Loebsack Fundraiser in University Heights, Iowa

by Paul Deaton

Representative Tammy Baldwin, from Wisconsin's second congressional district was in University Heights, Iowa on Saturday stumping for Dave Loebsack and attending the Linn County Democrats Hall of Fame Dinner in Cedar Rapids as a featured speaker. The talk was mostly about redistricting and its wake.

Attend a fundraiser in Johnson County, Iowa and there is a much different perspective of redistricting than what we read in on-line media. It is about nuts and bolts and for those interested in process the conversations were lively.

While Iowa has legislative approval for the new redistricting map and Governor Branstad scheduled a signing ceremony on Tuesday, according to Representative Baldwin, Wisconsin has yet to see their first map because of their later primary season. She favors a less partisan process like Iowa's.

Congressman Loebsack has embraced his new second district and said he would move to Johnson County before the filing date. His main discussion points were that he has been approached by more than a few realtors and is looking for a condominium. One of his contacts was the same realtor former 2nd District Congressman Jim Leach used during the redistricting after the 2000 census.

Loebsack also told the audience that he would be spending less time in Johnson County to focus on meeting constituents in the additional counties he was picking up because of redistricting. There was a moment of stunned silence as Johnson County Democrats contemplated the idea that they may not be the center of the political universe. It passed when Loebsack assured them that he continued to need the margin provided in the county and that he would be a constant, if less frequent, presence at events.

Other redistricting conversations were held at the event. Someone mentioned that former Iowa first lady Christie Vilsack had called all of the members of the State Central Committee to explain that she had been thinking about a run for office for a long time and that she has the freedom to move anywhere in the state should she decide to throw her hat in the ring. This confirms that she continues to consider a run for office, although which one was unclear.

Johnson County Auditor Tom Slockett said his office was preparing for redistricting at the precinct level and already he knew high growth areas like North Liberty would see more precincts than the current two. When asked about the idea of combining townships like Linn County is considering, he indicated that he hoped to preserve the local aspect of precinct gatherings in places people had come to know.

Finally, there were discussions of who might be running for which seat, concentrated around open Iowa House Districts in the county. The common thread was that there are likely to be multiple candidates in open districts and that the State Democratic Party leadership should keep their nose out of this local business. That seems impossible with IDP Chair Sue Dvorsky being a resident of Johnson County. She is certain to have an opinion, although she was absent from the event so we couldn't ask her about the matter.

While all this talk of local politics took place near the University of Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, the Republicans in Washington kept firing up their chainsaws to cut down everything Democrats have built since the New Deal. Things they never liked, like social security, medicare and medicaid, public radio, the Environmental Protection Agency and many more. Thank goodness we have decent people like Dave Loebsack and Tammy Baldwin fighting in Washington for our interests.

~Paul
Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend
editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail
Paul Deaton