2018
-
A Democratic Iowa House Majority (Part 2): Eastern Iowa Suburbs
For the second in our series of in-depth looks at where the key Iowa House battlegrounds stand for November, we turn to suburban districts in the eastern part of the state. Iowa has seen similar trends to other parts of the country where suburban voters, who are typically college-educated and have higher incomes, are moving…
-
Ep55: Interview With Senator Jeff Merkley
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard interviews Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon about his thought process on running for president, what he thinks the country can learn from his former colleague John McCain and where all we stand on the President’s family separation policy that Merkley helped expose.
-
For Cleaner Water And Healthier Soil, Vote Fred Hubbell
There are certainly many critical issues for voters to consider when choosing between the two Iowa gubernatorial candidates. Iowa’s deteriorating soil health and dangerously impaired water quality should rate near the top in factoring into voters’ decisions about choosing the state’s next governor. Many voters now getting to know Fred Hubbell may not be aware…
-
A Democratic Iowa House Majority (Part 1): Des Moines Suburbs
For many Iowa Democrats, retaking the Iowa House majority is the top priority this year second only to the governor’s race. And if Governor Kim Reynolds is able to hold on to Terrace Hill, controlling one of the legislative chambers will be essential to halting Iowa’s descent into red-state status and further far-right policies. To…
-
How Not To Deal With The Press, A Rod Blum Example
Congressman Rod Blum does not seem to like reporters. Like, he really, really does not like them. At least that’s the case for two Iowa reporters that Blum has clearly built up a hatred for after they asked him tough questions or ran investigative stories on his businesses. He lashed out at both this week,…
-
Ep54: Post-Labor Day Phase For Legislative Races
Iowa Starting Line Podcast host Pat Rynard talks with Greg Hauenstein about how state legislative campaigns change after Labor Day, whether the many independent candidates on the ballot will affect any congressional race, and what the Polk County Democrats’ Steak Fry speaker line-up looks like.
-
Republicans Should Reflect On McCain’s Life, Reevaluate Their Path
Senator McCain’s nickname as a maverick referred to his history of bipartisanship and putting country before party. His very visible friendships with former Democratic Senators Joe Biden, John Kerry, Russ Feingold, Joe Lieberman and the late Ted Kennedy have become the exception for most Republicans. The loss of Republican bipartisanship has lead to the deepening…
-
Will Governor’s Race Come Down To Medicaid Or Younkers?
When Iowans enter the voting booth in November, which will weigh more heavily on their mind: Younkers or Medicaid? That seems to be what the race for governor is boiling down to at this point as Governor Kim Reynolds and Fred Hubbell are now months into their TV ad campaigns. Reynolds hopes to turn Hubbell’s…
-
Neo-Nazi Robocall Hits Iowa On Tibbetts’ Murder: “Kill Them All.”
A white supremacist group appears to be running robocalls in Iowa over the Mollie Tibbetts murder. A Starting Line reader in the Des Moines area sent in a recording of a robocall that they received Tuesday evening around 8:00 PM. In the recording, a group called The Road To Power claims responsibility for the message…
-
Republicans Bash Immigrants, But Can’t Survive Without Them
Iowa Republicans latest attacks on immigrants have their agricultural constituents worried about losing their critical workforce. Following the tragic murder of Mollie Tibbitts, Republicans from Trump on down saw an opportunity to attack Democrats on the issue of a broken immigration system. Trump immediately blamed Tibbetts murder by an undocumented immigrant on Democrats. “Democrat immigration…
