"We Shouldn't be Chasing Votes; We Should be Chasing the Truth."
Ryan Melton, Democratic Candidate for Iowa's Fourth District
Paid subscribers will find the Zoom link to the Friday, June 28 Iowa Writers’ Collaborative “Office Lounge” at noon at the bottom of this post.
Iowa Democratic State Convention
I attended the Democratic State Convention at Prairie Meadows in Altoona last Saturday. Great people, great speeches, and kudos to the organizers. I saw so much sausage being made that I feel like I should invest in Jimmy Dean sausage, except I just looked it up and found that the brand is owned by Tyson’s, whose terrible environmental and labor record means I’m in the unenviable and hypocritical position of condemning the company while still eating their sausage. This makes me “empathize” just a little bit with the logical contortions once good, honorable Republicans had to go through in demeaning themselves as they rationalize their consumption of Trump™ MAGA anti-democracy baloney.
Saving Democracy
The convention was beautiful and ugly but in the end, Iowa Democrats stood united in their attempt to save our nation. Hyperbole? Nope. It’s not 2015 anymore and we need to stop acting like it is. MAGA is a wrecking ball destroying priceless public institutions and human lives.
Many of you have heard of the Republican effort to turn our country into a theocratic white nationalist “Christian” authoritarian state as they tell us they are going to do in their document America 2025, but did you know that Republicans have also openly admitted to seeking a “post-constitutional” country? Don’t believe me—believe what they say—they are telling us exactly what they plan to do should Trump gain a second term. Trump foreshadowed this effort when he suggested the Constitution be “suspended.”
Heroes
From left to right: Delegates Megan Day, Louise Esveld, Susan Reiter-Van Berkum, and Jan Evans. Other powerful Marion County women who lead us: Cheryl Scherr, Sheila Weldon, and Cindy Dilliner—sorry if I forgot someone!
These Marion County women lead the Marion County Democrats. They are heroes; patriots who love our country, win or lose, despite our glorious and checkered past. They fear no foe and woe be to any dumbass MAGA troll who crosses their intellectual path…
They are all Wonder Women!
The Story
Some of Iowa’s great news organizations have the story of the convention. I COULD have had a REAL story if I wasn’t too busy being lazy walking around yakking with people. Here’s a good summary by Robin Opsahl at the Iowa Capital Dispatch. The title says it all:
“Iowa Democrats at state convention pin 2024 hopes on abortion, education issues.”
Chair Rita Hart, House Minority Leader Jennifer Knofrst, and Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum shared the path forward with powerful messages. As did candidates Lanon Baccam, Sarah Corkery, and Ryan Melton.
Konfrst said she believed there was ample opportunity for the minority party to flip seats across the state this election. As Democrats prepare to volunteer, fundraise and knock doors in the lead-up to the Nov. 5 general election, Konfrst said that “message discipline” should be at the top of everyone’s minds.
“Iowans are voting on two issues this year,” Konfrst said. “What’s on their mind is public education and abortion — and reproductive freedom. And guess what? They’re with us.”
Indeed.
But I would frame the education part more strongly. It’s more than “public education.” That sounds benign when the fact of the matter is Kim Reynolds and every elected Republican representative want to put an end to public education. They are defunding it and giving taxpayer money to private schools with no accountability. SAY IT!
“At a certain point, you’ll hit a tipping point where public schools cannot afford to function.” That is the goal of Reynolds and every elected Republican. Tell everyone you know. Read this.
They will say, “oh no, competition will make the public schools stronger.”
They are lying. Notice how their eyes look down and away from you when they speak. That means they are lying.
Values
Melton had the best line of the day. "We Shouldn't be Chasing Votes; We Should be Chasing the Truth."
He’s right. If Democrats seek the truth and share our values effectively we will win. I’ve written before what I think Democratic values and Iowa values are:
For democracy and love of country in a time of insurrection, for voting rights in a time of voter suppression, for public education and libraries when they are under attack, for smart government being part of the solution, not the problem. For a free and honest press in a time of misinformation and lies, for historical truths in a time when they are being outlawed, for a true and deep understanding of our civil rights history, for our freedom to worship how one sees fit under the rising threat of theocratic authoritarian rule. For reproductive freedom in a time when fourth-grade girls are forced to give birth, women miscarry, and even die because their medical treatment is banned. Where healthcare is a right, not a privilege, where clean water, clean air, and climate solutions are possible, where taxation doesn’t favor the rich, where equal opportunity is for all, and where your chances in life aren’t determined by your ZIP code, race, gender, faith, sexual orientation, or gender identity.
But, there were missed opportunities at the convention, in part because no matter what the highly paid D.C. consultants say, there are more than two issues Democrats need to run on. We can walk and chew gum at the same time.
Missed Opportunity 1: Silence on Biden/Harris Accomplishments
I don’t remember hearing any mention of the successes of the Biden/Harris administration and they are legion. As I’ve written before, here are a few:
The recovery from the pandemic, the American Rescue Plan, record job growth, the bipartisan infrastructure law, the CHIPS and Science Act, investments in climate action and clean energy, the Inflation Reduction Act, Affordable Health Care Act enhancements, lowering prescription drug costs, the Respect for Marriage Act, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, investing in HBCUs, support for Ukraine, and many more accomplishments.
Why would ANY Democrat run from these successes? Why not embrace and celebrate them? I suspect the Democratic National Committee or some highly paid consultant told them to back away from Biden.
Here are the infrastructure investments the Biden/Harris administration has made in Iowa. Can you think of one infrastructure project Trump did in Iowa? Neither can I. Because there aren’t any that I know of. There are several here in Marion County thanks to Biden, and Republican Rep Mariannette Miller-Meeks is taking credit for them despite having voted against them.
And isn’t it ironic that Democrats choose not to celebrate Biden’s infrastructure accomplishments while Republicans take credit for them when they voted against their funding? Some highly paid consultant likely told them to run from Biden.
All Republican leadership and the Trump media trash Biden 24/7/365. Democratic silence is complicit with the Republican/Trump narrative. Speak up. If we don’t celebrate our accomplishments they will as their own.
Missed Opportunity 2: Not Running on Improving Water Quality in Iowa.
Iowans have had enough of big agricultural corporations and the state legislature not doing enough to help improve water quality in Iowa.
Chris Jones is the tip of the spear in the fight to improve Iowa’s water quality. I encourage you to subscribe to his substack and buy his award-winning book The Swine Republic (which has been honored with the prestigious title of a Library of Congress “Great Reads from Great Places” book Selection for 2024) to learn that there are ways to improve Iowa’s water quality if we want to. Standing with Chris is Dave Cwiertney of the University of Iowa as a leader on water quality.
We are at a tipping point where running on water quality can be a winning issue for Democrats, and brilliant dueling editorials in the Register and the Gazette last Sunday illustrate that Iowans have had enough of poor water quality and rising cancer rates.
But some highly paid D.C. consultant probably told Demoratic leadership not to run on cleaner water, something everyone wants.
Missed Opportunity 3: Not Opposing Carbon Pipelines
Opposition to carbon pipelines is also a winning issue according to Ryan Melton. About 78% of Iowans oppose eminent domain for carbon dioxide pipelines, according to a Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll last year.
Two weeks before the Republican primary, incumbent Randy Feenstra had a 54% lead over relatively unknown Kevin Virgil in polling. Election day proved the polls wrong, as Feenstra only won by 21 percentage points. While Virgil lost the election, he beat Feenstra in nine counties, primarily because of his anti-pipeline stance.
At least 14 incumbent Republican lawmakers lost primary races in South Dakota to anit-pipeline challengers.
Opposing the pipeline is a winning proposition for Democrats.
Driving back from a meeting last weekend with a wonderful group of energized Kossuth County Democrats, I was talking on the phone with Chris Jones.
During our conversation, pipelines came up. He suggested that Democratic leadership hasn’t come out against pipelines because they are afraid to piss off labor unions.
By the time we finished our conversation we decided being silent on pipelines is a mistake for Democrats. If the pipelines are ever built the jobs created will be a flash in the pan. They are highly paid jobs, but only 50% of the workers have to be from Iowa and the jobs are temporary. Democrats should be joining the anti-pipeline effort, because of the much greater number of jobs that will come from other opportunities Democrats deliver and Republicans refuse to. Unions don’t need pipelines, they need Democrats in office.
I asked a respected labor organizer who has worked on pipelines if this makes any sense. He said it did. He told me that union workers need the investments that the Biden/Harris administration have made and will continue to make.
But some highly paid consultant probably told Democrats to be mum on pipelines. That consultant probably couldn’t find Iowa on a map and has never had cow poop on his boots. If s/he has boots.
Voting isn’t Enough
As the Democratic leaders said at the convention, we need to do more than vote this year. Democracy is at stake. Can you door knock? Can you write a check? Can you send postcards? Write letters to the editor? A friend and delegate at the conversation who is from another county reminds me that we need to feel like we are part of a team—where we are really making a difference. That Democrats tend to focus too much on the opposition, and not enough on what we have to offer. I agree.
More Opportunities
There are a couple of important opportunities in August for team building:
You already know Chris Jones, and if you don’t know Jess Piper, you should. She’s one of the most powerful rural voices anywhere. She writes The View From Rural Missouri by Jess Piper. She’s a proud “dirt road” Democrat.
Jess is a former educator and Missouri State Representative nominee, she focuses on the public education funding crisis in Missouri, but the challenges she takes on — teacher pay, vouchers, a war on the poor, and the constant grift in a red state, are important in every state.
Follow Jess on Twitter @piper4missouri, and you won’t regret it. She slices and dices Republicans with such precision you won’t know whether to laugh or cry.
The event will be at Big Grove Brewery & Taproom in Iowa City, on Wednesday, August 7, from 6-7:30. Click here to register.
On August 10, I’ll be moderating a discussion for Iowa CCI with Dr. James E. Ford, Founder of the Center for Racial Equity in Education, Sara Hayden Parris, founder of Annie’s Foundation, who’s been fighting back against book bans and fighting for the freedom to read and learn, Vanessa Marcano-Kelly, board chair of the Iowa Migrant Movement for Justice, and Dave Cwiertny, the engineer and clean water fighter that I mentioned above.
Check out this video with Dr. Ford. You will never think about what’s happening to our public schools in Iowa the same way again.
The event will be in Ankeny at DMACC on Saturday, August 10, 10 am – 3 pm.
Coffee & registration begin at 9 am. It’s at the FFA Enrichment Center at 1055 SW Prairie Trail Pkwy, Ankeny, IA 50023.
To register for the event, please click here.
I’d love to see you there!
Someday, not so long into the future, maybe in ten or twenty years, your kids and grandkids are going to ask you, “When Republicans tried to destroy democracy, what did YOU do?”
What you do now is the answer to their question. Join us. Be proud of what you will one day tell them. Answer them now!
I’m a proud member of the Iowa Writer’s Collaborative, the most powerful organization in the Midwest and beyond providing outstanding features and commentary. Check out my friends here. Subscribe. Support their work if you can afford it. Please and thank you. We need you. Thanks for being part of the team!