The Most Important Thing To Do Right Now

Posted on November 26, 2020 by Trish Nelson

Happy Thanksgiving! We are thankful that we have managed to save the Democracy from certain death but we are not out of the woods yet. We need to win two Georgia senate seats for there to be any progress. Indivisible has led the way in the Trump resistance and has a plan going forward. Please check it out and help if you possibly can.

Update/action alert from Indivisible. If you haven’t joined Indivisible yet click here to join Indivisible Iowa.

With just 41 days until the Georgia runoff elections, we’ve been hard at work building out our plans. These two seats will determine control of the Senate, so we’re committing a ton of time and resources to winning and entering 2021 in a strong position. We’ve already gotten started on some of our work, but today we’re ready to reveal our full plans for the next six weeks — read on to find out more, or if you’ve already got an idea what we’re doing and are ready to make it happen, click here to support all our work with a donation.

What are the stakes?

If Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff win their races, Democrats will have control of the Senate for at least the next two years. That means the difference between a Democratic trifecta and a divided government — the difference between a real shot at all our progressive priorities and Mitch McConnell doing everything in his power to block the change we need.

We’ve got big plans for 2021, from major democracy reform initiatives to work on climate, racial justice, immigration, economic justice, health care, and more. We’re going to be fighting for all these things regardless, but we know we can get a lot more done a lot more quickly if we have the Senate working for us instead of for Mitch McConnell’s elite white buddies.

What’s the plan?

We’ve developed our plans in consultation with folks on the ground in Georgia — which means we’re putting our resources where we can be most effective without duplicating work or speaking over people who’ve been putting in the work for years. Our Georgia runoff plans fall into three major buckets:

☎️ Direct Voter Contact. After our massive peer-to-peer texting and phonebanking programs this election season, we’re leveraging everything we learned to reach out to voters in Georgia and get out the vote in the next six weeks. Making sure voters are requesting ballots and voting as early as possible is key to winning these elections — so that’s one of our biggest priorities.

🗳 Latinx Outreach. We’re working closely with partners to coordinate a plan to activate Latinx voters. Our work will include organizing, Spanish and bilingual radio and digital ads, appearances in Spanish-language media outlets, and direct support to partner groups.

📬 Rural Outreach. Indivisible has one of the strongest rural organizing programs in the country — and we’re ready to help fill any gaps in rural outreach across the state. With print, radio, and digital ads, media appearances in rural progressive outlets, and support to partners working specifically with Black rural voters, we’re ready to get out the rural vote.

What are the costs?

All told, we’re expecting to spend $800,000 on these programs and all the work we have to do to make them happen.

Here are just some of the major expenses included in that figure:

📲 At least $90,000 for our direct voter contact programs. That funds things like our textbanking tool, data access, and paying moderators to train and guide texters.

📻 $430,000 budgeted for ads across radio, print, and digital channels. These will include Spanish-language and bilingual ads, ads in rural communities, and tailored messaging to get out the vote for Warnock and Ossoff.

🎁 $105,000 for direct contributions to support the work our partners are doing. Whether they’re working directly with Black rural voters, running door-knocking efforts in Latinx communities, or running their own phonebanking campaign, we’re supporting the work it’ll take to win.

⏱ Plus all the staff time, digital tools, and other resources we’ll use to make this work happen!

Our work is powered by grassroots donors like you, and we need your help to deliver wins in Georgia and make a progressive 2021 possible.

We really believe these two races are winnable — but it’s going to take a lot of work, a lot of spirit, and a lot of engagement from Indivisibles everywhere to get us there, and a lot of money to support it all. Over the last year (and since this whole thing began!), we’ve proved we’re ready for that, and we’re grateful to have you here as part of it.

In solidarity,
Indivisible Team

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Mitch McConnell Single Greatest Obstacle to Progressive Agenda

Posted on November 25, 2020 by Trish Nelson

pin available at Zazzle.com

“Who wants Mitch McConnell blocking legislation for the next 2-4 years?  Not me.”  – Andrew Yang

Andrew Yang and his family are moving to Georgia to help with GOTV efforts for the Georgia senate runoff.  If Democrats Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock don’t win, Republicans will control the senate and Mitch McConnell will block every good thing the Biden administration tries to do.

Here Andrew Yang talks about the importance of making sure Mitch doesn’t get his chance to block everything.  Also an interesting part of the discussion centers on media, including information deserts due to the demise of local newspapers, and the crazy side effects of social media.

You don’t have to actually go to Georgia.

If you want to donate to help Democrats win the two senate seats in Georgia go to winbothseats.org to donate.

Sign up to RSVP for phone bank shifts at https://www.mobilize.us/battlegroundiowa/

Or go to:

Jon Ossoff website:  https://electjon.com/

Reverend Raphael Warnock website https://warnockforgeorgia.com/

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Trump FCC To Waive Ownership Rules For Murdochs

Posted on November 24, 2020 by Trish Nelson

This is outrageous. Sign the FreePress petition:

Chairman Pai has just announced a plan to waive media-ownership rules for Fox and allow the Murdoch family to control even more TV stations and newspapers in the New York City market.

Take action now: Tell the FCC that this is unacceptable.

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is hellbent on doing as much damage as possible before the Biden administration takes office. And that includes doling out one last favor for Rupert Murdoch.

Fox asked the Trump FCC to permanently waive a restriction that limits Fox’s TV station and newspaper ownership in the New York City market — where the company already owns two local-television stations and one local newspaper. This move would make Fox’s ownership of WWOR, WNYW and the New York Post permanent — despite the agency’s own rules that prohibit one company from controlling this many broadcast stations and newspaper outlets in a given market.

Chairman Pai is trying to quickly push this Fox request through the FCC, allowing for public comment only until Dec. 4. He’s hoping that this big-media handout will fall under the radar during the holiday season. But we’re here to make sure that doesn’t happen. Sign our petition and make it clear to Chairman Pai that handouts to Fox and the Murdoch family are not in the public interest.

It’s clear that the outgoing FCC’s Trump-allied members are set on doing as much damage as possible before they leave their positions in January. They’re moving quickly with their review of this proposal to bend the rules for Fox — even after House leadership called on the agency to refrain from making such controversial decisions in the final days of Trump’s term.

Chairman Pai’s eagerness to grant a permanent waiver to Fox is part of a pattern of bending over backward to put industry interests before those of the public. 
If we’ve learned anything over the last year, it’s that the Murdochs don’t have the public interest in mind. The last thing we should be doing is awarding them with more control over the public airwaves.

Tell the lame-duck FCC that any decision to waive media-ownership limits for Fox is unacceptable.

freepress.net

P.S. Fox already wields way too much control over our media. Urge the FCC to ditch its plan to permanently allow Fox to control even more TV stations and newspapers in the New York City market.

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When Fools Rush In

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Paul Deaton
Atmospheric Haze

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread” was written by Alexander Pope in An Essay on Criticism in 1711. I’m no angel yet it’s time to let the dust settle from the disastrous general election before devising schemes to react to the loss.

With two key races waiting for certification of results, for president and for the Second Congressional District, we should be in no hurry to implement solutions when we don’t understand the problems. We can wait for the haze to settle so we can survey the landscape in better light.

The delays provide needed time to collect data and discuss the future of Democratic politics in Iowa. Brainstorming of solutions is to be expected, politically active Democrats will not be suppressed. Settling on a course of action should wait at least until the new chair of the Iowa Democratic Party is elected and has a chance to organize their team.

As recently as a few hours ago National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien told reporters in the Philippines, “On Jan. 20 we’ll have continuity of government. We’ll either have a second Trump term or we’ll have a Biden-Harris administration.” Republican elected officials have begun to weigh in that it will be the latter and transition assets should be released by the GSA. The president’s legal challenges to the election have proven in court to be like the slight of hand trick of an aging carnival magician in the last weeks before leaving to winter in Florida. There will be a 46th president.

The recount in the Mariannette Miller-Meeks – Rita Hart contest is ongoing. It’s anyone’s guess how things will turn out. In a press release last night, the Hart campaign said, “The Secretary of State’s office has repeatedly made clear that the Recount Boards have discretion over the mechanics of conducting the recount.” As the difference between the two candidates is revealed, and Miller-Meeks loses ground, her campaign questions the integrity of the Recount Board in Scott County, the district’s largest. With Secretary of State certification of the election on Nov. 30, this can only be seen as an attempt to run out the clock before all votes are recounted. We need to let the county boards do their work.

While we wait, a couple of things seem clear.

Centralized political organizing using current technology to text, mail and phone voters did not work for Democrats. Republicans appear to have had the same kinds of tools. Republican political action groups I follow offered the same kinds of volunteer opportunities as did Democrats. In fact, the solicitations for volunteers were almost interchangeable. Neither party seemed short of volunteers. Both parties had the technology to canvass during the coronavirus pandemic.

What we don’t know is whether the organizers were slug-a-beds or whether the electorate has changed. Well, we do know. It’s not the organizing effort that was the problem. The electorate has changed. It’s a change that has been coming for some time and the stark difference between Democrats and Republicans was highlighted during the coronavirus by the Secretary of State’s decision to send an absentee ballot request to every active voter. Voter turnout was notably high this cycle as a result. As I’ve written before increased absentee voting served Republican interests. If I were the Republican Party chair, I’d lobby the legislature and governor to convert our voting process to universal vote by mail because other factors are driving people to become Republicans in large numbers and vote by mail makes it easier for people to vote. No need to mention this to Jeff Kaufmann. He’s smart enough to see the efficacy of what I’m saying.

Democrats don’t need solutions yet as we don’t adequately understand the problem. I saw an analysis of Iowa voting trends Sunday afternoon and there were no surprises. Counties with less population favor Republicans, larger counties favor Democrats. Those in between appear to be in transition from Democratic to Republican. There is little the Iowa Democratic Party, on its own, can do about this other than to let go of a focus on campaigns and work on improving our cultural presence. That’s not their role.

My colleague Dave Bradley at Blog for Iowa posted an Iowa Democratic Election Post-Mortem on Saturday. In explaining what happened in the general election he points to cultural differences between Democrats and Republicans. Specifically, he discussed the impact of right wing talk radio and television on the electorate after President Ronald Reagan’s FCC abolished the fairness doctrine. The impact of this relatively new media is significant in small and medium-sized counties. President Barack Obama was unsuccessful in putting the genie back in the bottle regarding the policy so we are stuck with FOX News and right wing talkers. Creating left wing talk radio has been attempted yet none of them survived on public air waves and folks like Randi Rhodes and Thom Hartmann moved to the internet and satellite radio.

The Iowa Democratic Party is not well equipped to address cultural issues in Iowa anyway. The party should focus on key things we’ll need during future election cycles. We need good candidates (we had those in 2020), we need a source of financial support (money didn’t seem to be a problem in 2020), and we need someone to host access to the voter contact software for campaigns and continuously improve the integrity of data and user interface (also did not seem a problem in 2020). Where IDP did poorly was in messaging and to be honest they should just give it up since they and the consultants they engage are no good at it. Messaging is better left to be grassroots driven by candidates familiar with voters in their district, including those who are not Democrats. I’m going to scream if I see another “Bobble-head Bobby” ad out of the minds in Des Moines and Washington, D.C.

It can’t be said enough the dust should settle on this election before getting too carried away with “what Democrats should do,” or “what needs to be worked on,” or “IDP should do this.” For my money, what matters more is collection of observations at this point. What did we see happening that should be addressed? We should let everyone who wants provide input.

The end of year holidays are here and we’re in the middle of a devastating pandemic. Let’s just stop, take a deep breath, and let the folks analyzing the results do their work. Let’s elect a great party chair and let them get organized. It’s not unlike what I’m saying about the Second District recount. For the time being, I’m okay with being a blue dot in my red precinct. There is another opportunity to flip it coming up soon.

~ First published at Journey Home by Paul Deaton

Posted in 2020 election campaign | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Miller-Meeks Losing Ground In IA-02 Recount

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Trish Nelson

Rita Hart for Iowa Statement on Latest Developments in IA-02 Recount

WHEATLAND, IOWA — Tonight, Rita Hart for Iowa campaign manager Zach Meunier issued the following statement on the margin closing in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District:

“The bipartisan Recount Boards designees have worked diligently throughout this recount process, dedicating their time, energy, and judgment to ensure that Iowans’ voices are heard and this recount is conducted fairly and thoroughly. Each individual county recount has made decisions by a majority of the three-person Recount Board and, in Scott County specifically, this fair and lawful process was agreed to by the Board more than five days ago.

The Miller-Meeks Campaign had no complaints during those five days, and is only now questioning the recount process as they lose ground. Now, they are questioning the integrity of the Recount Board members — including their own designee.

The Secretary of State’s office has repeatedly made clear that the Recount Boards have discretion over the mechanics of conducting the recount. Scott County’s hand recount process is not unique; several other counties are engaged in similar hand recounts. The reality is the Miller-Meeks campaign is simply scared of the likelihood that when all of the ballots are counted — they will lose.”

November 22, 2020

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Edward Norton: Call. His. Bluff

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Randy Rainbow’s latest (4 minutes):

Edward Norton

@EdwardNorton  twitter thread unrolled

  1. I’m no political pundit but I grew up w a dad who was a federal prosecutor & he taught me a lot & I’ve also sat a fair amount of poker w serious players & l’ll say this: I do not think Trump is trying to ‘make his base happy’ or ‘laying the groundwork for his own network’…

2) …or that ‘chaos is what he loves’. The core of it is that he knows he’s in deep, multi-dimensional legal jeopardy & this defines his every action. We’re seeing 1) a tactical delay of the transition to buy time for coverup & evidence suppression 2) above all, a desperate endgame

3) …which is to create enough chaos & anxiety about peaceful transfer of power, & fear of irreparable damage to the system, that he can cut a Nixon-style deal in exchange for finally conceding. But he doesn’t have the cards. His bluff after ‘the flop’ has been called in court…

4) His ‘turn card’ bluff will be an escalation & his ‘River card’ bluff could be really ugly. But they have to be called. We cannot let this mobster bully the USA into a deal to save his ass by threatening our democracy. THAT is his play. But he’s got junk in his hand. So call him.

5) I will allow that he’s also a whiny, sulky, petulant, Grinchy, vindictive little 10-ply-super-soft bitch who no doubt is just throwing a wicked pout fest & trying to give a tiny-hand middle finger to the whole country for pure spite, without a single thought for the dead & dying

6) But his contemptible, treasonous, seditious assault on the stability of our political compact isn’t about 2024, personal enrichment or anything else other than trying to use chaos & threat to the foundation of the system as leverage to trade for a safe exit. Call. His. Bluff.

***************************************************

Let me add that perhaps the main reason for delaying and in Trump’s eyes never having a transition is that during the transition there will be tons of exposure of evidence of corruption. At some point it will be exposed, but Trump may already have transportation to a more friendly climate arranged.

Don’t doubt for a second that shredders and burners are busy as we speak. There may be a lot of vital missing data when President Biden finally takes over. Therefore the first several months may be a bit rocky. Thank goodness the Biden team should be about the most experienced ever total over. Therefore we will survive.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Sunday Funday: Turkey Of A Thanksgiving Edition

Posted on November 22, 2020 by Dave Bradley

I don’t know about you, but we will be spending the day inside the same bubble that Dear Leader condemned us to back in March. We will use the computer to contact the outside, but all in all Thursday won’t be a lot different than other days. This will be followed by a Christmas shopping season that will not include going into stores. 

My suspicion is that this Christmas season will be a major bust for brick and mortar stores. As the pandemic reaches new heights daily going into crowded stores sounds like a suicide mission. Ironic that the real “war on Christmas” is being pushed on us by the very groups (Republicans and religious) that claim to care so much about Christmas. As for us, we are just looking to stay alive.

Joe Biden of Wilmington, Delaware turned a cool 78 last Friday. Happy birthday young fellow.

  1. Today is the 57th anniversary of the assassination of what President?
  1. New details in the plot to kidnap Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer included a plan to televise a week long series of what of public officials?
  1. Iowa’s corona virus statistics surpassed two ignoble milestones this week. What milestones did Iowa pass in cases and deaths?
  1. Friday was Biden’s birthday. What highly thought of Democrat of the past did Biden share his birthday with?
  1. A memoir “A Promised Land” by what up and coming author sold a massive 887,000 on its first sale day?
  1. As president, Thomas Jefferson refused to declare Thanksgiving a holiday. Why?
  1. The numbers are finally in for the last state to be called for the 2020 presidential election. Which state and who won it?
  1. Michigan has been in the center of an attempt to subvert the way the voters voted and give the state electors to Dear Leader. How much did Biden win Michigan by?
  1. As Iowa staked its claim to being one of the world coronavirus hotspots, Gov. Reynolds finally broke down and ordered what?
  1. Chuck Grassley announced he would quarantine because he had been exposed and later tested positive for Covid-19. What is Grassley’s rank on the oldest senator list?
  1. Instead of a parade this year, Macy’s will be doing what this year?
  1. When was the first Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade held?
  1. According to a study by Oxford University in England, how does a state’s coronavirus restrictions correspond to their rate of infection?
  1. Who did US House Democrats pick as their Speaker of the House for the 2021-2022 session?
  1. Pfizer and BioNTech say final analysis shows their vaccine to be how effective?
  1. What once ubiquitous American meal idea developed when a Swanson employee accidentally ordered a massive excess of turkey in 1953?
  1. Moderna also announced a high coronavirus effectiveness last week. What was their effectiveness?
  1. Dear Leader threatened to deny access to coronavirus vaccine to what state last week?
  1. What major country singer found that her $1 million donation to fund coronavirus vaccine research had been used by Moderna?
  1. The Northwest Arkansas Council’s Life Works Here Initiative has offered what incentives for people to move to their area?

thanks to ohiogirl on democraticunderground.com

Answers:

  1. JFK
  1. Executions
  1. 200,000 cases and over 2,000 deaths
  1. RFK (November 20, 1925)
  1. Barack Obama
  1. He felt that was a violation of the separation of Church and State
  1. Georgia. Biden won by 12,000+ votes
  1. 153,000 votes
  1. She order a partial mask mandate
  1. Chuck is the second oldest senator behind Dianne Feinstein of California by about 3 months
  1. Holding a large presentation at Herald Square in front of their store
  1. 1924 – nearly 100 years
  1. The looser the restrictions, the higher the infection rate (see North Dakota, South Dakota and Iowa)
  1. Nancy Pelosi
  1. 95%
  1. The TV dinner
  1. 95%
  1. New York
  1. Dolly Parton
  1. $10,000 and a new bike.

Posted in #trumpresistance, Covid-19, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Turkey Of A Thanksgiving Edition

And Now It Is Reality Vs. Fantasy

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Here is a quick reminder of WWII rationing (4 minutes):

As we come to the end of the reign of King Donald, I just want to note that he has left the country severely divided. While people on on each side seem to have many similarities with their brethren, the fault line appears to be those who are believing more and more in fantasy interpretations of the world and those who believe in science and facts, who let the evidence lead them to decision.

This has been a split that has been growing every year since the days of Ronald Reagan – one could make an argument for Nixon – but the Trump years have really widened the gap with the whole corona virus pandemic fantasies becoming the line of greatest division.

While one side believes tales like “one day the virus will just go away” and “the virus is just a creation of the left” and “it is fake” – I could go on for paragraphs – the other side believes not only that the virus is real and very deadly, but we  do have some tools at our fingertips to help us through this pandemic. The tools at our fingertips include soap and water, alcohol, disinfecting wipes, hand sanitizer and covering our mouths and noses with face masks when in public.

It is so hard to believe that Americans elected and continue to elect those who believe fantasies as cures and preventions to lead us. Such leadership, or maybe better said lack of leadership is getting a lot of Americans killed. We have lost over a quarter of a million with no end in sight. While some vaccines seem to hold great promise, they have done nothing yet.

At a quarter of a million in less than nine months we are killing our fellow citizens at an incredible pace. No segment of the population is exempt from death. We are killing those trained to save us in pandemics – health care workers – at an incredible pace. Health care workers are also terribly overworked right now.

The only way we can beat theses a full out effort that includes everyone. We are in the middle of a war with an inhuman adversary. Not giving it your all will cause others to die.

In World War II the whole country pitched in. We grew “victory gardens” and had ration books that limited our use of materials the armed forces needed such as gas, rubber tires, even fat that was used to make bullets. It was an all out effort from coast to coast and border to border.

If we had approached WWII the way we have approached the pandemic we wouldn’t have lasted a month. Besides Donald Trump is no FDR. For one thing, based on his actions in his four years, Trump’s first move would have been to surrender.

With the holidays coming do what you can to help the country survive the pandemic and bring us all closer to that day when the vaccine is being distributed and maybe even a treatment has been found.

Wash you hands, use sanitizer, don’t touch you face and most of all wear a mask over your mouth and nose when in public!

This is also a good time to assess fantasy from reality. Reality may be a bit harder, but rewards are better.

Posted in Covid-19, Republican Policy | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on And Now It Is Reality Vs. Fantasy

Iowa Democratic Election Post-Mortem

Posted on November 21, 2020 by Dave Bradley

still a valuable tool

It is Thanksgiving week of what has been one of the most intense years in our lives. Not only were we tasked with removing the worst president ever from office in an election that saw incredible voter suppression of many styles, but we had to do so during one of the worst and deadliest pandemics that the world had seen in a long time. This was not an easy lift.

Iowa Democrats did not distinguish themselves in this election. Going in it felt like we had a great set up for the year. We had great candidates from the highest levels – Biden and Harris for the top slots – Theresa Greenfield with a great story for US Senate facing a weak Joni Ernst who called for cutting Social Security in an older state and also had no idea what the price of soy beans is – great candidates at the US House level with incumbents Abby Finkenauer and Cindy Axne with Rita Hart in the 2nd district with a great story as a teacher and farmer. The only weak spot seemed to be the 4th district where the Republicans removed their anchor, Steve King, and greatly improved their chances.

At the state house and state senate levels we had some stellar candidates with great stories of community involvement and lifetimes of leadership. The only real glitch in the campaigns seemed to be pulling back on door-knocking where candidates can get to know the electorate face to face. Maybe it was a mistake to pull back on the door-knocking, but the reasoning behind it was sound. When a pandemic is raging, do what you can not to spread it. That caution did not seem to concern Republicans.

So what happened? I have been seeing a few post-mortem analyses posted. Most seem to focus on some party structure problems and do fault the door-knocking decision as costly. Most seem to ask the question “Why do democrats have such problems in rural areas?” Our policies have always been better for small communities and rural areas. Yet for some reason we don’t seem to connect. While no one has said this, the gap seems to get wider every year.

While I am just an average worker bee in the party like most of you, I would like to offer a reason that I never hear discussed anywhere. That reason is rural media. To be more specific, local radio.

As has been written multiple times here on blogforiowa.com, Iowa’s media is very right wing. Even in the day of access to world media through cell phones and car radios. In the small towns and rural areas of Iowa local media, especially the local radio station is still king. Working in the field or driving to town it is nice to have that companionship of the local station to listen to. As people shop in the local grocery or hardware store, the local radio is the background music to the activities in town.   

Nowadays on a lot of the local radio stations the voice of the local announcer has been replaced by Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and many lesser lights, but the message they deliver is a consistent extreme right wing message. For many folks the radio sort of becomes a subliminal message deliverer. While people may not be actively listening they are getting the message. And they stay tuned because the local station has local news, weather, sports, commercials and of course commodity prices which keeps them tuned in.

This acts as an underlayment for the Republican message of whatever election or issue of the day is being pushed. Democrats or the left have no such infrastructure in the rural areas. Actually in Iowa they simply have no infrastructure like this anywhere. When a Republican shows up at a rural door, they are preceded by months and years of their talking points having been disseminated before they got there. When they are at the door, the terms they talk in have been woven into the fabric of conversations long before they showed up.

When a Democrat shows up at the same door, they are having to use the framing on issues that the Republicans developed and that were disseminated by the local radio. Even the attitudes and beliefs about Democrats have been shaped by local radio long before a Democrat comes to the door.

So it seems to me that when Democrats compete in rural areas they are not only competing against a single opponent for whatever office they are running for, they are also competing against decades of attitudes and beliefs about Democratic ideas that have been formed and inculcated through decades of incessant propaganda.

It feels like by the time the election comes around the game is already in the fourth quarter and we re two touchdown behind. Our records and achievements and honesty doesn’t really compete against constant propaganda delivered on the local radio.

All of Iowa’s major radio stations (eg, WHO, WOC, WMT, KXEL etc. etc.) are right wing stations as are many of the low power stations in the small towns.

When the local radio sets the table for what the conversations will be, we really need to have some presence setting that table. Even after 100 years, radio is still a very personal medium. A local radio with some local personalities is like a close friend out in rural areas. Not having a presence in a medium that is so personal to voters is in my opinion a major omission.

Large sums of money spent in huge batches in a short time don’t overcome years of what is essentially brainwashing. In my humble opinion the billionaires who really want to help level the playing field would do well to study the right’s media set up, especially their radio propaganda, and emulate or better it in a long term commitment.

Mine is just an opinion formed over many years of observation and many years of changing radio stations. Oh, and by the way, NPR is not in any way left wing radio. Long ago it was cowed into submission by Newt Gingrich and Tom DeLay.

Posted in 2020 election campaign, media, Media Bias, Radio, Republican Policy | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Tyson Wrongful Death Suit Alleges “Willful And Wanton Disregard For Workplace Safety”

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Trish Nelson

The Iowa Capital Dispatch is a nonprofit organization, free of advertising and free to readers. That means your donations are vital and your money goes directly to paying for quality journalism. We also make our work available to your community newspapers and other media outlets.

Lawsuit: Tyson managers bet money on how many workers would contract COVID-19

by Clark Kauffman, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 18, 2020

A wrongful death lawsuit tied to COVID-19 infections in a Waterloo pork processing plant alleges that during the initial stages of the pandemic, Tyson Foods ordered employees to report for work while supervisors privately wagered money on the number of workers who would be sickened by the deadly virus.

Earlier this year, the family of the late Isidro Fernandez sued the meatpacking company, alleging Fernandez was exposed to the coronavirus at the Waterloo plant where he worked. The lawsuit alleges Tyson Foods is guilty of a “willful and wanton disregard for workplace safety.”

In a written statement issued Thursday afternoon, Tyson Foods’ president and chief executive officer, Dean Banks, said: “We are extremely upset about the accusations involving some of the leadership at our Waterloo plant. Tyson Foods is a family company with 139,000 team members and these allegations do not represent who we are, or our core values and team behaviors. We expect every team member at Tyson Foods to operate with the utmost integrity and care in everything we do.

“We have suspended, without pay, the individuals allegedly involved and have retained the law firm Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an independent investigation led by former Attorney General Eric Holder. If these claims are confirmed, we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company.

“Our top priority is and remains the health and safety of our team members.”

Fernandez, who died on April 20, was one of at least five Waterloo plant employees who died of the virus. According to the Black Hawk County Health Department, more than 1,000 workers at the plant — over a third of the facility’s workforce — contracted the virus.

The lawsuit alleges that despite the uncontrolled spread of the virus at the plant, Tyson required its employees to work long hours in cramped conditions without providing the appropriate personal protective equipment and without ensuring workplace-safety measures were followed.

The lawsuit was recently amended and includes a number of new allegations against the company and plant officials. Among them:

  • In mid-April, around the time Black Hawk County Sherriff Tony Thompson visited the plant and reported the working conditions there “shook [him] to the core,” plant manager Tom Hart organized a cash-buy-in, winner-take-all, betting pool for supervisors and managers to wager how many plant employees would test positive for COVID-19.
  • John Casey, an upper-level manager at the plant, is alleged to have explicitly directed supervisors to ignore symptoms of COVID-19, telling them to show up to work even if they were exhibiting symptoms of the virus. Casey reportedly referred to COVID-19 as the “glorified flu” and told workers not to worry about it because “it’s not a big deal” and “everyone is going to get it.” On one occasion, Casey intercepted a sick supervisor who was on his way to be tested and ordered him to get back to work, saying, “We all have symptoms — you have a job to do.” After one employee vomited on the production line, managers reportedly allowed the man to continue working and then return to work the next day.
  • In late March or early April, as the pandemic spread across Iowa, managers at the Waterloo plant reportedly began avoiding the plant floor for fear of contracting the virus. As a result, they increasingly delegated managerial authority and responsibilities to low-level supervisors who had no management training or experience. The supervisors did not require truck drivers and subcontractors to have their temperatures checked before entering the plant.
  • In March and April, plant supervisors falsely denied the existence of any confirmed cases or positive tests for COVID-19 within the plant, and allegedly told workers they had a responsibility to keep working to ensure Americans didn’t go hungry as the result of a shutdown.
  • Tyson paid out $500 “thank you bonuses” to employees who turned up for every scheduled shift for three months — a policy decision that allegedly incentivized sick workers to continue reporting for work.
  • Tyson executives allegedly lobbied Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds for COVID-19 liability protections that would shield the company from lawsuits, and successfully lobbied the governor to declare that only the state government, not local governments, had the authority to close businesses in response to the pandemic.

While Tyson has yet to file a formal response to the new allegations, it has said in previous court filings that it “vigorously disputes” the plaintiffs’ claims and has “invested millions of dollars to provide employees with safety and risk-mitigation equipment.”

The lawsuit claims that while Tyson has repeatedly claimed that its operations needed to remain open to feed America, the company increased its exports to China by 600% during the first quarter of 2020.

The lawsuit is seeking unspecified damages for fraudulent misrepresentation and gross negligence.

The case was initially filed in state court, claiming violations of Iowa law. At Tyson’s request, the case was moved to federal court, with the company claiming it had remained open during the pandemic “at the direction of a federal officer” — President Donald Trump, who, on April 28, invoked his authority under the Defense Production Act and ordered meat and poultry processing companies to continue operating.

The nonprofit organization Public Citizen has filed an amicus brief in the case, supporting the Fernandez family’s efforts to remand the action back to state court. In its brief, Public Citizen has said that neither the Defense Production Act nor the executive order signed by President Trump had “directed” Tyson to do anything.

The Waterloo facility is Tyson’s largest pork plant in the United States. The facility employs approximately 2,800 workers who process approximately 19,500 hogs per day.

Iowa Capital Dispatch is part of States Newsroom, a network of news outlets supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Iowa Capital Dispatch maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Kathie Obradovich for questions: info@iowacapitaldispatch.com. Follow Iowa Capital Dispatch on Facebook and Twitter.

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