Canada Geese finding open water as the lake re-freezes on Feb. 25, 2026.
When I began writing for Blog for Iowa in 2009, I covered individual political events like the state hall of fame ceremonies and the special election of Curt Hanson. In reading those old posts, I remembered I also wrote advocacy for nuclear weapons abolition and for improvement in the environment. Those kinds of posts remain viable and while I’m covering for Dave Bradley the next couple of months, I will revisit them from time to time.
At the same time there is a new politics around Iowans. So much of what we get from Republicans is vindictive. We feel that particularly well in Johnson County where I live. I mean, we need a law to force counties to follow the governor’s orders about flying the United States flag at half staff? HSB 634 does that and it cleared the first legislative funnel. The bill was in reaction to Johnson County Supervisor Jon Green defying the governor’s order to lower flags to half staff after the death of a conservative podcaster. Defending against Republican vindictiveness is a slippery slope. I, for one, decline to go there. Why slide down into the mud with them?
What is worth writing about? For me it is the several conversations I have each day with actual people about actual issues, regardless of our politics. Things like the ungodly amount of money our county spends transporting prisoners because there has not been public support enough to build a new jail. The presence of blue-green algae in the state park lake near where I live. The odor of concentrated animal feeding operations wafting over our homes on warm summer evenings. The covert work of fossil fuel money to kill one of the shining examples of what is good in Iowa: our support for electricity generated from wind turbines and solar arrays. These are things I hear from actual people and they will carry weight in how I pick my topics.
In a time of instant access to public media, the national news plays a role here. I wish it were buffered by distance, yet it clearly is not. We have a president and national media geared to dominating what we hear and see in public media. It would be dishonest to ignore all of those stories. So I will pick some.
I hope readers will stick with me. I hope to provide reasons why you should.
Dishes don’t wash themselves, so I went to the kitchen and started cleaning up. Each of us in the household does their share of work, and I like nothing better than clean plates and silverware waiting for supper. Being a blogger is a lot like living with a family. Between now and the primary I will fill in for Dave Bradley on weekends while he takes care of family stuff.
My plan is simple: on Saturdays, write about my personal political activity the previous week, and on Sundays write about Iowa politics more broadly. Campaign season already started with competitive June 2, Democratic primaries for governor, U.S. Senate, and other races.
Veterans of Iowa politics, going back to our 2004 defeat, feel frustrated about how to approach organizing and activism in today’s world. It is no longer enough to harp about knocking doors, making phone calls, and sending mailings based on a central organizing principle. Most of the people I see on a daily basis are not Democrats. Even so, we have meaningful conversations about important things. How do we transition ourselves and our party to be more relevant?
I believe we must write letters to elected officials. Letters to newspapers remain important because political staff do read them. I had three active letters this week:
I received a response from U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley to this email message from Jan. 26, 2026:
I watched the videos of the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti. Major news media verified what I saw are real footage that depicts the killing of two U.S. Citizens who were no threat to federal agents. Good and Pretti were exercising their constitutional rights when federal agents killed them.
This can’t go on.
As our U.S. Senator I expect you to do something to prevent additional killings like this. I don’t presume to tell you how to go about that. The measure of whether you succeed will be the de-escalation of tension in states where federal agents have landed to address the administration’s concerns about immigration, including Minnesota and Maine.
As a U.S. Army veteran I am appalled by the apparent lack of training and control of these federal agents. Now is the time to put your experience in politics to work and do something most everyone can agree is the right thing to de-escalate these tensions.
Thank you for your service and for reading my note.
I reached out to elected officials twice. The emails are self-explanatory.
Vote No on Senate File 2293 – Feb. 21, 2026
Dear Senator Driscoll,
I live in your district and urge you to vote no on SF 2293 which is scheduled for debate in the full senate next week.. The bill changes Iowa Code to remove the requirement for a state history research center in Iowa City
My reasons are the same as when I wrote you Feb. 11: When I studied at the University of Iowa, I took advantage of the State Historical Society research center in Iowa City. It provided a different type of resource than what was available to me at the university. The availability of the staff, artifacts, books, microfilm, and other materials were important to my education and should remain in Iowa City for future students to use like I did.
That said, I am open to alternative solutions, such as incorporating the materials into the University of Iowa Libraries, in effect, making them the research center. I would be ready to have that discussion.
Please vote no on SF 2293 should it come up for a vote this week.
Thanks, Paul
Impeach the president
Rep. Miller-Meeks
It is time to impeach President Trump and I ask you to take a leadership role in this effort.
The president seeks to usurp the power of the Congress in multiple areas, yet his claims about his authority to impose tariffs is so far out of line, even the U.S. Supreme Court overruled him. As you are aware, immediately after the Supreme Court ruled against the tariffs he imposed, he initiated new ones, and then revised those in a way that created chaos in international markets and among our allies.
Yesterday the Dow Jones Industrial average dropped 1.6 percent in reaction to the president’s tariff vacillation. This is no way for a government to run, hence my request the U.S. House draft articles of impeachment, approve them, and send them to the U.S. Senate for trial. Thank you for reading my message.
The congresswoman replied with a form message within an hour. That tells me someone is reading these missives, even if I don’t like the answer.
I don’t know if I will change any minds, yet we have to do something. We’ll see what else I come up with between now and the June 2 primary.
The machinery of our politics has so many moving parts it is hard to keep up. Important things are pushed from sight just because so much attention is paid to the distractions of Republicans. Here are some items that merit our attention.
Iowa Legislature
Democrats in the legislature are doing a great job of communicating Democratic policy even if Republicans have been dominant. It seems easier to track Democrats and that is attributable to their improved messaging this year compared to previous ones. We are in the minority and Democratic legislators need our support to hold the line. They need our encouragement more than ever. Thank you Democratic senators and representatives.
Godly Iowa?
It is history 101 that two primary traditions in white America, the denominational biblical tradition and enlightenment utilitarianism, worked together to contribute to the American Revolution. In doing so the civil belief system which marks American culture today was created. Do the United States operate on God’s law or man’s law? Whatever answer one asserts, it doesn’t matter to how the country was formed and has been operating since the Declaration of Independence. My State Representative, Brad Sherman, believes otherwise.
The decline in our culture is disturbing to all who understand that the foundations of freedom are based in compliance to the laws of God. We know that it will take the power of God to restore America to the godly principles and moral values that are so badly needed. But because God always uses people, we have a part to play. There are many avenues where God uses people, but one is in the laws we pass. Good government will always reflect God’s values because God is good.
Rep. Brad Sherman, God’s Law Versus Man’s Law, Jan. 19, 2024.
Sherman asserts, “The Declaration of Independence tells us that rights come from our Creator and the purpose of government is to secure those rights.” Here is the mention of God in the Declaration of Independence to which he refers:
When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
Declaration of Independence, John Hancock, et. al. July 4, 1886.
Call me heathen but I can’t connect these dots. To make matters worse, this is from a man who, with all the pressing problems in the state, focused his efforts on a bill that would prohibit Satanic displays on government-owned property. Luckily for us all that bill didn’t make the first funnel, saving us time and distraction from other, more pressing problems.
Imagine my surprise when Thursday night, a press release from the governor arrived with this statement: “The right of religious freedom is endowed upon us by our creator – not government. Our founders recognized this principle, and today the Iowa House took a step forward to protect it. Twenty-three states around the country, with both Republican and Democrat governors, have passed similar laws. Now, it’s Iowa’s turn.” Republicans are out of touch with Iowans on the role of government in religious freedom.
Kids Online Safety Act (S.1409)
The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which sets out requirements to protect minors from online harms, has strong bipartisan support in the U.S. Senate. Why, then, does the LGBTQIA+ community have trouble swallowing it? They, like most everyone, believe protecting minors on the internet is important. What they don’t like is they believe KOSA as it stands would inadvertently block LGBTQIA+ and other youth from accessing valuable digital content and supportive online communities.
More specifically, they note KOSA’s “duty of care” obligation, which could cause online platforms to inadvertently remove legitimate and vital content to avoid violating the law. This risk is particularly concerning in states with policies already hostile to the LGBTQIA+ community, where political actors could exploit KOSA to further their anti-LGBTQIA+ agenda.
The group LGBT Tech petitioned the U.S. Senate to amend the bill. To read the letter they and more than 70 other LGBTQIA+ groups sent to the Hill, click here.
It is hard to disagree that “striking a balance between protecting minors and safeguarding fundamental rights of expression and privacy is of the utmost importance in our digital world.” KOSA, as it stands, requires modification to do so.
Elect Democrats
A positive thing is when the Iowa Democratic Party puts people before politics, we gain supporters. Our numbers increase in a way to empower us to take back control of the state government. By focusing on how to help Democrats win elections in November we may miss a few things, yet have the big picture right. If you see something I missed, please make a comment on this post.
Editor’s Note: I was cleaning up old email files and found this April 10, 2005 email from Dave Loebsack announcing to a small group he was exploring a run for the Congress. As we now know, Loebsack beat 30-year incumbent Jim Leach and served until Jan. 3, 2021. His analysis of the direction of the Republican Party seems spot on, not only for 2005, but from a perspective in 2024. It is presented without editing. I hope readers will be inspired to help Christina Bohannan re-take this seat in November.
Recently, I sent a message to a number of listservs in the 2nd congressional district noting that I am beginning an informal “exploration” of a run against Jim Leach in ’06.
Many of you know me as a teacher of political science at Cornell College since 1982 and a long-time Democratic Party activist in Linn and Johnson counties and beyond. I have also worked hard to help the public engage in important issues by serving as a resource person for various civic groups, delivering lectures, facilitating discussion, moderating events, appearing on local television public issues programs, etc.
Why am I considering running at this point?
It is time that we in this district begin to halt George Bush and the hard right of the Republican Party as they try to move America ever farther in their direction. In recent days, we have seen this movement evident by the efforts of Tom DeLay and his allies as they try to capture control of the federal judiciary. Apparently, it is not enough to control the executive and legislature. They want all three branches of government in their grasp.
The simple truth is that Jim Leach remains a Republican who, as Julie Thomas put it in 2002, at a minimum serves as an enabler for the right-wing leadership in the House and the Bush administration. What is needed at this point is a representative who is in touch with the concerns of folks in this congressional district and who is willing to “lead” on issues that matter.
Just one example of Jim Leach’s bad votes makes this point. Recently, he voted for the House version of Bush budget that would significantly scale back if not completely gut many of the programs that are the only sources of support for those who have nowhere else to turn, in many cases just to survive. Indeed, the House budget is even harsher than the Bush budget. The values reflected in this budget, I believe, are not the values of the vast majority of folks in the second district of Iowa. Interestingly, there were a few Republicans in the House had the courage to vote no, but not Jim Leach.
At this point, I invite you to be in touch with me if you have questions about what I stand for, who I am, etc. Also, I am open to all advice and support. If you think I should move forward with this “exploration,” please let me know. If you think you would support me as a volunteer or financially, please let me know. If you think there are others who are more qualified than I and who deserve our unified support, please let me know. I do not plan to do this if I don’t believe the necessary support (perhaps most critically the necessary financial support) will be forthcoming.
No doubt the road ahead will be difficult for any candidate who ultimately takes on Jim Leach in 2006. He is a well-entrenched figure who has been in congress for nearly 30 years and he can self-fund any campaign if need be. Given these realities, any campaign in this district will likely have to build from the ground up. We need to begin NOW to build a true grassroots movement to take back this district as a first step towards taking back America from the right-wing of the Republican Party. This will take some time but it can begin right here in the 2nd district of eastern and southeastern Iowa!
Over the course of the past few weeks since I first sent a version of this message out, support for this “exploration” has been quite humbling. Indeed, I have taken the next step and set up an account where I will deposit any contributions that might be sent for this effort. Should you be so inclined to help, simply make the check out to “Loebsack Exploratory Committee” and send it to the address below.
In the meantime, I urge you to make a pledge that indicates your interest in this campaign and your support for this effort should I move on to the next stage and declare a formal candidacy.
We can take back our country from the right-wing of the Republican Party and we can begin to so do by electing a Democrat in the second congressional district who will lead on the issues that matter to folks in this part of Iowa.
Thanks, and take care. David Loebsack Mt. Vernon, Iowa
Ten years ago I posted about the impact of the 2012 drought on Iowa agriculture. Read the post here, yet the crux of the article was climate change was absent from public discussion of the drought. Nothing has changed since then.
Drought conditions continue to affect Iowa crops. Josie Taylor with Iowa Environmental Focus writes about how the current drought impacts crops in Northwest Iowa:
“Corn and soybean plants are continuing to suffer in some parts of Iowa from excessive heat and drought,” she wrote. “This has been seen especially in far northwest Iowa where drought conditions are worsening. Large areas of Plymouth and Woodbury counties are in extreme drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.”
Isn’t it time, ten years later, we acknowledged the 800-pound gorilla in the room? Climate change is real and Iowa agriculture won’t discuss solutions to it. We are running out of time to address the climate crisis before it is too late.
Learn more about The Climate Reality Project and how you can get involved in solving the climate crisis by clicking this link: https://www.climaterealityproject.org.
If Iowa agriculture won’t take action to mitigate the effects of climate change on their primary industry, the rest of us must.
On Wednesday, June 29, I interviewed Thom Hartmann in advance of the September release of his new book The Hidden History of Neoliberalism: How Reaganism Gutted America and How To Restore Its Greatness.
This will be the eighth book in Hartmann’s Hidden History series reviewed by Blog for Iowa. My reviews of the Hidden History books have been very popular.
The interview covers a wide range of progressive topics and Hartmann demonstrates his deep knowledge of them all. We discuss the exit of manufacturing jobs from the United States, Iowa soybean exports to China, the right-wing propaganda machine of talk radio and FOX News cable television, ALEC, Americans for Prosperity, the Heritage Foundation, and the influence of dark money that permeates Iowa society and our politics.
We read in the news media that Americans broadly support Social Security, gun control, abortion, universal health care, equal treatment under the law and more. At the same time, we send Republican politicians, who don’t support any of these things, to Washington, D.C. I’m speaking of Chuck Grassley, Joni Ernst, Ashley Hinson, Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra.
The gadget below will play the 34 minute, 51 second interview. I hope you will listen to this timely, informative conversation.
Blog for Iowa publisher Alta Price (right) in a Quad Cities parade entry. Photo provenance unknown.
Happy Independence Day from Blog for Iowa.
Where I live Independence Day is often about the weather. Today, the weather was exceptional: scattered clouds set against the azure sky, moderate temperatures and low humidity. It was a great day to be outdoors, and that is where many of us spent much of the day, celebrating the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
While tradition and family are part of holiday celebrations, the enactment of tribal culture, and each perceived instance of it are most significant. As we stood in the Ely parade lineup area, people walked past us in what seemed like an endless procession: to town, with folding chairs, in small groups, to watch the parade. It is this walking and the beliefs and artifacts around it that are at the core of shared values. It is less about the parade entries, even though they may be what people saw and talked about. It is more about the social behavior enacted by the larger group.
At the Ely Firemen’s Breakfast, compliance with cultural expectations was visible everywhere. The fire station was arranged for efficiency in handling the large number of people, there are public health considerations with food preparation. Extra activities, like the raffle, were organized to occur outside the fire station and after people had eaten breakfast. During breakfast, people gathered around the tables in family groups. There was not a lot of mingling. The expectation was that people would be friendly, but not intrusive. In this setting, it would be hard for an outsider to penetrate a specific social group without a means of introduction. Participation in the Firemen’s Breakfast becomes a cultural marker for such an introduction, which is unlikely to occur at the event and more likely to occur in other circles at other times. I enjoyed this event immensely and it looked like a lot of money would be raised for the fire station.
As a walker in several parades, I found joy in the interaction between participants and observers. Along the route, those closest to the parade were the youngest. Interaction with very young children, mostly through giving them a gift, made the day. I would present a sucker to the child, say “happy Fourth of July,” and wait for them to take it. Only one child did not take the candy, and most said thank you. At Fourth of July parades, the children are on display as much as the parade entries.
There were reactions to each entry in which I participated. The favorable reactions, cheering, clapping or thumbs up hand signs provided validity to the work we had been doing to get our message out. I am not sure we convinced anyone about any politician or cause we were supporting that day. Like all messaging, penetration can occur only with repetition. What I do believe is that in this aggregation of tribal groups, we were tolerated, and there were some supporters for our causes. These things make us Americans as we celebrate Independence Day.
~This post is recycled from July 4, 2008, my first Independence Day blog post.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks on the Iowa State Fair Political Soapbox on Aug. 13, 2010. Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons.
Mariannette Miller-Meeks ran a successful fourth campaign for congress and now represents Iowa’s Second Congressional District. People argue with that statement, saying they stopped counting the votes, yet it is accurate.
Her first three campaigns (2008, 2010 and 2014) were won consistently by Dave Loebsack, even in 2010 when Republicans began taking back control of the state. Loebsack won in 2010 with 51 percent of the vote to Miller-Meeks’ 46 percent.
Her several campaigns created many opportunities to hear her speak and ask questions over a 13-year period. She is a relatively known entity.
What is new and a bit unexpected, is she used her long awaited victory to become a blabbermouth. Today, my Google Alert finds Miller-Meeks saying something noteworthy to someone a couple of times a day. With her regular appearances on FOX News, she attempts to carve a peculiar narrative of her drawn-out election victory. I preferred it when our district’s member of Congress had less to say and wasn’t constantly spinning talking points.
During the time constituents were represented by Jim Leach and Dave Loebsack, we didn’t hear from them much. Our expectation was we wouldn’t hear from them unless it was important. We are used to our member of Congress being above the fray. Leach and Loebsack were the ones who evaluated data and legislation with their district foremost in mind. While Leach was definitely a Republican, he presented an image of bi-partisanship that won him many district fans. Miller-Meeks evaluates legislation based on her partisanship first and make no pretense about it.
Miller-Meeks’ no vote on the American Rescue Plan epitomizes her partisanship. No Republican in the Congress voted for the law. At the same time Iowans specifically benefited from features of the law. Although the congresswoman has been less vocal about the benefits, her staff is in a position to have to help Iowans with the programs. While voting no, she gains favorable attention by helping constituents.
It is more than she speaks excessively. Miller-Meeks is purposely divisive and the district has not seen this for decades. Jim Leach’s reputation was built on being the guy who could be persuaded to cross the aisle on legislation. Miller-Meeks votes against laws she recognizes will pass without her vote and enjoys the benefit of Democratic policy among voters. She is able to cynically say, “I voted against that bill” to her base, while her staff helps constituents secure benefits. Perhaps the correct descriptive term is Rep. Miller-Meeks is a “divisive blabbermouth.”
For the present, the congresswoman is who she is and as she speaks openly and often, constituents have a chance to get to know her. I doubt people are as tuned into her daily activity as we are at Blog for Iowa. Her frequent unexpected and divisive statements are money in the political bank for Democrats–a reserve that will be spent as Democrats identify a candidate and begin the 2022 Congressional campaign.
Let her go on talking. There will be a price to pay before her term is up.
Laundering home sewn face masks is back on the to-do list. It looks like we’ll need them.
On Monday I wrote we are not really taming the coronavirus in Iowa or in the United States as a whole. Too many unvaccinated residents are in social situations without protection. The unvaccinated make up the vast majority of hospitalizations for COVID-19. If you missed it, click here to read the post.
To my point about children returning to school this fall, also on Monday, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommended universal masking in schools for everyone older than age two.
While that recommendation was churning in the vessel, both political commentator Sean Hannity of FOX News and U.S. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made strong public statements that people need to get the COVID-19 vaccine in their arms. McConnell was particularly direct, with a “get vaccinated or else” statement. Here is the clip:
Get vaccinated!
These shots need to get into arms as rapidly as possible, or else we're gonna be back in a situation this fall like what we went through last year. pic.twitter.com/J4o6yL5cn4
What gives? Are we at a turning point in addressing vaccine hesitancy? We know Hannity and McConnell are not sincerely concerned about those who died or are afflicted with COVID-19. Was it Monday morning’s 750-point drop in the Dow Jones Industrial Average? Did they have a come to Jesus meeting… with Jesus? I’m sure I don’t know, other than it is self serving. Maybe they are worried too many of their anti-vaxx constituents will die of COVID-19, yielding the political fight to Democrats.
My cynicism about conservatives’ motivation aside, the increase in number of COVID-19 cases is alarming. While the majority of COVID-19 hospitalizations are among the unvaccinated, there have been prominent people who, while fully vaccinated, have contracted a new variant of COVID-19. On the one hand we have to go on living. On the other, there are unknown risks to be addressed.
If you are vaccinated, the CDC recommends you comply with federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations regarding protection from the coronavirus, including local business and workplace guidance. If a merchant requires you to wear a mask on their property, just do so or walk away. Seek to get along in society knowing the pandemic brought out the worst among some people. Seek safer activities if you are in doubt, the CDC made a handy list.
And launder those reusable masks. Don’t be afraid to wear them in public. A mask won’t kill you but the coronavirus might.
Editor’s note: Sean Hannity spent time on his Thursday radio program back tracking on his encouragement to the unvaccinated to get vaccinated.
Small yet mighty turnout of Democrats at the July 17, 2021 Solon Beef Days parade in Johnson County.
The deputy chief of staff to Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks was recently bragging on Twitter, “When you got $1.17 million in the bank and no democrat opponent.” With it he posted an image of an apparently happy, but not smiling congresswoman.
Not so fast buckaroo! There will be opponents… and money.
If you’ve been following along, there are currently only two declared Democratic candidates for statewide office in Iowa: David Muhlbauer for U.S. Senate and Ras Smith for Governor. Others are kicking the tires on runs for congress, senate and governor, but until the districts are defined–hopefully in September–a lot is up in the air. For the time being Muhlbauer and Smith have the Democratic playing field to themselves. One hopes they are taking advantage of their early entry into the 2022 campaign.
If I were a Republican, I’d say the current districts, with a few tweaks to even out population growth, could serve. We became a Republican state with these districts. There is no evidence they want that or are planning anything but accepting the first map from the Legislative Services Agency. Republicans are also good at keeping secrets, so who knows? What they do shall be revealed.
To fill the absence of campaigns, I walk in parades where it makes sense, write letters to the editor and blog posts, and try to support the county party from a distance in my Republican pocket of Iowa’s most Democratic county. I donate a small, monthly amount to the Iowa Democratic Party and get no further than the state borders with my donations.
I could speculate about potential campaigns but what would be the point? After the drubbing we took in 2020, it seems best for Democrats to keep our powder dry until we know something. As we get through redistricting, and the rest of this post-pandemic summer, we’ll find out where we are heading. I’m okay with periodic gaps in the action.
This morning I opened my father’s King James Bible and found the well read passage from Romans 13:12, “The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.” We’ll be casting off the tweets of Miller-Meeks’ staff. Democrats have to work smarter because, as Alexander Pope put it in the 18th Century, “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”
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