Iowa Public Beach Water Quality

Posted on July 15, 2020 by Paul Deaton

Algae blooms in Lake Erie, Oct. 5, 2011. Photo Credit – NASA Earth Observatory

A person could post every year about water quality at Iowa state park beaches. The state fails to adequately reduce nutrient flow into public water. The source is primarily from fertilizer runoff, yet from other sources as well.

Last year I wrote about the president’s “environmental” speech in which he spoke of “toxic algae.” Turns out the algae blooms were getting too close for comfort to his Mar-a-Lago property, hence his interest. As usual, the speech was not about the concerns of regular people.

The only way to reduce nutrient inputs to our water system is by electing a state government willing to do so. It’s clear Republicans aren’t going to properly fund the Nutrient Reduction program or even the Department of Natural Resources which monitors water quality. To do something, we need to change our government and that means electing Democrats.

Nicole Welle covers water issues at the University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research. Here’s a cross post of her latest blog about toxins near public beaches.

DNR Sets Stricter Water Quality Thresholds for Iowa Beaches
Nicole Welle | June 15, 2020

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decided to follow stricter standards this summer for the amount of toxins found in the water at public beaches.

Microcystin is a toxin produced by cyanobacteria in algae blooms in Iowa’s lakes. It poses health threats to humans and animals that swim at beaches with high levels of the toxin and can cause abdominal pain, blistering, pneumonia and vomiting if ingested. Dogs have also died from being exposed to it, according to an Iowa Environmental Council news release.

In 2006, Iowa DNR began using a threshold of 20 micrograms per liter to issue beach advisories. However, they decided to lower it to 8 micrograms per liter this year after the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommended it.

The DNR currently monitors only a small percentage of Iowa’s recreational beaches, but they were able to issue a number of advisories and temporarily close beaches on Lake Macbride, Spirit Lake and Lake Rathbun last year when microcystin levels exceeded the threshold. The number of advisories issued this year is likely to be much higher than past years under the new guidelines.

~ Check out the University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research blog by clicking here.

Posted in Environment | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Simple And Easy Change Or Voter Suppression?

Posted on July 14, 2020 by Paul Deaton

Iowa Capitol

As chair of the Iowa House State Government Committee, Representative Bobby Kaufmann was quick to get out into the newspapers in his district to explain the last minute dealings regarding voting process as the second session of the 88th Iowa General Assembly adjourned Sine Die on June 14.

“The legislation that passed simply requires a Secretary of State to run changes to election law by the Legislature,” Kaufmann wrote in the June 25 Solon Economist.

He went on to explain new restrictions for county auditors in processing absentee ballot requests: they must contact the voter if something is missing on the form. This is instead of the current process of filling in missing information when it is available.

“That is all the bill does. It ensures that a person who wants an absentee ballot is the person who actually receives it,” Kaufmann wrote. “This is no different than if you forget your password for online banking, your credit card, or a loan at the bank.”

Sounds pretty simple and easy doesn’t it? Not so fast!

Representative Mary Mascher, ranking member of the State Government Committee, believes the new law creates barriers to voting and explained it in this July 9 letter to the editor of the Solon Economist:

Barriers to voting have been opposed by House and Senate Democrats for many years. Voter Suppression bills have been proposed and passed over the last four years by Legislative Republicans. Those laws disproportionately impact our elderly, people with disabilities, minorities and the poor. The legislation that was added to the omnibus budget bill in the last hours of the 2020 session created another barrier for the groups listed above.

This is why.

Voters requesting an absentee ballot are required to included their driver’s license number or their unique pin number on the (ABR) absentee ballot request form. The pin number was issued from the Secretary of State’s Office to all voters who did not have a driver’s license or a DOT Identification ID. Those pins were mailed out months ago. Many voters did not keep those pin numbers in a safe place or threw away the letter thinking it was junk mail. So many voters do not have easy access to those numbers.

If a voter fails to include their pin or driver’s license number they will not be automatically mailed their ballot. The auditor has access to the unique pin number but they are not allowed to fill that number in and mail out the ballot!

This is what the County Auditors will be required to do.

First the auditor must try to contact the voter by phone. Many voters no longer include their phone number on their voter registration because they do not want to receive the hundreds of phone calls that candidates and parties have access to if they provide that number. Some voters do not share their cell number for privacy reasons. Some voters do not have phones or have limited minutes on those phones so it may be impossible for the auditors to contact them by phone.

Second the auditor must try to contact the voter by e-mail. Again not all voters have e-mail or include those e-mail addresses on their voter registration form. For low income voters that option is not even realistic. They may not have a computer, internet access or a phone that allows them to receive an e-mail. Many have track phones or phones with limited minutes and cannot receive e-mails through those phones.

Third the auditor must mail the voter a letter through the US Postal System letting them know they have left vital information off of their ABR and they must contact the auditor’s office in order to receive an ballot for the upcoming election. If they contact the auditor’s office they will be able to verify their voter information and the auditor can then send them a ballot. If the voter thinks the letter is more junk mail they may end up throwing it away and will never know why they did not receive their ballot. If the voter receives the letter and fails to contact the auditor’s office they will not receive a ballot.

I have listed some of the flaws in the system above but here is one more challenge for auditors. They must phone, e-mail or mail the letter to the voter within 24 hours of receiving the ABR. Most auditors do not have enough staff to do this within this restrictive time frame. The larger counties may receive literally thousands of ABRs in a day. If hundreds of those ABRs have no pin or driver’s license number it will be physically impossible for the auditor’s staff to complete the requirements above in 24 hours.

If the vital information is missing and the voter requests the absentee ballot close to the day of the election. It may be impossible for the voter to provide the needed information and get the ballot prior to the election.

These burdensome requirements, with nearly identical wording, were in the original 2017 voter ID law, but the state Supreme Court overturned the requirements as an undue burden on voters.

Election fraud in our Iowa Elections is extremely rare. Our county auditors take their jobs seriously and do everything they can to make sure our elections are safe, secure and fair. Due to the COVID virus more voters will choose the option of voting by mail. We know this occurred during the recent 2020 Primary Election where records were broken across the state. Making it more difficult to request an ABR at this time is voter suppression at its worst. This is why Democrats opposed this provision and fought to defeat it on the floor of the House.

For most voters providing a pin or a driver’s license number on their ABR will not be a problem but for the elderly, people with disabilities, our minority populations and low income Iowans this could result in them being denied the right to vote and that is just plain wrong!

State Rep. Mary Mascher

Buyer beware when Republicans propose changes in voting laws.

~ The Solon Economist is available by subscription only. The entire Kaufmann column can be found in this clipping. Mary Mascher’s letter is used with her permission.

Posted in 2020 election campaign, Iowa Legislature, voter suppression | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Toward Sustainable Pandemic Recovery

Posted on July 13, 2020 by Paul Deaton

The climate crisis continues in the coronavirus pandemic.

The pandemic with its economic downturn threatens years of progress addressing climate change and sustainability. It’s now or never for the environment.

Governments are expected to spend trillions of dollars in stimulus to get the economy going again. Addressing the climate crisis can’t wait. Climate solutions must be integrated with stimulus spending.

“We now have a unique opportunity to use (the economic crisis) to do things differently and build back better economies that are more sustainable, resilient and inclusive.” said Saadia Zahidi, World Economic Forum managing director.

WEF warned that “omitting sustainability criteria in recovery efforts or returning to an emissions-intensive global economy risks hampering the climate resilient low-carbon transition.”

Sustainability should be integrated into recovery efforts because the health crisis, economy, and environment are inextricably connected. There is only one chance to manage this recovery. Trillions can be spent only once. Given its scope, its pressing urgency, society must choose to address the climate crisis now.

The International Energy Agency has ideas on how to do that. They developed a 174-page essay titled “Sustainable Recovery.” However, no single solution applies to global matters. We need multiple solutions implemented synchronously.

Global carbon dioxide emissions reduced by 17 percent in April as people sheltered at home, industry reduced production, and automobile use slowed. Since then, emission levels surged back. A conscious decision to integrate smart energy use into the recovery is needed. The issue has been politicized so thoroughly it seems doubtful any such action will be taken in the United States. One is being political whether they say something about climate change or not when discussing the economic recovery. We must persist in demanding a solution.

Fiona Harvey, environmental correspondent for the Guardian reported, “The world has only six months in which to change the course of the climate crisis and prevent a post-lockdown rebound in greenhouse gas emissions that would overwhelm efforts to stave off climate catastrophe.”

No one knows how long we have. It’s common sense that stimulus money could be used in a holistic way. Ideas are out there. What’s lacking is political will.

That few in our government talk about addressing the climate crisis as we “open up” the economy is part of the problem. Oil and gas interests have so infiltrated our government politicians don’t want to hear about solar or wind generated energy, even if they are the least expensive and least damaging regarding carbon dioxide emissions.

Think about it though. When has doing what makes sense gotten so politically out of fashion? Among other things, that needs to change.

Al Gore recently said, “Moving forward from COVID-19 means we have an obligation to rethink the relationships among business, markets, government and society. We must deliver a sustainable form of capitalism.”

That’s not going to happen without a change in our government.

People ask me how I plan to address the climate crisis. My answer?

It’s time to stand up for what is needed in our country right now: moral revival and transformative change. That means voting for Democrats in November.

Postscript: Since I wrote this post Joe Biden released his plan to ensure the future is “‘Made in All of America’ by all of America’s workers.” The word climate is mentioned once in a paragraph to “apply a carbon adjustment fee against countries that are failing to meet their climate and environmental obligations.” I support Biden for president and encourage readers to read his Made in America plan here. Like any plan it will be subject to modification if Biden is elected president. One modification I expect is to integrate addressing the climate crisis in the plan.

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Robert Reich – The Rich Get Much, Much Richer

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Robert Reich once again puts the current economic situation in plain language. (13 minutes)

The current economic situation, especially the inequalities between workers and shareholders in a normal year would be a central issue in a presidential election. Our current situation should be untenable. As the pandemic rages so does unemployment.

From the YouTube story with this videos:

Big corporations have become so dominant that workers and consumers have fewer options and have to accept the wages and prices these giant corporations offer. At the same time, worker bargaining power has declined as fewer workers are unionized and technologies have made outsourcing easy, allowing corporations to get the labor they need for cheap.

Because of these deliberate power shifts, even before the pandemic, a steadily larger portion of corporate revenues have been siphoned off to profits, and a shrinking portion allocated to wages.

Coupled with the abandonment of antitrust enforcement, we’re now living in a new Gilded Age, as consolidation has inflated corporate profits, suppressed worker pay, supercharged economic inequality, and stifled innovation.

Perhaps the worst consequence of monopolization is that as wealth accumulates at the top, so too does political power.

These massive corporations provide significant campaign contributions; they have platoons of lobbyists and lawyers and directly employ many voters. So items they want included in legislation are inserted; those they don’t want are scrapped. They get tax cuts, tax loopholes, subsidies, bailouts, and regulatory exemptions.

The financial returns on their political investments are sky-high, tipping the scales in favor of corporate America and away from workers. As a result of this power shift, workers have less choice of whom to work for, keeping their wages low and their benefits minimal. Corporations have imposed non-compete, anti-poaching, and mandatory arbitration agreements, further narrowing workers’ alternatives.

All of this has pushed a larger portion of national income into profits and a lower portion into wages than at any time since World War II. Most of the increasing value of the stock market has come directly out of the pockets of American workers. Shareholders have gained because workers stopped sharing the gains.

This is all about power. We must rebalance the power of workers and corporations to create an economy and a democracy that works for all, not just a privileged few.

Once again former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich nails the essence of the problem.

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Sunday Funday: We Still Have A Country Edition

Posted on July 12, 2020 by Dave Bradley

There are those among us who find that watching scotusblog.com in June to be some real entertainment as SCOTUS unveils its decisions as the term ends for the Supreme Court. Drama this year came down to the two Trump tax cases whose decisions were announced Thursday morning. Amy Howe is the main writer for scotusblog. Her reaction to the first decision involving New York v. Trump was classic:

“Kavanaugh and Gorsuch concur. We still have a country.”

Another incredible incident involved trust fund baby Tucker Carlson doing some preemptive attacks on VP possibility Tammy Duckworth by disparaging Duckworth’s service. Remember that Duckworth heroically saved her team’s lives when the helicopter she was piloting was shot and her legs were blown off. Poor little Tucker. Without her legs, Duckworth is many times taller than Carlson can even imagine. Republicans hate real life heroes. They really love the made for TV heroes like Bunker Boy and trust fund baby Tucker.

Thanks to the low key week last week, I am still near burn out from the barrage of bad news in the Bunker Boy era:

  1. Muscatine, Iowa gained some notoriety as the mayor issued what order for Muscatine citizens?
  1. As the coronavirus pandemic reaches new heights, health care workers are once again facing shortages of what?
  1. July 14th, 1789 a date which is commemorated yearly in France. What happened on July 14th that French celebrate annually?
  1. Bunker Boy can’t even get a date. What international leader said he would no longer negotiate with the US?
  1. What apparel company founded in 1818 and noted for “dressing 40 presidents” filed for bankruptcy Wednesday?
  1. What head of state in the Americas announced he was infected with the coronavirus, but claimed since he was an athlete he expects no harm from the disease?
  1. In an odd rage, Bunker Boy went on a tweet rage against supposed friend Lyndsey Graham. Why?
  1. Among other proposals on the economy, Candidate Joe Biden promised to use the vast governmental buying power to do what?
  1. Food bank of Iowa serves 55 counties in Iowa. On average it distributes 800,000 of food per month. How many pounds did it distribute in June?
  1. According to Dr. Fauci the average age of coronavirus victims has dropped how many year in the past couple of months?
  1. Demand was so high that publisher Simon and Schuster pulled the publication of a book by what new author up two weeks? The book will be on sale Tuesday.
  1. Chuck Grassley, Lamar Alexander, Susan Collins, Mitt Romney, Pat Roberts, Lisa Murkowski and possibly Mitch McConnell are all refusing to go where this summer?
  1. What major amusement park in Florida reopened yesterday at the height of the pandemic?
  1. Just short of two weeks after Bunker Boy’s rally in Tulsa the city recorded a whopping how many coronavirus cases?
  1. What US Army colonel retired from the Army Wednesday citing Bunker Boy’s “campaign of bullying, intimidation, and retaliation.”?
  1. What fabled once daily cartoon has sort of returned as an internet comic?  
  1. The current administration began moving forward with its withdrawal from what international group last week?
  1. Iowa senator Joni Ernst agrees with SoS Mike Pompeo the the US should ban what widely used internet app?
  1. What island nation in the Pacific suffered massive floods and many deaths due to a week of torrential rains?
  1. What college sports conference announced Thursday that it would only play interconference games this fall?

working for Russia

Answers:

  1. A mandatory masking order. Our brilliant governor is fighting it.
  1. PPE
  1. July 14th is Bastille Day and the beginning of the French Revolution
  1. North Korea’s Kim Jung Un
  1. Brooks Brothers 
  1. Bolsanaro of Brazil. He is also medicating himself with hydroxychloroquine.
  1. Graham as head of the Senate Judiciary Committee has refused two target BB’s opponents as Bunker Boy requested.
  1. Buy American!
  1. 2,000,000
  1. 15. In Florida the average age of victims is now 31
  1. Mary Trump, Bunker Boy’s niece
  1. The GOP convention
  1. Disney World
  1. 500
  1. Alexander Vindman
  1. The Far Side – catch it here. https://www.thefarside.com
  1. World Health organization. During the pandemic!
  1. Tik-Tok due to its parent company being in China
  1. Japan
  1. The Big Ten

cowards who helped Trump

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: We Still Have A Country Edition

Tom Courtney Is Running Again!

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Tom Courtney

And now we move down to the lower levels of the election. At this level legislative action directly affects your life as they pass legislation that directly affects your taxes, whether you can return soda containers and other things like whether you can buy fireworks or even vote.

When you think about the type of issues that our legislature deals with, having a guy with his feet solidly on the ground like Tom Courtney is a very good idea. Tom is from Burlington. His district is senate district 44 which covers DesMoines County (Burlington) Louisa County (Wapello) and western Muscatine County (West Liberty). Current senator Republican Tom Greene is retiring after one term

From Courtney’s campaign web page:  

Meet Tom

Tom Courtney is an Air Force Veteran, retired Case/New Holland worker, and member of United Auto Workers Local 807. Courtney has served on the Southeast Iowa Health Center Board, the Burlington School Board, the Community Relations Advisory Board at Great River Hospice, and the Iowa Workforce Development Board.

Courtney served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2016. He served as Vice Chair of the Senate State Government Committee and Chair of the Justice System Appropriations Subcommittee. He also sat on the Appropriations, Commerce, Labor & Business Relations, and Rules & Administration committees.

Tom lives in Burlington with his wife Nancy. Together they have five children, including Tom’s two daughters who are both schoolteachers in southeast Iowa, and they have nine grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

Tom did and will continue to represent the working class, including farmers, factory workers, teachers and students, correctional officers, police officers, fire fighters, health care workers, skilled trade workers, blue and pink collar workers, etc.

Tom has the experience, integrity and compassion to be elected once again to the Iowa Senate.

That blurb is very understated.

Courtney was state senator for three terms. During that time he fought hard – tooth and nail – for Iowa’s working men and women. In Saturday morning legislative sessions Tom Courtney would often be the lone voice of sanity when discussing policy. Tom would be the one who could relate what a piece of legislation meant to the man or woman on the factory floor.

Iowa needs Tom Courtney’s voice of reason standing up for them in the Iowa senate once again. If you can, Tom could sure use your help.  The Iowa senate may not be in a position to turn in this election, but it may be in 2022. In any case Iowa needs sensible people like Tom Courtney leading our state.

Courtney’s opponent states on his Facebook page that he is a “Trump Republican.” That right there is a good reason to send Courtney some money and make sure you get an absentee ballot, so you can be sure to vote if the virus goes wild by November.

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Leadership

Posted on July 11, 2020 by Dave Bradley

Biden address on the economy. (31.5 minutes)

As you listen to Joe Biden’s address in Dunmore, Pennsylvania from Thursday the differences between Biden and his opponent are stark.

The very first thing that is hugely obvious is that Biden cares. Biden cares about you and me. He cares that we are able to live and thrive in America, no matter what your skin color, sex or religion is. Biden understands the problems of the poor and middle class. He understands that we all have problems but there are things that we can do as a community to help relieve the stress that goes with handling our problems.

As Biden was delivering this address, his opponent was busy trying to force America’s children to go to school in what will be incubators for the coronavirus disease. Biden’s opponent doesn’t care – DOESN’T CARE – whether children get deathly sick or die. All his opponent cares about is covering up the biggest single failure in American history so he can fool people into voting for him.

Joe Biden understands that the economy he inherits will be in perhaps the worst shape that any administration has ever inherited. The Obama-Biden administration inherited a world economy near collapse. At that time the administration had a plan and stuck to it. Despite blatant Republican efforts to sabotage the plans for recovery, the Obama administration was able to conceive a plan based on proven economic theories. That plan built the longest string of economic progress in the nation’s history.

That economic progress was inherited by Biden’s opponent. Biden’s opponent took that success and slowly turned the economy back to one that was teetering on collapse. The inequalities that Biden’s opponent and his party put in place with a massive tax cut for the wealthy moved inequalities in this country to level not seen since the gilded age that was noted for the robber barons. Atop heavy economy like that can’t stand for very long.

Biden understands that the very first problem that must be addressed and conquered is the pandemic. Until Americans feel safe to resume normal lifestyles our economy cannot recover. Thus attacking the pandemic will be job 1.

This is totally the opposite of Biden’s opponent’s strategy. The opponent’s strategy has been to ignore the virus and wish it would go away. There was simply no scientific resistance to the virus ever deployed. In fact, the opponent’s administration in many cases, such as securing PPE or ventilators, stood in the way of doctors and hospitals getting what they needed.

The current administration’s actions caused the virus to spread out of control. The way premature opening of the economy which has caused the pandemic to spike to incredible heights is the greatest example. Instead of doing what scientists recommended and what most of the rest of the world was doing, the current administration created the environment for the virus to thrive in a nightmarish reality. Now even our children face deadly consequences as the administration is forcing schools to reopen at the height of the pandemic.

In addition, the current administration is trying to kill the ACA in the middle of the pandemic so that millions of Americans will lose their insurance when they need it most.

Biden knows that unions must be a major part of bringing the economy back. The current administration and the Republican party are doing all they can to squash unions. This would lead to yet a much wider inequality gap which simply will not last. One hallmark of a robust economy is a much narrower gap between the richest and the working person. America’s workers have not had a raise since Jimmy Carter was president. That must change.

To shorten the story, Joe Biden will be looking at perhaps the worst wreckage that any new president has ever faced. Not only will there be an economy teetering on the brink of collapse, the pandemic will still be raging and our standing in the world will be at its lowest level ever. Along with all that, confidence in our government to do anything good for the country will be at its lowest level ever.

The constant lies by Biden’s opponent coupled with the unprecedented blockage of action in the US Senate by Mitch McConnell makes the citizenry wary of the government’s ability to respond to these crises. However, much like Barack Obama faced up to the crises before him and not only reset the economy but also delivered and new healthcare system that covered most Americans we know that Joe Biden has the well proven plans for recovery and inspires the confidence of Americans to follow his lead.

Biden’s opponent has given up on leading. He is bored. Biden’s opponent spends more than every 4th day at the golf course. He doesn’t have time – or interest – to do much more than try to steal the country blind and consort with right wing dictators as his days in the presidency fade to darkness.

Don’t forget that Joe Biden can’t do it alone. He needs a congress that will help put his plans in place with legislation to implement his plans. Iowa plays a huge part in making that happen. Joni Ernst has been an unapologetic acolyte of Biden’s opponent. She has clung to him even as he was found to know about Russia paying Afghanis a bounty to kill our soldiers. This appears to be treasonous, but it doesn’t bather Joni.

If re-elected Joni Ernst will stand as one of the biggest roadblocks to progress in this country.

Joe Biden, Iowa and America need the kind of leadership and progressive values that Theresa Greenfield brings to the table. 

Biden will also need Rita Hart, Cindy Axne, Abby Finkenauer and JD Scholten in the next House.  Looking at the miserable failures that the Republican Party has set upon this country, how could you not vote for Democrats?

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign, Blog for Iowa, Covid-19, Joni Ernst | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Leadership

Loebsack Supporting Small Businesses

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Paul Deaton

Congressman Dave Loebsack

(Dave Loebsack’s July 9 Congressional Newsletter)

Dear Friend,

I hope this email finds you and your family in good health.

Earlier this year, when the COVID-19 pandemic first came to our nation, Congress worked to pass the CARES Act, a bipartisan bill to help ensure the health and economic stability of all hardworking Americans. Included in this bill was the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), which provided zero-fee loans to small businesses in order to retain employees and their salary levels. So far, PPP has guaranteed 4.9 million forgivable loans worth a combined $521 billion via 5,500 lenders nationwide.

As the program was implemented and after hearing from small business owners, it became clear that updates to the program were needed and more money was necessary for the program to be successful. I am pleased to have worked with my colleagues to make these changes and include additional funding in subsequent pieces of legislation.

Most recently, the PPP Flexibility Act was passed by the House and Senate and signed into law by President Trump. This bill extended the date past June 30 by which businesses have to rehire their employees and qualify for loan forgiveness. The PPP Flexibility Act provides additional flexibility in how the loan is spent and also extends the period in which businesses must use PPP funds to qualify for loan forgiveness from eight to 24 weeks. Furthermore, the bill allows loan recipients to defer payroll taxes on the loans they received under this program. But more must be done.

That is why I have cosponsored the bipartisan Prioritized Paycheck Protection Program (P4) Act. This bill would allow smaller PPP recipients, with significant losses due to COVID-19, to receive a second PPP loan. The small business must have exhausted, or be on pace to exhaust, their first PPP loan and certify they need the funding to support ongoing operations for payroll and eligible non-payroll costs. I will continue fighting to ensure small businesses have the resources and flexibility they need to thrive.

Unfortunately, not all the funding has gone to the folks who run and work for small businesses on Main Street. The Small Business Administration and U.S. Treasury recently released a list of who received assistance through PPP and it contained investment firms, billionaires, private jet companies and Members of Congress and their family members. This is unacceptable. These funds were meant to aid hardworking Iowans who are struggling, not businesses backed by billionaires and investment firms. I will continue working with my colleagues to exercise the appropriate oversight to ensure this program is utilized the way it was intended.

If you have questions about how the changes included in the PPP Flexibility Act may affect your small business, please contact your loan provider or visit the Iowa District of the Small Businesses Administration online at: https://www.sba.gov/offices/district/ia/des-moines.

Sincerely,
Dave Loebsack
Iowa’s Second District

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Iowa Summer Pandemic Politics

Posted on July 10, 2020 by Paul Deaton

RAGBRAI pies at the Norwalk Christian Church, July 2019. Photo credit – Trish Nelson

Independence Day is over! Time to get rolling on the fall campaign to elect Democrats! Not so fast…

The 2020 general election cycle has been like no other. Iowa didn’t stand a chance of influencing the national debate after the precinct caucuses yielded a field of five candidates who were awarded national delegates. Joe Biden, the presumptive nominee, placed fourth with six of 41 delegates, according to the Iowa Democratic Party website. A botched reporting process took Iowa out of the limelight as we didn’t certify caucus results until the race had moved on to New Hampshire and South Carolina.

Then the coronavirus hit the state. On March 9, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a disaster emergency proclamation regarding COVID-19. Political campaigns moved on line, conducting fundraising, voter contact, forums, and other events via telephone, text, email, and video conferencing. We got to know Zoom.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic on political campaigning is far from over. There is expected to be little door-to-door canvassing, few in person events, and forget about the usual slate of county and state fairs, parades, pancake breakfasts, fish fries, and chili suppers. Politics in the pandemic seems much less significant than the public health emergency coupled inextricably with the economic downturn the pandemic is causing, to be honest. Whatever our federal and state governments are doing to mitigate the pandemic, it’s not working. The president’s recent guidance, parroted by the Iowa governor, is, “we need to live with it.”

On June 2 Theresa Greenfield became our nominee for U.S. Senate and all Democratic attention could turn to defeating incumbent Joni Ernst. In the age of Trump it seems possible to defeat the incumbent senator who had a solid win against Democrat Bruce Braley in 2014. The race will be tight and a lot of money will be spent by the candidates and political action committees.

In Iowa’s four congressional districts we have a slate of outstanding candidates in Abby Finkenauer (IA-01), Rita Hart (IA-02), Cindy Axne (IA-03) and J.D. Scholten (IA-04). They are working their campaigns and appear to have resources to do so. We can also expect each of them to be underdogs in the campaign cash department as Republicans have an unlimited supply of big dollar donors and political action committees just as in the U.S. Senate race.

The Iowa Senate seems out of reach for Democrats this cycle but we could make headway in the 18-32 minority, setting the stage for a majority in 2022. In the House of Representatives, flipping the majority to Democratic is within reach in 2020. If we could gain a House majority that would buffer the worst impulses of the Republican Senate and governor.

What’s an active Democrat to do? Get involved with electing Democrats.

While the way we support Democratic political campaigns may differ this cycle, the endgame is the same. Keeping track of voter contacts and make sure we reach out to everyone possible. In the pandemic that means participating where one can in virtual phone and text banks, and staying in touch with candidates through Facebook pages and virtual events. It also means adding politics to the list of things one discusses with friends and relatives. We each need our own list of people we seek to convince to vote Democratic whether it is provided by the party or not.

Politics has been weird this cycle. I’m okay with change yet the lack of person to person contact at events, door knocking, and fund raisers is unsettling. I have been walking in parades with Democrats and Democratic candidates for 20 years. Partly, I am involved in politics for this type of in person interaction. It’s hard to get fired up about a Zoom call the way it is to obtain a fresh list for door knocking.

The Iowa Democratic Party is being cautious about the risk of campaigning in the pandemic. An IDP employee explained it this way in an email.

The fear is that we might alienate Dems who are being extra cautious right now if we start showing up at their doors. The phones are the best option we have without in person contact being on the table, but hopefully it will become an option again soon.

Rank and file Democrats like me have little choice but to support what the state party and campaigns want to do. The thing is, we need to get everyone possible to vote for Democrats.

It’s clear no preference voters, along with some Republicans can be persuaded to vote for Joe Biden. They may not be willing to vote Democratic in federal and down-ticket races so we need to be nuanced in our approach to potential ticket splitters. We want those Biden votes for sure. If they are willing to pull the lever for Theresa Greenfield as well, that’s better. The secret sauce of Dave Loebsack’s long tenure is appealing to this type of ticket-splitting voter. A one size fits all campaign as we’ve run them previously hasn’t been as nuanced as 2020 demands.

My advice if you are reading this post is do three things: 1. Set a monthly budget to contribute to your favorite Democratic candidate. Almost anyone can afford a recurring small donation to the Iowa Democratic Party; 2. Make a personal list of people — friends, family, neighbors, and social groups — to contact about the election and then do it. Some may be resolute about their support for a candidate we do not prefer. Don’t beat them over the head with it but have that conversation; and 3. Get involved with formal party activities virtually or in person if they exist. The basic needs of the coronavirus pandemic — washing hands, social distancing, wearing a mask or shield in public, staying home if sick — are straight forward. If events support these precautions, they are worth considering for participation.

Summer is here, as is the pandemic. Democratic politics will adjust and move forward, hopefully toward victory in November.

Posted in 2020 election campaign, politics, Progressive Community, progressive values | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Iowa Summer Pandemic Politics

Flipping The Iowa House Is A Team Sport

Posted on July 9, 2020 by Paul Deaton

Christina Bohannan and Christian Andrews

After winning the June 2 primary election in Iowa House District 85, Christina Bohannan got straight to work raising campaign funds. Not for herself, but for other house candidates who might use the help. She kicked off a fundraising campaign on July 2 with this note.

Dear friends,

Today is my 49th birthday! In my 49 years on this earth, I have never seen a time when we have needed strong, thoughtful, and compassionate leadership more than we do now. So I am using my birthday week to kick off a new campaign. It is a fundraising campaign—to take back the majority of the Iowa House of Representatives. We only need to flip four seats, and we have many outstanding Democratic candidates in winnable districts (like Christian Andrews from District 95 pictured above with me at a recent fundraising event). Every dollar I raise will go to helping these great people get elected!

I know that many of you gave to my campaign leading up to the primary. I am so grateful for your past support. Now I am asking for your help again. Together, I believe we really can bring about needed change in the district and in the State.

Why is it so important to flip the Iowa House?

Democrats must take back a majority in the House to restore balance to our State government. Over the past decade, we have been losing Iowa’s common-sense progressive values as the Republicans have taken control of the House, the Senate, and the governor’s office. The House is the chamber where we are most likely to be successful in taking back the majority.

I have ambitious legislative priorities, including:

  • racial and criminal justice reform
  • protecting voting rights
  • restoring collective bargaining, worker rights and safety • reinvesting in education • providing access to affordable healthcare, including mental healthcare • passing common-sense gun safety legislation, and • taking action on water quality and climate change.

But I cannot do these things alone. We need a Democratic majority in the House who will support these initiatives and help to make them a reality.

I know this is a difficult time for many people, but if you are able, I hope you will give. The time is now – there is nothing more important we can do for our state between now and November.

Thank you for all of your support!

Please take care and stay safe,

Christina Bohannan
Candidate, Iowa House District 85
To donate, click here.

~To learn more about flipping the Iowa House of Representatives to a Democratic majority, read about candidates on the Flip It Iowa! website: https://www.flipitiowa.net with links to donate directly to each campaign.

Posted in 2020 election campaign, Iowa Legislature | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Flipping The Iowa House Is A Team Sport