Send Abby Off To DC!

Posted on December 4, 2018 by Trish Nelson

From our inbox – 

The First Congressional District is hosting an event to send Abby off to DC! You are invited to attend regardless of where you live in Iowa. We have a limited number of tickets to give out, provided by Accessibility for All Action Fund, on a first come first serve basis. we will have CART and ASL – if requested. Per usual there is a request for accommodation form which is integrated with the registration form. If you can’t attend but would like to sponsor someone else or if you would like to receive one of the scholarship tickets, please complete the pre registration form and then email me at IDP.disabilitycaucus@gmail.com.

We would appreciate you sharing the information everywhere you can to spread the news.

Come join us for this celebration and fundraiser hosted by the First District Democrats

Veterans Memorial Coliseum
50 2nd Avenue Bridge
Cedar Rapids, 52401
Accessible Parking on 2nd Avenue Bridge

Additional Parking is located on street and in numerous municipal lots and ramps within 1 to 3 blocks of the Veterans Memorial Coliseum. (Click here for a Map)

11:30 a.m – Doors will open.
11:30 – 1:00 p.m. – Meet and Mingle with Congresswoman Elect Abby Finkenauer

Photo Booth Fun
Silent Auction
50/50
Raffle

12:30 p.m. – Dinner begins.
1:15 p.m. – Main Program Begins
Representative Dave Loebsack
Presentation to Abby from 50/50 by 2020
Abby Finkenauer

End of Program – Silent Auction, Raffle, and 50/50 winners announced

Pre-register online prior to Thursday, December 6th and the Dinner is $25.00, $10.00 for Students/ADA Companions or no Dinner.

After December 6th, online registration will no longer be available and you will need to register onsite. While we will have some extra meals, they will be subject to availability.

Registration on Sunday, December 9th and the Dinner is $30.00 (provided a meal is available), $15.00 for Students or no Dinner

Click here to Pre-Register online no later than Thursday, December 6th, 2018.
If you need assistance with Pre-registration please contact Karen Black, Chair, First District Disability Caucus, at karensueblack@icloud.com. The Request for Accommodation Form is now part of the Pre-registration Form.

If you cannot attend and would like to purchase a Program for $5.00 and watch via our Facebook Page live stream, please also complete the registration form and you will be sent a link to download the Program.

If you would like to support the work of the First District Democrats or would like to be an Event Sponsor, have a group who would like to Donate, or Purchase an Ad in our special Program please contact the chair@idp1st.org. The deadline for submissions is Tuesday, December 4th, 2018.

See you there!
Catherine Crist
Chair, Disability Caucus of the IDP and First District Democrats

Click here for the Facebook Page for the Live Event link.
Click here for the First District Website.
Paid for by the First District Democrats.
www.IDP1st.org

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Indivisible 2.0 – Read This!

Posted on December 3, 2018 by Trish Nelson


We do not think it would be going out on a limb to say that Indivisible has been a formidable force behind the wave that resulted in Democrats taking back congress. So it is just as important now that the work continues. Here are our marching orders, Trumpresisters, democracy lovers, progressives, patriots.  Find your group! Do your homework!  Vive la resistance!

###

Dear Indivisibles,

Just a few short weeks ago, we were thrilled to introduce you to our newest Guides: Indivisible on Offense and Indivisible States.

And we get it — it’s not easy to read a whopping 36 pages all at once. That’s why we want to make it even easier for you to get to know our new Guides, so then you can read them at your leisure (but really do go back and read them, they’re full of great tips!). So, over the next few weeks, we’ll take a deep dive (in emails like this!) on the roadmap we just laid out.

Indivisible on Offense

Two years ago, we wrote the Indivisible Guide because we knew that everything we hold dear was under threat. We’ve lost a lot since then, but we resisted, built a big blue wave, and ultimately retook power in one chamber of Congress. Now, with control of the House, we will band together to save our democracy.

Picture this: It’s January 3, 2019 and your new members of Congress (MoCs) are being sworn into the 116th Congress. There are four ways that their work, and ours, is changing:

We define what Congress works on. House Democrats now have agenda-setting power. That means they can choose what bills get a vote, but it doesn’t mean they can enact laws unilaterally.

We go on legislative offense in the House. And with their new agenda-setting power, there are two big opportunities for Democrats to go on legislative offense in 2019 and 2020: messaging bills and must-pass bills.

Oversight and investigation. Democrats will take control of committess and be able to shine a light on this administration through oversight and investigations (subpoena power, investigatory power, hearings, and more).

We play original Indivisible Guide-style defense in the Senate. Republicans still control the Senate, and they’ll keep pushing Trump’s agenda. House Democrats will play a critical role in defending against further harm, but demanding that your Senators listen and keeping up the pressure in your home turf is critical.

Let’s take a deep dive into offense

First up on exploring our strategy? Let’s start with the first two pieces: what can the new Democratically-controlled Congress do on Day 1 with agenda-setting power and messaging bills.

What is agenda-setting power?

With control of both the Senate and the House for two years, Republicans were the only party with the power to decide what legislation came up for a vote. That gave them what we call “agenda-setting power”.

Now, Democrats have partial agenda-setting power. And with that, they have fun new tools available to them. They have the power to shape the national discussion, focusing attention from press and the public on preferred issues.

But agenda-setting power in the house doesn’t mean Democrats can actually get legislation into law. We have to understand the risks and limitations of this new state of play. Most important, of course, is that Democrats can’t unilaterally enact laws. We can safely assume that the vast majority of good legislation passed in the House will die in the Republican-controlled Senate. Plus, we would still need Donald Trump to sign any bill that clears Congress in order for it to become law.

Democrats will feel enormous pressure to “play ball” with Trump and cut bad deals in the interest of getting stuff done. It’s critical to remind the Democrats you sent to Washington that you didn’t send them to negotiate with Trump and his Republican enablers on his racist, xenophobic agenda. We didn’t build a wave to let Trump build a wall, after all. So, let’s not mince words: your work to stiffen Democrats’ spines is more important than ever.

What are messaging and must-pass bills?

Messaging bills are proposed by MoCs and have a minimal chance of being signed into law, but show what our politicians stand for. Messaging bills allow Democrats to present an alternative vision for the country, get Republicans on the record on key issues, and settle policy debates and define the party’s agenda. Most of messaging bills won’t become law, since they’re not going to pass the Senate. But that’s not necessarily the point — we’re in this for the long game (think: 2019, 2020, and beyond).

Must-pass bills are those that … must pass. Unlike the thousands of messaging bills that get introduced every year, there are some bills that Congress has to pass every year. The most common of these are government funding bills, which are needed to prevent a government shutdown. But there will be other bills that must pass, like those extending authorization for important programs.

Since Republicans still control the Senate, they need some Democratic votes to pass these bills, and each of the “must-pass bills” presents an opportunity for Democrats to extract important concessions in exchange for their votes, or to protect against more harm from Trump and Republicans hell-bent on doing his bidding.

What’s next

None of this is automatic — we must demand Democratic Members of Congress push for messaging bills, organize around must-pass bills, and resist deal-making with Trump.  And we must get Republican MoCs on the record about issues that matter.

This is where the second part of the Guides comes in. We take this road map and turn it into strategy. Here’s how we get ready for offense:

Find your group. The key to the Indivisible movement is building strong, local groups. And if you haven’t found yours yet, do this first.

Join our national activist call on December 6. Our organizing and policy teams will host our monthly national activist call next Thursday. They’ll discuss what legislation may be coming down the pike during the #First100Days and discuss our plans for the “Whose House? Our House!” national day of action on January 3.

Get ready for January 3. Check out our organizing toolkit to find everything you need to plan for the day of action!

We’re excited to see your “Whose House? Our House!” events come together in the next few weeks (and we even have some merch to help you get ready!). Get prepared to take action on the first day of the 116th Congress!

In solidarity,
The Indivisible Team

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Robert Reich: The Next Crash

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Dave Bradley

The left has some great economists that can sort out trends and make them understandable to the common person like you and I. For me the very best are Paul Krugman of the New York Times and Robert Reich.

Today we have a 4.5 minute video from Professor Reich explaining in very simple language why the next economic crash may be at hand. This video is about a month old, so it came before the announcement of employment cuts at General Motors:

 

One of the most important messages in that video was that to rebalance the inequalities government – especially in the Great Depression – moved money into the hands of the working class through several spending programs.

Keynesian economics simplified has governments raising taxes and cutting debt in good times and lowering taxes and raising debt in bad times. Works programs and aid programs help put money into the hands of the working class who will spend the money and create jobs. And yes, taxes in the good times would come from those with money.

If you are paying attention you know that recent Republican Administrations have done just the opposite – cut taxes during good times. By doing that they try to ensure that when the bad times come they can clim there is no money to fight the recession or depression. That is why when the Great (Republican ) recession of 2008 struck Republicans responded like a deer looking into the headlights.

Trump’s policies are even more skewed than George W. Bush’s. Therefore there is no preparation to respond to what Mr. Reich and others feel is a coming crash. Trump and his minions will use an economic downturn as an excuse to cut back on any kinds of safety net programs claiming the debt is so large (run up mostly by tax cuts for the rich and unnecessary wars) that we can no longer “afford” safety net programs. Such programs would include food stamps, TANF, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and pretty much anything that may help the common American.

Don’t say you haven’t been warned.

You may remember that in the last year of the Clinton presidency, plans were being made to pay off the debt by the year 2009. Questions also arose as to what kind of problems a lack of government debt may cause.

One very interesting approach to solve a couple of problems – the economy and climate change – has been proposed by congress member-elect Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Her proposal is a “Green New Deal” which would put American to work doing work that would help mitigate the coming climate change crisis. 

That is some serious proposal that really needs serious consideration.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign, Blog for Iowa, Economic Justice, Economy, Income inequality | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Robert Reich: The Next Crash

Sunday Funday: Individual One Edition

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Dave Bradley

saved us from lettuce, now guns

We now have a dilemma at Sunday Funday: do we continue to refer to the current president as Dear Leader or do we use the newer and maybe more descriptive nomenclature of the Special Counsel’s Office “Individual One?” I must admit that “Individual One” has a real appeal to it. “Individual One” certainly connotes the current legal – uh – quagmire that that person finds himself in. Yet “Dear Leader” certainly has that inference of the overinflated view that our wannabe dictator has of himself.

For right now I believe we shall stick with “Dear Leader” although the lure of switching to what I am sure will become a very popular title for the current president. News organizations and media in general will be adopting “Individual One” as his appellation when his status as “Indicted” comes closer.

And you thought writing a quiz was easy?

Wow, what a week!

  1. The meeting was on, then it was off, then one insisted they meet. So what world leaders did meet at the G20 this weekend?
  1. Despite fairly overt racist messages during her campaign, Cindy Hyde-Smith won the senate seat in Mississippi. What Iowa senator campaigned for Smith in the last week?
  1. Dear Leader reacted loudly when what auto company announced they would close several manufacturing plants and lay off thousands?
  1. One of the problems the above auto company cited is the cost of steel which has been dramatically driven higher because of what?
  1. In a bit of a surprise, Iowa state auditor Mary Mossiman produced an audit on what controversial subject in Iowa?
  1. A scientist from what country announced that he had altered the embryos of twin girls to make them resistant to HIV?
  1. In the Netherlands a church service has been going on for over 800 hours in order to stop what? 
  1. In a bit of a surprise, the administration is planning to announce the ban of what NRA favorite accessory?
  1. He’s a double- no triple – maybe a quadruple agent. Who agreed to a plea arrangement from Mueller, yet continued to report to Dear Leader’s lawyers?
  1. NASA landed a spacecraft where earlier this week?
  1. Not quite all the counting from the election is over, but it looks like the Democrats will be picking up at least how many seats?
  1. What lower level operative in the Russia scandal entered federal prison for a two week stay last Monday?
  1. “Yesterday, December 7th, 1941 – a date that will live in infamy” began a speech by what world leader?
  1. Despite a threat of revolt from within who won overwhelmingly to lead the Democratic Party in the US House for the next session?
  1. The National Climate Assessment predicted that climate change will cost the US about how much money per year if nothing is done?
  1. For the 3rd year in a row, life expectancy in the US has gone down. What are the 2 major factors in this trend?
  1. Farm bill negotiators in the US House dropped what contentious portion of the bill in hopes of getting it passed?
  1. National Security Advisor John Bolton refused to listen to the recording of the death of Jamal Khashoggi because of what?
  1. Stephan Hillenburg died this week at the age of 57. Hillenburg is best known for creating what cartoon character?
  1. A treaty between the US, Canada and Mexico was signed in Argentina Friday. Which of these countries changed leadership yesterday?

Andy Borowitz on facebook:

“The one part of Trump’s Presidency I’m looking forward to is the sentencing phase.”

This is another situation where “me too” is appropriate.

Answers:

  1. Dear Leader and his boss Vlad Putin
  1. Joni Ernst
  1. General Motors
  1. Dear Leader’s tariff policies
  1. Privatized Medicaid
  1. China
  1. The deportation of a family back to Armenia. They have lived in Holland for 8 years.
  1. Bump stocks
  1. Paul Manafort
  1. Mars
  1. 40
  1. George Papadopoulos
  1. FDR the day after the attack on Pearl Harbor
  1. Nancy Pelosi
  1. $500 billion
  1. Suicide and drug overdose
  1. Work requirements for food stamps
  1. He (Bolton) couldn’t speak Arabic. (what BS)
  1. Sponge Bob Square Pants
  1. Mexico. Lopez-Obrador became president following the election he won last July.
argument to legalize marijuana

something to consider!

Posted in #trumpresistance, Blog for Iowa, Humor | Comments Off on Sunday Funday: Individual One Edition

Statewide Labor Center Summit

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Dave Bradley

labor summit

Posted on November 28, 2018 

We need you at the Labor Center Statewide Summit: Monday, December 3, 11 am in the Old Capitol Senate Chamber!

Thousands of Iowans have spoken: The time is now

From Iowa workers to UI faculty, students, alumni, and leaders of Iowa’s labor, faith, civil rights, and legal communities, to UI Student Government, to Deans and Directors of other Big 10 universities, to the Des Moines Register editorial board, THOUSANDS have weighed in since July calling for UI to restore the Labor Center’s funding. UI leaders have had a full semester to hear, learn, and respond. Now we’re bringing all our voices together to tell UI it’s time for them to commit to funding the Labor Center.

Spread the word and invite friends to the Summit using this email or via this facebook event!

… and get yourself prepared to participate in days of online action later this week by liking Save Our Labor Center on facebook & Follow us on Twitter.

In solidarity,

The Save Our Labor Center coalition
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Ernst Shows Ignorance On Climate

Posted on December 1, 2018 by Dave Bradley

We just got past what I believe many of us felt may have been the last gasp for real democracy to maintain its tenuous grip on this country. Now the Democrats have the difficult task of simultaneously attempting to  craft bills that meet the pressing needs of the country, provide oversight of the executive branch that has been missing for at least two years and was askew for years before that and prepare for the election that will once again be the most important in our lifetimes.

At the national level, keeping the House will be of the utmost importance in 2020. Iowa Democrats will have three seats to defend. It will not be easy, nor cheap. On top of that Iowa will have one senate seat up for a vote in 2020, that of Joni Ernst. You may have noticed that Ernst’s strategy for a long time has been to lay low and publicly take few controversial stands. For that matter Ernst seldom comes out strong one way or another often couching her language in non-controversial language.

During her original campaign election she was the smiling, friendly and neighborly lady who was always there with a nice comment. Meanwhile the PACs created  by the Supreme Court’s “Citizen’s United” decision did the heavy lifting of negative advertising that helped Ernst win. She also avoided things like an interview with the Des Moines Register.  

After only two years of Donald Trump, Ernst has been forced to vote on at least a few controversial issues. It will be hard for her to just smile and wave in 2020. That won’t suffice for many Iowans who would like to know why she voted to take away their access to Health Care.   Or why she was in the bank for Trump to install the much maligned Brett Kavanaugh with a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court.  

Her vote for Kavanaugh was quite a study in a truly wishy-washy politician. Ernst raised quite a stink about sexual harassment in the military including a claim as noted in the link above that she herself was harassed in the military. Yet when it came time for Ernst to really stand up for women, she fell back on Republican talking points and voted with Team Trump to give Kavanaugh his lifetime appointment. In fact she is pretty much a rubber stamp for Trump, a solid vote no matter the issue.  

Even with Trump’s tariff policies causing midwest and especially Iowa farmers major grief little is heard from Ernst. Although she has not said anything it appears her strategy is to not cross Trump. At a time when Trump’s policies have resulted in Iowa being in the target, is that what iowans want?

Yet another area where Ernst appears to be loathe to cross Trump is on climate change. When the administration tried to sneak the really frightening report on climate change out on a holiday weekend when most Americans would be otherwise occupied so as to sort of hide it, the report garnered huge headlines. The midwestern farm belt is one of the areas that looks to be hardest hit by the continuation of the ongoing climate change crisis.

How did Ernst respond? Check it out below on youtube. The section on the climate begins at 4:50 and ends at 6:35:

John Whitehouse talks about Ernst and climate change on Twitter:

“By this point, no one should be surprised that the president can’t tell the difference between short-term weather fluctuations and long-term climate trends. At least he didn’t repeat his crazy suggestion that climate change is a Chinese hoax. Yet his denialism is echoed by other Republicans who should know better. Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) told CNN on Sunday: “Our climate always changes and we see those ebb and flows through time. . . . We need to always consider the impact to American industry and jobs.”

We do need to consider the impact on U.S. jobs — but that’s an argument for action rather than, as Ernst suggests, inaction. The National Climate Assessment warns that global warming could cause a 10 percent decline in gross domestic product and that the “potential for losses in some sectors could reach hundreds of billions of dollars per year by the end of this century.” Iowa and other farm states will be particularly hard hit as crops wilt and livestock die.”

Ernst is much less interested in helping Iowans than helping Trump and fooling people into voting for her.

Funny thing, we used to have a senator in that seat that really, really fought hard for Iowans.

Another female senator from the midwest seems to understand just what climate change will mean for this area and our children: (Starts at 5:30 ends at 7:40)

By the way, the Climate report estimates the economy will take a 10% hit due to expected changes. The Great Republican Recession of 2008 was a 5% hit on the economy just to give you an idea of the scale of damage that will be coming. It is time for Iowa to have real leadership in the senate.

Posted in #trumpresistance, 2020 election campaign, Blog for Iowa, Climate Action, Climate Change, Guest Posts, Joni Ernst | Tagged | 1 Comment

Jill Stein Campaign Wins Recount Settlement

Posted on November 30, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Say what you will about Jill Stein.  She deserves credit for having done something good for the country that needed done that nobody else was going to do.

votingjustice.us/

“Today, Green Party 2016 Presidential nominee Jill Stein announced the formal settlement of her 2016 lawsuit against the state of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit called for an end to the use of paperless voting machines known to be vulnerable to hacking, tampering and error, and for the reform of unworkable recount procedures that prevent verification of the vote. The settlement guarantees that Pennsylvania will provide new voting systems using paper ballots by 2020, followed in 2022 by automatic robust audits after every election to confirm the accuracy of the vote before results are certified.

…the Stein campaign and the 2016 recount team have called for a nonpartisanCitizen Commission for Election Protection & Voting Justice to push for urgently needed follow-on reforms –  including an end to voter suppression, gerrymandering and barriers to voting, and the adoption of open debates, ranked choice voting and proportional representation, public financing of elections, fair access to the ballot, and rigorous chain of custody laws to safeguard ballots cast.”

The Stein campaign is still in court in Wisconsin, where they have established the right to examine key voting machine software for evidence of tampering or errors that could compromise an election. The Stein campaign is still fighting a gag rule sought by voting machine corporations to prevent any public disclosure of the findings, a move that could bury discoveries critical to the security and accuracy of our elections.

The Stein campaign has committed to distributing any recount money left over – after recount-related litigation is completed – to election protection / voting justice organizations that will be chosen by the recount donors.

Click here to read the entire article on VotingJustice.us and the settlement agreement

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Watch Live: Iowa Legislature Health Policy Oversight Committee Meeting Friday

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Notice from Iowa Senate Democrats:

The Iowa Legislature’s Health Policy Oversight Committee will meet tomorrow, Friday, November 30, at 10 AM in Room 116 of the Iowa Statehouse.

The meeting will be livestreamed on the Iowa Senate Democrats Facebook page beginning at 10 AM.

Topics will include
• Review of the FY2019 MCO Contracts
• Review of Value-Based Purchasing–MCOs and Provider
• MCO Update–Amerigroup Iowa, Inc. and Iowa Total Care
• Public Comment

You can provide written comments, which will be posted on the committee webpage, by emailing patty.funaro@legis.iowa.gov.

Full Agenda: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/meetings/agenda…

Committee web site, includes information from past meetings: https://www.legis.iowa.gov/committees/committee…

Stay up to date on Iowa’s #MedicaidMess and other issues when you follow Iowa Senate Democrats on Facebook.

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This Week On The Fallon Forum: Book Tour, Asylum Seekers, Climate Actions

Posted on November 29, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Ed Fallon wrote a book about his trek across the country to bring attention to climate change. For climate action, the time is now.  See below to find scheduling details for his upcoming  book tour.

Dear Friends,

I’ve got a new piece of furniture: A pile of boxes containing 300 copies of Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim. Sure, it looks right handsome in the corner of our living room, but I’d be happy to sell you a piece or two. Click here for details, or come to the launch of my yearlong book tour this Sunday in Des Moines, 2:00 p.m. at 500 E. Locust Street. We’ve also got readings coming up in Davenport on December 7 and in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids on December 8. Here’s the schedule for these and other readings.

And yeah, the book is very readable. Even my cat Mika is getting into it.

In other news, California’s deadliest fire ever reminds us that, while we have to move beyond fossil fuels as quickly as possible, we also have to help the victims of global warming’s wrath. And no, President Trump, we don’t all need to grab rakes and fan out across the forest floor. Often, the best thing we can is to send money or supplies directly to the victims.

While the fire was still raging, I got a call from April Jones describing the dangerous air quality in Chico, where she lives. Chico is about 14 miles from Paradise, the town of 26,000 that the Camp Fire incinerated — the town President Trump called “Pleasure.” Twice.

After talking with some of our Bold Iowa team members, I offered to help. High-quality respiratory masks were badly needed and in such high demand there were none left on store shelves in Chico. I checked stores in the Des Moines area and found a few that had masks. Kathy Byrnes and I bought as many as we could manage and Shari Hrdina figured out how to ship them.

Thanks to many of you, Bold Iowa raised enough money to send 380 masks to April and her neighbors. Besides that shipment of masks, I want to thank Mika’s veterinarian, Dr. Kim Houlding, for providing an additional 250 masks. Because of the rain this past week and the tireless effort of nearly 10,000 firefighters, we’re holding those masks in reserve as there will, unfortunately, certainly be other fires where these masks are needed.

Last week, April wrote to say, “I had people over for dinner today and handed out about half of the masks. Some people in Magalia are getting to go home and begin the clean up process. These masks will help. I really appreciate all your efforts to help us!”

Given all that’s going on just in our own country, it’s hard to imagine there’s a climate denier still out there:
— Fires in California,
— UN report last month saying we have twelve years to figure out climate change or else,
— This month’s National Climate Assessment laying out the catastrophic impact of climate change on the US economy and public health, and
— What might be the coldest November in Iowa on record (following the coldest April on record).

Even President Trump has moved beyond calling climate change a Chinese hoax, though he refuses to hear what scientists are saying about the clear, verifiable cause of our problem.

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, we all must do everything we can at this unprecedented moment in human history. One small thing you can do is buy my book — all proceeds support the work of Climate March. Beyond the intriguing story of an amazing and exhausting adventure, the book might inspire you to find ways to deepen your own commitment to help mobilize America to fight climate change, before it’s too late.

*******

Listen to the Fallon Forum live Mondays, 11:00-12:00 noon CT on La Reina KDLF 96.5 FM and 1260 AM (central Iowa). Add your voice to the conversation by calling (515) 528-8122.
On this week’s Fallon Forum, we discuss:

(02:32) Faith communities take action on climate change, with Matt Russell;
(17:17) Asylum-seekers greeted at US border with tear gas;
(24:58) Former Standing Rock Sioux chairman, Dave Archambault, visits Iowa, with Trisha Etringer;
(37:34) Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim – “Walking Stick”;
(48:35) G20 summit shows how far American workers have fallen;
(51:54) Marcher, Walker, Pilgrim – “Crossing Keystone”.

Click here for the podcast of the November 26, 2018 show.

– Listen on other local affiliates:
– KHOI 89.1 FM (Ames, IA)
– KICI.LP 105.3 FM (Iowa City, IA)
– WHIV 102.3 FM (New Orleans, LA)
– KPIP-LP, 94.7 FM (Fayette, MO)

Thanks!

Ed Fallon

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Upcoming Democratic Events in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, Perry, Tipton

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Trish Nelson

Rob Hogg

And now a word from Rob Hogg:

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your support during the 2018 elections. With your help, I won re-election by my biggest margin yet, 17,912 to 9,407, or 64% to 34% of all ballots cast.

In addition to my duties in the Iowa Senate over the next four years, I hope to be able to devote time to civic education to get more citizens more informed and more involved, as well as outreach, especially to portions of the state that do not have Democratic representation in the Iowa Legislature. We need to reach out, listen, and invite more Iowans to participate in our democracy and our government.

Please join me at my “2019 Legislative Preview” on Tuesday, December 11, from 4:45 to 6:15 p.m. at the African-American Museum of Iowa, 55 12th Avenue SE, in Cedar Rapids. Program starts at 5:15 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. Contributions are welcome, but not required.

Here is a Facebook event page you can share or use to invite your friends:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2114352382228417/

This is a great opportunity to share hopes and concerns for the 2019 legislative session, discuss key issues, and talk about how Iowans can renew our spirit of citizenship to make Iowa even better.

If you cannot attend, but you have ideas you want to share, please email me at this email address (senatorrobhogg@gmail.com) or my legislative email (rob.hogg@legis.iowa.gov).

If you cannot attend, but you want to contribute, please mail a check to “Citizens for Rob Hogg,” P.O. Box 1361, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406, or contribute online at the “donate” page at www.robhogg.org.

I hope to see you Tuesday, December 11, if not before.

Other Upcoming Events

Perry, Dallas County, Iowa Farmers Union annual conference, Friday, Nov. 30-Saturday, Dec. 1 – The Iowa Farmers Union is holding its annual conference at the historic Hotel Pattee in Perry. I have attended in the past but can’t this year. I encourage those of you who would like to get more involved in rural Iowa politics to attend. Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota is scheduled to appear. Tickets are $25 for students and beginning farmers, $50 for members, and $75 for non-members. For more details and registration information, visit:
https://iowafarmersunion.org/annual-convention/

Tipton, Cedar County, Saturday, December 1, 10:00 a.m. – Schoolhouse Rock-Iowa Style – At the request of Jodi Clemens and the Cedar County Democrats, I am leading this educational program at the Cedar County Courthouse in Tipton on how to read bills and monitor proposals during the legislative session. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/575118662923533/

Cedar Rapids, Campaign Volunteer Appreciation, Saturday, December 1, 2:30 p.m. – Please join me for this campaign volunteer appreciation hosted by the Cedar Rapids chapter of NOW (National Organization for Women) at Raygun, 1028 3rd St. SE, in the New Bo neighborhood in Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/564765427305658/

Cedar Rapids, Move to Amend Program, Tuesday, December 4, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. – I will be moderating this program, “Democratic Revolution vs. Corporate Rule,” organized by Move to Amend, featuring its outreach director, Greg Coleridge, at the downtown Cedar Rapids public library. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/567339470388464/

Hiawatha, Linn County Democrats, Wednesday, December 5, 6:00 p.m. (social hour), 7:00 p.m. (business meeting) – Please join me for the Linn County Democrats’ Holiday Party and Business Meeting at the Hiawatha Community Center, 120 Emmons Street, in Hiawatha.

Cedar Rapids, Trees Forever Woodlands Symposium, Thursday, December 6, 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. – I will be attending Trees Forever’s annual “Our Woodlands” symposium at the Cedar Rapids County Club. Tickets are $25 for students and interns, $50 for members, and $75 for non-members. For more details, and registration information, visit:
http://www.treesforever.org/Symposium

Cedar Rapids, Citizens Climate Lobby chapter meeting, Saturday, December 8, 11:00 a.m. – Please join me for this meeting of the local chapter of Citizens Climate Lobby starting at 11:00 a.m. in the second-floor technology classroom at the public library, 450 5th Ave. SE, in downtown Cedar Rapids. For more details, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/267597140614174/

Cedar Rapids, “Send Off” for Abby Finkenauer, Sunday, December 9, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. – I will be attending this “send off” for U.S. Representative-Elect Abby Finkenauer at Veterans Memorial Coliseum, 50 2nd Avenue Bridge, on Mays Island in Cedar Rapids. Tickets are $25 per person, but scholarships are available. Dinner is being provided. For more details, and to purchase tickets or apply for scholarships, visit:
https://www.facebook.com/events/699224770457667/

Working together, with a renewed spirit of citizenship, I still believe we can build safe, healthy, prosperous, inclusive, sustainable, and growing communities across Iowa.

Keep in touch, and I hope to see you at one or more of these upcoming events.

Rob

Senator Rob Hogg
Cedar Rapids
http://www.robhogg.org

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