Upcoming Events: April 21-28

All candidates and most of my readers know but it can't be said enough: Voting starts Thursday! Johnson County kicks it off at the office 7:45 to 5:30 and at Old Capitol Mall from 11 to 7.


That evening from 5 to 7 Janelle Rettig is having an early voting and early birthday (actual date Saturday) party at Bob's Your Uncle on North Dodge. Checks welcome, teal clothing encouraged.



The Center for Worker Justice knows how to get a regular mention in this feature: give your ongoing event the same name as a Clash song.

"Know Your Rights" is the first track on Combat Rock. Six sessions are planned even though Joe Strummer said you only have three of them. Sessions are at noon and 6 at 940 S. Gilbert Ct. and are planned for the last Friday of the month. Friday's event is "Protecting Your Health and Safety at Work: OSHA Rights."

Or, as Joe said, "you have the right not to be killed." (He put some qualifiers on that, though. Just listen to the song.)  A Workers Memorial Day event is planned for the Ped Mall Sunday at 2:

Each year dozens of Iowa workers are killed and hundreds more suffer work-related injuries or diseases.  Join us to remember those who died on the job last year and hear from workers and safety advocates who are confronting workplace hazards and renew our dedication to creating safer work places.

Both parties have congressional district conventions on Saturday. It could be the first of TWO conventions for 3rd District Republicans and 1st District Democrats, depending on how those primaries turn out. It also means a lot of scrambling for statewide candidates. The Democratic conventions are a bit off the beaten path. My guess is more state contenders will be at the 1st and 2nd CD in Vinton and Newton, a reasonable hour-forty drive apart, then at the 3rd in Council Bluffs or the 4th in Storm Lake. 

Sarah Palin will be in Iowa Sunday for a ShePAC "Heels On Gloves Off" rally in Des Moines, with Joni Ernst the apparent beneficiary(?). At least SOMEone is willing to visit Iowa. A nice round 2300 days today since we've seen Hillary. Dems are asking around about ways to boost caucus participation, and I'm thinking that one through, but top of the list would have to be candidates who show up...

And not quite as cool as a lunar eclipse, but seeing a real live spaceship is still pretty cool. Or at least the boys used to think so when they were younger. Monday and Tuesday the International Space Station makes two very visible passes over Iowa City at viewer-friendly hours - evening as opposed to pre-dawn.

If you know when and where to look and if weather cooperates you can't miss. Monday at 9:17 PM it's almost straight overhead and Tuesday at 8:29 it's also very visible. Looks a lot like an airplane only moving way too fast and way too steady, and it will be brighter than the brightest star or planet (in this case Jupiter and Mars).

Monday 21 April 2014

Time (24-hour clock)	Object (Link)	Event
	Observer Site	Iowa City, Ia, United States WGS84: Lon:  -91d27m42.12s  Lat: +41d38m30.84s  Alt: 174m All times in CST or CDT (during summer)
21h18m19s	ISS →Ground track →Star chart	Appears      21h12m50s   3.5mag  az:304.7° NW   horizon Culmination  21h18m19s  -4.1mag  az:215.5° SW   h:89.9°  distance: 422.8km  height above Earth: 423.0km  elevation of Sun: -15°  angular velocity: 1.08°/s at Meridian  21h18m19s  -4.1mag  az:180.0° S    h:89.8° Disappears   21h19m36s  -3.5mag  az:126.0° SE   h:35.3°

Tuesday 22 April 2014

Time (24-hour clock)	Object (Link)	Event
20h29m49s	ISS →Ground track →Star chart	Appears      20h24m23s   3.4mag  az:307.0° NW   horizon at Meridian  20h29m25s  -3.1mag  az:  0.0° N    h:49.9° Culmination  20h29m49s  -3.6mag  az: 31.2° NNE  h:54.4°  distance: 512.7km  height above Earth: 423.4km  elevation of Sun: -7°  angular velocity: 0.89°/s Disappears   20h33m10s  -1.9mag  az:110.5° ESE  h:9.9°

You can get geeky details like that here at CalSky or sign up for email alerts.

Labor Likes Lyness

The Iowa City Federation of Labor Thursday offered a unanimous endorsement of incumbent county attorney Janet Lyness in her primary against challenger John Zimmerman.



In a brief speech before the endorsement voted Lyness noted her support for the Community ID program and her work on the county's first project labor agreement. Zimmerman was not present.



This little thing after the word "treasurer" is called a "union bug."

City Fed also declined to make a second endorsement in the Board of Supervisors primary. While various members said both Mike Carberry and Lisa Green-Douglass had completed "acceptable" surveys, the body decided to stick with the full endorsement of just incumbent Janelle Rettig made last month.

Labor has a busy month ahead but I'll save all those events for the weekly calendars.

Loras Poll Shows 1st CD Dems Wide Open

Counter intuitively, Pat Murphy's lead in a Loras College poll shows him in a weak position seven weeks out from the June 3 primary.

True, Murphy is well ahead, with 30 percent in the poll to 11 percent for his closest competitor, Anesa Kajtazovic. And that's not far off from other polling, showing Murphy close to, but not quite at, the 35 percent needed to win the nomination outright.

Murphy	30 percent
Kajtozovic	11 percent
Dandekar	9 percent
Vernon	9 percent
O’Brien	6 percent
Undecided	34 percent

It's safe to say that a former House speaker who not only couldn't clear the field after being first to announce, but drew FOUR challengers, isn't going to be anyone's second choice.



Put another way, that 30 percent Murphy is 70 percent Anyone But Murphy. That 34 percent sitting out there undecided isn't likely to go for Murphy this late.

But, as in other polls, the three women in the race seem to be splitting about evenly.  There's strong sentiment among Democratic activists and primary voters that Iowa is way overdue for a woman in congress, so let's assume a big chunk of that undecided is struggling over which woman to support.

Let's also assume that this race may break late. We're one or two good polls away from one of these three women becoming the Not Murphy candidate, and at that point the other two women lose their soft support.

So who has the most room to grow?

Swati Dandekar's 9 percent may be a ceiling. While she's been good at raising money (mostly out of state), she's toxic to the party base for her less than progressive record and for her sudden resignation from her Senate seat, which risked Senate control, to take a six figure job from Terry Branstad.

So that leaves Vernon and Kajtazovic competing for the Not Murphy slot at end game. Vernon's been better able to raise money (though according to this this latest report she's kicked in $170,000 of her own money). But she shares her Linn County base with Dandekar and Dave O'Brien, the other middle aged Irishman in the race. And some voters are still uneasy with her relatively recent (2009) switch from the GOP to the Democrats. Still, at least she moved in the right direction, unlike Dandekar.

Kajtazovic - no secret I'm supporting her - has had a harder time with the money. But after a slow start had kept pace with the others once self-funding is out of the mix, almost matching Murphy for the quarter. And she has a Black Hawk County base all to herself.

So it's way too early to call this one, but if it comes down to Murphy and Kajtozovic at the end, I like Anesa's chances.

Upcoming Events: April 14-21

It's WAY too late for snow but if the skies clear by tonight, we'll have a good show. A total lunar eclipse is a very noticeable and easy to observe event. 

Lunar eclipses happen at full moon, so the moon rises at sunset. Also rising near sunset is Mars, White tonight makes its closest pass to earth since January 2008 at 57.4 million miles. The moon passed very close to a bright (but not as bright as Mars) star, Spica in the constellation Virgo, at about midnight, just as the less visible partial phase of the eclipse starts.

The earth's shadow moves across the moon till it covers the whole moon at 2:08 a.m. Lunar eclipses vary a lot, like sunsets, because you're looking at the moon and seeing the light from all the sunsets on Earth. If you were on the moon, you'd be seeing a solar eclipse, with a pitch-black Earth surrounded by a sunset ring.

The moon will be at it's darkest at 2:48 and starts to move out of totality at 3:23. Everything is done by 5:36.

It might be a good night for a a "split sleep" pattern, the way people used to sleep in the era before electric light: go to bed around sunset, wake up for a couple hours in the middle of the night, go back to sleep till dawn. I've done it a couple times, usually on weekends, and it's not bad.

Tuesday is Tax Day but I can't find any evidence of any local rallies, either by anti-war left or anti-tax right. Both groups sometimes protest Tax Day, not the only way the left and right are starting to resemble each other around here...

Thursday at 6 the Iowa City Federation of Labor has its monthly meeting at 6 PM at the labor hall at 940 S. Gilbert Ct. Endorsements for the June 3 primary are likely to come up.

Saturday is the seventh annual Record Store Day, an event dedicated to the joy of those great common spaces where we spent our weekend dollars and hours, back when being a music fan in search of new sound was an active ongoing commitment that was more than a mouse click away. If I sound like an old man it's because I am. Major artists participate with special limited edition vinyl only releases. This year's releases run from Hank Williams radio broadcasts to a special edition of the latest Katy Perry. Not everything is available everywhere - kinda like the old days. Iowa City's Record Collector, the last record store in town, is the place.

And 4/20 is not only Easter, it's 420. Maybe in honor of that we'll see a breakthrough this week on the medical marijuana bill?

Week in Review: April 6-13

Johnson County lost a giant on Friday with the passing of Harry Seelman. Harry was a leader of the Johnson County farm community and a Hall Of Fame Democrat along with his wife Lucille, who he's with now.

And with a dozen children, you could almost win an election just on the all important immediate family vote. Harry and Lucille passed public service on to the next generation and three of their children are in public office: Jim Seelman on the Clear Creek Amana school board, Colleen Chipman on the North Liberty city council, and most prominently State Rep. Mary Mascher.

Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. this afternoon at the Cosgrove Institute, next to the church Harry and Lucille cherished. Mass is at  at 10:00 a.m. Monday at St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Cosgrove. The National Catholic Society of Foresters will recite a rosary at 9:45 a.m. prior to the Mass. Burial will be at the Church Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Harry Seelman Memorial Fund.

Compared to Harry Seelman's 92 years anything I say is trivia, but you must like my trivia because you're here. Yesterday on my bike ride I saw someone simultaneously riding a bike and reading a book, which is probably the most Iowa City thing ever.

I KNEW there was a reason I liked the Democratic candidate for state auditor:

Sheldon would love: staying up late installing Ubuntu Linux XFCE on my Asus Chromebook using Crouton. Why? Because can!
— Jonathan Neiderbach (@jonneiderbach) April 10, 2014

Bazinga.

Say what you will about Paul Ryan and his Friday visit to Cedar Rapids for a Republican Party fundraiser. For the record the ONLY thing I agree with him on is the Green Bay Packers. But at least he's willing to visit the first in the nation caucus state. Unlike someone we all know.

HOW do you say it? Anesa Kajtazovic has people mispronouncing her name in a new video, reprising this classic Ed Mezvinsky pronouncer ad.

Where are they now: Dropped out House 28 candidate Jon Van Wyk had his Jasper County voter registration challenged and canceled for non-residency.  Van Wyk had tried and failed to move in March for a primary challenge to fellow Republican Greg Heartsill.

A challenge to a voter registration is extremely rare. The former auditor told me it had only had happened once in his tenure. I remember the case: A homeowner got really paranoid about identity theft because he got a card for someone who didn't live there. We tried to assure him it was a mistake but he insisted on the challenge. We had no phone number or way to contact the kid getting challenged other than sending a letter to the same wrong address. So we had a hearing, the homeowner testified that the kid didn't live there, and we cancelled the guy.

Months later we founds out what had happened which we'd suspected all along: when the kid who got challenged had gone to get his drivers license and registered to vote, the DOT made a typo in the house number. Of COURSE we found out on presidential election day, I want to say 2000 but maybe 2004, and since this was before election day registration he didn't get to vote.

Speaking of the former auditor, he would never have done this:




Nice to smile and laugh at work once in a while nowadays. We public employees get to do that sometimes.

Since we're not in Wisconsin, and since we still have 26 Democratic state senators, we public employees also get to express our political opinions on our own time. Says so in my union contract. Also important for Democratic candidates to use union printers. They teach you that in campaign 101.

John Zimmerman's signs started going out this week and they're non-union printed.  I pointed this out and was met by some very creative mental gymnastics from old-school "progressives" (?) trying to explain away the cognitive dissonance. Gems: the accusation that only campaigns with "lots of money from rich people" used union printing, and the charge that I was being "like a nasty Republican" for raising the point.

Zimmerman himself said I was trying to "nitpick" his campaign, indicating he considers support of labor a trivial issue. Not surprising, as he was the only announced county Democratic candidate who skipped out on the City Federation of Labor's annual chili supper in February, labor's second biggest event of the year after the Labor Day picnic. He seems to have made the counter-intuitive decision that libertarians are more important than labor in a Democratic primary.

My personal recommendation for union printing needs is Adcraft of Cedar Rapids. Most local progressives go there or Carter in Des Moines. Of course, in the local politics context there's a fierce fighting over the definition of "progressive"; I have a future post planned on that.

And if you're looking at Julia Louis-Dreyfus nude on the cover of Rolling Stone and what you notice is that  the signature is wrong…

Schultz: Nine Additional Voters Disenfranchised

Nine additional voters were disenfranchised because of Matt Schultz's inaccurate list of felons, the Secretary of State admitted in a Friday memo to county auditors.

The additional errors brings the total to 12 Iowa voters wrongly denied the right to vote in the 2012 presidential election. Cerro Gordo County auditor Ken Kline had previously announced that three voters in his county were wrongly excluded.

"Following a review of additional voters who also had rejected provisional ballots for reason of felony conviction in the 2012 general election," Schultz says in the memo, "the (Department of Criminal Investigation) determined an additional 9 voters were affected by similar issues that ultimately resulted in the wrongful rejection of their ballots." The memo also pledges steps to prevent the problem in the future.

Schultz, who's leaving the Secretary of State office for a 3rd CD congressional bid, has used federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) money to dedicate a criminal investigator to research voter fraud. The investigation has let to a handful of plea agreements and just one trial, in which a Lee County jury took just minutes to determine that a woman whose rights had not been restored made an honest mistake and did not willfully break the law.

State auditor Mary Mosiman,a fellow Republican and former Schultz employee, questioned the use of up to $280,000 of HAVA money and recommended that Schultz “develop a plan to repay HAVA funds should the US Election Commission not allow the activity and request payment.”

Yesterday Schultz issued a press release that he had repaid the state $200,000, but it turns out that was money returned to the state general fund for staff cuts, and not the HAVA money.

Inconsistent Message In Social Host Bill

I'm not a fan of the social host bill just passed by the Legislature and certain to be signed by the governor. But in the fine print of the legislative process, there's a hint to the point I've been arguing all along.

The bill would hold "social hosts" (parents, homeowners, names on the lease, etc.) criminally liable for underage drinking on the premises, with a $200 misdemeanor fine.

But here's where it gets interesting. The bill as originally drafted fined hosts for drinkers under 21. But House Republicans - and I recognize the irony that I'm taking the House Republicans side here - changed that to 18, and the Democratic-run Senate was willing to accept that on a unanimous vote.

This is a rare open acknowledgement that there's a difference between college aged adults drinking and high school students drinking. It's an admission that the 21 year old drinking age isn't really about 19 and 20 year olds. It's about 16 and 17 year olds. Three years worth of adults have fewer rights than other adults in order to create a cultural barrier until their younger friends age out of high school.

It's a confession that 21 is unenforceable. It's a pretty open statement about our societal double standard that it's OK, or at least less bad and more culturally acceptable, to drink when you're old enough to vote, as long as you're low key about it.




Low key about it? Ames, you're doing it wrong.

So we're going to punish social hosts for some illegal drinking but not all illegal drinking? And my logical solution of one consistent age doesn't look like it was discussed.

We're left again with our bizarre, bifurcated, uniquely American dual age of adulthood, with 18 constitutionally locked in for voting but alcohol counter-productively singled out for 21, as the ultimate symbol of adulthood. 

I'm close on giving up on ever expecting that contradiction to change, but I'll point it out when I see it. And this example is especially glaring.

Which Was The Wrong Statement?

Sam Clovis, shock jock and would be Senator, says some interesting things. That's part of his appeal in the conservative counties of western Iowa that make up his base.

But those statements don't play as well to the national press. and Sam said a couple interesting things yesterday in an interview with Douglas Burns of the Carroll Daily Times Herald, for my money the most under-rated journalist in the state (and a former colleague from my Iowa Independent glory days of 2007-08).

The national folks like Talking Points Memo are zooming in on this exchange:

Republican U.S. Senate candidate Sam Clovis, a firebrand northwest Iowa conservative, says he believes many congressional Republicans want to impeach President Obama. The only thing standing in their way, Clovis said in an interview, is the color of the president's skin.

"I would say there are people in the House of Representatives right now that would very much like to take the opportunity to start the process," Clovis said of impeaching the nation's first African-American president. "And I think the reason that they're not is because they're concerned about the media."

TPM also calls Clovis "a long shot GOP Senate candidate," which understates his significance to the race. I can still see a vote-splintering scenario in the five way race. Well, four way plus Scott Schaben, but he soaks up 4 percent just for being better than Paul Lunde at qualifying for the ballot, which makes it a little harder for anyone to get the required 35 percent. I can see Clovis being very appealing to a convention.

No, a REAL long shot candidate would be independent Bob Quast, such a Some Dude that even I never heard of him. Quote of the day: "If you come to my front door to do harm to my girls, I'm going to use my Glock. To blow your balls off."  He was going to take this message into the Democratic primary, but apparently attended the Jonathan Narcisse School of Ballot Access Law.

But my point before this tangent was that the national folks are focusing on the "Obama won't get impeached because he's black" aspect of the Clovis-Burns interview.

But there's another story from the interview, which Doug headlines Clovis: Criminalizing abortion 'a bridge too far'.

Clovis told the Daily Times Herald in an interview Monday he wants to see a "cultural decision" that makes abortion something no longer done "because it's the taking of a life."

"If we're going to put a penalty or a punishment on that and criminalize that, I think that's a bridge too far," Clovis said.

But Clovis believes life begins at conception. So wouldn't abortion be the same as a convenience-store stick-up gone bad, with a dead clerk?

"I honestly don't know about the criminalization of this," Clovis said.

Isn't that the end game of the pro-life movement, criminalizing abortion? If it's not illegal, then isn't abortion what it is right now - a fierce fight for the hearts and minds of women and their physicians?

"I don't know," Clovis said. "I don't think so. That's not my endgame."

As an Iowa City liberal I'm not an expert on internal Republican primary politics in western Iowa. But I know enough about the party's direction to think that "Criminalizing abortion a bridge too far" probably costs you more votes in the context of a Republican primary than "Obama won't get impeached because he's black."

Anderson offering new tone to Secretary of State race

“This race is about one of the most important civil rights issues of our generation, the right to vote,” Brad Anderson told a Democratic group at an Iowa City fund raiser yesterday.

The secretary of state candidate was in town raising both dollars and his profile. Neither party has a primary so Anderson faces Republican Paul Pate, who held the job for one term in the 1990s, in November. (Libertarian Jake Porter, who ran in 2010, is also running again.)

The race has changed radically since December, when GOP incumbent Matt Schultz shifted to the open 3rd CD race after Tom Latham retired. But much of Anderson's speech, at least in front of a partisan crowd, focused on how he would differ from Schultz.

“Voter suppression is un-American, it is un-Iowan and it is ending the day I take office,” Anderson said.

A particular concern, for Anderson and the attendees, was Schultz's use of federal money to hire a criminal investigator to seek out voter fraud cases.

“Millions of votes have been cast in Iowa these last three years, and just six people have plead guilty.  In Lee county for the first time a case actually went to a jury. A mother of three young kids was facing 15 years in jail for what the lead juror called an honest mistake," he said, adding that the jury took just 40 minutes to find her not guilty.

The sentiment was echoed by county attorney Janet Lyness, who said she had been approached by the investigator about one case, a non-citizen who had inadvertently registered when getting a driver's license because of a language barrier.

“Instead of spending time on a murder or a sexual abuse case," Lyness said, "we had an agent spending hours and hours on a case where I said we’re not going to prosecute because there’s not enough evidence he willfully violated a law.” (This is what experienced attorneys call "prosecutorial discretion.")

Worse, Anderson said, was an incident in Mason City where, “For the first time in Iowa history three eligible voters got their votes thrown out because they were on a bad list (of felons). And that was only one county. We don’t know how many other people wrongly got their votes thrown out because they were on a bad list.”

Anderson said fixing these list problems and making better use of electronic poll books, rather than investigations and voter ID laws, would be a better way to improve election integrity. , increased use of electronic poll books would be a better way to insure election integrity. “Electronic poll books immediately lets (workers) know if you’re on the felon registry, if you’re eligible, and if you’re in the right place. That would do way more to insure integrity than voter ID would.”

 As for ID itself, Anderson said “The face of voter ID is not students. It’s the disabled community.”

Anderson has set a goal of making Iowa number one in voter turnout. "I’m tired of getting beat by Minnesota.” To do this, he recommends making voter registration available on line ("They do it in over a dozen other states”) and allowing permanent absentee voting.

“If you could check a box when you register that said send me a ballot for every election period, you want to talk about increasing turnout, that would be amazing,” Anderson said. Under current Iowa law, voters must request mailed ballots separately for each election.

Still, Anderson, Iowa has one of the best early voting laws, letting voters cast early votes up to 40 days before primary and general elections with no reasons required. He also noted that Terry Branstad had signed the law.

“This idea of suppressing votes is new to Iowa. These are not Democrat vs Republican ideas. These are Iowa ideas. These are Bob Ray ideas and Tom Harkin ideas.”

The race is low profile so far, but Anderson said national superPACs plan to throw tens of millions into secretary of state races in Iowa and a handful of other states.

In addition to Lyness, other elected officials and candidates on hand included the three leading Democratic supervisor candidates, incumbent Janelle Rettig and candidates Mike Carberry and Lisa Green-Douglass, along with Rod Sullivan whose seat is on the presidential cycle. Auditor Travis Weipert and Kingsley Botchway from the city council were also there.

Pure Trivia: Two Specials In One Congress?

I may have hit a new low in political trivia.

That's not as low as Vance McAllister has gone, though. The newly minted congressman, winner of a November special election with a big boost from a Duck Dynasty endorsement - you can't make this stuff up - has just been caught smoochin' a staff member not his wife.

McAllister took over from Rod Alexander, most famous for a filing deadline switch from Democrat to Republican. (He may have stole the idea from Doug Struyck.) Alexander quit to take a better paying job from the governor (he definitely stole the idea from Swati Dandekar).

This may break the land speed record, though, breaking the old record set seemingly yesterday by Trey Radel (Congressman Busted For Coke his likely obit headline) In the social media age, these scandals move fast, from revelation to resignation within days.

Which begs the question: had a congressional district ever gone through a SECOND special election cycle in the same term?

Greg Giroux keeps a comprehensive list of House specials, dating back to 1961, and it hasn't happened in that time frame. The most recent case I can find is in a hard copy of Congressional Quarterly's Guide to US Elections - why yes, I own one - that lists House races back to the 1820s.

Luckily I only had to go back to 1930-31. Congressman John Quayle of New York's 7th District died three weeks after being re-elected in 1930. Matthew O'Malley won a Feb. 17, 1931 special election. But the hapless O'Malley expired himself on May 26, without ever attending a session (before the 20th Amendment, the new congress convened in December of the year after the election. Which was screwy. Which was why the amendment.)

This meant a second special election in November 1931, won by John Delaney. He died in office, too, but not till 1948. All three winners were Democrats, all were by similar 2 to 1 margins and the Republicans nominated three different losers.

Scouting The Other Team: Johnson County GOP Dinner

Greetings from the Coralville Mariott and the Johnson County Republican dinner where I'm not a tracker. I'm scouting the other team because we have a big game in November and I need to check out their moves.

The program proper starts at 7:30 so right now the eating is happening. Governor Branstad is slated as a keynote speaker. The US Senate candidates are mainly on the other side of the state though Mark Jacobs is on hand. He and Ernst and Whitaker have big tables of Stuff but, surprisingly, I see no presence from Sam Clovis.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks is reportedly on hand though I've yet to actually see her; line of sight is probably obstructed by a taller person. Mark Lofgren isn't here but his stuff is. And state senate candidates Bob Anderson and Royce Phillips are working the crowd. Mike Moore reportedly RSVPd but isn't on hand. Sending the check helps too in such things.

I'm skipping our own central committee meeting for this assuming it'll be more interesting. Our chair conceded the point but she had to run the meeting.

The press platform is straight back from the stage and I'm directly in back of the governor, which marks the first time I've ever been behind Branstad on anything. Organizers report a paid attendance of about 130 which looks about right. Will be interesting to compare room capacity when the Dems host our own event in this same room on May 17.

And now I see Miller-Meeks working the crowd. Dinner proper is winding down. My bet is for a brief Branstad speech and lots of humor at Bruce Braley's expense.

Karen Fesler is handling the MC duties and thanking the organizers and sponsors. Some things are alike on bothsides. Some things different: Republican events start with much more prayer/national anthem stuff. Another elected official spotted, Laurie Goodrich of Coralville City Council.

Karen hands off the mic to Bill Keettel, the chair. Bill repeats many of the thank yous. First shot at Braley comes with the Jacobs introduction. Ernst has a surrogate on hand. The other event is apparently in greater metropolitan Mt. Ayr. Miller-Meeks gets louder applause than Jacobs, Lofgren gets an excuse for legislative duty. My applause meter can't detect a difference between Bob Anderson and Royce Phillips.

As for the House seats (where there are no candidates in the four core seats) "we're building the party and intend to contest those seats in the future." Finally, waaaay down the list - Danny Carroll, who takes the mic.

Carroll reminisces about his legislative days and tax cuts which leads to a call for the GOP trifecta and much rejoicing. Keettel gives John Etheredge a shout out for supporting a bill that lets us auditors offices scan and discard some ancient voter registration forms after we scan them. Bill also gives some credit to Sally Stutsman and ("I'll praise him just this one time") Mike Gronstal.

Sandy Greiner handles the Branstad intro. I'm not expecting to hear much about hiring and firing in this speech. Greiner: "The governor treats the lt governor as a 100% equal." Or heir apparent... yet I don't see her here. Brags up Iowa's low unemployment rate of 4.2%... *COUGHdEMOCRATICpRESIDENTCOUGH* but "when you get farther away from the metro areas things get more difficult but things are coming back and we thank the governor and lt governor for that."

Greiner continues to talk economics and taxes, with a mention of tuition freeze; this doesn't seem like a social issues crowd tonight. This time next year at an event like this it may be very different with presidential candidates keynoting.

And The Guv is on.


Lovely room but the lighting is poor for photos, especially from the cheap seats. 

Branstad shouts out to the absent Reynolds: "I have met my match in enthusiasm and energy." Seems it's her wedding anniversary. Also reminiscences about ex-press secretary Susan Neely. Praise of women seems to be a theme here.

"I became a Republican in Iowa City. I was pretty disillusioned with the Democrats and a law student named Julian Garrett said the Republicans aren't as bad as you think. So I went to a meeting and the speaker was a young state representative from New Hartford named Chuck Grassley, this was in 1966."

"We know this is a challenging difficult county but I just want to thank all the people who volunteer."

"This is our best opportunity in 30 years to win this senate seat. The Democrats made a big mistake they had no contest and united behind a flawed candidate. Our beloved Senator Chuck Grassley has more intelligence than all the trial lawyers of Texas. We need a senator who will vote WITH Chuck Grassley, not put him down." So no jokes, full-throated attack.

"I've never lost an election, and one of the reasons for that is no one will ever work harder." Some not-necessary Culver bashing - dude, you won -  but also telling that he went after Braley before Hatch. "Iowans don't want to go back to the debt and excessive spending of the past. They want to see the state grow and prosper."

"You may remember in the Vilsack administration, 18, 19% increase in tuition. Now for the first time we have two years in a row of no tuition increase." Again to a predecessor. He's dismissing Hatch by omission.

"We also need to recognize the importance of investing in the rest of the state of Iowa." Brings up Lee County fertilizer plant - is he going to work in a Democrat bash here? "We didn't give them a handout - we gave them a credit against future taxes. And you got a senator in Iowa City, Bolkcom, who said that was the worst deal he's ever seen." Yep, called it. "They're still gonna pay a heck of a lot in taxes, and if they'd located in Illinois we wouldn't have gotten any of those jobs." Bolkcom's attacks are "purely for politics. They could have passed a tax cut, but instead he wants to take those 1000 jobs.  There's only two counties I've never carried: Johnson County and Lee County. Your Senator may make it possible for me to carry Lee County." (interesting omission... for the record Bob Ray did win Johnson County twice, in his last two runs. And Chuck Grassley won four in a row here before trailing Roxanne Conlin in 2010.)

Speech running must longer than I anticipated. I expected brief remarks.

"2014 can be the year I lead this team to victory. We can win that senate seat, we can win a bunch of congressional seats, and we can win both houses of the legislature. "

He wraps with not a mention of his actual opponent, just a brief painting of "failed policies of the past." A harsh dismissal of omission. A brief goodbye from Fesler and exodus to the doors begins. Standing by to see what happens.

There's a little traffic at the Jacobs table, less at Ernst's, none at Whitaker's. Exodus to doors is slow. So is news so I'll sign off. 

Afterthought: Branstad avoided taking any sides in the contested primaries even though it's well assumed that Ernst is his preferred Senate candidate and almost certain he favors his former department head Miller-Meeks. You might try to take a hint from his praise of female candidates at the beginning of his speech as he discussed Greiner and Reynolds, but you'd have to be looking for it. Also, absolutely zero acknowledgement that technically, Branstad has a primary challenger of his own. Not that it merits much mention. 

Nice Bank Shot In Sec of State Race

Attn haters: THIS is what campaigning on the job actually looks like:

For Immediate Release:

April 2, 2014                          

Matt Schultz Caught Using Secretary of State’s Office for Personal Political Agenda

Follows Paul Pate’s 1997 Playbook

Des Moines – Following Paul Pate’s 1997 playbook, Secretary of State Matt Schultz has once again been caught misusing the Secretary of State’s office to further his congressional campaign.  In 1997, the Iowa State Ethics Commission began an investigation into then-Secretary of State Paul Pate for improperly using the Secretary of State’s official office, voter registration lists and computers to further his campaign for governor.  Following the investigation, Pate was formally reprimanded by the Commission.

Today, Matt Schultz was also caught using his official office for political gain -- this time to further his congressional campaign.  A mailer from the Second Amendment Foundation signed by Schultz has been made to look like an official mailer sent by the official Secretary of State’s office, going so far to say far “Official Ballot Enclosed,” on a political survey.

“What we are seeing here is a classic play out of the Paul Pate playbook – abusing the Secretary of State’s office for personal political gain,” said Iowa Democratic Party Chair Scott Brennan.  “Iowans deserve a Secretary of State who will focus on modernizing the office and increasing voter turnout, rather than abusing the office to score political points like Matt Schultz and Paul Pate have."

Background:

Iowans have been confused about Schultz mailing, which says “IOWA GUN RIGHTS SURVEY" and "Official Ballot Enclosed." pic.twitter.com/hxGjEt0Y8L
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 2, 2014

Ethics board investigating Pate Campaign. On October 14, 1997, the Des Moines Register reported that “A state board that enforces ethics laws decided Monday to investigate a complaint that the office of Iowa Secretary Paul Pate, a candidate for the republican nomination for governor was used improperly for campaign activities. The complaint by Steven Hulsizer, a former employee, alleges that voter registration lists and computers in the secretary of state’s office were used in the distribution of campaign materials, and staff members helped with political mailings during and after hours.

Pate gets formal reprimand from state. On February 13, 1998, the Des Moines Register reported that “State campaign regulators have reprimanded Secretary of State Paul Pate because a worker in his office conducted political business on state time. ...Pate, a Marion Republican, must establish formal procedures prohibiting political work in his office and establish strict separation between office and campaign work under the settlement. He also got a formal letter of reprimand and agreed to reimburse the state $250.”

Sorry to be behind the curve on this one, but I was AT WORK and needed to wait till I WENT TO LUNCH at my HOME where I have a big old sign in my yard.With a (correction) COMPLETELY VOLUNTARY paid for by disclaimer.

It's a nice twofer, hitting both Schultz and his replacement candidate for his current job, the once and not future Paul Pate. Democrat Brad Anderson faced a suddenly changed race when Schultz switched contests after Tom Latham's retirement, but Pate looks like a classic case of Meet The New Boss Same As The Old Boss (definitely not true at my job).

Reminder: Anderson's in town next Monday, 5:30-7 and the Sturgis Corner Hampton Inn.

And writer's block officially over.

Mowrer Makes Iowa City Stop

Jim Mowrer has a challenge ahead of him in November, but in front of a room full of Democrats, he has no problem winning over the crowd: the mere mention of his opponent's name draws groans and chuckles.

The end of the fundraising quarter brought Steve King's opponent to Iowa City for a house party fundraiser.

This isn’t just about our district," Mowrer said. "Steve King is bad for the district and Iowa, but I really think he’s bad for America. He doesn’t believe in investing in the future.”

“When Steve King says government is broken, he’s bragging. He’s the one that broke it,”  Mowrer said. “He’s a liability for the Republican party. And every Democrat in the country is interested in beating Steve King.”

At least Democrats from everywhere IN the country: Mowrer received donations from all 50 states in his first quarter of fundraising last year.

Mowrer has outraised King two quarters in a row and he seems confident that, one the numbers for the quarter ending today are reported in two weeks, he can extend that string.

And while critiques of his opponent warm the hearts of Democratic donors, Mowrer is also able to make a solid case for himself, focusing on his military service in Iraq and in the Pentagon.

Mowrer said his relative youth (he's just short of 28) has only been an issue in that it gives him yet another way to contrast himself with his opponent and with Washington dysfunction. “Just like the Greatest Generation, we’re going to keep working to make our future better," he said of his fellow young veterans, "and our best days are ahead of us.”

Mower worked with the Army Office Of Business Transformation on reforming military procurement. “Without cutting any essential services, we saved $3.5 billion of taxpayer money. “

In addition to a military background, Mowrer also grew up on a family farm, until his father died in a farm accident. “What kept my family from falling down so far we couldn't get back up was the basic social safety net, specifically Social Security survivor benefits, and that’s why I’m a Democrat.”

But with an opponent whose stock in trade is red meat for the right, issue discussions invariably stray back to King. There's just too much good material.

“There’s a clear contrast in this race. I want to raise the minimum wage, Steve King wants to eliminate it. I want to protect Social Security. He wants to raise the retirement age and says Wal-Mart will hire you until you're 74."

And on King's signature issue, immigration, Mowrer said “I’ll just echo the speaker. It’s hateful and wrong. I’m in favor of comprehensive immigration reform, I’m in favor of the DREAM act.”

“Steve King never has solutions. The answer to everything is no. He doesn’t have another immigration bill. Is his solution picking up 13 million people and moving them to another country? That would be devastating to our economy.”

"If you're a moderate in any way, I have a case to make to you," said Mowrer of his plans to target independents and moderate Republicans, a necessity in a district that's red, but not AS red as it was prior to the 2011 redistricting.

“I want this country to be successful no matter who the president is. Steve King says he only wants the county to be successful if we have a Republican president, a Republican House and a Republican Senate. That's only four of the last sixty years."

Mowrer cited polls showing King with 40% approval in the district and 47% disapproval, and a horse race number of 45% for King to 49% for "his Democratic opponent."

"We have a good case. Steve King has a bad case. And Iowans are pretty good at making judgements, They expect good ideas from their leaders.”

“I would not be running this race if I was not exceedingly confident.”

Upcoming Events: March 31 - April 7

Terry Branstad brings the campaign for Term 6 to Johnson County this week, keynoting a Thursday fundraiser for the Johnson County Republicans. Asking price is $50 (60 after today) for the 6 PM dinner at the Coralville Marriott. You'll probably catch lots of Republicans running for lots of other stuff too. They're inviting press so I may just check it out.

That'll mean missing my own party's Central Committee meeting that same night, 7 PM at the Iowa City School District.

Next Monday Democratic secretary of State candidate Brad Anderson will be at the Hampton Inn at Sturgis Corner Dr from 5:30 to 7. Hosts are Bob and Sue Dvorsky, Ravi Patel , and Zach Wahls. Suggested donations start at 25 bucks.

That's not the last pitch for money you'll see today, the last day of the first quarter for federal candidates. Your inbox like mine is filling past with pleas to reach Our Campaign's Most Important Goal Yet. We'll hear how it turns out in a couple weeks.


Cartoon of the year awarded March 28:

Today's @BillBramhall cartoon, on college football unionization: pic.twitter.com/ELF5nyKlxY
— Josh Greenman (@joshgreenman) March 28, 2014

As a government union goon, I approve.

It finally officially looks like spring because colorful things are sprouting: teal yard signs blossomed Sunday for Janelle Rettig.

Jonathan Narcisse sued to get on the ballot and lost and sued and lost and sued again.  Betting the beret the Narcisse-ists run independent again this fall. As a friend said this week: "I have mixed emotions between people's right to run and just plain dumb assedness."

And just a general observation: I speak for myself. When a lot of people who've repeatedly won the confidence of the voters agree with me, it's just a nice bonus.

Of Girls and Pigs

It's not been a good week for making Iowa look cool.

We started with Joni Ernst's pig-castrating ad, which earned comedic attention far beyond its tiny Des Moines cable buy. Now, that's not saying it hurts Ernst in an Iowa Republican primary. It almost certainly helped, especially when contrasted with the, um, conveniently timed release of Bruce Braley's unfortunately phrased thoughts on the makeup of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Braley's bumble was only interesting to Iowans and the Beltway political insider class. (Though I can in all honesty say: Bruce's week started with an interview with me and it was all downhill from there.) Ernst's ad was mainstream national late night comedy fodder, and in state it broke her out of the pack. I'll say she and deep-pockets Mark Jacobs are the frontrunners in the primary. 

But the national laughs were on Iowa as much as on Ernst. And our image wasn't helped by the killjoy image control freak University of Iowa administration.

In case you've been under a rock, HBO's uber-hip, New York City based series Girls ended its season last weekend  with the lead character accepted to the Iowa Writers Workshop. I don't watch it, because I'm officially Too Old To Care About Cool, but apparently there is a lot of sex and stuff because HBO.



If you're a 15 year old boy in 1982, you can totally see a boob here.

So my hunch on how it would play out was quickly confirmed. Unlike Joni Ernst, the University isn't smart enough to cash in on free publicity. Of COURSE HBO asked to film on location and of COURSE Sally Mason's minions vetoed it because It Could Damage The University's Reputation. Who would have ever expected them to do anything else? Their first instinct, no matter what the issue, is always always always to stonewall.

So put these two items together for a non-political non-Iowan, and we're the state that castrates pigs and doesn't let the cool hip TV show film here.

Last Minute Supervisor Surprise

Johnson County got a last minute filing surprise today. Diane Dunlap, a clerk in the recorder's office, is the fourth Democratic candidate for the Board of Supervisors.

Even though we've worked in the same building 11 years, I have to admit I don't know Diane well beyond the hi in the hall level. She's in my bargaining unit (but not a union member).

And a non-filing: North Liberty city council member Gerry Kuhl, who passed paperwork for supervisor at the caucuses in January, did not turn them in.

Dunlap joins the three main-chance contenders on the June 3 ballot: Mike Carberry, Lisa Green-Douglass, and incumbent Janelle Rettig. The top two go on to November to face incumbent John Etheredge, the only Republican to file for any courthouse jobs. Republicans can still recruit a second candidate and independents/third parties can file later. The deadline for everything is August 27.

The only other courthouse contest is the county attorney race between incumbent Janet Lyness and challenger John Zimmerman. Recorder Kim Painter and treasurer Tom Kriz are unopposed.

So one name is added to the ballot, and one removed: the challenge to Jaron (Ron) Varner's nomination papers in House 85 was upheld. Enough signatures were outside the district that he dropped below the 50 required. Varner, who filed against incumbent Vicki Lensing, was the only Democratic primary challenger in the state. He had already announced plans to withdraw and sent in the withdrawal paperwork, but it seems to have arrived late.

On another legal front, Jonathan Narcisse was in court suing to get on the ballot for governor against Jack Hatch. Argument seems to be: Didn't put what office you're running for on the paperwork? Racism!

Deadline Day Grab-Bag

5:00 tonight is county filing deadline. All that's left is the possibility of last minute surprises, as the announced candidates have turned their papers in.

Democrat Mike Carberry filed for the Board of Supervisors Monday, joining incumbent Janelle Rettig and first time candidate Lisa Green-Douglass. The top two go on to November to face Republican incumbent John Etheredge, who filed Tuesday. There are no other announced Republicans, though someone could show up today or the party could nominate a second candidate at a convention before August 27.

Independents/third parties can also file during an August 4 - August 27 window. That means the Libertarians can't file yet, but they did announce a slate at their recent state convention. They have an Iowa House candidate in a Dubuque County district (I mean OTHER than Steve Drahozal, who ran as a Libertarian in 2000 but says he's a Democrat now).

Also filing yesterday, as planned, was incumbent county attorney Janet Lyness, who faces a Democratic primary challenge from John Zimmerman. Lyness capped off the day with a successful-looking fundraiser in Coralville. Candidates and electeds spotted: Rettig and Green-Douglass, Lonny Pulkrabek and Rod Sullivan (who aren't up this year), state senate candidate Kevin Kinney, and Mitch Gross of the Coralville city council.

Another primary challenge seems to be ending before it really began. Jaron (Ron) Varner called me yesterday. Varner filed in the House District 85 Democratic primary, challenging Rep. Vicki Lensing. He said that after filing, he reconsidered his priorities and the demands of a campaign. Varner told me he sent the dropout paperwork by overnight mail to the Secretary of State's office on Tuesday the 18th, a day before the dropout deadline. Via Facebook:

Last Monday, somebody told me that he'd heard I had died. That hit me like a ton of bricks. I replied, "No, I am very much alive! I'm going to law school, running for Congress... I'm doing very well." After I had left, I couldn't stop thinking about it. I remembered how, while still in the hospital after my stroke, my blood pressure would rise whenever I talked about my company or my nonprofit. Then, I considered the insurmountable amount of stress that awaited me while running for office. Then I had a moment of clarity, I respectfully withdrew my name from the ballot. Getting on the ballot, in itself, was a win for me. This time last year, I could not tie my shoes. This past few weeks has shown me what I am made of, as well as what I am capable of. Of the 50 signatures needed, I received 80. Thank you ALL, once again, for the prayers and encouragement. I plan to focus on finishing school, improving my health and wellness, my nonprofit, my family & my career. Then, when the time is right, perhaps I will give it another go. I pray that my testimony might encourage you to pursue your dreams, no matter your circumstances. Lord knows you all have encouraged me.

Love & Light!

"You know it's real when you are who you think you are."
-Drake

But this statement flew way below the radar, harder to find because the candidate filed as "Ron" but posted under his full name "Jaron." On Friday, attorney Paul McAndrew, a district resident and a but of a ballot access watchdog (he filed the 2012 challenge to Joe Seng's papers) objected to Varner's paperwork, finding only 45 signatures within the district. A hearing is scheduled for 11:30 today.

The call yesterday was my first direct contact with Varner. He seems like a decent enough guy and I hope he stays involved at a lower stress level than candidate (I can vouch for that).

The challenge to Varner's paperwork isn't the only litigiousness in Des Moines. Three candidates - or rather one candidate and two are they or aren't they candidates - are challenging various decisions. Would-be GOP Senate Candidate Paul Lunde and Democrat "Iowa Party" Democrat Jonathan Narcisse for governor are suing to challenge their exclusion. 

Meanwhile, state senate candidate Ned Chiodo is appealing the decision to leave Democratic primary rival Tony Bisignano ON the ballot. Chiodo is arguing that Bisignano's second offense OWI is an "infamous crime" taking away his voting rights - an argument that could cost thousands of Iowans the right to vote if he prevails. The winner in all this may be Nathan Blake, the third candidate in the race.

The legalities are coming up against a tight deadline. In just 24 days, on April 19, overseas and military ballots have to go out, and in person voting starts five days later on the 24th.

Finally, from the Where Are They Now file: Former one term Republican Rep. Jeremy Taylor is running for the Woodbury County board of supervisors. Taylor won his House term in 2010, but lost to Democrat Chris Hall in the only 2012 member vs. member redistricting pairup that went all the way to the general election.

A choice for county attorney

A Deeth Blog Endorsement

I've long hoped someone in this town would run what I call "the Gonzo campaign," in reference to Hunter Thompson's almost successful run for sheriff in Colorado. He pledged to tear up and sod the streets, and promised not to take drugs... while on duty.

Someone's finally doing it. Recent UI law graduate John Zimmerman is challenging county attorney Janet Lyness in the June 3 Democratic primary, pledging to "end prosecutions for marijuana for personal use." There's even a pot leaf on the flyer.

So why, now that someone is finally doing what I've been begging for, am I supporting  Lyness instead?

Elections aren't just about platforms. They're about people.

Lyness doesn't like to blow her own horn, which is a liability in a campaign. Zimmerman likes to talk about "prosecutorial discretion," but that means more than just dropping cases you don't like. It  means doing things WITH discretion behind the scenes. Things you can't shout about without ruining their effectiveness. So in the job, aversion to self-promotion is one of Janet's strengths.

With a challenger's freedom to say anything, Zimmerman raises some legitimate issues, though there's a deliberate blurring of the distinction between "arrested," which the police do, and "prosecuted," which the county attorney does or does not do. His supporters are calling this election a choice between a "progressive" and a "conservative."

But even Johnson County doesn't lean left enough to call Lyness a "conservative." She has dedicated her life to helping rape and domestic violence victims. She drafted the county's first human rights ordinance in 2006. She's worked tirelessly to mitigate the consequences of bad laws and over-zealous policing - within the law as it is.

Janet Lyness is as progressive a person as I can imagine in the role of prosecutor. But diversions into drug court and treatment aren't good enough for Zimmerman's libertarian-left coalition. They want the arrests to not happen at all.

So do I. I'd like to do that by changing the law.

The Gonzo campaign is a rhetorical device. It isn't a legal brief. There's a certain Sticking It To The Man appeal in saying "I won't enforce laws I don't like," but that starts you down a long slippery slope toward George Wallace in the schoolhouse door. Do we really want to question our relationship to the rule of law, when drug law reform is approaching legitimate victory?

No, this is not a choice between a progressive and a conservative. It's a choice between a progressive, Lyness... and a radical. I don't use that word lightly. It is indeed a radical jurisprudence, that underscores Zimmerman's inexperience, to say "I won't prosecute cases under laws I disagree with." 

I think a county attorney could ethically say "I have to follow the law as it is, but here's something I'd like to see changed." But I'm a clerk, not a lawyer. That seems to be outside Janet's comfort zone. She sees that as the role of a legislator, not an officer of the court. I hope she can expand that comfort zone as this campaign continues. If not, it'll cost her some votes.

An attorney's relationship with the law, and how that grows over time, is hard for a non-attorney, or a fresh graduate, to understand. Janet Lyness has spend her adult life building it. It's a sign of her integrity that rather than grandstanding to gain political points, she is true to that relationship. She sees that role as mitigating the consequences and bringing some justice to the underlying problems. And she does that difficult, often thankless job remarkably well.

Braley Talks Health Care in Iowa City

Obamacare dominated a Saturday morning house party for Bruce Braley in Iowa City.

“Democrats are not going to win in 2014 by trying to hide from the Affordable Caree Act," Braley told the crowd of 75 or so at the home of Johnson County Dems chair Gerene Denning. "I am proud of the work I did to pass the Affordable Care Act."

“Without the affordable care act people would not have the opportunities to change jobs without worrying about preexisting conditions.  At that time 47 million people had no health care and we needed to do something about it. My friends who voted for it and lost have no regrets."

“I need you to be my voice in pushing back against false information,” Braley told the crowd, a solid blue group of Democratic activists. “Democrats care so deeply about policy we sometimes get bogged down in details and forget to have people tell their stories in a powerful and short way.”

When a questioner asked about single payer, Braley said he had favored a strong public option that was stripped out of the final bill, but “you have to crawl before you walk.”

Talk also turned to the horse race.  “I’ve already had over a million spent against me by the Koch brothers," Braley said. "It is relentless and we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg.”

“We will not have 64 Obama field offices this year" like Democrats did in 2012.  Braley said. I will raise at least $2 million in addition to my own campaign to have the strongest field operation in Iowa.”

Looking at other races, Braley was optimistic about Jack Hatch, his partner at the top of the Democratic ticket. “Only 44% feel Terry Branstad deserves another term, and that is a great opportunity.” A strong challenge to Branstad is important because “If Branstad sees he has an easy race you KNOW he’ll be meddling in every other race."

Also noted: Steve King's opponent: “People don’t know how powerful a candidate Jim Mowrer is.”

A relaxing chat with @Johndeeth yesterday in Iowa City. pic.twitter.com/yljd1q9Icl
— Bruce Braley (@BruceBraley) March 24, 2014

I forgot the beret for the interview but should have worn it as I was having a bad no-hair day.


Is this typical where health care pretty much dominates?

Not necessarily because it depends on where you are and what's on people's minds. So obviously, when I was in Council Bluffs I talked to people about veterans issues at that diner that I visited, I talked to retired teachers about education issues, I talked to seniors who were there about protecting and preserving social security and medicare. There was a farmer sitting there, we talked about the farm bill and renewable fuels. So It just depends on what's on people's minds. But here in Iowa City, which is kind of the epicenter of state health care.


A lot of doctors here today...

Doctors, hospital administrators, and I think because people are very focused on the ongoing conversation here in Iowa City.

Why do you think the Affordable Care Act is a hard sell right now?

Because it was a very important piece of legislation and it has a lot of different components to it because health care is a $3 trillion business in the united states. And a lot of different things were included in the act to try to improve the delivery of health care and its efficiency by getting better outcomes. So it's taken a while for it to all roll out and it's something that people are even today still trying to figure out how it impacts their lives.

Part of what I'm thinking is the really really popular things like staying on your folks' till you're 26, preexisting conditions, kicked in faster. Now we're at the stage where people are having to sign up and it's confusing and of course there was the roll-out problem with the website.

Yeah, and that was a terrible problem because so many of us who worked so hard on the Affordable Care Act wanted that whole system to unfold the way it was intended to so people would have easy access to find out what type of coverage they were eligible for, what type of assistance they might be eligible for, and to get it done in a complete and succinct manner. And when people started to encounter problems, many of us who were in Congress were very upset about the problems and worked hard to try to get them fixed. And now anybody who wants to enrol is having a much easier time getting on finding out what's available and I think we're seeing a very significant increase here at the end of march in the number of people that are actually signing up.

Let's say you're with a more independent crowd and you're hearing about jobs and the economy, what kind of stuff are people thinking about?

Well the thing that I keep talking about is the minimum wage and the need to restore it. the reason for that is the minimum wage has lost 30% of its purchasing power since the last time it was increased. So restoring it means giving it back the same level of purchasing power and we know just from labor statistics that if we do that, according to the bill Senator Harkin and I have sponsored that 300,000 Iowans would see an increase in their pay. And that money then circulates in their communities because they have more to spend. And it also impacts other wages because if minimum wage is more reflective of what it takes to stay above the poverty level...


... it drives the other wages up.

... it drives the other wages up because people realize that you can't live below the poverty level working a minimum wage job.

We Democrats have just got a chronic problem in getting our folks excited about a midterm election. When the presidency's on the ballot, they're lined up for hours, but in a midterm we don't perform as well and Republicans are still able to get their people out. What can we do about that and what can you do about that as the name on the top of the ballot?

 Well, one of the things we have to do is inspire Democratic voters to want to come out and let them know that there are important reasons why their vote matters just as much in a midterm election as it does during a presidential election. Obviously a presidential race gets a lot of national publicity so it's easier to get people focused on going out to vote. but the reality is the last two years of President Obama's legacy will be defined by what we do on November 4th, in Iowa and other states around the country. So we're focusing on where we sometimes see a drop off in turnout, one of those places is among younger voters. So we're working very hard to establish strong support on college campuses. We know that some of those students are going to graduate in the spring and won't be coming back, so we're looking for leaders who will be coming back in the fall who can hit the ground running, help us make students aware of the choices in this election and how it's going to impact their futures. Same thing with high school voters who are going to be eligible to vote for the first time and want to vote now rather than waiting to vote in 2016 in the presidential election. We also know that there are a number of voters who traditionally don't show up as often in a midterm election, so we're trying to find ways to reach out to them. Younger voters don't watch the local nightly news near as much as our generation did, so we are doing a lot more on line to try to connect with them, things like Netflix, Hulu, other programming that they watch frequently so that we can try to find a way to connect with them.

I hear Facebook isn't cool anymore.

It changes so fast.

I'm not seeing your race showing up on the national top of the list races. It's almost as if they're saying "aww, Braley's gonna be OK" but you don't sound like you're taking anything for granted.

I see a lot of things that say the opposite. I see a lot of articles that say Iowa is definitely in play. When you look at what's happening, the fact that Mark Udall in Colorado now has a strong challenger, the fact that Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire will probably be running against a former incumbent senator, Scott Brown... All of those things will divert resources to help incumbent members of the Senate and that's why I'm working so hard to get around the state and build a strong ground game because that's what it's going to take to register voters, to get them to vote and for me to be successful in the Senate race.

That's always how Iowa Democrats do it.

That's how we do it.

Upcoming Events: March 24-31

The big event of the week is Wednesday at 5 PM: the filing deadline for county candidates. I have literally a front row seat for that one and will update later that night, surprises or not.

Janet Lyness won't br a surprise as she's made plans to turn her papers in Tuesday and follow that up with a post-filing party at Monica's on the Coralville Strip from 5 to 7 that evening. Refreshments and Pizza included, donations welcome.

Also on Tuesday, there's a noon Pentacrest "Rally for Women's Health and Separation of Church and State." It's timed to coincide with events in DC:

On March 25, at the same time of this rally, the US Supreme Court will be hearing oral arguments in two cases (referred to as the "Hobby Lobby" cases) that seek to deny its employees the health coverage of contraceptives to which the employees are entitled by federal law, based on the religious objections of the corporation's owners.

Sponsored by the League of Women Voters Johnson County. Co-sponsers include University of Iowa Democrats; Secular Students at UI; UI Feminist Union; Sisterhood of Agudas Achim.

DVIP's annual fundraiser is Thursday:

With $25 tickets, you get to pick one soup bowl which is donated by community members, antique stores, Fires Up through out the year. Many groups and organization collect the very unique and fun bowls. 

You can use your bowl to eat soups that are also donated by the famous restaurants around the town, while you are listening to the live music!

Week In Review: March 17-23

Been in a posting slump this week as I write stuff for future publication and work on moving into new tech. Read this review slamming my new phone immediately after buying it:

At 6.3 inches, the Mega is conspicuously larger than just about everything else consumers are making calls on. It’s not only the largest phone on AT&T’s shelves, but it’s one of the largest phones in the world, and never for a second pretends to be anything other than just that.

Unfortunately, the Galaxy Mega is not only one of the largest phones on the market, but it’s also one of the worst. Shooting off an SMS takes brute strength and two meaty paws; making a phone call looks and feels ridiculous, despite what anyone graciously might tell you. The Mega is the most polarizing device in Samsung’s arsenal, and the tough love it’s been receiving from the skeptics as a poorly designed and gimmicky smartphone isn’t entirely unwarranted.

But perhaps all of us — consumers, Samsung, and AT&T — have got it all wrong. Maybe the Galaxy Mega is being unfairly judged as an awful smartphone when, in reality, it’s a fantastic tablet.

Which, since that's exactly how I'm using it, is fine by me. The problem with the big phone is... it's big? That's like the warning label Caution: our hot coffee is hot. The screen on this thing is as large as the screen on the vintage 2005 eeePC netbook I was blogging with a few months ago.

The state filing marathon is over. Tony Bisignano is ruled ON the ballot though Ned Chiodo will likely appeal to drag out the bad PR further. Daily Kos Elections officially called Senate Candidate Scott Schaben and 1st CD candidate Matthew Waldren Some Dude.

Locally, a few more folks filed. County attorney challenger John Zimmerman turned the paper in late last week (Week In Review was pre-empted last week by All 125 Districts) and incumbents Kim Painter (recorder) and supervisor Janelle Rettig filed theirs this past week.

The rumor mill reports that North Liberty council member Gerry Kuhl, who passed nomination papers at the January caucuses, will NOT file. So that leaves incumbent county attorney Janet Lyness (who plans to file Tuesday, Democratic supervisor candidate Mike Carberry (also planning to file early in the week) and incumbent Republican supervisor John Etheredge (who doesn't keep me in the inner circle on his plans).

Rettig picked up an Iowa City Federation of Labor endorsement Thursday night. At next month's meeting they decide whether to leave that as their only endorsement or to choose make a second endorsement between Carberry (who was late on the survey), Lisa Green-Douglass, or theoretically Etheredge (who, shockingly, didn't return the survey at all).

Ans there are reports that Jeb Bush is calling into Iowa. You know who's NOT calling Iowa? Hillary Clinton...

Fraud Fixation Fails

The first big Iowa "voter fraud" trial is over and ends in an embarrassing failure, as a jury took less than an hour to find Kelli Jo Griffin not guilty.

Prosecutors couldn't have picked a weaker case. Griffin had completed their terms of her past sentencing and had been told by her attorney that she could re-register again after five years. She waited that long, and not being a political junkie like anyone reading this didn't know that the policy had changed during the intervening time. . When she voted the poll workers didn't catch her because she's remarried and changed her name.

Intent is critical here, and that's why most prosecutors are not pursuing these cases. Following Ryan Foley's excellent coverage of the trial, it looked to me like Lee County Attorney Michael Short had a chip on his shoulder about Griffin, perhaps from years back in the prior cases. Foley pushed the envelope of Objective Journalism to the edge in describing Short shouting in Griffin's face.

It seems, according to Short, that Griffin voting was part of some grand conspiracy to hide from her past. Ashamed to say Short is a Democrat and I hope he's getting a primary challenge.

Schultz shamelessly claimed “as a result of this case this individual will not cancel out the vote of anyone in the future.” Cut to 3rd CD debate. Mr. Schultz, what is your position on the crisis in Ukraine? "Voter fraud."

What's getting ignored here: move the timeline of this case back three years, to a 2005 conviction and a 2010 vote, and there's no problem. This only happened because Terry Branstad changed the policy on literally his first day back in office.

The case has served one purpose: it's scared a whole lot of people who have some trouble in their past, and now they're less likely to take a chance on exercising their rights. But the jury's fast verdict is another sign that the backlash is kicking in.

Legislative Race Grab Bag

Wednesday was the deadline for state and federal candidates to drop out of the June 3 primary. It looks like the only one who did was Jon Van Wyk, the primary challenger to Republican Rep. Greg Heartsill in House 28.

The drop-out sets up the November home school vs. home birth rematch between Heartsill and Democrat Megan Suhr. The Newton Daily News has an in-depth look at Van Wyk's residency problems. He was pretty blatantly carpetbagging in, but there's some question as to whether that bag was unpacked. No word on whether Matt Schultz will file voter fraud charges.

KMA Radio, home of the Everly Brothers and Jim Ross Lightfoot, has a good look at the Senate 11 Republican primary. My expertise in southwest Iowa internal Republican politics is weak, but I think I pegged this one right as a town vs. country fight as Council Bluffs city finance director Art Hill faces former Cattlemen's lobbyist Tom Shipley. Contrasting quotes:

"I'd like to make sure Iowa stays strong, economically," said Hill. "We're in a good position right now by not spending more than we're taking in. The leadership the Branstad Administration has demonstrated on fiscal years over the last handful of years has been good."

"The rural voice of Iowa needs to be heard," Shipley said. "As the demographics in Iowa change, we're losing more representation to urban areas. I think someone needs to be speak up for rural people--someone who has experience and background in that area."

This primary is decisive as Democrats have no candidate and no chance in a blood-red district.

If you're following the Branstad Buy-Out scandal, you may know that one of the former state employees, Pam Deichmann, is the Democratic challenger to Julian Garrett in Senate 13. Deichmann lost the special election for State House 25 to Stan Gustafson in January.

The Clinton Herald profiles Democrat Jay Saxon, running for open House 97 where Republican Steve Olson is retiring. And the Waterloo Courier talks to Walt Rogers' Democratic challenger, Karyn Finn.

Last and least: Tom Hoefling, the Some Dude primarying Terry Branstad, is challenging the governor to five debates. OO kay. "I am willing to debate any time, anywhere in the state, under any circumstance.”

Kajtazovic first with mailer in 1st CD

Anesa Kajtazovic looks like the first candidate in the five-way Democratic primary in the 1st CD to land with a broad-based direct mail piece.


Two separate pieces started landing in 1st District mailboxes: a broad introductory piece ("From a war-torn nightmare to fighting for the middle class American dream," with pictures of bombed-out Sarajevo, Bosnia included) and a "mom" piece in which Hadzira Kajtozovic takes on the job of introducing her daughter the candidate.

 Both pieces hit the same three issue bullet points:

• "Fight for Social Security, Medicare, and fairness for middle class seniors" 
• An immediate minimum wage increase to over $10 an hour 
• and "Oppose the Republican War on Women and fight for pay equality."

No word on how much mail went out, but primary electorates are very finite and very predictable universes. When this seat (under quite different lines) was last open in 2006, there were just over 29,000 Democratic primary voters.

There's been no public polling to date in the race. Pat Murphy released an internal poll that showed him ahead but very close to the 35% required for a nomination.

If no one gets 35, the nomination is decided at convention. Kajtazovic locked in most of her home county support at the Black Hawk County convention a week ago, when the convention broke into preference groups. Only  Kajtazovic and Murphy were viable and Kajtazovic claimed about 70% of the delegates.

There's strong sentiment among Iowa Democrats that the state is long overdue to send a woman to Congress. Just today, Smart Politics published a study giving Iowa an F as one of only six state to never send a woman to the House of Representatives. Four of those states have had a female governor or US Senator, leaving just Iowa and Mississippi.

Two other women are in the 1st CD Democratic race, Swati Dandekar and Monica Vernon, but they share the same Linn County home base (along with Dave O'Brien). And Murphy isn't a universally loved candidate; if he were, he would have cleared the field like Bruce Braley did instead of attracting four rivals. If a convention goes to multiple ballots, and Kajtazovic comes in with  a strong showing on ballot one, she looks like a good second choice for Time For A Woman and Anyone But Murphy delegates.

Filing By The Numbers

After finishing the blogathon of All 125 Seats, I caught my breath and crunched a new numbers. While I was doing that Bleeding Heartland did a senate overview so I won't duplicate too much of that.

 Only 11 of the 25 Senate races have contested general elections at the moment. All are bunched in the partisan middle, with the top seven Democratic seats that are on this cycle unopposed, and the top six Republican seats also going uncontested. (This is using my oversimplified math of active registration, Ds minus Rs, which is just an easy approximation.)

The toughest races: Whoever comes out of the Senate 29 Republican primary to face Tod Bowman has to run in the #12 Democratic district overall (counting the holdovers, which are 12 Ds and 13 Rs). Democrat Maria Bribriesco is challenging Roby Smith in the #17 Republican seat. The only seat that's uncontested within that range is Matt McCoy's, the #13 Democratic seat.

The only Senate or House race with primaries on both sides is Senate 39, the #23 Democratic/#28 Republican seat. Sandy Greiner is retiring, but never ran in this version if the district which is half in Johnson County.
Moving over to the House:

At the moment there are 58 uncontested general election races. 26 seats have no Democrat and 32 no Republican.

Republicans have candidates in 68 seats, with 63 of those in their top 65 seats. The most vulnerable Democrats with byes for now (there can still be conventions till August) are Patti Ruff in House 56, their #26 seat, and John Forbes in House 40, their #37 target.

The GOP's toughest races for now are: Nathan Bolton in House 61 in Waterloo. That's the #80 Republican seat, but Republicans actually won it in 2006. The second toughest GOP seat, #70 on their depth chart, is one of their own: incumbent Brian Moore in House 58.

There are four seats with Republican primaries and no Democratic candidate: open House 1 and primary challenges for Jake Highfill, Dave Heaton and Stan Gustafson.

Five Four GOP incumbents have primary challenges: The three above plus Walt Rogers and Greg Heartsill (challenger dropped out). That's WAY down from 2012 when a dozen Republican incumbents got challenges. Part of that is that 2012 was the first election after redistricting, but some of that was the in-fighting within the Iowa Republican party in general.

Democrats have candidates in 74 seats, including all of their top 46 seats and three gaps in the top 65. The uncontested Republicans are tougher targets than the unopposed Dems: Tom Sands at #47, Kevin Koester at #50 and Larry Sheets at #51. Note that even after the August nominating convention deadline, Pat Murphy had only recruited 70 candidates.

There are three Democratic primaries: the open Pat Murphy and Tyler Olson seats and an odd primary challenge to Vicki Lensing in Iowa City.

The Democrat with the toughest uphill fight is Tim Ennis challenging Jack Drake in House 20, the #10 GOP seat.

Democrats are challenging 22 Republican incumbents, while the Republicans are taking on just 13 Democratic incumbents.

And finally, the lucky duck of the year is former Republican senator Mike Sexton. He looks likely to walk into Tom Shaw's House 10 with no primary or general election opponent. Still not as good as Nancy Dunkel last cycle: she walked into a seat held by the other party with no opposition.