Tag: Jon Green

Traveling to the county seat on a Saturday afternoon is unlikely for me. However, I needed to speak with my candidate about the upcoming June 2 primary election, so there I was. About 75 people crowded into a self-described “cozy nook” at the Green House. Framed as a “botanical retreat,” the establishment serves plant-infused specialty cocktails, local beer, and non-alcoholic drinks crafted with local tinctures and herbs. I had none of those as I had come with limited funds and to talk.

Whenever I visit Iowa City I encounter people I have known for years. This makes a sociable visit no matter what the agenda. This event was a joint fund raiser for Democratic congressional candidate Travis Terrell and my candidate for county supervisor Jon Green. There were a lot of speakers.

The flavor of the event was based on two people I have known for years and were there, John Dabeet and Newman Abuissa. John was born in Jerusalem and is a board member of the U.S. Palestinian Council, an organization “that aims to represent, educate and advocate on issues of concern to Palestinian Americans, strengthen ties between the US and Palestine, and push forward a vision based on liberty, justice, and human rights for all,” according to their website. John spoke at the event. Newman was born in Damascus, Syria and “is a prominent Syrian-American activist, civil engineer, and political organizer based in Iowa City, known for his vocal advocacy for Palestinian rights and his leadership within the Arab American caucus of the Iowa Democratic Party,” according to Google search results. Both identify as Democrats, and have been active in Iowa politics.

Two speakers discussed AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee based in Washington, D.C. Terrell criticized Christina Bohannan, also a Democratic candidate for the Congress, for accepting a six-figure campaign donation from AIPAC. He also criticized Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks for accepting a lesser six-figure amount. What is AIPAC doing in this race? They are not favoring either candidate. Rather, they are guaranteeing the outcome of a member of Congress favorable to Israel, regardless who wins. Terrell hopes to leverage that to win the Democratic primary.

I don’t get out much and the conversations I had about plumbing, farming, compost, contractors, politics, and local culture at the event helped make it a positive evening. There is more to being a progressive than one’s stance on Israel and Palestine. However, that afternoon, those issues were in focus. It’s part and parcel of the diversity within the Democratic Party.