House Party

On a cool, clear evening, a group of 20 local folks met in the nearby city for a house party hosted by Christina Bohannan’s campaign. At 49 days remaining in the campaign, the ask by the organizers was modest: volunteer for the campaign every week or two, or from four to eight times before the election. A line to sign up for volunteer shifts queued in front of the organizer’s table after everyone introduced themselves.

The big news and discussion at the event was Ann Selzer’s Iowa-Des Moines Register poll which released over the weekend. Selzer found Trump’s lead in Iowa deteriorated from +18 against Biden to +4 against Harris. “It also shows a sharp divide between men and women likely voters — Trump leads with men 59% to 32% over Harris. Harris leads with women 53% to 36%.” Four points is still a significant hill to climb, but damn!

This makes sense in Iowa where the Republican Governor and legislature pummeled public education and women’s reproductive rights during the last two general assemblies. Women are expected to play a significant role not only in this election but in restoring the American Dream.

The American what?

When I came of age after finishing graduate school, Ronald Reagan was president and despite an advanced degree, military service, and being a white male with the privilege that means, the American Dream was the stuff of legends. When I married soon after graduate school, the American Dream was on life-support. It existed for my parents, but not for me and certainly not for our child. Is the term “American Dream” still relevant? We hope so.

I’m working on a project with Thom Hartmann, whose new book, The Hidden History of the American Dream: The Demise of the Middle Class — And How to Rescue Our Future is driving this line of thought. My review will be out the week the book is published in early October.

For now, a gathering of 20 people bonded in the enterprise of electing Kamala Harris president and gaining a Democratic majority in the U.S. House will suffice. The American Dream has little chance as long as Republicans rule in our government. Who doesn’t want to be a part of electing Democrats in 2024?