Habitat for Change

It was a long process to create a habitat where Monarch butterflies would stop on their annual migration, lay eggs, and provide images like the one above in our garden. Both milkweed bugs and Monarch butterflies are creatures of a very specific set of conditions. Without those conditions, neither would exist as they do.

So it is with politicians. It turns out Democratic members of the Iowa Senate also require specific conditions to thrive, and removed Minority Leader Zach Wahls, and replaced him with the more experienced Senator Pam Jochum last week. All 16 Democratic senators voted for Jochum to replace Wahls. What happened? Senator Wahls explained in an email received on June 12:

By now, many of you have seen the news that last week, my Democratic colleagues in the Iowa Senate chose a new caucus Leader, Senator Pam Jochum. After serving as Leader the past two-and-a-half years, I know how critically important this job is, not just for Iowa Democrats, but for all Iowans. Her success is vital to the wellbeing and betterment of our state, and I will continue working hard everyday to serve my constituents, help Leader Jochum and the Iowa Senate Democrats, and elect more Democrats in Iowa.

I am no longer Leader because I made the difficult decision to fire two longtime senate staffers who did not share my vision for change while restructuring our staff. My Senate Democratic colleagues disagreed with my decision. There is always a resistance to change and new ideas, and I stand by the decision because Iowa Democrats desperately need a new direction and leaders who will chart that course.

I chose to run for the Iowa Senate in 2018 because our state was heading in the wrong direction and we needed change. Since 2014, we have all watched Iowa Republican politicians strengthen their iron grip on our state, and we have all seen the damage the Republican agenda has wrought on our families and communities. Governor Reynolds and extreme Republicans in the legislature are hellbent on taking away our personal freedoms, defunding our public schools, and hollowing out the middle class. Our rural communities continue to lose population. Our young people are leaving Iowa for better opportunities in more welcoming states. Our political system is not working for Iowans.

As long as I have the opportunity to serve in elected office, I will continue to push for change and to fix the broken system that is failing our state. Iowans deserve a strong and forward-looking Democratic Party that is ready and willing to embrace the change necessary to halt the advance of Republican extremism. We must put change and progress ahead of comfort and the status quo.

So many people are discouraged about the direction of our state and the losses our party has sustained over the past decade, and if you are one of them, I want to speak directly to you. While they want us to give in to cynicism, we must refuse to accept that Iowa is lost forever. Our fight for liberty, justice, and shared prosperity is difficult. Our success will require honest reflection, an immense amount of hard work, and a deep commitment to change. And while change is always hard — Iowans are counting on us, and failure is not an option.

I hope you will join me in continuing the fight for a better future for everyone who calls Iowa home.

Onward. ZW

Email from Senator Zach Wahls, June 12, 2023.

The money quote is, “We must put change and progress ahead of comfort and the status quo.”

Erin Murphy reported in the Tuesday Cedar Rapids Gazette that Mike Gronstal, formerly a lobbyist for the Iowa State Building and Construction Trades Council, lost his job because of his involvement in the Wahls matter. Gronstal was previously the Iowa Senate Majority Leader.

“The nature of Gronstal’s involvement in Senate Democrats’ leadership change was not detailed by the council or made public by Senate Democrats,” reported Murphy. “But the two longtime staffers who were fired had worked for Gronstal when he was majority leader.”

Senate Democrats may have said all they plan to about removing Wahls from leadership, yet the incident indicates an unwillingness to change that is disheartening for rank and file Democrats who haven’t given up hope in regaining a majority. I mean, the days of Mike Gronstal’s influence should have ended when he lost his re-election campaign in 2016. What are you telling us, Democrats?

Pam Jochum will make a fine minority leader, so that’s not the issue. Likewise, I can understand if the senators were upset by a staffing change that affects them all if it was unannounced or unexpected. There are ways to fire tenured people without a brouhaha. It seems unlikely we rank and file will ever know the full story. If that’s the ground floor for party rebuilding, then so be it.

I met with a group yesterday to talk about our new State Senate District. Our experienced and popular Democratic candidate lost his reelection bid in 2022. Some of the more connected people present for the meeting had ideas for a 2024 candidate. At this point, we don’t have one. The meeting itself was inconclusive about what we should do to defeat the Republicans who won in our Senate and House districts last cycle.

With a Republican trifecta since 2017, the majority party has used their power to make changes they want. I don’t believe they are close to being done. It has been clear Zach Wahls is competent since he was elected. What caused a majority of the Democratic Senate caucus to ouster him? We have a brief statement, yet we don’t have the whole story.

Butterflies, I understand. Politicians? Not as much. This thing is going to be a distraction for a while and I’m not talking about photographing caterpillars.