Paul Elliott Dahl announced his candidacy for Iowa’s fourth Congressional district yesterday, describing himself as “a progressive populist wanting to serve Democrats, Independents, and Republicans in the United States House of Representatives with integrity, industry, and innovation.” A resident of Webster City, Dahl is a transit bus driver in Hamilton County. His previous work experience includes some adjunct teaching and fifteen years as either a librarian or library director. He promised to focus his Congressional campaign on seven issues: agriculture, campaign finance reform, education, environment, government spending, health care, and Social Security.
In the past month, J.D. Scholten and Leann Jacobsen launched their own campaigns against Representative Steve King. I asked Dahl about any previous election experience or Democratic Party activism, as well as why he decided to run for Congress, rather than for some other office where there aren’t already two Democrats running. (Dahl lives in Iowa House district 48, represented by Republican Rob Bacon.)
He replied via e-mail that he sought the Democratic nomination in what was then Iowa’s fifth Congressional district in 1994, when he was living in Humboldt County and working as a United Methodist pastor. He grew up in Black Hawk County, where his father was a United Auto Workers official and “quite active in Democratic politics.” Dahl sees himself having a fundraising advantage over the competition, since the counties where he has lived have a larger combined population than the counties where Jacobsen and Scholten are now based.
Ties to larger-population counties don’t automatically translate into campaign contributions. I would be surprised if Dahl is competitive with the other Democrats running against King on this front. Scholten has connections through sports all over the fourth district, and former candidate Kim Weaver has helped him raise money through her large e-mail list of supporters. Jacobsen has extensive business experience and is a past president of Technology Association Iowa. We’ll see when the campaigns file their third-quarter financial reports with the Federal Election Commission in October.
I’ve posted more background on Dahl below. You can find his campaign on the web at Dahlforthehouse.net, or on Facebook.
UPDATE: I didn’t remember that Dahl ran for governor in 2013, and he didn’t mention that short-lived campaign. John Deeth wrote about it at the time. Dahl didn’t qualify for the 2014 primary ballot.
Paul Dahl campaign announcement, August 21:
King Will Meet His Waterloo
Field of Dreams is one of my favorite movies since it not only was filmed on location in Iowa, but it also featured two of my favorite actors—Burt Lancaster and James Earl Jones—as key characters. Ray Kinsella, the farmer building a baseball field after plowing under his corn crop, finds the author Terence Mann (played by Jones) in Boston due to the predictive power of Mann’s pen. The words resound with meaning for Ray as he repeats them: “There comes a time when all the cosmic tumblers have clicked into place –and the universe opens itself up for a few seconds to show you what’s possible.”
We are all witnesses today to the power of the universe as we see the cosmic tumblers click into place with the solar eclipse occurring today.
Our country is also in need of the political tumblers clicking into place in making us aware that the middle class must grow significantly in size and take its rightful place as the engine of economic growth for America. We presently have a political system where the rule of the rich—a oligarchy or the 1%–take more than their fair share of the wealth. They also control the political system by funding the re- election of politicians via a massive system of corporate contributions to incumbent candidates. The sad fact that more millionaires are in Congress than ever before shows us that the system is skewed and in need of recalibration. The philosopher Aristotle reminds us that “the most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control and outnumbers both of the other classes.” More middle class members of Congress are definitely needed. The purchasing power of a larger middle class will have positive results in driving productive investment.
It is my firm commitment to increase the size of the middle class if I am elected. I also want to harness the power of government in helping making sure that all Americans have a seat at the banquet table of life. We definitely need public servants that have the right mix of education, energy, ethics, and experience in working to improve the quality of life for all Americans. We need political leaders that share power rather than seeking to possess it to the exclusion of others.
I am person that excels in working behind the scenes to effect positive change. I will also do the necessary work in coming to the best position on public policy. I do not seek out the limelight to gain publicity for myself. I abhor politicians that want publicity—no matter if positive or negative in nature—to bring attention to themselves. It is high time that the Iowans of the Fourth District retire Mr. King from office and replace him with a Representative that serves Democrats, Independents, and Republicans in equal measure. I announce my candidacy for the Fourth District seat today.
I was born in Waterloo back in the year of 1964. My father worked for 37 years with John Deere. I will have developed my gifts and graces for 37 years once I celebrate a birthday in September. I will fully outline the Significant Seven issues of my run for Congress in greater detail. The seven are:
Agriculture
Campaign Finance Reform
Education
Environment
Government Spending
Healthcare
Social Security
I conclude my announcement by challenging the other Democratic candidates to at least 12 debates. Let’s have debates in Algona, Ames, Carroll, Fort Dodge, Harlan, Mason City, Sioux Center, Sioux City, Spencer, and Storm Lake. Iowa Public Television and Iowa Public Radio should also both host a debate.
Let’s separate the pretenders from the contenders. I am looking forward to earning the win.
Excerpts from the “about” page on Dahl for the U.S. House:
Education
Paul’s education as an adult has prepared him well for the duties in the U.S. House of Representatives. Having a B. A. degree from the University of Northern Iowa in General Social Science Teaching provided him an interdisciplinary course of study by immersing him in the fields of economics, geography, history, political science, and sociology. Paul graduated Magna Cum Laude from UNI with 161 credit hours in 4 years of study with one of those years being at The University of Wyoming on National Student Exchange. Garnering a Master of Divinity degree in Parish Ministry from The Iliff School of Theology (Denver, Colorado), Paul wrestled with the theological questions present in a diverse American society and subsequently developed a foundational ethics guiding him through life. Lastly, receiving a Masters of Arts degree in Library and Information Science from the University of Iowa gave Paul the research skills to find accurate, timely information from sophisticated databases and also the ability to effectively synthesize a sound position from divergent source material. These information seeking and retrieval abilities will serve him well in Congress.
Employment Experience
Paul’s employment experience as a former pastor in a yoked church of 4 towns in Humboldt County; an educator in healthcare settings and teaching an introductory ethics course at a community college; and as librarian/library director for over 15 years at Allen College/Allen Hospital in Waterloo, the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, and the Minnesota Department of Health in St. Paul have allowed him to see some of the public policy problems needing remedies in both rural and urban communities. Paul also has been a member of two labor unions as an adult with the Iowa State Education Association and the Middle Management Association in Minnesota. Paul presently drives a transit bus for MIDAS in Hamilton County so he understands the challenges that a transit system has in serving the public
Ethics
It is imperative that a member of Congress be aware of corrupting influences and ethical pitfalls that may divert one from the steady and sure path of excellence in public service. Being ethical by walking the talk each and every day is important in effectively carrying out one’s duties and responsibilities. Some of the leaders positively impacting Paul with ethical life striving include Jesus Christ, Mohandas Gandhi, Rachel Carson, Benjamin Franklin, Aldo Leopold, Abraham Lincoln, Lao Tzu, Wendell Berry, John Kenneth Galbraith, Thomas Jefferson, Malcolm X, C. Wright Mills, John Maynard Keynes, H. Richard Niebuhr, Viktor Frankl, John Wesley, Albert Einstein, Franklin Roosevelt, Martin Luther King, Jr., Socrates, and Paul Wellstone.
President Donald Trump has officially nominated Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey to a senior position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. In another sign of this administration’s lack of basic competence, the USDA’s news release says Northey will be Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation, while the statement from the White House says he will be Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services. (See excerpts enclosed below, along with Northey’s official biography.)
Either way, U.S. Senate confirmation should be smooth sailing, clearing a path for Governor Kim Reynolds to appoint a new secretary of agriculture later this year or in early 2018. The appointee would presumably be a prohibitive favorite for the Republican nomination next spring.
This thread is for any speculation about successors to Northey. A few months ago, I thought State Representative Pat Grassley was a lock for the job. He was seen as a likely candidate for secretary of agriculture in 2014 or 2018, had Northey run for higher office. His grandfather, Senator Chuck Grassley, is co-chairing the Reynolds campaign for governor.
And yet: ever since Pat Grassley tweeted last week that he was “not convinced” a state tax incentives package worth $400,000 per long-term job created by Apple was “good value for Iowa taxpayers,” I’ve been wondering whether he and the governor had a falling out. Perhaps word reached him that Reynolds is leaning toward someone else for secretary of agriculture. The governor has been talking up the Apple deal as a major accomplishment. Her chief of staff, Jake Ketzner, is not known for showing tolerance toward Republicans who criticize or question his boss.
Iowa Democrats do not have a declared 2018 candidate for secretary of agriculture yet. Northey narrowly defeated Denise O’Brien in his first statewide election, then won his second and third terms by comfortable majorities.
William Northey of Iowa to be Under Secretary for Farm and Foreign Agricultural Services.
Mr. Northey is a 4th generation farmer from Spirit Lake, Iowa and is currently serving his 3rd term as Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Under Mr. Northey’s leadership, the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship has promoted science and new technologies to better care for our air, soil, and water and focused on telling the story of agriculture. Mr. Northey is a past-president of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture and serves as co-chair of the Gulf of Mexico Hypoxia Task Force. Mr. Northey served as President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association from 1995 to 1996. He served on the Iowa U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency State Committee and as a Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner. Mr. Northey graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Agricultural Business and received a B.A. from Southwest Minnesota State University. Mr. Northey and his wife Cindy have 3 grown daughters and 5 grandchildren.
Excerpts from a USDA press release:
Perdue Applauds President Trump’s Selections for Key USDA Posts
(Washington, D.C., September 1, 2017) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today applauded President Donald J. Trump’s selection of three individuals for key positions within the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The president announced Gregory Ibach as Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs (MRP), Bill Northey as Under Secretary for Farm Production and Conservation (FPAC), and Stephen Vaden as USDA’s General Counsel.
The Under Secretary for MRP oversees three critical USDA agencies: the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service; the Agricultural Marketing Service; and the Grain Inspection, Packers, and Stockyards Administration. The Under Secretary for FPAC oversees three critical USDA agencies: the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Risk Management Agency.
“I look forward to the confirmations of Greg Ibach, Bill Northey, and Stephen Vaden, and urge the Senate to take up their nominations as quickly as possible,” Perdue said. “This is especially important given the challenges USDA will face in helping Texans and Louisianans recover from the devastation of Hurricane Harvey.”
Regarding the individual selections, Perdue issued the following statements: […]
On Bill Northey:
“Bill Northey will continue his honorable record of public service in leading FPAC. Having served the people of Iowa for the last ten years as their Secretary of Agriculture, and as a fourth generation corn and soybean farmer, Bill has a unique understanding of issues facing farmers across the nation. He will be an invaluable member of the team.” […]
Official bio of Northey from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship:
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is a fourth-generation Iowa farmer that grows corn and soybeans on his farm near Spirit Lake. He started farming with his grandfather, Sid Northey, after graduating from Iowa State University in 1981.
The people of Iowa elected Northey to be Secretary of Agriculture in November of 2006 and he was sworn in on January 2, 2007. Northey ran on a platform of expanding opportunities in renewable energy, promoting conservation and stewardship, and telling the story of Iowa agriculture.
As Secretary, Northey has committed to traveling to each of Iowa’s 99 counties to hear from farmers and rural residents with a stake in the future of agriculture. These meetings allow him to listen to their needs and better lead the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship as it seeks to serve the people of the state.
On his farm, Northey uses reduced tillage, GPS and grid soil sampling. Besides raising corn and soybeans, the Northey farm has grown alfalfa and raised hogs and cattle throughout the years.
Throughout his career in agriculture, Northey has been a leader in a variety of farm groups. From 1995-96, he served as President of the National Corn Growers Association and was Chairman of the group in 1996-97. He has led a number of Committees for the Corn Growers, as well.
Following in the footsteps of his grandfather E. Howard Hill, who served as president from 1947 – 1963, Northey has also been active in Iowa Farm Bureau. He was named a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee in 2006 and has served in a number of Farm Bureau offices at the county and state level, including serving as President, Vice President and committee chairman of the Dickinson County Farm Bureau.
Northey has also served on the Iowa USDA Farm Service Agency State Committee, was a Dickinson County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner and was a board member of Ag Ventures Alliance.
As a result of his involvement in these organizations, Northey has traveled around the world to view agriculture. He has traveled to Taiwan, Japan (five times), Indonesia and Singapore (to the WTO Secretariat) representing Iowa farmers. He has also traveled to another 17 countries spending time studying agriculture production and policy.
He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in Agricultural Business in 1981 and was a member of FarmHouse Fraternity, serving as its President his senior year.
Governor Kim Reynolds is considering at least four Republican farmers–all current or former state lawmakers– to replace Bill Northey as Iowa secretary of agriculture, James Q. Lynch reported for the Cedar Rapids Gazette today. In addition to State Representative Pat Grassley and former State Representative Annette Sweeney, whom Bleeding Heartland discussed here, State Senators Dan Zumbach and Tim Kapucian are in the running, according to Lynch’s story.
“I’ve had a couple conversations with governor about it,” Zumbach, 56, said Wednesday between meetings on housing development and soybean production. “I’d certainly be available and honored” if appointed to fill out Northey’s term that runs through early 2019. The position will be on the statewide ballot in 2018.
Zumbach, whose “heart, soul and passion has always been in agriculture,” said serving as state secretary of agriculture would be an “opportunity to share my lifetime of experience to guide Iowa agriculture in a good direction.”
Zumbach chairs the Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee, having previously served as its ranking Republican. Kapucian, who has long served on the Senate Agriculture committee, “could not immediately be reached for comment” by Lynch. As the top Republican on the chamber’s Transportation Committee, he was a strong voice for raising the gasoline tax in order to fund better maintenance of farm-to-market roads. Grassley and Sweeney are both former leaders of the Iowa House Agriculture Committee and confirmed their interest in Northey’s job to Lynch.
Iowa law gives Reynolds the authority to fill Northey’s current position after he resigns upon confirmation to a senior U.S. Department of Agriculture post. The person she selects will be heavily favored–if challenged at all–in next year’s GOP primary for secretary of agriculture.
Choosing a relatively low-profile lawmaker like Zumbach or Kapucian would allow the governor to avoid taking sides between Republican power-broker Bruce Rastetter (a major donor to Reynolds and decades-long friend of Sweeney’s) and Senator Chuck Grassley (Pat Grassley’s grandfather). The downside for Reynolds: that path could anger both Rastetter and the elder Grassley.
UPDATE: Jason Noble reported for the Des Moines Register on the possible secretary of agriculture candidates on September 13, after Senator Grassley confirmed during a conference call that he supports his grandson for the job.
In interviews Wednesday [September 13], Iowa Farm Bureau President Craig Hill and state Sen. Tim Kapucian, R-Keystone, each said they’re aware of a half-dozen or more people across the state who have publicly or privately signaled interest in succeeding Northey.
That includes Grassley but also state Sen. Dan Zumbach, R-Ryan, Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, former Farm Bureau and Iowa Board of Regents President Craig Lang, and American Soybean Association Chairman Ray Gaesser, among others.
Reached on Wednesday, Zumbach confirmed his interest and said he has reached out to Reynolds. If appointed to replace Northey, he said he would run for a full term in November, but would not otherwise challenge a Reynolds appointee.
“If the governor chooses someone that she feels is the best person or that job, I would respect her decision,” he said.
Kapucian said he is not actively seeking the office, but would be receptive if the governor reached out to him.
Noble’s story did not mention Sweeney.
Appointing Deputy Secretary Naig would leave the GOP primary race in 2018 wide open. It would also antagonize Pat Grassley, who as Iowa House Appropriations Committee chair could make trouble for Reynolds when state lawmakers debate tax reform and the budget for fiscal year 2019.
Cathy Glasson became the seventh declared Democratic candidate for governor this week, emphasizing her commitment to a $15 minimum wage, expanded workers’ rights, single-payer health care, and stronger efforts to clean up Iowa waterways. A nurse and president of SEIU Local 199, Glasson hired staff months ago and has kept up a busy schedule while exploring the race, speaking at or attending more than 100 events around the state. Bleeding Heartland covered two versions of her stump speech here and here.
I enclose below news from Glasson’s rollout, including endorsements from Iowa environmental activists and the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. You can keep up with Glasson through her campaign’s website, Twitter feed, or Facebook page.
The field of Democratic challengers to Governor Kim Reynolds is likely complete. In alphabetical order, the other candidates are:
Announcing her candidacy on September 19 in Cedar Rapids, Glasson focused on the same “bold, progressive agenda” that has dominated her stump speeches. The full text is near the end of this post. Key promises:
I’m all in for a better future for Iowa.
I’m all in for a $15 minimum wage.
I’m all in for a universal single-payer health care system.
I’m all in for restoring collective bargaining rights for public employees and making it easier for all Iowans to join unions or employee associations at their jobs.
I’m all in for full funding of our k-12 education system, free community college and affordable university tuition.
I’m all in for cleaning up our water and building up our family farms.
I’m all in for lowering barriers to democracy in our state and making it easier for all eligible Iowans to vote. […]
We’re fighting for an Iowa that cares about all its people again. That realizes when any of us are left behind none of us can really move forward.
We’re fighting the half-measures and the empty political promises of the past.
A video released the same day featured twelve Iowans who have been affected by low wages, profit-driven health care, the closure of Planned Parenthood clinics, or water pollution.
NEW ENVIRONMENTAL GOALS AND ENDORSEMENTS
Glasson’s been talking about Iowa’s dirty water problem in her stump speech for months. She fleshed out her environmental proposals during a September 20 event at the state Capitol: a moratorium on new “factory farms” (confined animal feeding operations or CAFOs), policies to make “polluters pay for the damage they do,” and moving the state “towards a 100 percent clean energy economy.”
“It’s time to end the stranglehold of big agriculture and big oil on the Governor’s office in Iowa […] It’s time for independent family farmers, experts on clean energy and the Iowans impacted by corporate pollution to have a seat at the table. There is no rural versus urban divide when it comes to dirty water.”
Four people well-known in Iowa environmental circles joined Glasson at the Capitol and are serving on her “farming & environmental activist council”:
• Johnson County Supervisor Mike Carberry considered running for governor himself earlier this year. In his statement endorsing Glasson (enclosed at the end of this post), Carberry praised her for “having a conversation with Iowans about the issues that are most important and that can’t be ignored. […] She has focused with passion on the issues that matter most to Iowans,” such as “Medicare for All” at a statewide level and free community college tuition. Having lobbied for or been actively involved in a number of Iowa environmental organizations over the years, Carberry also noted Glasson’s support for renewable energy and opposition to the the Dakota Access (Bakken) pipeline.
• Barb Kalbach is a farmer, nurse, and former Iowa CCI board chair. She waged a quixotic campaign to be nominated as lieutenant governor in 2010 to “represent the progressive, grassroots base of the Democratic Party who feels the issues that they have put forward have been ignored at the state level.” Kalbach is currently president of the Iowa CCI Action Fund, which advocates for single-payer health care, a $15 minimum wage indexed to inflation, and a moratorium on factory farms.
Note: CCI Action has not endorsed a candidate for governor. The group interviewed Boulton, Glasson, Neiderbach, and Norris, and posted those videos here.
To my knowledge, only two other Democratic candidates for governor have advocated specific changes to state policy on CAFOs. Neiderbach also believes polluters should pay for water and soil conservation programs. He told me this week,
Absolutely [I] support a moratorium on new or expanded CAFOs until major progress is made on cleaning up our impaired waterways (lakes, streams, and rivers). What’s different is I’ll fight for a State bank to offer loans with favorable terms to smaller livestock producers who want to use new technology to reduce pollution. I also support making the Nutrient Reduction Strategy mandatory and establishing goals and timetables for reducing water pollution.
Norris has called for restoring county zoning authority over agricultural operations, banned by state law since 1995. At the Poweshiek Democrats picnic in Grinnell on August 27, he told me “we need to redo the master matrix” the Iowa Department of Natural Resources uses to evaluate permit applications, so a proposed CAFO has to “score in every category at an acceptable level.” Norris would pause approvals of CAFOs while a new master matrix is developed. That state policy would be “the floor” for large farm operations; counties could set higher environmental standards.
FIRST NATIONAL ENDORSEMENT
The Progressive Change Campaign Committee became the first national organization to endorse Glasson on September 21. The group’s co-founder Stephanie Taylor called Glasson “an authentic, gut-level economic populist who is on the side of working people” and “one of the top bold progressives running for governor this cycle.”
As one of the first gubernatorial candidates to campaign on Medicare for All, Cathy is the model for all 2018 candidates. By showing Democrats how popular Medicare for All is in Iowa, Cathy is helping make the issue the consensus position for the party in 2018 and 2020.”
PCCC sent a fundraising message for Glasson to the one million people on its e-mail list and has been promoting her on its social media feeds.
In terms of grassroots support, Glasson will find more valuable assistance from members of Iowa CCI and the Iowa Democratic Party’s Progressive Caucus. To coincide with the official campaign launch on Tuesday, volunteers knocked on doors for Glasson during the after-work hours in eight cities: Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Sioux City, Des Moines, Waterloo, Davenport, Ames and Burlington.
Any comments about the governor’s race are welcome in this thread.
UPDATE: On September 22, Glasson spoke at a rally in Iowa City, where U.S. Senator Joni Ernst was holding a town hall. Action Iowa, Indivisible Iowa, Planned Parenthood Voters of Iowa, Americans for Democratic Action Iowa, Hawkeyes for DREAM Iowa, and Student Advocates for Planned Parenthood organized that event. From a Glasson campaign news release:
“Governor Reynolds is encouraging our U.S. Senators to support a plan that will mean 172,000 Iowans lose their healthcare,” Glasson told assembled activists. “The loss to Iowa in federal health care funds will be $2.3 billion dollars. Premiums will increase by $4,500 per year for the average Iowan. How can the Governor of Iowa possibly think this is a good idea? How can our U.S. Senator Joni Ernst think this is right for Iowans?”
Glasson said she’s spoken to too many Iowans who can’t afford the care they need and seen what happens on the frontlines as an ICU nurse. “I’ve seen it in the intensive care unit— people who are just one emergency away from being wiped out, “ she stated. “I believe we need Medicare for All. If corporate lobbyists, insiders and sell-out politicians won’t do the right thing in Washington, then we have to lead the way here in Iowa and pass our own version of single-payer universal healthcare care at the state level—everyone in, no one left out.”
Glasson also called on Ernst and other U.S. Senators to stand up and protect America’s Dreamers, undocumented young immigrants. “Every Iowan deserves to pursue their dreams and live their life to their full potential,” she stated. “We must fight back against the attack on Dreamers. To threaten their future by taking away their DACA status—to pull the rug out from under 800,000 young people who are working, going to school, serving in the military and as first responders—is wrong.”
Full text of Glasson’s September 19 speech in Cedar Rapids:
“Thank you Lindsey and Damien for telling your stories. And thanks to everyone I’ve met across Iowa these last few months for sharing your hopes and dreams for your families and our state.
How it’s going Cedar Rapids? What an honor to be here with you to enter this next phase of our campaign for a bold, progressive Iowa.
I want to give a shout out to the folks who are watching as we stream this live around the state. We have volunteers who are getting ready to head out in eight cities around Iowa today to build our bold, progressive movement.
They’re getting ready to hit the streets in Davenport and talk to their neighbors about our movement.
They’re watching in Ames and grabbing their clipboards. They’re ready to make a change.
Folks are getting together in Burlington… in Sioux City…Waterloo… Iowa City and over in Des Moines–people joining our movement–they’re watching us and getting ready too.
Hundreds of people across Iowa are getting ready to take action this afternoon. At five o’clock on a Tuesday in September–14 months before the election! Remember this day… Because it’s the day we chose a new future for Iowa. So, who are these folks? What is this movement?
They’re students, retirees, fast food workers, stonemasons. They’re custodians and nurses, electricians and teachers. Farmers and hospital workers.
Childcare workers. Moms and Dads.
And you know what they all have in common? I’ll tell you what: They’re sick and tired.
They’re tired of working two and three jobs and still struggling to pay their bills or to be able to save any money for the future.
They’re tired of watching big, high-profit corporations like Apple get millions in handouts from the Governor while their families get crumbs.
They’re tired of seeing corporate lobbyists and CEOs call the shots in Des Moines when working people like them can’t even get a seat at the table.
They’re sick and tired of a health care system that puts profits for insurance companies, profits for pharmaceutical companies and profits for big hospitals first, but puts care and patients dead last every single time.
They’re sick and tired of politicians who say they care about a better future for working people but who pass laws to actually lower our pay and take away our unions.
And they’re sick of dirty water in our state– waterways that literally make Iowans sick.
They’re sick of factory farms and corporate agriculture having a stranglehold on the Governor’s office.
They’re tired of tuition in our public universities going up and our state’s investment in K-12 schools and higher education going down.
And they’re sick and tired of a Governor and a Legislature who can’t seem to do one of the most important things they are there to do: raise Iowa’s pay and improve Iowans’ standard of living.
So today, we’re hitting the streets. We’re ready to rise up for a change.
And, today, I’m here to tell you, after listening and learning, after traveling thousands of miles all summer exploring a candidacy, from Dubuque to Moravia, from Milford to Keokuk, today, I’m officially announcing that I am a candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Iowa.
I’m all in for a better future for Iowa.
I’m all in for a $15 minimum wage.
I’m all in for a universal single-payer health care system.
I’m all in for restoring collective bargaining rights for public employees and making it easier for all Iowans to join unions or employee associations at their jobs.
I’m all in for full funding of our k-12 education system, free community college and affordable university tuition.
I’m all in for cleaning up our water and building up our family farms.
I’m all in for lowering barriers to democracy in our state and making it easier for all eligible Iowans to vote.
Do you think it’s going to be easy? The odds are stacked against us.
When people stand up to the status quo, when citizens demand their fair share, when we take on the bosses and the billionaires, the politicians aren’t just going to roll over.
The corporations aren’t just going to get out of the way.
They’ll fight tooth and nail to keep their power.
But I have to tell you, I think this year in Iowa they’ve met their match— in YOU. In OUR movement.
My name may be the one on the ballot, but it’s not about me—It’s about each of you. This is your movement.
We’re fighting for an Iowa that cares about all its people again. That realizes when any of us are left behind none of us can really move forward.
We’re fighting the half-measures and the empty political promises of the past.
We’re fighting an outdated political system that’s shut us out and failed us for decades. We’re saying loud and clear that Republican-lite policies aren’t going to cut it this year. Our focus is on raising the wage to $15 and doing it fast…
On expanding unions and employee associations…
On creating a universal health care system for Iowa.
Those three bold ideas would dramatically change the lives of more than a million Iowans.
The number one job of any Governor is to improve the standard of living for the people in her state. To raise wages and make it easier for people to take care of their families.
This will be the first thing I think about when I get up every morning and the last thing I think about when I go to bed every night.
Are we raising the standard of living for every Iowan? Are we making sure working Iowans finally have a seat at the table?
Let’s organize! Let’s fight! Let’s rise up and win back Iowa together!
My name is Cathy Glasson and I would be honored to be your Governor! Thank you.”
September 20 press release from Mike Carberry:
Mike Carberry, former Democratic candidate for Governor, is supporting labor union president Cathy Glasson for Iowa Governor in the June 2018 Democratic primary.
“Cathy Glasson is having a conversation with Iowans about the issues that are most important and that can’t be ignored. She is proposing the bold progressive answers that will make the change that the 99% of Iowans need to be healthy and prosperous,” said Carberry.
“She has focused with passion on the issues that matter most to Iowans,” said Carberry, a Johnson County Supervisor. Glasson is worth standing up for because she is standing up for Iowans, Carberry said.
One of the highest ranking elected officials to endorse Bernie Sanders in the 2016 Iowa caucus, Carberry said Glasson has connected well with Sanders supporters across the state. “I am pleased she is standing up for the issues that drove half of Iowa Democrats to support Sanders,” he said. Those issues include an increased minimum wage, clean water, renewable energy, health care for all, and free community college tuition.
“After the disastrous legislative session that decimated workers’ rights, voters’ rights, and education funding, and left the state in a financial hole, Cathy Glasson and her populist policies are the answer Iowans need to prosper again,” Carberry said.
In Johnson County, Carberry cast the deciding vote to increase its minimum wage, and he appreciates Glasson’s support of a $15 an hour minimum wage for Iowa. “What we started in Johnson County needs to be increased to a living wage for all Iowa workers to give them a more solid financial foundation, and to accelerate economic growth for all businesses across the state,” said Carberry.
As a professional environmental lobbyist for several years, Carberry is encouraged by Glasson’s support of a moratorium on CAFO’s and a plan to make polluters pay for clean water in Iowa. “I want a governor who will lead the way and sign environmental legislation, not one who dithers and gets in the way of progress. With Glasson’s background in public health, we can have clean water and cleaner agricultural practices in Iowa,” he said.
Carberry stated that Glasson’s opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline and support of expanded clean renewable energy initiatives is also attractive to him. “I have fought against coal plants, nuclear power plants, and dirty oil pipelines. Iowans deserve a Governor who puts our health before profits and understands that clean energy is not only the best environmental future, but also is an economic solution to bring more good clean jobs to Iowa. Cathy knows climate change is already hurting Iowans and she knows the solutions we need.”
Glasson is also showing leadership in public health in Iowa, Carberry said, by promoting a statewide version of “Medicare for All” if there is no action on a national program. “The Medicaid disaster of the Reynolds Administration needs a bold response, and Glasson knows exactly what Iowa needs to do to secure affordable health care insurance for its citizens,” said Carberry.
“Free community college tuition is an issue that only Cathy Glasson is addressing in the way Sanders does,” Carberry said. “It can be a significant economic driver for Iowa to regain its economic standing, and Glasson is the one to deliver it,” said Carberry.
“Cathy Glasson is at heart, a political organizer, like I am, and her stance on issues aligns with mine,” he said “But before Cathy started thinking about this campaign, I knew her as someone with courage to stand up for her fellow nurses and to stand up to the UI Hospital administration to win improvements in the work place. She has never stopped since and that’s the type of person Iowans need fighting for them and serving as their governor.”
Our vision for changing “business as usual” politics starts and stops with people.
That’s why CCI Action is about taking on the corrosive influence of big money special interests. And, that’s why CCI Action is about energizing, engaging, and bringing real people into the center of our political system.
That’s how we’ll win an Iowa that puts clean water first; that serves the common good not corporate ag or big oil; where we stop wage theft and racial profiling; and work to make sure Iowans get paid a living wage.
Nobody’s going to move that agenda for us. It’s up to us to engage and deliver. We have to build political power to win.
We’re happy to announce we’ve found a gubernatorial candidate who agrees with us.
Today we announced that we’re endorsing Cathy Glasson for Governor! […]
This endorsement is a big step for us.
It’s not a decision we made lightly. This endorsement came at the end of a two month process, led by a 27-member endorsement committee, that included a candidate questionnaire, four in-person candidate screening meetings, a member survey, and lots of discussion.
We’re standing with Cathy Glasson’s campaign, because Cathy stands with us:
She’s a longtime CCI Action member and union organizer with a history of fighting alongside everyday people on movement issues.
She has bold positions on our People & Planet First issues like clean water, healthcare, Fight for $15, and more. She knows elections are an opportunity to engage and build the base of people needed to push our issue fights once she’s elected.
Most importantly, she shares our understanding that no single candidate will solve the problems facing everyday people. She agrees that in order to win on the issues that matter most to us, we need a movement of Iowans standing up, speaking out, engaged, and active in their communities, and in the streets, 365 days a year – not just at election time.
Cathy’s campaign is an opportunity to build the movement and do politics differently!
This will be a working endorsement. With our new state PAC we will organize alongside Cathy from the caucus to the primary to the general election. And, when she wins, we’re excited to co-govern with her. (Hey, Farm Bureau and the insurance lobby do it; why not a people’s organization?!) […]
Today, “a broad coalition of public interest groups” asked a federal court to strike down Iowa’s law under the U.S. Constitution and “enter an order blocking the state from enforcing it.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the suit, along with other attorneys representing the group of plaintiffs:
The Center for Food Safety is “a national non-profit public interest and environmental advocacy organization working to protect human health and the environment by curbing the use of harmful food production technologies and by promoting organic and other forms of sustainable agriculture.”
The defendants are Governor Kim Reynolds, Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, and Montgomery County Attorney Bruce Swanson. Why Swanson? Page 15 of the court filing explains,
Defendant BRUCE E. SWANSON is the County Attorney of Montgomery County, Iowa, the site of an egg farm where PETA would conduct an undercover investigation in response to a 2017 whistleblower complaint, but for the Ag-Gag law. As county attorney, Mr. Swanson is primarily responsible for the enforcement of criminal laws in Montgomery County, Iowa by acting as prosecuting attorney on behalf of the State of Iowa. Mr. Swanson is sued in his official capacity.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office was officially neutral on the final version of the ag gag law, having warned state lawmakers that an earlier draft banning unauthorized audio or video recordings was “clearly unconstitutional.” Iowa legislators ignored advice from Miller’s staff to take a different approach to discourage trespassing at agricultural facilities.
A press release from the ACLU of Iowa’s today lays out the key arguments underpinning the lawsuit. (Scroll to the end of this post to read the full court filing.)
What the Ag Gag Law Does
The law makes it a misdemeanor offense, punishable by up to one year in jail, to make a false statement in connection with obtaining a job at such a facility. It also penalizes “obtaining access” to an agricultural production facility by “false pretenses.”
Before the ag gag law passed, laws already existed that criminalized trespass or fraud or other similar crimes. But the ag gag law now criminalizes access to the facilities by false pretenses and publication of the information found by those means, even when there is no harm or injury to the facility investigated.
Now, only speech criticizing the agricultural industry is targeted in this manner, differently from all other subject matters. That sort of targeting of one specific area of speech by the government is a violation of the First Amendment.
The ag gag law is particularly disturbing, too, because of the way that it inhibits the ability of journalists or watchdog organizations to collect and publish important information. The law could penalize a reporter or investigator merely for not stating that they are a reporter or investigator and that they are there to collect information at an ag facility, if they let the assumption go uncorrected that they were there for some other purpose. That’s because the law makes gaining entry to an agricultural facility under “false pretenses” a criminal offense, and subjects those who conceal a source’s identity subject to “accessory after the fact” liability when the source gained entry by those means.
Many worthy advocacy organizations rely on collecting information, photos, and videos of conditions inside agricultural facilities to accomplish their public interest work. Iowa’s ag gag law has meant that they no longer can investigate or report on specific facilities using undercover means—typically necessary to gain access—even when they receive information from whistleblowers about violations of food safety, workers’ rights problems, environmental harm, or animal cruelty.
Ag Gag is Silencing Public Advocates
“An especially grievous harm to our democracy occurs when the government uses the power of the criminal laws to target unpopular speech to protect those with power—which is exactly what this law is about. Ag gag clearly is a violation of Iowans’ First Amendment rights to free speech,” said Rita Bettis, ACLU of Iowa legal director. “It has effectively silenced advocates and ensured that animal cruelty, unsafe food safety practices, environmental hazards, and inhumane working conditions go unreported for years. Its time has finally come to be stricken from state law.”
Statistics show that Iowa’s ag gag law has succeeded in hindering free speech and stamping out exposés of the industry. In the years leading up to the passage of the law in 2012, there were at least ten undercover investigations of factory farms in Iowa. Since the law’s passage, there have been none.
In Idaho and Utah, similar ag gag laws have been struck down as unconstitutional.
14th Amendment Issues Also Raised
Besides First Amendment concerns, the bill also raises Fourteenth Amendment concerns of equal protection, because ag gag was motivated by legislative animus toward animal rights organizations and singled them out from exercising their free speech rights.
Mindi Callison, founder of Bailing Out Benji, said “Ag Gag has set a dangerous precedent in silencing the public when it comes to speaking out about injustices. Now more than ever it is important to give a voice to those that have none and make sure that commercial dog breeding facilities are complying with the laws.”
Adam Mason, State Policy Organizing Director at Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement, said that “because of underfunded and understaffed state agencies, the job of being watchdogs for our environment and for worker safety too often falls on everyday Iowans, such as those involved in ICCI. The factory farm industry knows how effective these citizen advocates can be and fought for this ag gag law in order to silence them and others. We’re proud to join this lawsuit to roll back this special protection for ag facilities, the only type of industry in Iowa that has this egregious law blocking people from shining a light on its practices.”
Animal Legal Defense Fund Executive Director Stephen Wells said, “Iowa is trampling civil liberties for the benefit of an industry. Each American has a right to know what goes on at factory farms—especially in Iowa, which is the second highest state in agricultural production, and the source of nearly a third of the country’s pigs.”
Undercover investigations are one of the few ways for the public to receive critical information about animal agriculture operations. A 2012 consumer survey conducted by Purdue University’s Department of Agricultural Economics and Department of Animal Sciences found that the public relies on the information gathered and presented by animal protection groups and investigative journalists more than they rely on industry groups and the government combined.
The impact of Iowa’s ag gag law in silencing that information goes beyond the plaintiffs in this case and extends throughout the state and country.
Iowa is by far the country’s biggest producer of pigs raised for meat and hens raised for eggs, along with millions of cows, chickens, turkeys, and goats raised in the state. Agricultural production facilities employ tens of thousands of workers, and have a significant environmental impact.
Additionally, puppy mills have flourished in Iowa, typically located on agricultural land, with Iowa unfortunately having been categorized as a haven for problem dog breeders by the U.S. Humane Society.
UPDATE: Iowa’s law has been on the books for five and a half years. Why are advocacy groups challenging it now? I had the impression opponents were waiting for an Iowan to be prosecuted under the law, but that hasn’t happened. More likely, the July ruling on Utah’s ag gag law inspired opponents to press ahead with this lawsuit. U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby found that Utah “undoubtedly has an interest in addressing perceived threats to the state agricultural industry, and as history shows, it has a variety of constitutionally permissible tools at its disposal to do so. Suppressing broad swaths of protected speech without justification, however, is not one of them.” The law was not designed to serve any “compelling state interest,” nor was it “narrowly tailored,” which would be required for a content-based speech regulation to survive “strict scrutiny.” Although Utah’s representatives claimed those who lie to obtain access to livestock operations could present a safety threat, they “provided no evidence that animal and employee safety were the actual reasons for enacting the Act, nor that animal and employee safety are endangered by those targeted by the Act, nor that the Act would actually do anything to remedy those dangers to the extent they exist.
Attorney General Miller didn’t ask for Iowa’s ag gag law. I don’t envy the lawyers who will be charged with defending it in court.
Jessica Chrystal shines a light on a widespread problem in a state that is supposed to be the bread basket of the world. -promoted by desmoinesdem
I spent part of last week attending events at the World Food Prize in Des Moines. When we think of hunger, we think of homeless people on benches in California. The Salvation Army bell ringer standing outside of Target during Christmas, or the glowing images from our tvs of starving children to donate to various charities overseas.
Rarely do we think of our neighbor next door.
Hunger is everywhere. She’s part of the fabric of every map dot town and big city across Iowa.
She’s in our coffee shops and convenience stores. She’s a caretaker of a elderly family member, or the day care worker chasing down chocolate pudding-covered faces of toddlers during lunch time.
She is the fabric that holds us together and gives us common ground to display our humanity. On her darker days, she is like a cancer that we will never fully cure or beat. For every time we reach remission, she knocks us back down, preying on circumstance from bad leadership and policy from administrations not grounded in a belief that access to food with dignity should be a basic human right and not a privilege.
If we gave hunger a name, we should call her A.L.I.C.E., for Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. Because of A.L.I.C.E., American workers are now three times more likely than the Chinese to lack the means of feeding their families. Households across Iowa are no exception to this new reality.
Families that could be called asset limited, income constrained, and employed include large numbers in our economy, where low-wage, service jobs seem to dominate the landscape. Over the next decade, such jobs are expected to grow faster than higher-wage jobs and those requiring a college education. In fact, more than 68 percent of jobs in Iowa fall into this category, paying less than $20 an hour, the living wage needed to cover the basic expenses the majority of families need to survive (not counting “luxuries” like cable tv or cell phones). This budget is the lowest measure next to the federal poverty guidelines to live and work in a global economy. Our present circumstances are not sustainable.
What’s missing from the conversation in mainstream media and dinner table discussions? Public assistance cannot be the balm that heals the wound of poverty and food insecurity, lifting families to economic stability. While there are many strong sectors within the Iowa economy, in the past 35 years wages have stagnated and not kept up with the cost of living or inflation. Many households can manage to cover 44 percent of their basic needs. The rest comes from the $7.2 billion spent annually by government, non-profit and health care organizations to supplement their incomes.
Our population is aging, and because there is strong correlation between malnutrition and food insecurity, most of our costs have been allocated toward treating obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, caused by the lost art of cooking and food choices that are calorie-dense yet lack the micro and macro nutrients needed. Monies tagged for health care cannot be spent on education, child care, housing, or job training.
Aside from natural complications of aging, our self-indulgent culture contributes to a 38 percent gap for families that fall between the cracks. These families are stuck in a cycle of poverty.
These households are less likely to have a active checking account or regular savings of any kind. Home ownership is rare. Home ownership and economic stability help create a sense of belonging in communities and increase the social capital, a trait sorely missing an a era of school consolidations and faceless communication.
Often A.L.I.C.E. families rely on alternative financial products instead of local intuitions. In 2011, 42 percent of Iowa households with an annual income below $50,000 had used an AFP Payday loan. Those lenders charge astronomic interest rates. Others use pawn shops to make it from paycheck to paycheck or to cover emergency situations. A child breaking his arm. An unexpected job loss. A cut of hours before the holidays. The car breaking down. Juggling student loan payments with being underemployed.
Vehicle ownership is declining in a era of shifting populations to cities and regional hubs from rural counties. The employment follows, leaving families to rely on sub-prime loans at 13-20 percent through “Buy here Pay here” dealerships.
This is not good long-term strategy and should not be tolerated in the “Breadbasket” of the country.
What do we do to make a difference for A.L.I.C.E families?
We can begin by eliminating income inequality through a living wage, that takes into consideration the measure of what it costs to thrive in a modern Iowa economy.
Income inequality is a harsh reality in Iowa. There is great wealth and significant economic hardship. The top 20 percent of Iowa’s citizens earn 48 percent of all income in the state. The bottom 20 percent? A measly 4 percent of income.
Invest in free community college, to retrain workers and prepare young people for a global economy in skilled trades and S.T.E.M. professions, without the burden of tens of thousands of student loan debt.
Universal health care. A.L.I.C.E. families often have no health insurance coverage or limited access to health care. They reflect a larger troubling picture: up to 45 million Americas do not have health insurance. Free medical services would encourage patients to practice preventive medicine and lower the rate of emergency visits for common aliments. Lower the amount of assistance allocated toward health care costs to be reassigned to childcare, housing, state block grants for education and public/private partnerships to eliminate other barriers to provide a permanent path to stability.
If you are running for office, work for a community action organization, or would like more information on how to make a difference at the county level, please visit the United Way’s website and download the study of financial hardship and A.L.I.C.E. in Iowa.
Top image: Russian interpreter Tania Tipton, Governor Terry Branstad, and John Chrystal (the author’s great uncle) announcing plans for food aid to the Soviet Union on December 19, 1990. Photo from a family archive, used with permission.
Craig Lang didn’t wait for Governor Kim Reynolds to decide. He is running for Iowa secretary of agriculture, no matter whom Reynolds picks to replace Bill Northey.
In his first comments to journalists about his campaign, Lang advocated more crop diversity and better land management practices, asserting that the dominant approach to farming in Iowa is not “sustainable.” That’s an unusual message for a Republican. Stranger still is hearing a former president of the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation talk about soil health in terms more often heard from environmental experts than from Big Ag heavyweights.
Though he’s a first-time candidate, Lang has plenty of political connections and should have little trouble raising enough money for a credible statewide primary campaign against State Representative Pat Grassley or other contenders.
Best known as a longtime Farm Bureau leader, Lang also was on the Iowa Board of Regents for six years, part of that time as board president. After Governor Terry Branstad nominated him for a second term in 2013, most Iowa Senate Democrats voted against his confirmation for a variety of reasons.
Lang is recognized nationally and internationally as a consultant for rural economic development, consensus and opportunity building. He is also recognized as a down to earth public speech writer and speaker willing to give his audience the truth.
Lang was one of the longest serving leaders of both the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF), where he served as president for a ten-year period from 2001 through 2011, and the FBL Financial Group, where he served as Chairman of the Board for a concurrent term. While working with the Ministry of Agriculture on agriculture bio-technology in China, Lang signed the first ever NGO memorandum of understanding with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology on behalf of the Iowa Farm Bureau. Craig chaired the Iowa Chronic Care Consortium. He was lead director on the Iowa Telecom Board, director of the GROWMARK, Inc. Board. In addition, Lang served as chairman of the Grow Iowa Values Fund and vice chair of the Iowa Economic Development Board under Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.
Iowa’s current Secretary of Agriculture Northey will be confirmed soon to an undersecretary position in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, having cleared the Senate Agriculture Committee last week. Unlike Sam Clovis, whom President Donald Trump has nominated for a different USDA job, Northey is obviously qualified and has attracted no opposition from Senate Democrats or stakeholder groups.
Lately the Des Moines rumor mill has suggested the governor may be leaning toward a placeholder such as Iowa’s Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, rather than giving any likely 2018 candidate the advantages of incumbency.
Lang said he’s a strong believer in using cover crops and adding diversity to Iowa’s dominant corn and soybean rotation to help address the state’s water quality problems. […]
“I want farmers to lead the discussion about cleaner water, working with our urban friends,” Lang said.
Iowa growers need to find crops, in addition to growing corn and soybeans, that bring value, he said. […]
“I believe diversification in agriculture is the real answer,” he said. “I don’t believe rotating half our state to soybeans and half to corn every year is sustainable.”
“I’d like to create wealth through healthy Iowa soils,” said Lang, who also served on the state’s economic development board.
“You take the work the University of Iowa is doing on water, Iowa State University is doing on soil health, the research University of Northern Iowa is doing on native prairies, all of that is really important,” said Lang, an ISU graduate. “I think we could bring all of that together to create value for Iowa.”
Lang, 66, farms 1,200 acres with his father, brother and sons near Brooklyn, including land that has been in his family since 1860. For the past 15 years, Lang said, they used cover crops to protect and enrich the soil between harvest and planting.
“I’ve seen the tremendous increase in soil health because of the diversity of our agriculture with livestock, rotating crops of legumes, meadow, corn and beans,” Lang said. […]
He estimated cover crops are planted on about 600,000 acres of Iowa farmland. His goal would be to increase that to 5 million acres or more.
“We know that will increase productivity of the soil and be cash back in our pockets,” he said.
I don’t trust any former leader of the Farm Bureau to make soil conservation and water quality a priority if elected to the state’s top job in agriculture. However, in fairness to Lang, he did come out in favor of requiring farmers to comply with conservation standards as a condition for receiving federal crop insurance. That stance probably cost him the Farm Bureau presidency in 2011.
Moreover, it can’t hurt to have a Republican campaigning statewide on the message that the current way of doing business is unsustainable. For years, Northey has given us happy talk about how Iowa’s farmers are fantastic stewards of the land, despite zero progress toward reducing agricultural runoff that pollutes our waterways. I can’t remember any prominent Iowa Republican questioning the dominant corn-and-beans farming model.
Lang told Lynch he “expects a crowded primary field.” While many Republicans aspire to be secretary of agriculture, I’m skeptical others will take on the Grassley machine, assuming Pat Grassley leaves his Iowa House seat to run for statewide office.
Any relevant comments are welcome in this thread.
P.S.- Democrats do not have a declared candidate for secretary of agriculture yet. Iowa Starting Line posted this summer that former USDA official Tim Gannon is considering the race. I’ve heard of efforts to recruit Wayne Gieselman, who led the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Environmental Protection Division until Branstad forced him out in 2011. Gieselman gained enemies in the agriculture sector after the DNR tried to enact air quality standards for factory farms. In recent years he has worked as a doorman for the Iowa legislature.
Earlier this week, I was surprised when key U.S. Senate Republicans indicated the confirmation process for Sam Clovis would move ahead as scheduled. I knew they didn’t care Clovis lacks the qualifications spelled out in federal law for the chief scientist at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But why would a key figure in an expanding criminal probe of possible collusion between Donald Trump’s campaign want to take questions under oath at an open hearing?
“The political climate inside Washington has made it impossible for me to receive balanced and fair consideration for this position,” Clovis wrote in a letter addressed to Trump that was dated Wednesday [November 1]. “The relentless assaults on you and your team seem to be a blood sport that only increases in intensity each day. As I am focused on your success and the success of this administration, I do not want to be a distraction or negative influence, particularly with so much important work left to do for the American people.”
In the same letter, Clovis promised, “I will remain a devoted and loyal supporter and will continue to serve at the pleasure of you and the Secretary of Agriculture.” For now, the loyalty tuns both ways: Clovis will stay on as “senior White House advisor” at the USDA. That less prestigious position doesn’t require Senate confirmation.
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on November 2, “We respect Mr. Clovis’ decision to withdraw his nomination.” Similarly, Senator Joni Ernst said in a statement, “I respect that Sam Clovis decided to do what he deemed best.”
Senator Chuck Grassley had told reporters on November 1 that the totality of e-mail correspondence between Clovis and George Papadopoulos indicates Clovis was not encouraging overseas travel for meetings with high-level Russian officials. (Clovis was the campaign’s “supervisor” of Papadopoulos, the foreign policy adviser who has pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about his Russian contacts.)
“Sam’s withdrawal is a lost opportunity for a strong leader to serve America’s farmers,” Grassley said in a statement to the Des Moines Register. “Sam served his country in the military and was well-suited for the position. He’s in touch with the grassroots of rural America, and however he serves next, there’s no doubt he’ll make a big contribution.”
Well-suited? By his own admission, Clovis has done no graduate-level work in science, never published a peer-reviewed article in a scientific publication, has no involvement in “agricultural scientific, agricultural education, or agricultural economic organizations,” and no “awards, designations, or academic recognition […] specifically related to agricultural science.” As evidence of his “significant agricultural experience and knowledge,” Clovis has cited his college teaching career and being a two-time candidate for statewide office in Iowa.
Grassley voted for the Farm Bill that requires the president to appoint an undersecretary for research, extension, and economics “from among distinguished scientists with specialized training or significant experience in agricultural research, education, and economics.” Too bad he won’t use his oversight power to demand a qualified nominee.
As Trump’s “eyes and ears” at the USDA, Clovis keeps a powerful, well-paying job and won’t have to worry about possible legal or political fallout from taking more questions under oath. Sounds like a sweet deal to me.
Everyone could have guessed Alec Baldwin would get Iowa Democrats laughing with jokes at President Donald Trump’s expense.
But who would have predicted the serious part of the actor’s speech would evoke an even stronger response from the crowd?
Follow me after the jump for audio and highlights from Baldwin’s remarks and those of the seven Democratic candidates for governor, along with Stefanie Running‘s photographs from a memorable evening in Des Moines.
Attendance on November 27 was by far the largest I’ve seen at the event formerly known as the Jefferson-Jackson dinner in any year that didn’t immediately precede the Iowa caucuses. The Iowa Democratic Party sold more than 1,800 tickets for dinner tables and approximately 1,100 more tickets for the packed bleacher section.
THE HEADLINER
Normally, I cover a string of political speeches in the order in which they were delivered. I’m starting with the closer this time, because Baldwin electrified the crowd. Here’s the full audio, which ran a little under 30 minutes.
Baldwin began by playing professor “of advanced Trumpology and abnormal psychology,” welcoming students to Trump University. The school has “two stringent requirements for matriculation”: 1) students write checks made out to Donald Trump personally, and 2) the checks clear. He hoped everyone had completed the assigned reading for the summer: The Art of the Deal, the “biographies of show business legends Chuck Woolery and Danny Bonaduce, as well as an abridged version of the United States Constitution that doesn’t include the First, Fourteenth, and Twenty-Fifth Amendments.”
Baldwin made a few announcements about the Fall 2017 course catalog: “Professor Flynn will be taking a sabbatical this year.” In his place, Paul Manafort will be teaching “con law”–“con is not an abbreviation for anything.” Students are free to drop by “for a one-on-one conversation with Professor Pence,” “unless you’re gay or a woman, in which case Professor Pence is unavailable until the end of time.”
Others on the faculty include Energy Secretary Rick Perry, Environmental Protection Administrator Scott Pruitt, and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. “Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be teaching a class, he just can’t remember which one.” Special note: Judge Roy Moore’s class “Hair and Make-up Tips for Teens” has been moved from the local mall.
Baldwin then commenced delivering his lecture, “What I learned from trying to get inside Donald Trump’s head.” “The process has affected me so deeply it has actually rewired my brain.” The “essence of Trump” comes bursting out at unexpected moments, especially when he is tired and cranky. “When this is over, I’d like to donate my brain to science, if we still have science.”
Switching between his regular voice and his Trump impression, Baldwin took the audience on a tour of “Trump’s brain, a world without synonyms.” (Everything becomes “fantastic” when the president reaches for a word he hasn’t used in a long time and fails to find it.) The way Trump walks “clearly reminds us of those debilitating heel spurs that kept him from serving his country.”
Wrapping up the Trumpology lecture, Baldwin proceeded to read a fake letter from the president, in Trump’s voice. “Jefferson Jackson was a great man. People are hearing more and more about him these days.” He “never touched those kids, and even if he did,” we could elect him to the United States Senate.
“Many people are saying” this is the biggest crowd ever at this event, “and it’s all because of me,” Trump boasted. He trashed Alec Baldwin as not funny, “a loud, obnoxious, no-talent tv star,” adding that he’s always been very nice and very fair to the actor. The Iowa Democrats should have invited his younger brother, though–“Everyone knows Stephen Baldwin is the best Baldwin.” He wrapped up the letter by thanking the “electoral college losers.”
About ten minutes into the speech, Baldwin shifted gears to talk about the party we care about and the country we love, which “is in deep trouble.” His father was a public school teacher in Long Island, a classic Kennedy Democrat. Baldwin recalled canvassing for Jimmy Carter in 1976, volunteering for Carter and Walter Mondale in 1980 and 1984, and attending the Democratic National Convention in 1988. Baldwin traveled all of Massachusetts in 1994 to campaign for Senator Ted Kennedy, who was facing a tough challenge from Mitt Romney.
He helped publicize a voter registration drive in Florida in 2000, only to see “hanging chads and a Supreme Court decision” install George W. Bush in the Oval Office. He wept when Barack Obama won in 2008, and turned his focus to advocating for the arts rather than politics.
The 2016 election result shocked Baldwin and so many other Democrats (myself included). Maybe Russian hacking and an “anemic” Hillary Clinton campaign contributed to the result, Baldwin speculated. But ultimately, “I only have myself to blame.” Democrats lost more than 900 state legislative seats during Obama’s presidency. “We just didn’t work hard enough.” To turn things around, it’s not enough to slap “a new label, new and improved,” on the party.
Then the spotlight went off Baldwin for a while, as the first two minutes of this Saturday Night Live “message from the DNC” played on the large screens:
Maybe that sketch was “funny because it’s true,” Baldwin commented. “We’ve got to revitalize our farm team, strengthen our triple-A ball teams. […] Ten years ago, future president Barack Obama spoke at this dinner. […] Maybe a future Democratic president is in this room tonight.”
Baldwin pulled out his best Bill Clinton impression to share some of the former president’s advice: “impeaching this guy’s not the answer. We need to get back on our message, we need to keep reminding people that what we have to offer is better for the American people than what they have to offer. We need to tell them what we stand for.”
Turning his attention to Iowa politics, Baldwin urged the audience to pledge right now to support whichever candidate for governor wins the Democratic primary, name-checking all of the Congressional candidates and those running for statewide office too. “What unites us is so much more than what divides us.”
Democrats love to hate the Koch brothers, and Baldwin is no exception. “Here in Iowa, the Kochs backed 21 candidates for the state House and nine for the Senate […] Take the Koch money out of Iowa,” you’d have a different state. Take the Koch money out of our national elections, “we’d have a different country.”
The crowd responded enthusiastically as Baldwin ticked off more Democratic stands on energy policy and health care, calling Republican efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act “ridiculous,” “offensive,” and “inhumane.”
Baldwin bashed Iowa Republicans for putting public schools “on a starvation diet,” reducing funds for higher education, and taking away a longstanding tax deduction for teachers. Although we should not vilify people who have made a lot of money, we should not let billionaires write off their private jets when teachers can’t write off school supplies. On so many issues–infrastructure investment, an equitable tax code, net neutrality–“Democrats are builders and Republicans are destroyers.”
Striking a more optimistic note, Baldwin said Democrats “were once the champions of the working class, and we will be again.” We can remind people that we are the party of FDR, JFK, Clinton, Obama, the party that cares about opportunity for every American. He recalled recent Democratic victories in Virginia and an Oklahoma state Senate special election.
I could hardly hear Baldwin talk about defeating GOP Representatives Rod Blum, David Young, and Steve King, because the crowd was so engaged by that point. Baldwin asked every Democrat to “drag 80 people to the polls” next year, put out a sign, knock on doors.
He then reflected on the time he has spent playing Trump on Saturday Night Live. “I’ve got a lot of conflicting feelings about that.” Many people thank him for it, but some have suggested that this president is “beyond the bounds of humor.” Maybe the show’s treatment of Trump “normalizes things that shouldn’t be normalized,” like the “daily assault on civility, on decency, and women. […] We laugh at things that shouldn’t be laughed at. […] We forget things that should never be forgotten.”
Baldwin promised, “I am ready to fight” to help Democrats win in 2018. He will make phone calls, he will knock on doors. He’ll come back to Iowa, maybe for the steak fry (“pecan pie on me”), because “It is my dream to never, ever” have to get into the mind of Donald Trump again. “Let’s send Trump to retirement in Moscow where he belongs!”
Most of the crowd were on their feet by the time Baldwin closed out the speech with an instant classic: “we all have an important role to play, and that is to make America America again.”
When the Iowa Democratic Party announced Baldwin was coming to Des Moines, some people questioned whether a celebrity headliner was the right choice for an event that draws some of Iowa’s biggest political junkies. I doubt anyone left the venue disappointed.
THE ATMOSPHERE
Before organizers opened up the main hall, hundreds of Democrats caught up with friends or spun scenarios about the various competitive primaries. Stefanie Running captured the upbeat mood.
As was the case at the party’s Hall of Fame event in July, the Nate Boulton and Fred Hubbell campaigns brought the largest contingents. Several hundred supporters of each candidate were waving sticks or wearing t-shirts.
The Isiserettes were on hand again for Hubbell.
Among the other gubernatorial candidates, Cathy Glasson had the largest and noisiest group of supporters, mostly in the bleachers. Some of Andy McGuire’s backers carried eye-catching lighted signs. I saw some people wearing John Norris t-shirts or stickers; he had said at his campaign’s pre-event reception that they planned to win the primary through talking to voters, not “manufactured excitement.”
THE CANDIDATES FOR GOVERNOR
Soon after Iowa Democratic Party chair Troy Price kicked off the program, the seven Democrats running for governor each got about five minutes to speak. From left to right in this photo: Boulton, Glasson, Hubbell, McGuire, Jon Neiderbach, Norris, and Ross Wilburn. Cindy Axne, one of seven Democrats running for Congress in the third district, is second from right. First district Congressional candidate Abby Finkenauer is on the far right; one of her primary rivals, Thomas Heckroth, is standing behind Wilburn.
I recorded all of the speeches, but be warned: the acoustics in Hy-Vee Hall left a lot to be desired. Each candidate touched on their favorite themes, but no one repeated their scripts from the Hall of Fame event in July or the Progress Iowa Corn Feed in September (the last time all seven shared a stage).
Neiderbach was up first.
Some highlights:
We’re here because we have better policies than Republicans. What is extraordinary this time is the gross mismanagement of our government […] we can’t take any more of this, and come November, we’re going to speak out and put a Democrat in Terrace Hill. […]
Quite frankly, when I go around the state and talk to people […] on the streets of Atlantic or Lamoni or Deborah or Humboldt or whatever town, I get told one thing very, very clearly. What we need, what we need is an end to the stacked system that is holding us back.
I’m running because I’m tired of a stacked economic system, a stacked political system, a very stacked legal system, education and medical system that does not work for ordinary people, does not meet the needs of ordinary Iowans, focuses on folks with money and big corporations.
I pledge to you as the governor, I will fight back every single day. You know, people talk about the urban/rural divide. When I talk to Iowans, I don’t see a whole lot of divide. People may express things in different ways, but they’re all saying the same things. They want bold leadership.
Neiderbach highlighted a couple of policy proposals that are unique to his campaign. People are upset about Iowa’s mental health system, the worst-funded in the country. He proposes legalizing cannabis to bring in some $200 million a year in revenue, which he would allocate to mental health services and drug treatment programs. Neiderbach also proposes a state bank that could fund “massive investments in infrastructure and anti-pollution efforts.” He wants to make in-state college tuition free, which we could afford if we eliminated many tax breaks for corporations and wealthy people.
In closing, Neiderbach reminded the audience that there are six months to go before the primary and asked for Democrats’ serious consideration.
Dr. Andy McGuire spoke next. Stefanie Running photographed her earlier, seated near two of her best-known endorsers: former Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal and former Attorney General Bonnie Campbell.
McGuire’s campaign provided her prepared text. I made minor changes to reflect the speech as delivered. She had the most to say about the recent Iowa Senate Republican sexual harassment scandal and was the only candidate to call for a ban on so-called “conversion therapy,” an abusive practice inflicted on too many LGBT youth.
My name is Andy McGuire and I want to be your next Governor.
Right now I am disgusted with our government.
Governor Kim Reynolds and Bill Dix have taken no ownership for their part in an unacceptable culture of harassment, discrimination and retribution. Iowa taxpayers are on the hook for $1.75 million.
How many of you have felt the sting of harassment in your life?
I too have felt the pain of not being valued.
As Governor I will change a culture that says it’s okay to harass and abuse another and get away with it.
I have travelled to all 99 counties and listened to you.
You don’t feel like your elected leaders have the right priorities, and I don’t blame you. They don’t.
As your Governor I will stand up for everyone – including some of the most vulnerable Iowans. Some of them are on Medicaid.
Medicaid privatization is a mess. It was a bad idea to begin with, and it’s getting worse by the day. You know, this affects over half a million of our most vulnerable who cannot get access to care. As a doctor who has worked in health care my whole life, I have the experience needed to help fix this mess. I will restore Medicaid back to the state and ensure Iowans get the health care they need, when they need it, because health care is a right, not a privilege!
I have heard from Iowans with friends and family who are struggling with mental health, substance abuse, and addiction.
You know, we have neglected funding and our police have become our first line mental health workers – taking patients to jail and emergency rooms – two of the most expensive and worst places for someone in crisis – rather than preventing crisis with more up-front counseling.
We need to attract and retain more to the profession, we need to prioritize and focus resources, and we need to destigmatize mental health.
We need to love more and ignore less.
You know, I hear from kids who are bullied at school and online. I pledge to continue to fight as we work to ban conversion therapy and support our youth because everyone deserves the dignity to be who they are.
I have heard from many of the women affected by the closing of Planned Parenthood clinics. They are concerned about where they will go for quality, affordable health care. As a doctor, a woman, a mother, and as your Governor, I will restore funding for Planned Parenthood.
And I hear from parents and teachers worried about education. Republicans have underfunded Iowa’s schools for the past seven years. Educating our kids and making sure they have the tools and resources to be the best they can be is our number one priority. For teachers in the audience, you deserve our thanks, our respect, and the resources you need to do your job.
We need to raise the minimum wage, support our unions, and bring good paying jobs with benefits – especially in our rural areas where Iowa’s small towns and farms are vital to the fabric of our state.
And I am a scientist and I will bring science back to the Governor’s office, because climate change is a scientific fact!
I am a mother of seven children and one grandchild. I want to make sure my children and grandchildren and your children and grandchildren can stay in Iowa and succeed. I see an Iowa where we have clean air and clean water, accessible, affordable health care, the best education anywhere, and good paying jobs with good benefits all over the state, and where all Iowans are treated with respect.
That’s the Iowa I see and that’s the Governor I want to be. I am Andy McGuire, and I want to be your next Governor!
Norris took the stage next. At the Iowa Democratic Party’s Hall of Fame event in July, he dinged Hubbell by saying candidates who “tout the size of campaign war chests are out of touch with Iowans.” Last night, he took a subtle shot at both Hubbell and Boulton, saying, “Our campaign’s not about buying expensive tables and seats at the table.” But the best line was this, which I hadn’t heard in any previous Norris stump speech: “I know a little bit about cleaning up Branstad messes, and I’m ready to clean up this Branstad mess.”
Norris began by thanking his family, acknowledging his three sons, wife Jackie Norris, and mother, who were all present. Because of Jackie’s strength, he is confident their sons will be part of “a generation that respects women.” He joked that his parents were a “split household”–mother for Hillary, father for Bernie.
I lost my dad this year. He never had wealth, but he taught me to lead a rich life. Be grateful for what you have, fight for those less fortunate. Those with wealth will be just fine.
But greed–greed made him angry. It makes me angry too. And greed controls our government today.
This election, this election is about contesting for power against the wealthy special interests and corporate lobbyists that control our government.
Norris assailed Governor Kim Reynolds for prioritizing tax breaks over “care for our most vulnerable citizens.” He recalled standing with some great Democrats Jesse Jackson, Tom Harkin, Paul Wellstone, Cesar Chavez, then quoted Hubert Humphrey:
“The moral test of government is what that government does for people in the dawn of life, our children. The twilight of life, our elderly. And the shadows of life, our sickly, our needy, and our disabled.”
We are failing all those tests today.
“We care about all people, and put people first,” Norris said, promising to improve mental health care and reverse the privatization of Medicaid.
Half of Iowa’s babies are born into poverty, he added. “We must break the cycle of poverty” through better education and job training, raising wages, providing child care for people who want to work, pay equity for women, and protecting workers’ rights, “and seeing our immigrants’ opportunity as our opportunity.”
Instead of tax cuts for corporations, we should provide tax credits for college students who stay and work in Iowa. Norris also wants to give local governments more flexibility to use property tax revenue to rebuild rural Iowa.
Recounting some of his work experience (state director for the Farm Unity Coalition, chief of staff at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, representing our country at the United Nations for agriculture, chairing the Iowa Utilities Board, and serving on the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission), Norris said he knows the future of our state is rural broadband, renewable energy, and making farms profitable.
Alluding to his work as Governor Tom Vilsack’s chief of staff “after 32 years of Republican control,” Norris said,
I know a little bit about cleaning up Branstad messes, and I’m ready to clean up this Branstad mess.
My life has been a commitment to social and economic justice. As your governor, at the end of every day, I will ask, have we done all we an do for those we as Democrats are fighting for?
Our campaign’s not about buying expensive tables and seats at the table. It’s about providing a seat at the table of government for every Iowan. […]
Our fight is for the people. Join us in our fight. Norrisforthepeople.com. Let’s change this state. Let’s make it our fight. Join our team. Thank you.
Hubbell’s supporters made lots of noise as he took the stage.
Hubbell said “it’s great to see so many Democrats out in full force,” then recognized the many accomplishments of his wife and partner of 41 years.
A year from today, Iowans will no longer see Terry Branstad on the ballot. But in the meantime, we will still suffer from the heartless, misguided Republican policies that have deeply hurt this state.
They privatized Medicaid, cutting benefits for patients, leaving our doctors and hospitals with reduced and delayed payments, all the while costing Iowans tens of millions dollars more than they promised.
They cut funding and beds for mental health, forcing those in need of treatment to end up in emergency rooms and jails as a last resort.
They stripped our workers of collective bargaining rights. They short-changed education for our schools and colleges and universities. And they defunded Planned Parenthood.
And what did we get? Better schools? [crowd: No!]
Better health care? [crowd: No!]
Higher incomes? [crowd: No!]
No, we got more debt.
Despite all those cuts, Hubbell noted, Iowa ran a “massive $250 million budget deficit” last year, thanks to “tax loopholes and corporate giveaways like the Apple deal.” Next year’s budget looks just as bad. It’s a “complete failure of leadership.” Last week, Iowans learned that our state had the worst second-quarter economic growth of all 50 states.
We are witnessing the beginning of the end of the Reynolds administration. In these troubled times, Iowa needs a governor who has demonstrated leadership success in the public and private sectors. A governor with a proven track record of delivering results for people. And a governor who’s a lifelong progressive with a commitment to transparency and fairness.
We’ve got to turn this state around, and we don’t have time to waste.
In this room, we need to stand together united and lead with our hearts to put people in this state first again. And I mean all people. Rural and urban. Young and old. Women and men. Gay and straight. Black, white, and brown. Democrats, hinged and unhinged. Independents, and even Republicans.
In this room, we need to stand united to invest more in education for our young students, our colleges and universities, while showing our teachers the respect they deserve.
United to restore collective bargaining rights for our workers and get incomes rising across every part of the state.
Urban or rural, every Iowan deserves an opportunity to succeed, and “it’s past time Iowa received a raise.” Hubbell called for Democrats to stand united for permanent funding for water quality and soil conservation, to restore funding for Planned Parenthood, reverse Medicaid privatization, and improve mental health care. Hubbell loves the state and wants to improve conditions for every Iowan: better job training, quality health care, more infrastructure and housing.
I’m running for governor to get Iowa growing. If we stand united, we can turn the tide. Stand united with us in June, and we will turn our state around. Thank you.
Cathy Glasson always gets the crowd going.
Glasson’s campaign provided a full prepared text. I edited to reflect the speech as delivered. Glasson emphasized the issues that landed her Iowa CCI Action’s endorsement earlier this fall: a $15 minimum wage, single-payer health care, and taking on Big Ag polluters.
I’m here to deliver a message to the working people of Iowa.
For too long, your voices have been silenced by a Republican governor and legislature bought and paid for by corporations. By watered-down centrist policies that settle for too little and leave too many out.
And by politicians who tell you they know what you need, instead of listening to what you do need.
To the men and women that I’ve met across Iowa who told me they’ve been left out, to the young people who think no one is listening, tonight, we’re here to say loud and clear:
WE. HEAR. YOU!
To the 331,000 low-wage Iowa workers who desperately need a raise:
WE. HEAR. YOU. [Some in crowd responded: “Hear us now!”]
We will fight for a $15 minimum wage, and fast. We’ll get there in three years and index it to inflation moving forward.
To the 28 million Americans who have no health insurance, millions more who are underinsured and can’t get the care that they need when they need it.
WE. HEAR. YOU.
We will fight for Medicare for All. Healthcare is a fundamental right. Not a luxury for the wealthy.
As an intensive care nurse, I believe this is in my heart: we will build support for universal single-payer in all 99 counties.
And if the politicians out in Washington, DC don’t do the right thing, then we will work to pass a universal, single-payer plan here, right in Iowa to cover every single Iowan.
Because it’s the only way to ensure every Iowan gets the care they need–which includes access to mental and reproductive health services.
Everybody in, nobody out. Iowa can lead the way.
And if you’re a parent worried about Iowa’s commitment to public schools, or a teacher struggling on a paycheck that’s too small:
WE. HEAR. YOU.
We will demand a major investment to truly make public education our top priority again. No more lip service.
We will call on the legislature to increase school funding by 6 percent over current budget levels, because we want to invest in STEM education, relieve overcrowding, and increase teacher pay.
And I hope, and I hope the legislature listens carefully: because as governor, I will veto any budget with less than a 4 percent increase in K-12 funding.
And to the 15,000 Iowans who lost their health care because Terry Branstad and Kim Reynolds defunded Planned Parenthood:
WE. HEAR. YOU.
We will fight to reopen every clinic they shut down and give you the reproductive health care you need.
To Iowans whose land is being swallowed up and poisoned by corporate agriculture:
WE. HEAR. YOU.
For years, factory farms have polluted our lakes, rivers and streams.
They’ve fouled over 750 waterways with their toxic chemicals, waste and fertilizer.
It’s time for a governor who’ll stay out of the pocket of corporate farms and protect our water. We need a moratorium on all new and expanded factory farms until Big Ag cleans up the mess they’ve made.
My fellow Iowans, it’s time to rise up and be counted to build a bold, progressive future.
I’m running for governor to be your voice. So your demand for change carries from this room and echoes through all 99 counties.
So it rattles the windows in the corporate suites, rumbles through each chamber of the state house, and roars into the Governor’s mansion. A thundering wake up call.
Iowa working families, brothers and sisters, my fellow Iowans:
WE. HEAR. YOU!
I’m Cathy Glasson. I’d be honored to be your Governor. Thank you, Iowa Democrats. Thanks for all you do.
The thunder sticks were out in force for Boulton:
Boulton’s campaign also provided a prepared text, which I edited to conform to his delivery. Although he appealed to a sense of Democratic unity, he snuck in a couple of barbs at Hubbell (“I didn’t wait for Terry Branstad to leave town to fight back”) and Glasson (“No amount of frustration, of shouting, no protests will matter if we don’t deliver a victory in 2018”).
I want to say thank you to each one of you who chose to STAND UP this past year, in the midst of relentless Republican attacks. At the Capitol Democrats were ready to STAND UP, sometimes all through the night, with thousands of Iowans to make sure our voices were heard. We never waited on the sidelines while Republicans forced through their destructive policies, and we won’t stop now!
Senator Dix has promised “Chapter Two” is coming for us in January, and Kim Reynolds got a head start on it this summer! She mismanaged our budget and raided more rainy day funds, offered millions in new corporate coupons, took away overtime pay for overtime work for thousands of Iowans, and cut even more staff in our mental health facilities.
She called LGBTQ rights a matter of local control, and has continued a disastrous Medicaid scheme, privatized in a way that has been worse and worse for some of our most vulnerable citizens in this state.
While we have been proud to STAND UP to their agenda, to win in 2018 we must talk about our plan to FIGHT BACK, and I’m introducing a plan of action in the legislature to do just that.
When they try to dismantle IPERS for hundreds of thousands of Iowans, we FIGHT BACK to not only protect IPERS, but offer more Iowans access to pensions.
After they wrecked healthcare, privatized Medicaid, and defunded Planned Parenthood, we FIGHT BACK to reverse those actions and actually push forward for paid family leave and reopen our mental health facilities that they shut down.
When they underfund education and introduce new versions of school vouchers, we FIGHT BACK by fully funding our schools and again treating teachers like the professionals they are.
When Senate Republicans mistreat women, in our own state capitol, and cost taxpayers over $1.7 Million, we FIGHT BACK by not just making sure workplaces are safe for women, but making sure Iowa’s women get equal pay for equal work.
As Republicans continue to gut workers’ rights, we FIGHT BACK to expand workplace and union rights! When their vision destroys the Iowa we’re proud to call home, what will we do? [crowd: FIGHT BACK!]
Yes, we FIGHT BACK. Our fight pushes forward a new era that fulfills the true promise of our state’s future. Where we address the very real problem of climate change with expanded Iowa wind and solar energy, where we value our strong and productive workforce with better wages and benefits, where we lead the nation in education by prioritizing our schools again. Where we build safe and secure communities. Where we promote and protect our natural resources, like my incredible wife Andrea does every day.
The urban/rural divide that we hear so much about, that they believe separates us, is no match for the actual shared values of my parents and grandparents in rural Iowa, and my constituents in urban and suburban Iowa.
This election is too important to repeat the mistakes of the past. Winning will take a new generation of Iowans sharing our vision throughout the state and energizing working families in this state who have been attacked by their own representatives and governor. It will take outreach to small communities like my hometown of Columbus Junction, who feel left behind.
We must make it clear to our friends and neighbors that their quality of life and our livelihoods, are on the ballot. This is more important than who you caucused for in 2016 and even who you choose in this primary in 2018. Because we are ALL Iowans. When we stand up and fight back as a united Democratic party, we not only win in 2018, we deliver a victory for our state’s future.
Like many of you here tonight, I’m not new to these tough fights. Like you, I didn’t wait for Terry Branstad to leave town to fight back. When others were on the sidelines, I was there to stand with you and fight for you, in the courtroom and the statehouse, defending our values from their relentless attacks.
From my front-row seat in the Senate, I have seen all too clearly the problems our state will face if we lose this fight for the soul of our state–if the Republican agenda is emboldened. No amount of frustration, of shouting, no protests will matter if we don’t deliver a victory in 2018.
I’ve fought for working people for 12 years as an attorney. I’ve traveled to 99 counties in this campaign. We’re building a movement to WIN this fight for the soul of our state. This is going to be a tough fight, a fight that will define Iowa for the next generation, a fight we must win. Our opportunity is now. Let’s stand up, let’s fight back, and let’s push forward for a brighter future for our state.
Thank you!
My recorder didn’t catch the beginning of Ross Wilburn’s speech, when he hailed such a large turnout on a Monday evening as a great sign for the party and thanked his fellow candidates. The last gubernatorial contender to begin actively campaigning, Wilburn is also the least-known across the state, so he spent a large chunk of his time describing his background in local government.
“I’m the only Democratic candidate who’s been elected to an executive leadership role in government. I was mayor of my city,” Wilburn said. He proceeded to describe the skills he developed as an Iowa City mayor and council member. He led a disaster command center after a tornado injured three dozen people and caused millions of dollars of damage in 2006. Rebuilding took months, but he was never more proud to lead his community.
It was Iowans at their best, coming together, doing what needed to be done. To this day, people remind me how it felt to be part of a community that responded that way. We did that in local government.
That is the difference I will bring to our state as governor. This is what local government does. We act. We help neighbors. We see each other at the grocery stories, the gas stations.
We’re accountable to each other. We care about each other. That’s what we need in Iowa: someone with experience in local government, who can make that happen in state government.
Wilburn proceeded to explain his “simple, clear message: let’s be Iowa.” “We all know what that means,” he added. Investing in public education, not private vouchers. Building a better health care system. Reverse privatizing Medicaid, take care of people who need mental health services.
Wilburn favors a $15 minimum wage, restoring public employees’ collective bargaining rights, promoting more renewable energy and “sustainable clean energy jobs.
Let’s extend broadband to rural areas to extend opportunities. And when we offer tax breaks, let’s make sure we get a return on our investment. Let’s be Iowa.
I could go on. Really, I could. Like fairness in our criminal justice system. Supporting a path to citizenship. Ensuring LGBTQIA rights, and holding concentrated animal feeding operations accountable. But they told us to keep it to five minutes.
Wilburn closed by describing what Iowa City residents accomplished by working together after that devastating 2006 tornado.
We can fix this if we work together. Our city got to work. We not only rebuilt our community, we rebuilt hope and trust in what Iowans could do if we work together. That’s what I bring to our state.
We need Democratic leadership and values. We need your time, we need your energy, your passion, your boots on the ground to win this race, the governor’s race, the legislative races. We can make it happen. We can make a better Iowa.
I’m Ross Wilburn, I’m running for governor. Join with us together. Let’s be Iowa.
I leave you with a few more of Stefanie’s pictures. Happy Democrats after the event wrapped up:
Iowa Senate Minority Leader Janet Petersen:
Former First Lady Christie Vilsack and Governor Tom Vilsack:
The Vilsacks stopped by the press table after most of the crowd had cleared the room. Christie Vilsack mentioned that although she did not defeat Representative Steve King in 2012, she feels there were a lot of “wins” associated with that campaign. She helped some other Democrats who were on the ballot in western Iowa. She often hears from people whom she inspired to get involved in their communities or even run for office.
Tom Vilsack echoed Alec Baldwin’s comments about the importance of Democratic unity for next year’s general election. He perceived that message to be “well-received in this room.” I agree on both counts.
Promising to offer voters “a Republican alternative that is truly reflective of Iowa and the values we cherish,” Cyndi Hanson announced on December 5 that she will seek the GOP nomination in the fourth Congressional district.
Hanson has worked in the education field for many years and is currently executive director of Northeast Community College’s extended campus in South Sioux City, Nebraska. Her campaign website cites her experience growing up on a farm in Monona County (agriculture “produces resilient, resourceful and collaborative people who get things done”) and her work ethic, having completed a doctorate in education.
At events in Sioux City, Mason City and Ames, Hanson indicated she approaches problems differently from eight-term Representative Steve King. Bob Fisher reported for KGLO radio,
“I’m solution focused and collaborative in the way I work, so really seeing what’s happening is a great deal of frustration for me. I think the only way we can change the current situation is to change the players we have involved.”
Hanson says she’s heard from a lot of people who say King’s “divisive rhetoric” isn’t good for Iowans.
Listing ways in which she is different than King, Hanson said, “I fully support Iowa’s agricultural industries, including renewable fuels, biotech, traditional and diversified production agriculture.”
She also said the founding fathers did not want representatives to be lifelong politicians. King was first elected in 2002.
“The longer one is away from and not engaging in conversations with their constituency, the less likely he is to understand and represent the interests of the district. I’m committed to engaging with and representing the people of District 4,” Hanson said.
Hanson told KSCJ radio that she has considered running for Congress for two years. What tipped her hand was seeing “less actual representation of Iowans and Iowa’s interests from our incumbent.” She believes “It’s time for someone who is closely connected with Iowa, who has spent her life here and spends many, many hours of every day connecting with people from Iowa and understanding the needs and interests of our district.”
King is one of the most vocal proponents of total repeal of the Affordable Care Act. Hanson argued for a middle ground during her interview with KSCJ. Having health care is a “very real concern” for those working in agriculture, small business owners, or self-employed people.
Unfortunately, I don’t know that that’s going to happen entirely without some type of government support for making affordable and accessible health care. Now that doesn’t mean that we have to have an oppressive government involvement in health care. I think there’s a happy medium.
On her campaign website, Hanson touts fiscal responsibility, saying her “experience as a small business owner and education background” will help her make “difficult decisions” needed to balance the budget.
To say Hanson faces an uphill battle would be an understatement. King is a hero to social conservatives, thanks to his uncompromising stances on issues like abortion and marriage equality. Most statewide Republican office-holders and numerous state legislators endorsed King in his 2016 primary against State Senator Rick Bertrand of Sioux City. Bertrand received about 35 percent of the vote in that race.
The incumbent can count on massive establishment support in next year’s primary as well. He is co-chairing Governor Kim Reynolds’ campaign, and the governor’s chief of staff Jake Ketzner ran King’s re-election campaign in 2012, when he faced former First Lady Christie Vilsack in a substantially redrawn district.
Leading up to the June primary, the Reynolds campaign will presumably be doing massive GOTV in western Iowa. Many prominent conservative activists have joined King in endorsing Reynolds, while her main Republican rival Ron Corbett has a base in the eastern part of the state.
Most election analysts consider IA-04 a safe seat for the GOP. The district’s 39 counties contain 118,408 active registered Democrats, 191,219 Republicans, and 175,906 no-party voters, according to the latest figures from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office. Donald Trump carried IA-04 with 60.9 percent of the vote, while Hillary Clinton received 33.5 percent. King won re-election last year with 61.2 percent of the vote. He also received more than 60 percent in the 2014 midterm election.
I’m happy to report that the bar has been raised: 83 authors contributed 164 guest posts to this website during 2017. Their work covered an incredible range of local, statewide, and national topics.
I doubt any state-based blog in the country draws from a stronger, deeper pool of writing talent. Please look over the posts linked below and consider adding your voice to Bleeding Heartland during 2018. Guest pieces can be short or long. Writers are allowed to use pseudonyms. If you don’t already have a user account, I can set one up for you (e-mail info AT bleedingheartland.com).
Thanks also to the readers who occasionally comment on posts here. If you’ve never participated that way, feel free to sign up and share your views.
Gary Kroeger was Bleeding Heartland’s most prolific guest author in 2017, with fourteen posts:
Citizen lobbyist Matt Chapman was a close second. Most of his thirteen Bleeding Heartland posts were inspired by happenings during the Iowa legislative session:
Tracy Leone wrote five posts about the unprecedented conflict between the Muscatine City Council and Mayor Diana Broderson. (That power struggle took up quite a bit of my head space later in the year.)
At least one other gubernatorial candidate, Gary Siegwarth, is trying to qualify for the general election ballot as an independent. Like Roske, he has little chance of moving the ball forward on the issues that are driving his candidacy.
Roske’s campaign for governor always looked more like a publicity stunt than a serious effort. The one time I saw him speak, at the Progress Iowa Corn Feed in September, he advocated for single-payer health care and stronger water quality programs. Why Roske, since multiple Democratic candidates for governor have called for similar policies? He claimed that running outside the party structure would provide “another avenue to get progressive and Democrat and independent ideas into the statehouse.”
In the Facebook post announcing the end of his campaign, Roske said he launched his candidacy because he “wanted to be a part of the conversation” and “share some of the ideas I have about improving people’s lives.”
The truth is, though, that hosting a TV show is much, much different than being an active candidate. The conversation in media is mostly one direction but once you’re in a race the swift change in current can be startling. I had run for Congress in California a few years back but Independent candidates are much more accepted there. In Iowa politics you can be an Independent until you announce your candidacy and then people want you to pick a side. People I considered friends from both the Republican and Democratic parties told me that they felt I’d let them down by not running on their team. I would remind them that we’ve already had one Independent President – George Washington – and that the US Constitution doesn’t mention anything about political parties. I’d also offer that we’ve never had an Independent Governor but that Iowa did elect a Whig Party Governor (Abolitionist James Grimes for which the city takes its name) but most folks active in Iowa politics are red or blue with the party infrastructures and databases to go along. The ‘non-party’ people in the middle don’t get fired up and grab pitchforks and torches. Moderates are moderate.
As a candidate, I advocated for universal healthcare and I’m grateful I got the chance to do so. I don’t want our awesome country to become socialist, but I don’t think how you spend your money makes you patriotic. […] Healthcare needs to be a benefit of American citizenship like police and fire protection, K-12 education, roads & highways, etc.
I spoke about the urgent need to clean Iowa’s waterways. I commend Secretary Northey for his recent work to get a clean water bill ready for presentation to the 2018 legislature but I join thousands of other Iowans in my disappointment that they didn’t get the competing House and Senate bills passed in the last session. This failure was a main reason I decided to run. The tap water in Los Angeles is cleaner than Des Moines’, which is embarrassing and unacceptable.
In a larger sense, I ran as an Independent to discuss how we can improve the process of American government, electing a non-party player to the Executive to arbitrate between the warring factions in the legislature. If you went to a football game and the referee was an MVP of one of the playing teams you’d know that it wasn’t a level playing field. This is what we have at the state and federal levels and electing Independents to the Executive Branch across the country would be the quickest way to improve our democracy and give the parties a bridge to help get things done. […]
If you’re passionate and outspoken about politics, you should run. Look for a race and go for it because a candidate gets a platform. […] If you want to help, running for office is a much more effective way to share your ideas than writing destructive posts on the internet to your chosen echo chamber. […]
Define “much more effective.” Roske wasn’t occupying a niche left unfilled by major parties. The reason why Iowans encouraged him to “pick a side” was simple: only two people (the Democratic and Republican nominees) will have have any chance of being elected governor next November. Since Roske was never going to be a serious contender for that office, he could never hope to “arbitrate between the warring factions in the legislature.”
Moreover, Roske failed to educate himself on one of his signature issues. What nonsense is this? “I commend Secretary Northey for his recent work to get a clean water bill ready for presentation to the 2018 legislature but I join thousands of other Iowans in my disappointment that they didn’t get the competing House and Senate bills passed in the last session.”
Northey had the Iowa Department of Agriculture’s lobbyist register in favor of the water bill that cleared the state Senate near the end of the 2017 session. Look who else pushed for that legislation: Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, Iowa Corn Growers, Iowa Pork Producers. Every major Iowa environmental organization (Sierra Club, Iowa Environmental Council, Iowa Rivers Revival, Environmental Law and Policy Center) lobbied against the Senate’s approach, for good reason. It would be a “water quality” bill in name only. Keeping that bill from passing during the 2017 session was a victory–likely a short-lived one, as House Republicans will probably send it to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk in early 2018.
Roske apparently understands none of this, though he could have learned the difference between the House and Senate approaches to water program funding by talking to almost anyone who worked with legislators on this issue last spring.
The independent still running for governor, Gary Siegwarth, is almost the mirror image of Roske. Whereas Roske is a media personality and experienced self-promoter, Siegwarth is the opposite of a showboater. I only heard about his candidacy a few weeks ago, even though he announced in late October. Roske would seem to be satisfied with any state action on water quality, regardless of its effectiveness. In contrast, Siegwarth has in-depth knowledge of the problem, thanks to 25 years of experience as a fisheries biologist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. In his announcement video, he said,
The reason I am running for governor is because I think the voice of both the land and the people has been lost over time due to special interests and big money. So what I want to do is bring that voice back for both the land and the people.
People often ask me what party am I running for, and I say I’m not running for a particular party. I’m for Iowa, and that’s what I want to put back at the forefront, instead of the divisions between parties.
Siegwarth’s campaign website isn’t loading for me, but his Facebook page calls for protecting natural resources and improving rural communities through a revitalized, more diverse agricultural sector. (The candidate grew up on a Jackson County farm.)
A few problems with this vision: the policy changes Siegwarth wants on agricultural subsidies are mostly tied to federal government programs. Filling Iowa’s unfunded Natural Resource and Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund would require legislative action. Committed outsiders speaking for the land can’t make it happen.
I recently asked Siegwarth why he is running for governor as an independent, give that several Democratic candidates are talking about water quality. Wouldn’t his candidacy potentially help Reynolds, the favorite for the GOP nomination, by taking votes away from her Democratic challenger? Siegwarth replied via Facebook message,
I’m trying to find a neutral medium to promote a natural resource-based platform that can appeal to all voters. From the thousands of people I’ve talked with, it’s obvious voters on both sides are really turned off by the division among parties. As an “independent” candidate, I’ve been able to offer that neutrality and immediately move past being on one side or the other in order to talk about issues. I’ve talked with the most venomous Trump supporters and haters. One of their first questions is usually, “what party are you?” When I tell them “neither”, most are very supportive of that position and we jump right into conversation. If I approached those same voters representing the opposite party, most of those conversations would have ended before anything meaningful or constructive could be exchanged. In most cases, it is difficult to convince the supporter of one party to come to the other side. With the divisiveness in recent years, there has never been a better time to promote some important natural resources based issues from a neutral position. From my conversations with dismayed Republican voters, I honestly believe my candidacy will hurt Kim Reynolds more than it will help because it gives many disappointed voters a neutral option of a nontraditional candidate with a strong voice for natural resources and the common people rather than a more difficult choice of casting a vote for the opposite party.
I’m also trying to put out a more holistic long-term platform regarding water quality funding and policies. In one way or another, everything comes from the land yet voters understanding of those connections are poorly understood. My candidacy provides a dual purpose of educating voters about natural resource and landscape issues. Natural resources connect either directly or indirectly to nearly every other issue. The same solutions that improve water quality also improve soil health, reduce flooding, promote landscape diversity, reduce our impact on other regions of the world (hypoxia and greenhouse gasses) as well as influence rural economic opportunities, education, healthy food, health care, outdoor recreation, and quality of life. It’s all connected. The key is laying out this holistic model as a way to promote long-term thinking and sustainable solutions. Water quality funding and policies are just the tip of the iceberg.
I’m hoping this becomes more clear in the coming months.
I find it hard to imagine many disaffected Republicans voting for Siegwarth next November, especially since a Libertarian Party candidate will be on the ballot. Jake Porter and Marco Battaglia are seeking that party’s nomination. Libertarians need at least 2 percent of the vote in the governor’s race to retain full political party status in Iowa.
Meanwhile, the governor’s election represents the best chance to break the GOP trifecta, which has done tremendous damage to our state in only one year. The Republican legislative majorities (59-41 in the Iowa House, 29-20-1 in the Iowa Senate) are probably large enough to withstand a Democratic wave, if one materializes.
To qualify for the general-election ballot, Siegwarth will need to collect at least 1,500 signatures, with minimum amounts from residents of at least ten different counties. The energy he devotes to a gubernatorial campaign would be better spent advocating for local government action to promote rural economic development and good land-use practices, or for like-minded candidates with a chance of being elected to the legislature or to statewide office.
Top image: Screen shot from Gary Siegwarth’s announcement video for his gubernatorial campaign.
Investment revenue gives the ostensibly non-profit Iowa Farm Bureau Federation “a vested financial interest in advocating for policies that hurt Iowa’s farmers,” Congressional candidate Austin Frerick charged today. One of seven Democrats seeking the nomination in Iowa’s third district, Frerick has made economic concentration, especially in the agricultural sector, a central issue of his campaign. He has highlighted the proposed Monsanto-Bayer merger, which would result in two corporations “controlling about three-quarters of the U.S. corn seed market.”
The Farm Bureau describes itself as “a statewide, grassroots farm organization dedicated to our mission of creating a vibrant future for agriculture, farm families, and their communities.” But in a statement enclosed in full below, Frerick cited documents showing that
The Iowa Farm Bureau, created in 1918 to advocate for Iowa’s farmers and rural communities, now receives most of its revenue from its for-profit insurance arm, the FBL Financial Group. The FBL Financial Group is a private business entity that controls $9.6 billion in assets, generating close to $726 million in income in 2016. That $9.6 billion in assets includes many millions of dollars of investments in large agribusiness conglomerates like Monsanto and Tyson.
Frerick added that because of FBL Financial Group’s investments, Farm Bureau makes money “when Monsanto charges farmers an arm and a leg for seeds.” The group has not opposed any of the consolidation of companies that produce hybrid seed for the vast majority of Iowa grain farmers.
Frerick later tweeted that a classic “60 Minutes” expose inspired his investigation of Farm Bureau’s finances. In that segment, which CBS broadcast in April 2000, Mike Wallace covered the “vast network of for-profit companies” linked to the national Farm Bureau and its state affiliates: “We found that people at the top of the Farm Bureau have been building a financial empire worth billions–some of it invested in the very agribusiness giants that many family farmers say are running them out of business.”
Wallace quoted sources who said “agribusiness mergers are continuing because the Farm Bureau recently helped defeat national legislation that would have imposed an 18-month moratorium on such mergers.” At the state level too, Farm Bureau’s lobbying sometimes focused more on its investment interests than the needs of farmers.
Frerick is calling on the Farm Bureau to oppose further major agricultural corporate mergers and sell its investments that create a conflict of interest. Iowa Farm Bureau communications staff did not respond to Bleeding Heartland’s repeated requests for comment today.
January 4 press release from Austin Frerick’s campaign:
CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATE AUSTIN FRERICK UNCOVERS FINANCIAL DOCUMENTS REVEALING IOWA FARM BUREAU HAS MAJOR INVESTMENTS IN AGRIBUSINESS CONGLOMERATES
“THIS ISN’T YOUR PARENTS’ FARM BUREAU,” FRERICK SAYS
THE IOWA FARM BUREAU STANDS TO FINANCIALLY GAIN FROM UNPRECEDENTED AGRIBUSINESS MERGERS THAT HARM FARMERS
“TO SHOW IT REALLY CARES ABOUT IOWA FARMERS, THE IOWA FARM BUREAU NEEDS TO 1) OPPOSE THESE MERGERS AND 2) SELL INVESTMENTS THAT CREATE A CONFLICT OF INTEREST,” FRERICK SAYS
WINTERSET – Austin Frerick, a Democrat running for Congress against David Young in Iowa’s 3rd District, has discovered financial documents that show that the Iowa Farm Bureau maintains a for-profit arm with substantial investments in Monsanto, Tyson, and other agribusiness giants. The documents reveal significant conflicts of interest for the Iowa Farm Bureau and raises questions about whether it advocates for policies that help large corporations at the expense of Iowa’s farm families.
“People across Iowa have grown up believing in the Iowa Farm Bureau,” Frerick said. “It’s particularly sad that an institution that has had Iowa’s back for generations has been hijacked by corporate greed.”
The Iowa Farm Bureau, created in 1918 to advocate for Iowa’s farmers and rural communities, now receives most of its revenue from its for-profit insurance arm, the FBL Financial Group. The FBL Financial Group is a private business entity that controls $9.6 billion in assets, generating close to $726 million in income in 2016. That $9.6 billion in assets includes many millions of dollars of investments in large agribusiness conglomerates like Monsanto and Tyson.
“Through its for-profit arm, FBL Financial Group, the Iowa Farm Bureau has a vested financial interest in advocating for policies that hurt Iowa’s farmers. They make money when Monsanto charges farmers an arm and a leg for seeds.” Frerick noted that the price of corn seed has more than doubled in the past 10 years — from $51 per acre in 2006 to $102 in 2015 — as a result of corporate consolidation, including Monsanto’s purchases of DeKalb and Cargill’s international seed businesses. Frerick fears that the problem will worsen as a result of Monsanto’s proposed merger with Bayer. The Iowa Farm Bureau never objected to any of these consolidations.
“These executives only seem to care about their own bottom line. The executives at the Iowa Farm Bureau are taking home record pay checks while Iowa farmers are struggling,” Frerick said. Denny Presnall, the Iowa Farm Bureau’s Executive Director, earned $857,163 in 2014 (the last year for which figures are available).
“This isn’t your parents’ or grandparents’ Iowa Farm Bureau,” Frerick added. “The Iowa Farm Bureau used to stand for farmers coming together, looking out for each other, and advocating for what’s best for farmers. Now the Farm Bureau is looking out for the profits of the FBL Financial Group and huge corporations like Monsanto. This is greed, pure and simple.”
Frerick’s campaign is committed to exposing how corporate meddling has stacked the deck against Iowns. Frerick was the first and only candidate in the 3rd Congressional District race to call for blocking the proposed merger of Bayer-Monsanto and to call for a total ban on the use of the herbicide dicamba, which is wreaking havoc for farmers across the country. Frerick added, “I will not back down as the evidence of this corruption continues to mount.”
About Austin Frerick:
Frerick is running as the first antitrust candidate in the country. He is an Iowa native and lives in Winterset. He has worked as an economist at the U.S. Department of the Treasury, Office of Tax Policy, and at the Congressional Research Service in the Domestic Social Policy Division. He has published research on executive compensation, pharmaceutical corporate charity abuses, and the growth of monopolies in the U.S. economy.
He was the first in his family to attend college, graduating from Grinnell College and completing his Master’s degree at the University of Wisconsin La Follette School of Public Affairs. To cover his tuition, he took out student loans and worked four jobs, including as a Special Needs Care Provider for the Arc of East Central Iowa.
Tyler Higgs is a local activist and concerned constituent in Clive. Bleeding Heartland welcomes guest posts advocating for candidates in Democratic primaries. Please read these guidelines before writing. -promoted by desmoinesdem
Anyone who has been to Representative David Young’s Facebook page knows what pandering looks like — drawings by second-graders, pictures of handshakes with people he votes to remove healthcare from, etc. His page is completely devoid of substance. What is he actually doing to address the concerns of his constituents? When will he put the People of Iowa ahead of his party’s far-right agenda?
That’s why I was so eager to see such a wide field of candidates challenge him this year. Unfortunately, a quick search of many of the candidates’ websites and Facebook pages shows just more of the same — photo ops of meet and greets, charming pictures of family, and no substance.
I’m an issues person. I care about the issues, not about who is advocating for them. I know that if I talk with any of these great candidates one-on-one, they will tell me what I want to hear. But I’ve had that experience with David Young as well. I don’t want to be pandered and lied to any more. I don’t want to be told something in private that a politician won’t state publicly.
That’s why I’m looking for public declarations. What are the candidates’ core beliefs? What do they say publicly that I can hold them accountable to once they are elected?
There’s one candidate who stands out to me as someone who is running an issue-focused campaign that I can proudly support: Austin Frerick.
Austin has advocated a bold progressive agenda and has presented it in a way that shows how it will better the lives of people in both rural and urban areas of Iowa’s third Congressional district.
Austin is the only candidate to date to oppose the Monsanto-Bayer merger because Austin knows that monopolies hurt family farmers.
Austin understands the struggles of working Iowans — and that we can’t get by on an inadequate minimum wage or substandard working conditions.
Austin knows the proud history of labor unions and the importance of protecting our hard-earned rights in the workplace.
Austin understands civil rights, LGBTQ rights, and womens’ rights. He supports paid sick, family, and vacation leave.
He understands the burden of student loan debt and the need to address that crisis to provide relief to the future workforce of Iowa.
Austin also cares about beer. He sees the threat that corporate monopolies have on the craft brewing industry, and he’s ready to fight the fight to protect good quality, Iowa made craft beer.
But don’t take my word for it, check out his Facebook page or his campaign issues page. His stance on all of these issues is right there.
When you’re done checking out his pages, come find me. I’ll be drinking a craft beer and helping Austin make the third Congressional district #IowaAF.
Iowa House Republicans capitulated on January 23, sending the Senate’s version of a bill to fund water programs to Governor Kim Reynolds’ desk. During the floor debate on Senate File 512, several Democrats and Republican State Representative Chip Baltimore argued for the water quality language House members had approved last year with strong bipartisan support. Whereas agricultural lobby groups were the primary supporters of Senate File 512, a large number of stakeholders were involved in crafting the House amendment. Insisting on the House version would have sent the legislation to a conference committee for further negotiations.
The 59 to 41 vote to accept the Senate bill mostly followed party lines, but four Democrats who represent smaller towns and rural areas voted yes: Bruce Bearinger, Helen Miller, Scott Ourth, and Todd Prichard. Miller has taken a particular interest in farm-related issues over the years; she is the Agriculture Committee Chair for the National Black Caucus of State Legislators as well as a member of State Agricultural and Rural Leaders.
Four Republicans joined the rest of the House Democrats to oppose Senate File 512: Baltimore, Mary Ann Hanusa, Jake Highfill, and Guy Vander Linden. As floor manager of this legislation in 2017, Baltimore led a group of GOP House members who opposed the Senate’s approach. More recently, he was sidelined as the Iowa Farm Bureau and allies pressured the “Baltimore 16” to accept the Senate bill without amendments. Appearing on Iowa Public Radio’s “River to River” broadcast on January 22, Baltimore sounded discouraged, saying there was a “snowball’s chance in hell” of a water quality compromise. His final words on that program called for “reasonable minds” to get something “comprehensive and collaborative done, rather than shoving one bill down another chamber’s throat and promising to work on it later.”
New floor manager John Wills promised passage of Senate File 512 would be “just the beginning, not the end” of legislative discussions on water quality. No one I know in the environmental community believes Republicans will approve any further funding increases for water programs, much less a bill that would measure progress so the public could find out what methods work best to reduce water pollution.
I enclose below some of the best takes I’ve seen on the worse-than-doing-nothing bill Reynolds will soon sign.
“AN IRRESPONSIBLE USE OF TAXPAYER FUNDS THAT GIVES NO ASSURANCE OF ACTUALLY CLEANING UP OUR LAKES AND STREAMS”
The non-profit Iowa Environmental Council, which unites dozens of organizations concerned about protecting natural resources, released this statement after yesterday’s House vote.
The Iowa Environmental Council (IEC) is disappointed by the passage of SF512 in the House today after only 40 minutes of debate. “Our legislature today chose a failed business-as-usual approach to cleaning up our polluted lakes and rivers”, according to IEC Executive Director Jennifer Terry. SF512 is a missed opportunity—lacking a collaborative approach to crafting legislation that protects the health and safety of Iowans. “The legislation passed today lacks a scientifically-proven watershed approach, lacks funding for adequate financial and human capital, lacks required water quality monitoring or assurance of public access to data about Iowa’s water quality,” Terry said.
Citing SF512 as an irresponsible use of taxpayer funds that gives no assurance of actually cleaning up our lakes and streams, Terry is concerned that legislators will ‘check the water quality’ box and fail to revisit the shortcomings of this bill. “Where are the voices of environment, habitat, conservation, watershed planning, public health and sustainable agriculture in this process and in this bill?” Terry asked.
In 2017, a diverse group of entities opposed this legislation. Iowa Environmental Council member organizations such as Citizens for a Healthy Iowa, Des Moines Water Works, Environmental Law and Policy Center, the Iowa Farmers Union, Iowa Rivers Revival, the Izaak Walton League and the Raccoon River Watershed Association all stood in opposition of SF512. “These groups did not just say “no,” but provided a wealth of resources and real solutions that would have resulted in effective policy. Today, Iowa’s legislature chose to ignore these common-sense solutions and the voices of the Iowans who are represented by these groups,” Terry said. […]
Iowans have the right to clean, safe water. Iowans have a right to use their public beaches that are all too often polluted with bacteria and blue-green algae from nutrient pollution. “Our members want to see a bipartisan water quality bill that includes a scientific watershed approach, locally-led, science-based watershed planning, sustainable and adequate funding mechanisms and monitoring with public access to data, Terry said. “We call on the Governor to urge lawmakers to consider the voices of their fellow Iowans and take real, meaningful steps to cleaner water.”
For anyone wanting to understand the differences between the House and Senate water quality proposals, Iowa Environmental Council staff compiled the best side-by-side comparison I have seen. The more you delve into the details, the more Senate File 512’s deficiencies are clear.
“ANOTHER REPUBLICAN ‘BAIT AND SWITCH’ IN THE MAKING”
For more than a decade, State Senator Rob Hogg has been one of the legislature’s strongest advocates for good environmental policies. The Des Moines Register published his commentary on January 1 under the headline, “Iowa needs real action for water solutions, not GOP facade.” I encourage you to click through and read the whole piece. Excerpts:
After cutting millions from many water programs, their current water proposal (Senate File 512) calls for spending up to $27 million a year for unspecified water projects beginning in 2021, with the funding coming from sources currently used for schools, local governments and building infrastructure.
This proposed spending would all be subject to the budgeting whims of a future legislature; it is another Republican “bait and switch” in the making.
Senate File 512 sets no goals. It establishes no watershed management governance. It does not target high-priority watersheds with the state’s investments in water.
The bill does call for annual reporting, but only of the expenditures made, not the results obtained. It calls for a “program review committee” that would not meet until Sept. 1, 2027, and then only every 10 years. […]
In addition to providing dedicated revenue sources, water legislation should:
• Set short- and long-term goals for reducing water pollution and improving flood and drought preparedness.
• Create a new “Iowa Water Commission” to pull together all federal, state and local agencies working on water issues, including the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University, which had its funding stripped.
• Direct the Iowa Water Commission to prepare actionable five-year plans with new dedicated funding (like the Iowa Transportation Commission does).
• Provide more financial support for flood and drought preparedness infrastructure and practices in cities both large and small.
• Re-establish and improve measuring and monitoring programs and provide timely reports to the public that focus on results, telling us our return on investment.
• Strengthen the role of cooperative watershed management authorities to act on water quality and water quantity challenges.
• Update the master matrix and improve manure management plans and compliance to better protect our watersheds.
• Ensure “conservation compliance” standards for those receiving public funds through soil and water quality programs.
• Expand ongoing research into better management practices for urban and rural landowners.
In a statement released on January 23, State Senator Bob Dvorsky, the ranking Democrat on the Senate’s Natural Resources and Environment Committee, echoed Hogg’s analysis.
“Water quality is a real problem that deserves a real solution. Senate File 512 is not a real solution.
“This bill fails to ensure accountability through monitoring to measure whether the state is achieving the goal of cleaner water and healthier soils.
“This bill falls also short because Republicans failed to work in a bipartisan manner and failed to seek input from farmers, environmentalist and other concerned Iowans. A bipartisan approach would have produced a better bill that would have been effective at addressing this serious issue.”
“WE CAN’T PROMISE TAXPAYERS THAT WE’RE GOING TO GET RESULTS”
Many Iowa lawmakers care deeply about the environment, but no one in the House has worked harder on those issues in recent years than State Representative Chuck Isenhart, the ranking Democrat on the Environmental Protection Committee. So while several House members delivered good speeches during the January 23 floor debate (you can watch them all here, starting at the 9:50:00 mark), I’d most recommend Isenhart’s.
Isenhart began by outlining a principle that should inform legislative efforts: “Iowans are willing to pay for results if we know we are getting the results we are paying for.” He recognized Baltimore for his leadership and hard work on crafting a bipartisan bill. “We didn’t get everything we asked for–I certainly didn’t get everything I wanted,” Isenhart noted. Still, they got 79 votes “for a water quality bill that I think would have put us on the path of Iowans getting results for what we’re paying for. Some of those amendments addressed goals, timelines, measurement, monitoring of water quality in stream, public reporting of results. All based on initiatives undertaken at the watershed level with the potential for all contributors to the problem working together to put their shoulders to the wheel collectively […].”
Knowing how much effort went into the House compromise, Isenhart added,
I’m very disappointed, not only for ourselves, but for you, Representative Baltimore, that your colleagues seem now to be so willing to simply discard all the hard work we did last session, and simply say a bill that we thought was not good enough is now good enough. Although we just heard what I consider a vague promise of more, well, why don’t we see the more and vote on that first, and then come back to this?
The promises reminded Isenhart of the old television game show “Let’s Make a Deal.”
Well, we’re told today that we can have what’s under box number 1 and maybe we can get what’s behind curtain number 2 also. But we don’t know what’s behind there, and I’m not sure that we’ll like what we see behind there, and I don’t know if we’ll ever get an opportunity to get what’s behind there. So I think these vague allusions about what more might be coming really aren’t relevant to today’s discussion.
Also disappointed, Representative Baltimore, that over the interim we heard from a number of stakeholders who are advocates of the Senate’s version of this bill, who have grossly distorted our work, grossly distorted what it does, in order to build up local pressure on us as individual legislators to take what I consider a watered-down water bill.
And by the way, Representative Wills, Democrats, I’m sure, would be happy to engage in those discussions. I wasn’t approached, I’m not sure Representative Prichard was approached during the interim to talk about some of these ideas. But again, if we want to keep the bipartisan approach that we’ve established here in the House under Representative Baltimore’s leadership, I’m sure we’d be interested in being part of those discussions.
Another reason for concern, Isenhart argued, was that the state’s “budget situation has materially changed” since last session. Lawmakers have to “figure out how to pay back a debt on last year’s budget” and “make significant cuts to this year’s budget,” then “figure out where we’re going to come up with the money for next year’s budget.” The legislature might pull money back that the state had promised to local authorities years ago. “So I’m not sure that we can afford even the Senate version now, given the fact that we can’t promise taxpayers that we’re going to get results, so that they can see what they’re paying for.”
He wrapped up by warning his colleagues, “we’d be letting Iowans down in the most unfortunate way” by receding on the House amendment.
“IT IS A FAILURE OF LEADERSHIP,” AND “IT LACKS INTEGRITY TO GO BACKWARDS”
Baltimore rose near the end of the House debate and had unusually harsh words for his Republican colleagues.
.
My partial transcript:
I don’t know about all of you, but I did not come down here to check a box. Just because water quality–the words “water quality” are in the title of a bill does not make me proud to vote for it so that I can put it on a postcard when I go campaign.
It befuddles me, quite honestly, to understand and comprehend what kind of leadership we are showing Iowa by receding from a wildly bipartisan bill […] that was collaborative in nature, inclusive of all of the, most all of the interested parties who wanted to do something positive for water quality, and would instead recede. And maybe that’s really a good word: recede. Because as I look at the word “recede,” it means go backwards.
We are prepared, apparently, to recede from a bipartisan, positive amendment, put it that way, to a Senate file, that to be perfectly blunt, as I was told by the chairman of the committee that ran the Senate file [State Senator Ken Rozenboom] in the Senate, the Senate didn’t really care about water quality in the first place. It was not their priority last year.
This is indeed a recession in terms of policy. I don’t consider that to be leadership. And to be perfectly blunt, the tactics that were used to get us to this point lacked integrity.
I will be very, very frank, as you all know I tend to be. I can’t stand seeing my name up on that board, above the recession motion. The motivating group and factors and tactics behind this motion [an apparent reference to the Iowa Farm Bureau] are doing a disservice in my opinion to the farmers of the state of Iowa.
The amendment H-1440, which really was the House water quality bill, was designed to make sure that all Iowans had a vested stake, not only in identifying the problems of water quality in this state, but also improving them. By receding from that amendment and going back to the original Senate file, Senate File 512 in my opinion lays water quality and the problems and solutions for water quality squarely at the feet of Iowa’s farmers. That is a disservice to them. I am sorry to the body that we were not able to achieve the objectives of the House bill last year. […]
As we sit here and listen to the debate and listen to the public statements of many others, what I hear and what I have heard for the last eight months is, “Let’s vote for the Senate bill, and we’ll keep working. We’ll keep working. We’ll keep working.” Well, where the heck have you been the last eight months, in terms of putting together the ideas that you wanted to work on to this point in time? There is no excuse, none, for not having those worked out, that could instead be put into a conference committee on this particular bill, and we could pass it and get it done.
The only excuse, Baltimore went on to explain, came up in the past week, as some Senate Republicans indicated they might be willing to do more work on this issue later in the session. Baltimore said he had no doubt Wills is a “good man” acting in “good faith.” He doesn’t trust the intentions of senators, though: “if it wasn’t a priority to them last year, why the heck would it be a priority to them now? I will literally be shocked if any substantive bill comes out of this session in terms of improving Senate File 512. Because if it could have been done, it would be being done right now. There’s an organization that doesn’t want that to happen, so I would be shocked if it does,” Baltimore added, in another apparent reference to the Farm Bureau.
In closing, he said, “I will be voting ‘no’ on this motion to recede, because I think it is a failure of leadership, and I think it lacks integrity to go backwards.”
A source in the chamber told me that as Baltimore spoke, House Speaker Linda Upmeyer looked like she was “shooting daggers” at him. The two GOP lawmakers reportedly do not get along, as Bleeding Heartland discussed here.
“WE’RE CONTINUING TO ADDRESS A MASSIVE PROBLEM WITH A FIG LEAF”
Des Moines City Council member Josh Mandelbaum posted the following tweet storm shortly after House members approved Senate File 512 on January 23. He has been deeply engaged in water quality policy-making and litigation as a staff attorney for the Environmental Law & Policy Center’s Iowa office.
FINAL THOUGHTS
Reynolds talked up the bad bill in a January 23 news release.
“I am proud that the first piece of legislation I will sign as governor will be a water quality bill,” Gov. Reynolds said. “This will go a long way towards our goal of providing a long-term, dedicated and growing revenue source to help fund and scale best practices through the already successful Nutrient Reduction Strategy.”
“As I said in my Condition of the State address earlier this month, improving water quality is a shared goal of Iowans,” she continued. “Many stakeholders – both rural and urban – played a key role in supporting this legislation and reaching a consensus.”
“But make no mistake. Passing this long-awaited legislation does not mean the water quality discussion is over,” the governor concluded. “It should ignite a continuing conversation as we begin to implement and scale best practices that will continue to make an impact on water quality in Iowa.”
As explained above, Senate File 512 is in no way a consensus. Republican senators drafted the legislation in consultation with the Iowa Farm Bureau and other agricultural lobby groups, excluding stakeholders concerned with public health, drinking water, or outdoor recreation. In contrast, the House amendment involved a broad-based collaboration, with a flexible approach and accountability measures to ensure the state would get good return on money spent.
The governor either doesn’t understand the bill or doesn’t care about the details, as long as she can call it a victory on “water quality.” Expect to see her misleading claims in Reynolds/Gregg campaign commercials later this year.
Democrats have confirmed candidates for all statewide offices, with Tim Gannon’s announcement on February 1 that he will run for secretary of agriculture. The Mingo native moved back to Iowa in 2017 after eight years with the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Washington. He works on his family’s century farm in Jasper County and as a crop insurance agent.
I enclose below Gannon’s news release and excerpts from the biography on his campaign website. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Pat Rynard interviewed Gannon for Iowa Starting Line and noted that the candidate has extensive campaign experience.
Gannon attended plenty of political events while young, watching Iowa Caucuses up close with a politically-engaged family. He later attended the University of Iowa, where he was a senior during Tom Vilsack’s first run for governor. Gannon was considering leaving the state for other jobs after graduation, but Vilsack urged him to reconsider. […]
After that conversation, Gannon got more involved in volunteering on Vilsack’s campaign. He ran state legislative races after college, heading up the House Democrats’ campaign committee in the 2002 and 2004 cycle. Rural outreach was his job on Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign in Iowa, where he found success in bringing rural voters back to the party.
“I think I’ve been an ambassador for our state and especially its farmers and folks who live in the rural parts for as long as I’ve been alive,” Gannon says. “…We’ve got to not only continue to lead the world and lead the country in growing corn and beans and raising pigs and eggs, but we’ve also got to figure out new ways to add value to those products.”
While Gannon will likely be unopposed in the Democratic primary, three Republicans are already running for secretary of agriculture: Craig Lang, Ray Gaesser, and Chad Ingels. Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is also thinking about the race, Donnelle Eller reported for the Des Moines Register on February 1. UPDATE: Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Dan Zumbach told a radio interviewer on February 2 that he plans to run as well.
The last Democrat to be elected Iowa secretary of agriculture was Patty Judge, who won in 1998 and 2002. Current Secretary Bill Northey is nearing the end of his third term. He’s up for a senior USDA position, but Senator Ted Cruz of Texas is holding up his Senate confirmation.
Gannon for Iowa press release, February 1:
Tim Gannon Announces Run for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture
Fifth Generation Iowa Farmer Looks to Expand Agricultural Job Growth
DES MOINES – Farmer, crop insurance agent and former USDA official Tim Gannon announced today he is running for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture. Tim, who grew up in Mingo and farms 900 acres on his family’s Century Farm in Jasper County, is pledging to strengthen support for Iowa’s core agricultural products while also expanding investment in new products designed to grow jobs and opportunity in the state.
“My values come from my family farm and the small Iowa town in which I was raised,” said Tim Gannon. “I know firsthand the critical role agriculture plays in the success of Iowa. It is the foundation on which sustainable growth and job creation come to all corners of our state.
“As Secretary of Agriculture, I will strengthen support for the pillars of Iowa agriculture, and I will fight to expand the market so that producers of all types and sizes can thrive,” said Gannon. “In places like my hometown of Mingo, we need to do much more to give young people hope for the future, and that means expanding Iowa agriculture and supporting value-added products that can be tested, grown, and manufactured right here in Iowa. It also means taking care that our valuable farmland remains healthy and productive and that our waterways provide clean water that is safe for all Iowans — rural and urban.”
As Secretary of Agriculture, Tim Gannon will work every day to find new markets for Iowa’s corn and beans, keep foreign markets open for the state’s products and improve soil health, so farmers remain the most productive in the world. Protecting Iowa’s soil and water and creating economic opportunities outside of urban centers will help keep Iowa’s best and brightest living on the farms and small towns that have given so much to the state.
From 2009 to 2017, Tim worked for former Iowa governor, and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack in various positions focused on improving risk management options for farmers and ranchers, creating jobs in rural communities, and improving the delivery of USDA services and programs to all Americans. When credit was especially tight for rural businesses in 2009, Tim helped USDA Rural Development implement an expanded business loan program improving its delivery in all 50 states. As Associate Administrator of the Risk Management Agency (RMA), he helped oversee implementation of the 2014 Farm Bill expanding insurance options for new and beginning farmers, producers of various sizes and production methods, and insurance products for new crops. Tim worked to address difficult issues to ensure RMA worked more efficiently and respond to farmers use of new technology. While serving at RMA, the improper payment rate in crop insurance fell to less than half of the government average, and he led efforts to better integrate precision technology into crop and acreage reporting.
A graduate of the University of Iowa, Tim lives in Des Moines with his wife, Liz, and daughter, Lucy, who they welcomed in December 2017.
Living through the Farm Crisis, Tim saw first hand that a tough time on the farm meant a tough time in town. Tim’s Dad Bill Gannon, owned the local John Deere store and as farmers were forced out of business during the Farm Crisis, Main Street businesses took a hit, too. As families were forced off farms, businesses closed up, and layoffs hit, meaning many young Iowa families were forced to move, oftentimes out of state.
That experience drives Tim everyday to improve our rural economy, and increase opportunities for Iowans across the state. As Secretary of Agriculture Tim will work to find new uses for the corn and beans we grow and keeping foreign markets open for our products; improve soil health so that our farmers remain the most productive in the world; and protect our water resources so that everyone in Iowa has clean, safe, affordable drinking water.
The state commission that oversees environmental policies will no longer conform to Iowa standards on bipartisanship once its leader files papers as a Republican candidate for secretary of agriculture in the coming weeks.
Fayette County farmer Chad Ingels announced on January 25 that he will seek the GOP nomination for secretary of agriculture, KGLO Radio’s Jesse Stewart reported. A former Iowa State Extension watershed specialist who now measures fertilizer applications for a private non-profit, Ingels has served on the Environmental Protection Commission since 2013. He has chaired that body since last June, shortly after his reappointment to a four-year term expiring in 2021. Of the nine commissioners, Ingels is the only registered no-party voter.
Iowa candidates for partisan offices must name the political party with which they are affiliated on paperwork needed to qualify for the ballot. So sometime before the March 16 filing deadline for primary candidates, Ingels will need to change his registration to Republican.
Five current Environmental Protection Commission members are Republicans, while only three are Democrats. When Ingels switches, the GOP will hold one more slot on the nine-member commission than the party should have, according to the principle underlying Iowa law on bipartisan boards.
I wondered whether Ingels might have to resign from the commission in order to file for a GOP primary. Fortunately for him, Iowa Code doesn’t require that step.
No person shall be appointed or reappointed to any board, commission, or council established by the Code if the effect of that appointment or reappointment would cause the number of members of the board, commission, or council belonging to one political party to be greater than one-half the membership of the board, commission, or council plus one.
Because that language refers to the time of appointment, the Iowa Attorney General’s office “does not advise boards or commissions to disqualify a sitting member based on a subsequent change to his or her political affiliation,” communications director Geoff Greenwood told Bleeding Heartland this week. “When a board member has changed political affiliation, the new affiliation should be considered when vacancies arise or when it is time for reappointment,” he explained.
During a January 30 telephone interview, I asked Ingels whether he would step down to allow Governor Kim Reynolds to name a Democrat or no-party voter to the Environmental Protection Commission before the next vacancies come up in April 2019. “I’ve notified the governor’s office of that situation, and we have not discussed it any further,” he told me. “I will do what the governor’s office wants to do.” Staff for Reynolds have not indicated how they want to handle it, he added.
Records show that Ingels voted in Republican primaries in 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2010. He changed his registration in 2012 to support a friend in a Democratic primary race for Fayette County supervisor. The following year, he switched to no party, and Governor Terry Branstad named him to the environmental commission. Now, he’s running in a statewide GOP primary. An outsider might suspect that he was merely posturing as a no-party voter to create the appearance of partisan balance. How would he respond?
Ingels didn’t vote a straight party ticket even as a registered Republican, he told me, “and over the last few years, I have felt more independent.” He sees the Department of Agriculture as perhaps “the most bipartisan” state government agency and credited Secretary Bill Northey, who has “worked with both sides.”
Ingels hasn’t donated to any Iowa GOP candidates or party committees during the last fifteen years, according to the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board’s database. A search for his name turns up only two contributions, both in 2014: $25 to Democratic State Representative Bruce Bearinger, who represents the part of Fayette County where Ingels lives, and $50 to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Political Action Committee.
I think I’ve got a much stronger water quality background, especially working with farmers in the field, connecting what they’re doing on the land with what’s going on in the water. I’ve worked with a half a dozen farmer-led watersheds in northeast Iowa, doing an innovative approach that allows them to create their own incentives.
Ingels’ campaign announcement noted that he worked with more 300 farmers as an Extension Watershed Specialist for Iowa State Extension between 1999 and 2016. He also leads a committee that advises the American Farm Bureau Federation board of directors on water issues. During our interview, he added,
I’ve got a strong background as we look to working with small farms, especially some of the smallest farms, the highly diversified farms, specialty crops, that kind of thing. I’ve got a horticulture degree. I’ve raised pick-your-own strawberries in the past. I direct market hogs to consumers, sell a majority of my hogs to Niman Ranch. So I produce in kind of a retro environment. While I’m not against confinement production–I work with farmers on manure management, nutrient management related to that. But I just have a different perspective, I think, on some of the alternative ag opportunities that are out there.
And I think we’ll really need to expand some of those opportunities or find ways to incent more of those opportunities so we can bring on small farms. I mean, that’s, I believe, one of the fastest-growing segments of Iowa agriculture is the smallest farms. And then if we want to bring on young farmers in the current commodity price situation, we’re going to have to have opportunities that are more than just corn and soybeans.
Ingels agrees with Northey’s all-voluntary approach to the state’s nutrient reduction strategy. “We really need to build community efforts based on watersheds that get the data as close to the farm as possible. [….] The experience I have, once the farmers know the numbers, they want to make some changes and find some ways to improve.”
For the past year, Ingels has worked on a project for the Iowa Nutrient Research & Education Council, a private non-profit led by the Agribusiness Association of Iowa. Consulting with fertilizer retailers in the northeast third of Iowa, his job is to measure how much nitrogen and phosphorus farmers are applying in hundreds of fields, randomly selected to be a representative sample of the state. The goal is to chart “the progress of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy.” Notably, the project doesn’t involve measuring water pollution from agricultural runoff.
At this writing, Ingels does not have a campaign website, but he is on Facebook and Twitter.
UPDATE: Iowa Senate Agriculture Committee chair Dan Zumbach announced on February 2 that he will run for secretary of agriculture, assuming Northey does not seek another term. Zumbach can try for higher office without giving up his legislative seat, because he won’t be up for re-election in Iowa Senate district 48 until 2020.
A majority of Iowans think mental health services, student loan debt, child welfare services, state university tuition, and the state budget are either a “crisis” or a “big problem” for Iowa, according to the latest Selzer poll for the Des Moines Register and Mediacom. Among nine issues tested in the survey of 801 Iowa adults in late January, mental health services registered as the top concern: 35 percent of respondents described the situation as a crisis, 38 percent as a big problem. No other topic registered above 20 percent for “crisis.”
Two-thirds or more of Republicans, Democrats and independents agree that the mental-health system as in crisis or a big problem. Yet there is a partisan skew. Among Democrats, 44 percent see the system as being in crisis, compared to 27 percent of Republicans and 35 percent of political independents.
Partisan differences also are evident in views on other issues. With Republicans controlling the Legislature and governor’s office, Iowa Democrats are more likely to see crises in many areas affected by state policy.
On child welfare, 33 percent of Iowa Democrats see the system as being in crisis, compared to 12 percent of Republicans and 19 percent of independents. Of the nine possible areas of concern listed in the poll, only “the availability of a skilled workforce” is seen as a crisis by more Republicans than Democrats, albeit by one point. Ten percent of Iowa Republicans see that situation as a crisis, compared to 9 percent of Democrats and 9 percent of political independents.
The Selzer poll found no consensus among Iowa adults on the wisdom of state policies to attract jobs, Kevin Hardy reported for the Register on February 6.
Forty-eight percent of respondents characterized state economic development incentives as “mostly a success.” Another 35 percent described them as “mostly a failure” and 17 percent were unsure.
But on a separate question, a slim plurality said they favored cutting tax credits: 44 percent of respondents said they would favor an effort to “dramatically reduce the number of tax credits awarded to Iowa businesses.” Another 41 percent said they would oppose such an effort and 15 percent were unsure.
A push by grocery stores to scrap Iowa’s recycling problem is unpopular, the same poll indicates. Only 22 percent want to end Iowa’s deposit on cans and bottles, while 30 percent want to “keep the law the way it is” and 27 percent favor expanding it “to include juice and water bottles,” William Petroski reported on February 8.
Republican State Representative Andy McKean and Democratic State Representative Chuck Isenhart have introduced a bill to keep the 5-cent deposit on bottles and cans, expand the program to cover water, juice, and sports drinks, and “increase the handling fee for retailers and redemption centers from 1 cent to 2 cents.” House File 2155 has 17 Republican and 24 Democratic co-sponsors.
The big news out of Congress last week was the deal to keep the federal government funded through March 23, which Bleeding Heartland covered here. Below the radar, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas again blocked a vote on Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey’s confirmation to an under-secretary position at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. If not for Cruz’s objection, Northey would have been confirmed months ago. Democratic Senators Debbie Stabenow and Amy Klobuchar joined Senator Joni Ernst in supporting Senator Chuck Grassley’s February 7 request for unanimous consent on Northey’s nomination. In a Senate floor speech, Grassley criticized “Taking a nominee hostage to try and force an ill-conceived policy change” on the Renewable Fuel Standard, which is not related to “President Trump’s choice to oversee farm programs at USDA.”
Representative Steve King (IA-04) brought Northey as his guest to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address on January 30, saying in a statement he “hopes his presence at the State of the Union address will encourage Senators in attendance to swiftly confirm Mr. Northey.” King was one of Cruz’s most valuable supporters before the 2016 Iowa caucuses, but he doesn’t have enough clout with Cruz to overcome the Texas senator’s allegiance to oil refiners.
If Northey is confirmed, he will resign from his current position, clearing the path for Governor Kim Reynolds to appoint a leader for the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship until voters elect a new secretary this November. Five Republicans have indicated that they will seek the office: Craig Lang, Ray Gaesser, Mike Naig, Chad Ingels, and Dan Zumbach. Tim Gannon is likely to be the only Democratic candidate for secretary of agriculture.
UPDATE: King’s son Jeff King told McClatchy reporter Andrea Drusch “there aren’t many Cruz supporters left” in Iowa. Drusch noted that Jeff King “helped Cruz’s presidential Super PAC and once called the senator the ‘answer to my prayers.’”
Retired teacher and former State Representative Greg Stevens shares how he embarked on what seemed like a hopeless Iowa House campaign in 1998, and how he won that race. -promoted by desmoinesdem
If you are thinking of running for office, do it, even if you don’t have any time or money.
In March of 1998 the Iowa State Education Association was having a meet and greet with the legislative candidates from our area at Godfather’s in Spencer. A couple of my ISEA friends put some pressure on me to go, so I went and met my mom’s old classmate, State Representative John Grieg. He gave a brief overview of the legislative session and the new things coming down in education.
Though I don’t remember the specifics, I do recall that this accomplished farmer was lecturing me on how to teach. That made me angry. Later, I went to a Democratic meeting, I think with Denny and Vicki Perry. They were brainstorming who they could get to be a sacrificial lamb against Grieg. I literally baaed. I knew the Democratic Party had tried recruiting in the area. They sent up House Minority leader Dick Myers to talk to County Supervisor Dave Gottsche about the race. Dave talked me into going with him to the meeting, but it was about Gottsche and not me. Still, Myers and Dave Schraeder followed up, and I said yes.
I really didn’t think I could win. The previous election cycle, Patrick Aumer ran against Grieg. He was young, energetic, good looking, and he had time! He also used that time to knock on doors. He ran a great campaign, and he received only 45 percent of the vote. Patrick’s parents were friends, so I discussed my run with them. They cautioned me that my ego might not be able to accept losing, but they said they would help, and boy did they!
First things: training by the Democratic Party. They taught me how to knock doors, raise money, and become a candidate. When they explained how door knocking worked, I thought they were using hyperbole. Through all my time being active in politics, I couldn’t remember anyone coming to my door. Of course, living in a strongly Republican area, probably no one did!
Campaign committee: friends and family. Shockingly, and I think I’m still surprised, 90 percent of the work on my campaign was done by friends and family. We started with meetings at my house and later moved them to the public library. The biggest thing was to get my name known.
Fundraiser: Dave Gottsche–feeling a bit guilty, I hope–cooked the brats and burgers for an event at a local park. Democratic county central committee members worked the line, and a lot of people showed up. That money allowed me to get my first literature and cowboy cards.
Door knocking: I started canvassing at the places the farthest away from my home. The district was all of Emmet and Dickinson counties plus a bit of Palo Alto county in northwest Iowa. My best day involved a lot of doors close together. In the larger towns, my sons, wife, sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece and mom also helped. If people are working hard on getting you to run, ask them to commit to knocking doors with you.
We started with coffee and rolls at the local cafe. I would pick up the tab – I was shocked at how low cost that was. After the coffee, canvassing. I hit every door because I needed crossover votes. The double hit, seeing people at coffee and then their door was really effective for name recognition. Though I doubt it was true, I had a lot of people tell me I was the first politician to knock on their door. I gave them my literature, took questions, gave out voting information, and asked for their vote.
Much of the time, I had door knocking help. My surrogates would be in the same town and usually on the same street. Mostly they were family members, but friends also helped. My dad and I knocked together.
Fundraising tip that worked for me: Embrace the suck. Make it just a part of the campaign. As my wife says, “If you ask, they will give.”
1. Coffees at supporters’ homes were important low-dollar events. Local Democrats and friends hosted them.
2. Dialing for dollars. This was the hardest, but also most effective. My sister set aside an hour every Sunday night to call people asking for money.
3. The brats and burger fundraiser mentioned above.
Go to everything. This is one of the campaign team’s duties. They would find out about all the soup suppers, parades, annual meetings, county fairs – buy a pie at the pie auction – and community celebrations. Scheduling was always interesting, but I went to as many as I could. If I couldn’t get there, someone was there handing out my literature.
Parades: Get a theme and a team. Our theme was “Working for you.” My wife and I walked the route and gave out peanuts. We usually had a great team with us giving out literature and DOT maps. My dad drove his old pickup with all the supplies in the back. My wife hated every parade, but she went to them all! Afterwards, we tried to stay around town and greet people and hang out with well known members of that community.
Yard signs: they matter. You know the Democrats will put up your signs. That’s good. You also need to get your friends and supporters to put them up. It’s one of the questions you ask when door knocking. When I was knocking with a team, we made a game out of who could get the most sign permissions. They let neighbors know you have support from people who live in that house. I was lucky to get a Republican mayor and retired superintendent to put up signs for me. My dad was in charge of yard signs. He was able to get a local artist to paint some small boards he acquired with a Stevens for Statehouse stencil. They painted and put up hundreds at almost no cost! I can’t tell you how many people commented on those hand painted signs! It was cheap. Of course, once we had money, we bought signs too.
Press: When I decided to run, I wrote out a statement, took some head shots, and went on the road. I went to every newspaper, radio station, and shopper in the district. This is a very different thing in a rural area. Most of the time, the radio would get a clip for the news. The quality of the people working in these jobs surprised me. They were incredibly intelligent, and all were professional. When they suggested how to make my ad better, I listened. Throughout my time in politics, it seemed they worked very hard to make me (and my opponents) sound smarter than we were. Trust your local media.
Let me address some barriers:
1. Money – you have to raise some, but door knocking and social media can go a long way. Commit to three or four fundraisers and an hour once a week raising money. Dialing for dollars does work, and the Democratic training will help you create your list.
2. Time – When I ran, I had one son in middle school and one son in high school. Both were involved in all kinds of activities. My teaching day was full, and I coached debate. My average day was 7:30-5:30, and I went to tournaments on 17 weekends. Often, my only time to knock doors was on the weekends and Sundays. I banked a lot of homes by knocking doors during the summer. Budget your time and set up goals of time on the campaign. Don’t forget the other stuff, because that is important. However, you have time.
3. I can’t win – probably. You will provide your area with an alternative view that needs to be heard. Mine was about education and water quality. If you are running, anything can happen, but winning isn’t the only goal. Speaking truth to power on progressive issues is a victory in itself.
In mid-October of that election year, an earthen manure lagoon ruptured in a thunderstorm on my opponent’s farm. The manure washed into a creek and the Des Moines River, killing 100,000 fish. On election day, I won by 27 votes. I was behind the entire night until the last precinct reported. After three recounts, my margin went down to 14 votes. I won because of luck and because I was on the ballot.
Run for something. It will change your life, and you will understand the political realm so much better. Even if you lose, you will meet incredible people, and it will restore your faith in the goodness of the world.
Congressional candidate Austin Frerick charged today that “extensive investments” in the fossil fuel extraction sector may explain why the Iowa Farm Bureau fails to acknowledge the reality of climate change, despite the well-established impacts of warming temperatures, severe weather events, and increased humidity on Iowa farmers.
The Farm Bureau’s lobbying against proposals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions hasn’t been as noticeable as its steps to block water quality standards and meaningful state-led or collaborative efforts to reduce soil loss and water pollution from conventional farming. But the organization has also opposed federal and state policies aimed at reducing carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere. The American Farm Bureau Federation and its state affiliates lobbied to weaken the 2009 American Clean Energy and Security Act before a U.S. House vote and helped kill that “cap and trade” proposal in the U.S. Senate. The Farm Bureau’s representative on the Iowa Climate Change Advisory Council voted against some recommendations aimed at reducing emissions from the agricultural sector (see pages 103 to 110 of the final report released in December 2008).
In a statement enclosed in full below, Frerick argued that the century-old organization would “be advocating for steps to fight climate change” if it were true to its stated mission of standing for Iowa farmers and rural communities. Instead, the Farm Bureau’s stance tracks with major oil companies in which its for-profit insurance arm has invested.
IOWA FARM BUREAU OWN MILLIONS OF EXXON MOBIL AND SHELL OIL WHILE DENYING CLIMATE CHANGE EXISTS, CO2 HARMFUL TO THE PLANET
“IT’S JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THE IOWA FARM BUREAU PUTTING ITS INVESTMENTS AND GREED AHEAD OF FAMILY FARMERS IN IOWA,” FRERICK SAYS
WINTERSET – Austin Frerick, a Democrat running for Congress against David Young in Iowa’s 3rd District, has continued to dig into financial documents on the stock holdings of the Iowa Farm Bureau for-profit arm. The documents reveal significant conflicts of interest for the Iowa Farm Bureau and raise questions about whether the Iowa Farm Bureau’s public denials over the existence of climate change and its opposition to classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant as recently is 2015 is influenced by its extensive investments in Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.
The Iowa Farm Bureau’s 2015 platform asserted, “Man’s effect on climate change is uncertain, and science does not give clear direction for any federal or state policy option.” The 2018 platform has no mention of climate change.
“The Iowa Farm Bureau claims to have a grassroots policy development process, but it appears to be just a rubber stamp,” said Frerick. “There is nothing to bind the state party to enact what the county parties say.”
“Hot summers lead to smaller yields of corn and potentially even soybeans,” Frerick says, citing a 2016 report from the Environmental Protection Agency. “If current environmental projections don’t get any grimmer, over the half century, Iowa will have nearly a month of days with highs above 95°F.”
An Iowa State researcher also noted that climate change will increase severe rain storms, which would exacerbate problems of nutrient-related water-quality issues. “Iowa’s waterways are already among the most polluted in the nation,” said Frerick. “Ignoring the threats of climate change will only worsen this issue.”
“The Iowa Farm Bureau is acting like a group of 21st century’s Flat Earthers,” Frerick says. “If the Farm Bureau really represents farmers, they’d be advocating for steps to fight climate change, because a changing climate is not good for Iowa farmers. Either the Iowa Farm Bureau has buried their heads in sand so deep that they’re deliberately ignorant of the consequences of unmitigated climate change on Iowa and Iowa farmers or they’re so beholden to Big Oil that they’re willing to put the livelihoods of thousands of farmers at risk to continue paying out millions in dividends to their board of directors.”
“It’s just another example of the Iowa Farm Bureau putting its investments and greed ahead of family farmers and our environment in Iowa,” Frerick says. The Iowa Farm Bureau still has not opposed the Monsanto-Bayer merger nor disinvested its millions of investments in Monsanto.
The Iowa Farm Bureau, created in 1918 to advocate for Iowa’s farmers and rural communities, now receives most of its revenue from its for-profit insurance arm, the FBL Financial Group. The FBL Financial Group is a private business entity that controls $9.6 billion in assets, generating close to $726 million in income in 2016. That $9.6 billion in assets includes many millions of dollars of investments in large fossil fuel polluters like Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell.
