June 2018
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The Whirlpool/Maytag Deal Has Foreign-Trade Lessons
Whirlpool’s $1.7 billion acquisition of Maytag, a storied Iowa brand of home appliances, offers a fascinating window into international trade and tariffs. At the time of the 2006 deal, Whirlpool was the largest appliance maker in the United States. Maytag was its biggest competitor. Together, they built about half of all washing machines sold in…
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Tariffs Aren’t As Simple As Trump Believes
The school year is finished, but whether we like it or not, Iowans have been sent to summer school this year. The subject for our summer education: the economics of foreign trade and tariffs. Professor Donald Trump assured us this would be really simple to master and wouldn’t take very long. But Iowa farmers and…
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A Rural Radio Reporter’s Tips For Messaging To Small Town Voters
Robert Leonard recently spoke with the Polk County Democrats about his experience with reporting about rural Iowa. An occasional New York Times contributor, Leonard explains how candidates of either party should better reach out to local press. Now that the Iowa state party conventions are over, the next stage of campaigning for elective office begins. Congratulations…
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Prediction: You’re Going To Love Rita Hart
Fred Hubbell could not have made a better pick for his running mate. That’s just my opinion, of course, but I think it will become yours as well once you get to know Rita Hart. I first met Rita when I was the field director for the Senate Democrats in 2012. That was her first…
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How The Rita Hart Pick Impacts The Senate Map
With Rita Hart joining Fred Hubbell on Democrats’ statewide ticket, Hart’s Senate District 49 now becomes an open seat for the party. And while this used to be a district with a decent Democratic lean thanks to the city of Clinton’s working-class base, Donald Trump carried it 51% to 42% in 2016. Hart was still…
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Hubbell Picks Rita Hart, Democrats’ Best Messenger For The Rural Vote
For his running mate pick, Fred Hubbell has looked east to rural Wheatland, Iowa, population 764. State Senator Rita Hart will be officially introduced as Democrats’ Lt. Governor nominee at the state party convention today. The Hubbell campaign announced the choice first thing this morning. Hart’s selection puts one of the party’s most credible rural…
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Some Negotiating. Kim Jong Un Gets Exactly What He Wanted
It appears that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un got exactly what his father and grandfather never could. President Trump elevated Kim, North Korea’s ruthless dictator, to a position on the world stage equivalent to the President of the United States. Posing in front of equal numbers of matched U.S. and North Korean flags gave…
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A Clue To Fred Hubbell’s Lt. Governor Short List?
Fred Hubbell is slated to officially announce his pick for his Lt. Governor running mate at Iowa Democrats’ state convention this Saturday. It’s the last piece of business for the statewide Democratic ticket, and speculation about who Hubbell may choose is running rampant in various political circles. And there may be one clue sitting online…
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Please, No Poison Pills In This Year’s Party Platform
This coming Saturday, June 16, the Iowa Democratic Party (IDP) State Convention will ratify the 2018 platform. The draft platform represents balanced progressive Democratic positions on hundreds of issues hammered out by hundreds of activists over several weeks. It’s critical that the convention retain that balance and prevent the insertion of any extremist poison pills.…
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Ep38: Primary Results Aftermath & L.G. Speculation
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard discusses the aftermath of the Iowa primary, including optimism for the exciting Democratic ticket, who Fred Hubbell may pick for Lt. Governor and what Starting Line will be up to during the next two weeks.
