Tag: politics

LAKE MACBRIDE— I received the second of three press releases from candidates announcing campaigns for state representative in House District 73, so it’s time for an update.

I don’t intend to favor any house candidate going into the June 3 primary, and if my word counts about any one or the other aren’t equal, it means very little, if anything.

David Johnson held his kickoff event on July 2, 2013, so he has been well covered in the media. Des Moines Dem did a full writeup of Johnson on Bleeding Heartland.

Until yesterday, Johnson was the only candidate to formally announce. Dennis Boedeker’s press release came via the Iowa House Democrats listserv, and it is posted below. I didn’t know his resume when I recently met him, but he seemed a lot like me. Notably, we both served on the board of health in our respective counties.

Even though I am a Democrat, the closest political relationship I have with any of the three candidates who filed nominating papers is with the Republican incumbent, Bobby Kaufmann. I have been an active advocate in the legislature since we moved to Big Grove Township in 1993. Because of my social engagement, there are a number of things I follow and/or need help with in the legislature. Whoever is my representative, it is important to develop a relationship with him or her. I became comfortable emailing, texting or picking up the phone to call Rep. Kaufmann. He has been reasonably supportive of my efforts, and hasn’t formally announced for re-election.

I will vote in the Democratic primary on June 3, where there are two additional races of interest. I declared my support for incumbent County Attorney Janet Lyness over challenger John Zimmerman. I also declared my preference for incumbent County Supervisor Janelle Rettig, and long-time environmental activist Mike Carberry, over Lisa Green-Douglass and Diane Dunlap in the election to select two supervisor candidates. Neither Green-Douglass nor Dunlap have been active in the same circles as me.

Here is Boedeker’s press release:

Friday, April 4, 2014
Veteran, Farmer Dennis Boedeker announces bid for state representative

Cedar County– Farmer and veteran Dennis Boedeker of Cedar County officially announced his run for State Representative today.  Boedeker, a former Cedar County Supervisor, is running in House District 73, which covers all of Cedar County, part of Johnson County, and the city of Wilton.
“I was born and raised in Cedar County and have lived here my entire life. I’m extremely proud of our communities and I’m excited about the opportunity to serve in the Iowa House,” said Boedeker, a Democrat.  “As a farmer who still runs the small family farm where I grew up, I understand how important agriculture is to our economy.  I’ll be a strong, experienced voice for rural Iowa and the middle class.”
In addition to farming, Boedeker served on the Cedar County Board of Supervisors for 12 years and before that worked for the Cedar County Roads Department.  He also served in the US Air Force during Vietnam.
“There is no issue more important in the Legislature than education and there is more we must  do to keep our rural schools strong,” said Boedeker, who serves on the Cedar/Jones Early Childhood Iowa Board.  “We need to expand early childhood education so every child enters kindergarten ready to learn and make sure the state keeps its commitment to our schools and children.”
Boedeker is a lifelong member of Zion United Church of Christ and served four years on the church council, including one year as president. He and his wife, Cheryl, have been married 40 years and they have two grown sons and seven grandchildren.
Boedeker has been involved with a host of community organizations, including the Cedar County Board of Health, 7th Judicial District, Eastern Iowa Regional Utility Service Systems, and Cedar County Veteran’s Affairs.

BIG GROVE TOWNSHIP— Labor Day is the official kickoff of the fall election campaign, but there seems to be a lot of campaign stuff going on now.

The biggest news was the video of Rep. Bruce Braley commenting about the kind of chair of the Judiciary Committee U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley might make should Republicans regain control of the upper chamber.

The video was released by a group called Priorities for Iowa, another 501 (c) 4 funded by what is becoming common parlance, “dark money.” The release was timed to coincide with the unveiling of the Norman Borlaug statue in the U.S. Capitol, which replaced that of former U.S. Senator and abolitionist James Harlan, which had been there since before Borlaug was born.  By any standard, Borlaug was a farmer and the front page of the Quad City Times, which visually associated Braley’s comments with Borlaug, is something Braley should frame and put in his office as a reminder that he needs to do better in his campaign for U.S. Senator. If one listens to the video, it is neither disparaging toward Grassley nor to farmers generally. That won’t stop the right wingers from saying it is so.

Speaking of right wingers, something else I have been following is the development of guns, gays and abortion legislation in this session of the Iowa legislature. Yesterday was bad news for progressive politicos, as none of them gained traction during floor debate.

There was a curious change in the House Floor Action ticker regarding abortion and guns. As I watched the live posts, the following was made:

“Motion by Shaw to invoke Rule 60 in order to withdraw HF 138 from the Judiciary Committee and place it on the House Calendar– Out of Order.”

When I went in to double check the ticker for this post, the entry had been changed to this:

“Motion by Shaw to invoke Rule 60 in order to withdraw HF 2284 from the Judiciary Committee and place it on the House Calendar – Out of Order.”

I am certain a change was made because I had to look up HF 138 to see what it was after the original post, and last night, I searched the ticker for HF 2284 and couldn’t find it.

Here is the House Journal record:

“Shaw of Pocahontas moved to invoke Rule 60, to immediately withdraw House File 2284 from committee on Judiciary and place it on the calendar.
The Speaker ruled the motion not in order.”

Maybe it was a typo, and maybe not, but HF 138 is the personhood bill, and HF 2284 is the so called “Constitutional Carry” bill, both of which I expected to be called up from judiciary yesterday using Rule 60.

The reason this is bad news is that House Republicans are showing a modicum of decorum and consistency by following their own rules on these two bills. That is something they did not do in 2011 just after the TEA party rebellion of the 2010 midterms. What is worse news for progressives is that definition of marriage did not make it onto the House legislative radar screen at all this session.

Nothing has changed in the Republican caucus, except they are doing a much better job of hiding the extremism of the right wing of their party. Since most people don’t follow politics very closely, it matters to advancing a progressive agenda if Republicans are perceived as not that bad.

With the late spring and a winter backlog of projects, it seems way too early for politics. Nonetheless, how can one not be engaged in things that matter in our lives on the Iowa prairie.

LAKE MACBRIDE— This week has been nonstop action from Monday morning until Friday night. I was worn out from all the engagement— so weary, I bumped into a parked car in a parking lot before heading home last night. Sour end to an otherwise positive week.

It is hard to count exact numbers, but I engaged with more than 50 people, not including my sales work at the warehouse. The human contact was welcome, and I dove in.

There were the chores. A township trustee meeting, transfer of the financial records to the new treasurer of my veterans group, writing two press releases for coming speeches, work at the newspaper, the warehouse and the farm— all part and parcel of a week’s work. Groceries were bought, seedlings planted, laundry done and a host of small errands run that together make up the logistics of a life. There was more.

In politics, I met with each of the three people running for state representative in my district. The incumbent, and two challengers who will face each other in a primary. Don’t try to read the tea leaves, as I’m not saying here who I’ll support during the campaign. They are all good men— a bit disappointing they all are men.

I took a friend who is running for county supervisor around my area to introduce him on Friday. We ended up at a local eatery, where we met a few more people. We had a great couple of hours while I carried the clipboard, watching and listening to him work the rooms. He too faces a primary with two others vying for a total of two seats on the board.

If the weeks ahead are like the one just past, before I know it, I will have passed through the this stage of life into the infirmity old age. One resists swimming in the body politic. Partly because we cling to the present— not wanting to let go of what we know and have. Yet we are compelled to engage— to let go of what we hold dear, and enter in with our fellow travelers.

LAKE MACBRIDE— “Temperatures averaged 12.6° or 11.4° below normal while precipitation totaled 1.54 inches or 0.49 inches above normal. This ranks as the 7th coldest and 28th wettest February among 142 years of records. A colder February was last recorded in 1979 and a colder calendar month in December 2000,” wrote State Climatologist Harry Hillaker.

February was cold, but now winter is in full retreat. Temperatures are above freezing, and snow is melting into pools on the driveway. Spring won’t be long.

The inexorable attraction of politics was present at the county Democratic convention in Coralville. More than anything, it was a time to see friends from past political campaigns and to meet new people. Many there know me, although I sensed today more didn’t than did.

Unexpectedly, I signed up as a delegate to the district and state conventions. The delegate slate was ratified early in the day, so I left as lunch was served, having zero interest in the platform discussion.

Dennis Boedeker, a candidate for state house in my district, spoke to the convention in the afternoon. He hasn’t filed his nominating papers, but I expect he will. He and David Johnson, who spoke in the morning, will vie for the Democratic nomination in the June 3 primary election. This is the year for Cedar County to lead the nominating process, so I’m staying in the background. I interviewed Johnson for the newspaper, but wasn’t around when Boedeker made his appearance.

There were three women at a table marked “Ready for Hillary.” I declined to sign up, but took a blank supporter card. Other than that, there was talk about strategies and tactics, gardening and drones, and upcoming events. A busy, friendly day with people I know and respect for the work they do in Iowa politics.

Things could be a lot worse as winter turns to spring, and the promise of tomorrow is a tangible presence in everything.

LAKE MACBRIDE— Grab your partner, the band is tuning up.

In Des Moines, the Iowa House passed two bills today. One favors the tobacco industry in it’s language for controlling e-cigarettes (HF 2109), and another prohibits termination of pregnancy using telecommunications technology (HF 2175). The former got more votes than the latter, although both were equally ill considered. We’ll learn who voted which way in the journal tomorrow, but the final votes were 72-22 for HF 2109 and 55-42 for HF 2175.

This curious explanatory language is part of HF 2175, “the inclusion of this explanation does not constitute agreement with the explanation’s substance by the members of the general assembly.” What the hell? If that’s the case, why not put in language like, “doctors will be smitten by god if they break this law?” Then they would really have something to write to constituents about in the weekly newsletter.

We are back to the good old days when the Republicans pass bills in the House because they can, messaging them exuberantly into the abyss also known as the Senate inbox. All that’s missing is anti-abortion activist Kim Pearson. I haven’t been following the Senate as closely but their six percent allowable growth proposal appears equally dead on arrival in the House. The only caveat here is the e-cigarette bill may have a chance in the Senate because of Democratic support in the House.

Let’s not forget the executive branch. Yesterday the state auditor reported the governor’s budget overspends state revenues by $144 million. Sounds like the governor is planning to pay for things using one-time money in the surplus, something he repeatedly criticized Chet Culver for doing as part of his 2010 campaign.

As a friend wrote this morning, “there is no budget surplus. We are underfunding nearly every category in the budget.” The legislature will have to work through this before leaving Des Moines for the midterm elections— or not. Well, who knows what they might do? There are good people in the Iowa legislature, but one wouldn’t know it by the work they produced this week. And, it’s only Tuesday.