2020 Candidates Weigh In On Church and State

On By Nikoel Hytrek

While there are strong protections for religious freedom in America, arguments about how religious freedom mixes with legislation has been a contentious topic for as long as the country has existed. When candidates make it to office, striking a balance between the two is a must, and an issue that has Constitutional connections. After all, the First Amendment says, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof…” So how do the candidates view that separation? How will they uphold it? How would they navigate a conflict between their religious beliefs and their […]

Delaney To Red County Democrats: You’re Not Alone

On By Nikoel Hytrek

With his week-long trek across Iowa during State Fair week, John Delaney is making efforts to reach out to rural voters in conservative areas. Today, Delaney and his Iowa team was in Pella, Iowa for an ambitious task: knock the door of every Democrat in town in one day. Even in a heavily-conservative town like Pella, that’s an undertaking. During his remarks, Delaney focused on solving problems with solutions that will work. “Real plans, not impossible promises,” he said. By coming to smaller towns in conservative areas of Iowa, Delaney said he wanted to reach voters everywhere because he’s running […]

Delaney Ties American Fitness To Health Care During RAGBRAI

On By Josh Cook

Rep. John Delaney jumped in on the RAGBRAI action today, taking off this morning from Indianola. After he concludes today’s ride, he’ll head to Indianapolis to speak at the National Urban League conference. Delaney is riding a rented Trek-bike today as he and his team make the ride. Because of time constraints, they won’t be going all the way from Indianola to Centerville. “In general, I think physical fitness is incredibly important,” Delaney said. “A lot of our health care costs are driven by people who are not doing the type of preventative care they should be.” But Delaney explained […]

The Policy Pushback On Medicare For All Begins In Earnest

On By Josh Cook

Health care discussions have proven to be a major flashpoint for the 2020 Democratic candidates, leading to unsure endorsements on the debate stage, redacting debate answers and nuanced hesitancy on Medicare for All. A majority of the candidates are now offering health care plans other than an immediate Medicare for All system, most choosing instead to support the position of developing a public option as sort of a test run at a larger single-payer care system. On Monday, AARP and the Des Moines Register kicked off a week full of candidate forums to discuss health care plans, combatting rising pharmaceutical […]

Trump Rethinks Refinery Waivers After Pushback From Farmers, Democrats

On By Josh Cook

Several reports late this week revealed that Donald Trump has ordered EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler and Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to reconsider their approach to small refinery ethanol waivers. President Trump was in Iowa earlier this month to celebrate the year-round sales of E15 and to fundraise for his reelection campaign, but received blowback from farmers about the high number of small refinery waivers being granted. His administration has continually allowed oil companies, even ones operating sizable refineries, to not mix ethanol into their fuel production, thus limiting demand for ethanol. While many corn farmers were excited about the […]

When Getting Booed Is The Strategy

On By Josh Cook

John Delaney and John Hickenlooper both took an interesting approach to the California Democratic Convention last weekend, receiving boos from the room in response to their stances on Medicare for All and “socialism.” Delaney and Hickenlooper are running on two of the more moderate platforms (for Democrats, anyway), especially in regard to healthcare policy. And while the booing isn’t helpful for their standing among key California activists, both candidates are aiming to convince the rest of the party that their centrist-leaning policies make them the better choice to win the general election. “You know, if we’re not careful, we’re going […]