Category Archives: Iowa in the News

Nader Speaks to Small Crowd at ISU Wednesday

Posted on October 28, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Nader Speaks to Small Crowd at ISU Wednesday by Dawn Mueller Ralph Nader filled a room of about 290 people Wednesday at ISU, just hours before John Kerry's appearance in Cedar Rapids. Nearly all were very young students. The event … Continue reading →

Posted in Iowa in the News, Main Page | 1 Comment

Election Night at Blog for Iowa

Posted on October 28, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Election Night at Blog for Iowa by Linda Thieman I know a lot of our dear activist readers will be getting home late on November 2, Election Day. Some of you will be in the trenches, turning in the final … Continue reading →

Posted in Introducing DFIA, Iowa in the News, Main Page | 4 Comments

Battleground: Iowa

Posted on October 27, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Battleground: Iowa By David Moberg, Salon.com [Iowa's Gov. Tom] Vilsack is optimistic about Kerry's chances in his state. “It's all in the numbers in the early voting and registration war,” he said. Iowa is divided into roughly three equal parts … Continue reading →

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Des Moines Register Endorses Kerry

Posted on October 24, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Des Moines Register Endorses Kerry Des Moines Register About half of Americans have lost confidence in George W. Bush, yet many hang back from embracing the alternative. That's unfortunate, because Senator John F. Kerry is a wise and decent man … Continue reading →

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Culver Troubled by Voting SNAFU at Iowa State

Posted on October 24, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Culver 'Troubled' by Voting SNAFU at Iowa State Ames Tribune Iowa Republican Disenfranchises College Students AGAIN Story County Auditor Mary Mosiman says she didn't anticipate the number of Iowa State University students who wanted to vote at an early voting … Continue reading →

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Stop Move to Ban Gay/Lesbian Literature in Solon, Iowa, Schools

Posted on October 23, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Stop Move to Ban Gay/Lesbian Literature in Solon, Iowa, Schools by Sue Protheroe, Solon Middle School teacher Meeting: Materials Reconsideration Committee Tuesday, October 26, 7pm Solon High School Media Center Solon, Iowa I am the 8th grade language arts teacher … Continue reading →

Posted in Calls to Action, GLBT, Iowa in the News, Main Page | Comments Off

Latest Iowa Job Count Falls Short as Bush Takes Credit for Iowa Economy

Posted on October 22, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Latest Iowa Job Count Falls Short as Bush Takes Credit for Iowa Economy Iowa Policy Project Even With September Increase, Iowa Job Performance Disappoints MOUNT VERNON, Iowa (Oct. 21, 2004) – An increase in the number of nonfarm jobs in … Continue reading →

Posted in GOP, Iowa in the News, Jobs, Main Page | Comments Off

Trouble Brewing for Sioux City Judge Who Granted Lesbian Civil Union Dissolution

Posted on October 21, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Trouble Brewing for Sioux City Judge Who Granted Lesbian Civil Union Dissolution Sharon Malheiro writes: Below is an article that appeared in yesterday's Des Moines Register about the fight that is going on in Sioux City regardng Judge Jeffrey Neary. … Continue reading →

Posted in Calls to Action, GLBT, Iowa in the News, Main Page, Progressive Community | Comments Off

Connie Wilson: Al Franken Keynote Speaker at JJ Dinner

Posted on October 19, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Al Franken Keynote Speaker at JJ Dinner

by Connie Wilson

Saturday, October 16, 2004

The annual Jefferson/Jackson Democratic dinner at Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium in Des Moines, Iowa, was held on Saturday, October 16th, with a large crowd of enthusiastic Democrats in attendance.

Prior to Al Franken’s keynote speech, the Maple Street Missionary Baptist Church Choir and numerous Democratic candidates performed and a number of Democrats for various offices spoke, including a long speech by Governor Tom Vilsack and a longer one by Iowa Senator Tom Harkin (previous Howard Dean supporter).

The Lt. Governor of Iowa, Sally Pederson, noted, in her opening remarks, that in Dubuque, during the filming of “Field of Dreams”, there were more people hired to film that movie than “W” has created jobs for during his four years as pResident.

Leonard Boswell, Iowa’s lone Democratic Congressman (from District 3), made his entrance on a motorcycle. Gerald McEntee of the AFSCME International Union bellowed mightily as “host” of the event, but the acoustics were so bad that it was difficult to understand him.

Sharon Stone no-showed, but Vanessa Kerry (Future First Daughter) was smart, poised and savvy in black stiletto pumps. Her intelligent remarks and articulate presence (no bellowing) made her a crowd favorite, as we all waited for the star of the evening, Al Franken, to take the stage.

What follows are some of Franken’s best lines.

First, Al noted, “If Iowa goes for Kerry, you’re all gonna be nuked,” citing Vice pResident Dick Cheney’s recent speech in Des Moines as the source for this outrageous remark. He also noted that Bush would have us all become hunter/gatherers and that he (Franken) would be “fighting over a root….to the death” with the man in the front row. (Much laughter at this.)

Franken comments on the debate: “Language has never been his (“W’s”) strong suit.” (Much laughter). “The Republicans like to use ‘evil-doers’ a lot. Cheney works evil-doers in because everybody on the Republican side has to.” (This is followed by a parody of Cheney’s head and neck posturing, while saying, “Evil doers.”) Al is good. Read his last book.
Continue reading →

Posted in Connie Wilson Humor, Dean News, Iowa in the News, Main Page | Comments Off

Tradition, Culture Mix to Make Iowa Battleground Zero

Posted on October 18, 2004 by bfialindathieman

Tradition, Culture Mix to Make Iowa Battleground Zero by Mike Glover, AP, QCTimes.com DES MOINES — Iowa’s vibrant political culture and economic change are among the forces that have helped divide Iowans and made the state a battleground, according to … Continue reading →