrator Gregg…
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Three Years From Joni Ernst’s Reelection, No Clear Dem Plan To Defeat Her
Just under three years from now, Senator Joni Ernst will face the voters of Iowa again in 2020. If you had to make a bet, most at this point would guess Ernst cruises to a reelection victory. Many rank-and-file Democrats enjoy mocking her and can’t fathom why she’d be popular, but most serious people realize…
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Windsor Heights Council Candidate’s Past, Social Media Posts Cause Concern
The municipal races for city council and mayor are fast approaching this Tuesday, with voters in Windsor Heights seeing a crowded field of candidates running. Nine people are running for the three at-large council seats. One in particular has been drawing criticism online for his past posts on social media, as well as a recent…
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Reynolds’ Budget Crisis Putting Iowa Penitentiary Staff At Risk
Escalating violence at the Iowa Department of Corrections’ (DOC) facilities are endangering both correctional officers as well as offenders. Reynolds’ budget crisis is driving Iowa correctional facilities to pack offenders together, stretching prisons beyond maximum capacity by nearly 14%. The Republican-controlled Legislature added to the chaos by cutting funding for DOC by $7.6 million from…
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Pour One Out For Sam Clovis. He Done.
Iowa’s Sam Clovis will not be the USDA’s top scientist. Clovis withdrew his name from consideration this morning after it was revealed earlier this week that he had encouraged Trump campaign staffers on their outreach efforts to Russian contacts. He still has a job in the administration as the senior adviser to the White House…
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How Voters In Rural Iowa Still See Trump In A Much Different Light
From Robert Leonard of Marion County I’m a political junkie. Every day I read The Washington Post and The New York Times, among other media giants, with great interest and appreciation. I understand and value the great writing, thoughtful analysis, logic and reasoning. And the fact checking. Especially the fact checking. Given that I live…
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Kim Reynolds Decries Lack Of Civility, Names Steve King Co-Chair Next Day
Why, oh why, is politics so nasty? That was Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ lament yesterday when she was pressed by reporters about why she said at her recent fundraiser, “The liberals are unhinged and they are out for us.” Her stated excuse for the highly-provocative line was that online commentators had attacked her grandchildren in…
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Tax Credits Run Amok: The Elephant In The Room
The Business Record described two projects that will receive the maximum of “brownfield” and “grayfield” Iowa Income Tax Credits. Brownfield credits are for sites that have “real or perceived environmental contamination” and Grayfield credits are for “vacant or blighted sites.” “A $40 million conversion of the 104-year-old Midland building at 206 Sixth Ave. from an…
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New Poll: Many Iowans Still Have No Opinion On Kim Reynolds
The political news site Morning Consult has their new round of gubernatorial polls out from all 50 states, and there’s good and bad news for Iowa’s Kim Reynolds. The poll found she had 45% job approval, 27% disapproval, with another 30% listed as Don’t Know/No Opinion (that, uh, adds up to 102%, so I’m guessing…
