September 2019
-
Ep112: New Rural Messaging Ideas, Sanders College Tour
Pat Rynard sits down to discuss this week’s Iowa Caucus happenings, and Josh Cook joins to talk about Congressman Ro Khanna’s help with a new tech jobs in Jefferson, Iowa, and how it could provide a new rural America messaging and policy approach for Democrats.
-
County GOP Leader Defends King’s “Supremacist” Remark
As state and federal party leaders desert Congressman Steve King, one Republican leader in the 4th District is a prime example of the constituents who never have wavered in their support. Mark Leonard, chairman of the Ida County Republicans, defended King in a recent article in The Atlantic centered on supporters of the House Republican.…
-
Iowan: “Private Health Insurance Is Great … Until You Get Sick”
Shortcomings of the health care industry in the United States have been exposed in the 2020 presidential election debate. For one Iowan, even paying into private insurance left her at risk of losing it all. “I am living out the pitfalls of employer-provided health care insurance,” said Robin Stone, a resident of Delaware County in…
-
2020 Candidates Pitch Sectoral Collective Bargaining To Bolster Unions
A few 2020 Democratic presidential candidates have proposed creating a sectoral collective bargaining system in the United States, or plan to rewrite the law forcing unions to negotiate solely with their employers. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, the self-proclaimed “most pro-worker member of the United States Congress,” Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, a former labor-side lawyer, and…
-
Iowa Senate Candidate Michael Franken Staffs Up
Michael Franken, a retired Navy admiral, Monday morning rolled out a list of staff and advisers for his bid for the U.S. Senate. Franken, originally of Sioux Center, in Northwest Iowa, is one of four Democrats challenging Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in 2020. This is Franken’s first run for public office, and political insiders have…
-
Housing Issues Rise In Importance, Urgency For Iowa Caucus
Photo: Julian Castro touring a trailer park in Waukee where rents spiked with local activists in June. Affordable housing as a political issue is taking the stage nationally during the 2020 Democratic presidential primary in a way it never has before. Experts say this election is the first time candidates are seriously discussing affordable housing…
-
Steve King’s Tin-Foil Conspiracy Theory With FBI, DOJ, CIA, State Dept.
Iowa Congressman Steve King has been sharing a mass conspiracy theory about why he thinks federal charges were never brought against former FBI Director James Comey or Hillary Clinton. It includes a cover-up that involves the State Department, the CIA, the FBI and the Department of Justice, with an end-goal of undermining Donald Trump’s presidency.…
-
Joe Biden Builds Out Iowa Field Army, Taps Old Relationships
Joe Biden is ramping up his Iowa ground game as the caucus race enters the final months and as his top Democratic opponents narrow the gap in the polls. The Biden campaign plans to have about 110 total staff in Iowa by the end of September, over 80 of which will be on the field…
-
Iowa Safe Schools Plans Anti-Bullying Conference
Bullying doesn’t look like kids being shoved into lockers or calling each other names anymore, and intervention isn’t about just about standing up to bullies in the hallway. Iowa Safe Schools knows that. Organizers there also know that children who identify as LGBTQ, or are perceived that way, report instances of bullying almost double that…
-
Ernst In April: “Heaven Forbid” We Change Social Security
Joni Ernst has made headlines recently for saying politicians should “sit down behind closed doors” in order to avoid scrutiny as they change Social Security policy, but it’s not the first time this year she’s made interesting comments on it. Ernst can be heard talking about Social Security in a video taken during a stop…
