Tag: politics

As we live through the final month before the national political party conventions, most people I meet know the presumptive presidential nominees but don’t talk about them.

When they do the dynamic is like this, “I can’t see voting for Trump, but Hillary, you know what you get with her, so I don’t know.”

One person’s perspective is not definitive, yet given the people I know, the dynamic among those newly met has some validity.

If the 2016 general election were to be won or lost on the basis of scattered talk in society (or on social media) that would be a thing. What matters more is work done by the campaigns to register and turn out voters — something less visible than talk inside our social enclaves. By all measures Clinton is working harder and devoting more resources to registering and turning out her voters.

NBC News reported yesterday the Hillary Clinton campaign spent $1.2 million in Iowa this June compared to Trump’s zero dollars. The Iowa Democratic Party relies on presidential money to run its campaign, so the spending is two doses of good news for Democrats. Money to fund IDP operations and Trump’s “different” and thus far losing campaign.

Because of Trump’s celebrity he has been able to distribute a message to voters on the cheap. That served him during the primaries and caucuses. As we turn toward the conventions and the general election, Hillary’s campaign is somewhat predictable, using tried and true methods to win votes. Trump’s is a mystery that includes a Twitter account and public speeches, lacking any perceptible effort to close the deal with voters. If one doesn’t close, there will be no victory.

The Democratic primary churned up a lot of ill will toward Hillary Clinton in the electorate. That’s ridiculous, but also something to take seriously. On the one hand, Democrats continue to get whipped up into a froth about a potential indictment of Clinton (over something, they are not sure what). On the other, we look away from the Republican fraud that took the deaths of four Americans in Benghazi, Libya and turned them into political footballs. Clinton has weathered many storms in a long public career, yet the idea initiated during her husband’s administration — open up an investigation of political enemies and let it go on forever — is as effective today as it ever was in generating the false appearance of wrong-doing. Rep. Trey Gowdy’s Benghazi investigation, as with Whitewater, is demonstrating nothing is there. Even he couldn’t say Clinton lied about Benghazi during yesterday’s presser.

Political pundits, bloggers and partisans like to talk the strategy of elections. What I’m seeing, and believe is better information, is in scattered talk among ordinary people who still believe a presidential election is a choice to be made. To the extent the Clinton campaign can get to those voters and bring them home she can win in November. While the prospects look good for Clinton today, it appears her campaign is taking nothing for granted to win voters.

As June ends and the days get shorter it is difficult to see any other general election outcome than a Clinton victory. The scattered negative talk about Clinton will be a factor. One Clinton is almost certain to overcome.

BIG GROVE TOWNSHIP, Iowa — On Tuesday, June 7, Hillary Clinton won the California, New Jersey, New Mexico and South Dakota primaries, securing enough delegates to win the Democratic nomination for president at the July 25 national convention.

I agree with Jeff Weaver and Tad Devine, key Bernie Sanders advisors, that Clinton isn’t nominated until the convention. However, under what circumstances won’t she be? Today’s popular usage is “Clinton clinched the nomination.”

For me, my mother, and women I know Tuesday was a momentous occasion as the first woman ever has been selected for president by a major political party in the United States. A century ago, women weren’t allowed to vote here.

The formalities of July are minor points as key figure after key figure in the Democratic Party gets behind Clinton’s candidacy. We now turn toward the general election.

As the last days of spring yield to summer warmth, and the garden produces vegetables for the table, political campaigns go on the back burner. There is more to life than politics.

As it does, it is important to note that on June 7, 2016 Hillary Clinton made history. Whether one likes her or not, that is something.

Once Amy Nielsen of North Liberty set her mind on getting involved with government in one of Iowa’s fastest-growing cities there was no stopping her.

When Mayor Tom Salm died unexpectedly in 2014, she pursued a council appointment after nine-year councilor Gerry Kuhl was appointed mayor. The city council chose someone else.

Nielsen then ran for mayor and defeated Kuhl in a tight race, garnering 55 percent of the vote.

She’s running for election in the June 7 primary to represent Iowa House District 77 in the Iowa legislature. I believe there will be no stopping Amy Nielsen now either.

There is a lot to like about her.

“My primary ‘career’ is being a mom,” she said in a recent email.

Nielsen was born in Keokuk and grew up in Eastern Iowa. She attended Kirkwood Community College before moving to South Carolina where husband Jason took a job with Kimberly Clark. Nielsen took a job in a bank there. They followed his work to Utah, where their first daughter Catie was born, to Tennessee where son Ben was born, and to Wisconsin where daughter Jillian was born. The family next moved to Atlanta, which they found was “not a good fit.”

“We decided it was time to come back to Iowa,” Nielsen said. “We knew we wanted to raise our kids here. My husband was hired at Alliant Energy and we chose to settle in North Liberty.”

In 2007 the family moved and a few years later Nielsen burst on the scene of public engagement. She worked as a volunteer in a number of community organizations including local schools, the Iowa City Blue Zones Project, the North Liberty Community Pantry and more.

Nielsen is engaged fully in life and has the audacity to run for office to get things done for her family and her constituents.

“As a graduate of Iowa City Public Schools, and a parent of three children currently enrolled in those same schools, I know first-hand how important a world-class education is to our state’s future,” Nielsen said in a press release for her house bid. “I’m deeply concerned that some in Des Moines are shortchanging our children by refusing to invest in Iowa’s public schools.”

When asked how she would replicate outgoing State Representative Sally Stutsman’s connections in rural parts of District 77, Nielsen responded.

“I will do what I have always done,” she said, “which is proactively seek input from individual stakeholders that have more knowledge and experience to learn about their specific needs.”

Part of living in a fast-growing community is the expansion of low-wage jobs and North Liberty has more than its share of them.

“I am in favor of a state-wide higher minimum wage,” Nielsen said. “I would like to find a way to close the loop holes that allow for exemptions or advantages for doing things like using ‘temporary’ workers or ‘subcontracting.’  This is just a way to boost profits on the backs of low wage earners.”

Check out Nielsen’s campaign website, amyforiowa.com for her position on other issues. However, policy isn’t the only reason to like Amy Nielsen.

In the face of disparaging remarks by outgoing Mayor Kuhl in 2014, Nielsen handled herself well.

“I have largely ignored the criticism of Gerry Kuhl,” Nielsen said. “He was quoted after the election as saying ‘the mayor doesn’t have any power anyway’ and he was wrong. The mayor sets the attitude and tone of not only the council and staff, but the entire community. I firmly believe certain opportunities have come our way because of the change in leadership.”

I’m proud to offer my support to Amy Nielsen in her bid to win the Democratic primary in House District 77.

SOLON, Iowa — At a table under a locust tree on Main Street I chatted with Kurt Friese, his wife and son as people gathered for his political meet and greet.

Most of the small group of attendees are not in my circle of political friends. Maybe they should be.

I’ll support Friese in the June 7 Democratic primary. With that decision made, I can move on to more engaging endeavors. That means digging in the dirt in my garden until the initial planting is done.

I brought a lawn sign home and found the two from previous supervisor campaigns. After sizing them up for wires in the garage, they will go out on Friday for the weekend traffic in front of our home.

I took the time to meet and have a conversation with five of the six supervisor candidates before deciding, also considering the work of the two incumbents. Comparing what I know about the job of supervisor, the needs of the county, and how each candidate seemed as a person, Friese was the best fit to fill out my votes. The five candidates I met would each bring something different to the table. (I still don’t get what the helicopter pilot is doing). This slate fits the direction the county should go during the next four years.

Someone on social media asked why Friese over Heiden? First, I have more in common with Friese and his circle. Second, Heiden didn’t take my advice a month ago about getting on top of her recent switch in party registration. The switch itself is not an issue. The way she handled it publicly is. Finally, my pick was about having a business person on the board of supervisors. Being a successful restaurateur and author carried more weight than being executive director of a retirement home for the affluent. Either one would make a competent supervisor.

Now it’s into the dirt for me.

JOHNSON COUNTY, Iowa — Talk about politics is everywhere as the June 7 Democratic primary approaches.

There is a lot to think about in the two races with a field: U.S. Senate and county supervisors.

Well maybe not that much.

The four U.S. Senate candidates participated in a foreign policy forum in Des Moines last night and this tweet summarizes why I support State Senator Rob Hogg:

Hogg says unless global climate change is addressed, work on all other issues is “rearranging deck chairs.” #iasen #iapolitics

— Kathie Obradovich (@KObradovich) May 15, 2016

Addressing anthropogenic global warming is high on my priority list.

I’ve written about the county supervisor race a couple of times and I’m still where I was with my three votes: Sullivan, Green-Douglass and either Pat Heiden or Kurt Friese.

Heiden comes with strong endorsements of people I know and respect in and out of politics. On the positive side, she is an experienced businesswoman turned political newcomer with credibility on the three issues she is highlighting during the primary campaign: good governance based on her experience as executive director at Oaknoll Retirement Community; attention to the needs of the elderly — the county’s fastest growing population segment, and addressing mental health care delivery in the wake of the state’s poorly executed consolidation of services.

On the challenged side, Heiden was registered as a Republican voter as recently as last year. Already the whisper campaign has begun: she is a Republican in Democratic garb and will undo the progressive agenda, they say.

I asked her about the recent switch in registration. While she didn’t have a good answer, she made clear she was new to politics and didn’t fully understand the importance of one’s registration in the so-called People’s Republic of Johnson County. It is not an issue for me, and the idea she would help undo progress is a stretch.

As for Friese, he appears to be working his campaign as one would expect a candidate to do. Information is readily available and he scheduled an event in each of the towns in the county. That he’s riding his bicycle to each town is a positive, unique twist. The importance of community outreach is high on my list. Thus far, only he, Sullivan and Heiden have made a noticeable effort to campaign outside the peculiar enclave that is Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty.

On the positive side, Friese’s issues list includes social justice for people living in poverty, who are food insecure, and without affordable housing and access to mental health care. His list of endorsements is a mixed bag of people I know and respect, with some clinkers mixed in.

On the challenged side, Friese is a denizen of Iowa City with all the negative connotations that includes. His business is there and he participates actively as a notable person in society. Outside the county seat, people don’t know him and he has managed to get sideways with a couple of people I know and respect.

To an extent, he panders to the Newport Road gang and their method of slowing urban sprawl. His early tagline, “stop pouring concrete on good farm land,” is evidence of this. He has strong support on Newport Road. This is about the land use plan and how the supervisors administer it. At least Friese is engaged in this issue and expected to be a predictable vote on development in the northern part of the county.

As one of the liberal centers in the state, Johnson County has some responsibility to lead by example and support gender equity on boards and commissions, including the board of supervisors. The current status is two females and three males and I feel strongly we don’t want to walk that back to one to four. Gender equity is an important issue, although not the most important one. It’s worth considering when there are plenty of good potential supervisors in the race. With three of five seats up for election, the decisions made in the primary will presumably be ratified during the general election and set the agenda for the next four years.

It is important people take time to learn about the candidates before voting.

As bad as the Ronald Reagan presidency was for middle and low wage earners, a Donald J. Trump presidency could be worse.

Last week’s tit for tat about jobs for West Virginia coal miners is an example of how Reagan’s policies resulted in decimation of an industry, people forgot, and then Trump asserted he could bring those jobs back.

With a peculiar presentism Hillary Clinton became the villain because she spoke the truth about coal mining.

“We’re going to put a lot of coal companies and coal miners out of business,” she said.

Clinton walked her statement back while campaigning in West Virginia last week, however, its urgent reality stands: a majority of fossil fuels need to stay in the ground.

Not only is Trump the presumptive Republican nominee for president, there is a path to him becoming president. As progressive Thom Hartmann has said, his campaign should not be taken lightly.

His candidacy strips away everything we thought we knew about how the world works, about how people do things in society. Like a wind of rage blowing throughout the continent, it desiccates the landscape, and sets the stage for an extended and devastating wildfire season in which wage earners would take the brunt of change. The ongoing wildfire in Fort McMurray, Alberta is emblematic of this.

Trump would be Reagan on steroids and a lot of people wouldn’t mind.

It is time for folks to reduce the attention given to each outrageous statement made in social media or during interviews and speeches, and work to stop the rise of the mogul. It’s time to treat his candidacy less as a source of jokes and more as a threat to an already eroded way of life.