Monthly Archives: September 2004

Iowa Towns Bust Budgets for Campaign Visits

Posted on September 21, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Iowa Towns Bust Budgets for Campaign Visits by Linda Thieman According to DFIA Founding Member Darrell Lewis of Clear Lake, campaign visits to Iowa towns are busting city and county budgets, and in many cases, expenses are not being reimbursed. … Continue reading →

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Regan for Scott County Holds Meeting on Harkin Bus

Posted on September 20, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Regan for Scott County Holds Meeting on Harkin Bus By Molly Regan, Candidate for Scott Soil and Water Conservation Commission ‘Twas a sunny, breezy, cloudless day that greeted our arrival at the Harkin Steak Fry at Indianola, Iowa.  The Regan … Continue reading →

Posted in Candidates, Introducing DFIA, Main Page | 1 Comment

Iowa: The Importance of Voting

Posted on September 20, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Iowa: The Importance of Voting by Linda Thieman I find it truly amazing what the GOP will do to win an election.  I suppose my question should be, “What WON’T they do?” We’ve seen blatant evidence that the GOP intends … Continue reading →

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Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member, Part 2

Posted on September 20, 2004 by bfialindathieman

 Connie Wilson:  White House Press Corps Member, Part 2


When last we left Connie, she and her Republican ordained deacon/photographer friend, Sue Ann, had finally ensconsed themselves in the Press Box at a Bush rally somewhere in Colorado….

There was little happening at first. In fact, the man who came out and slapped the Presidential seal on the podium got a HUGE round of applause, for, basically, nothing. There was a group playing…a local group.

“Do you know any of those people up there?” I asked, repeatedly. And, repeatedly, the answer was, “No.” Even I recognized Karl Rove and Karen Hughes when they appeared on a balcony, stage right, but none of the Media seemed to notice. The “staffers” said things in response to my attempts to clarify our entertainment source like, “I don’t listen to country music.” This from the black-clad Jennifer. For a group that “doesn’t listen to country music,” the Republicans are sure counting on their votes. I think you C&W people are being “played.” Smarten up!

Sue Ann and I, both middle-aged and clad in sensible shoes, had warned Jennifer that she would cripple herself before she was thirty if she continued to wear these really high shoes, but she responded, “My grandmother said that, if you want to be beautiful, you have to suffer.” (She said this just before falling down about four steps). Jennifer has a lot of suffering to go through, from all indications. Just being at this rally might qualify.

The types in charge claimed that there were 15,000 present at the rally in the huge arena, which had actual seating. I had brought a blanket to sit on and was using it to conceal a sign (for later) that said, “Bush/Cheney: Farm and Ranch Team.” To me, it was a funny slogan, coming, as it does, from the scion of an East coast family with ties to Yale and Saudi Arabian oil. One of the Republicans present, when I wasn’t looking, removed the sign from inside my blanket that I was going to take home for my Republican husband and family. Essentially, he stole it from me. Why does this not surprise me?


This photo of the frail but courageous protestor, with Connie's
 friend Sue Ann in the center foreground, is from the Denver Post.
The elderly man shouted,”You lied, Mr. pResident, you lied!”
 before he was escorted out by an eight-member security team.


The man from KCNC-TV leaned down, at one point, when I sought a seat on the bottom of the camera risers next to the Channel 4 Anchorman and said, “You can’t bump those tripods.” Well, no, I suppose not. Everybody was guarding their space very territorially. Sue Ann’s picture of the sole elderly gentleman protesting was a shot that could have been sold for actual cash. Good-hearted soul that she is, she generously agreed to send it to the professional photographer next to her, who missed the entire fracas, as I almost did, since I was several feet below the riser area. I have a picture of eight men jumping on the geriatric protestor, but it looks like some kind of worshipping of the Sun God, as I was shooting in to the sun and got only their backs. They must have felt very brave, subduing a man who looked like he needed a wheelchair.
Continue reading →

Posted in Connie Wilson Humor, Main Page | 1 Comment

DFIA Booth Draws Huge Crowd at Harkin Steak Fry

Posted on September 20, 2004 by bfialindathieman

DFIA Booth Draws Huge Crowd at Harkin Steak Fry by Linda Thieman More then 3,000 people gathered yesterday for the annual Tom Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, Iowa. Darrell Lewis, Democracy for Iowa Founding Member and Campaign Chair for Dean … Continue reading →

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Iowa’s Tom Douglass on Bush’s War and That Gigantic Beehive

Posted on September 19, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Iowa's Tom Douglass on Bush's War and That Gigantic Beehive by Tom Douglass, North Liberty Supporters of the war on Iraq believe that when you are attacked, the only reasonable response is to strike back, and to strike back with … Continue reading →

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Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member

Posted on September 19, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Connie Wilson: White House Press Corps Member

Blog for Iowa's intrepid reporter hides her true Deaniac colors and goes au Republican


White House Press Corps Member: September 14th, Denver, Colorado….
AND YOU WERE THERE!

By Connie Wilson

Whatever made me think that I could masquerade as a good Republican and get a White House Press Pass for the Bush Rally at Coors Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado, on Tuesday, September 14th?  I do own a “good Republican cloth coat,” but it was much too warm for wearing that. So I put on my best Omega gold jewelry and my caramel-colored Jones of New York three-piece suit with matching heels to pick up my tickets. The woman making us sign our names, addresses and serial numbers complimented me on my outfit. I was, as they say, “In like Flynn.” (Or was it Flint?) I brazenly asked her, “How do I go about getting a Press Pass for the event?” Here comes, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”

As it turned out, it was no easy matter getting this official White House Press Pass. You had to fax a request, on letterhead, complete with your name, date of birth, social security number, organization for which you wrote, your affiliation with this organization, your blood type and your approximate net worth. I’m just kidding about the last two, but I’m not kidding about the others. [And me without a letterhead! Or enough of a net worth!]


Sue Ann in the Press Box


My trusty Republican friend, Sue Ann, and I had just returned from my book signing, in the scenic prison town of Canon City (7 miles from the Royal Gorge). It was midnight. We had to gerry rig a “letterhead” from the blog picture, provide the information requested, and fax it. We also had phone numbers to call, which I did at 6 a.m. the day of the event (no answers). It was midnight, the night before the event.

“But they won’t get this until the day of the event,” said Sue Ann.

I fixed her with a steely gaze. “That’s the beauty part, Sue Ann. It’s genius!

I’m counting on it, in fact…That, plus your vast array of camera equipment. Hang everything you own around your neck! We’ll either look very official or we’ll look like lost Japanese tourists.”
Continue reading →

Posted in Connie Wilson Humor, Main Page | 1 Comment

Paul Johnson: An Independent Kind of Democrat

Posted on September 19, 2004 by bfialindathieman

 Paul Johnson: An Independent Kind of Democrat These days, Paul Johnson, Democratic candidate for Iowa's 4th Congressional District, is making a name for himself by being unafraid to speak out on the issues that are truly relevant to Iowans today. … Continue reading →

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PBS Panders to Right With New Programming

Posted on September 18, 2004 by bfialindathieman

PBS Panders to Right With New Programming FAIR: Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting A new public television program called The Journal Editorial Report, featuring writers and editors from the arch-conservative Wall Street Journal editorial page, debuted Friday on public television … Continue reading →

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Stop Outsourcing Iowa!

Posted on September 18, 2004 by bfialindathieman

 Stop Outsourcing Iowa! WATERLOO – Thirty Black Hawk County residents gathered in the Law Court Theatre at the Waterloo Center for the Arts this past week to talk about the outsourcing of jobs in Iowa and across the nation. This … Continue reading →

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