Ribbon cutting ceremony at the almost finished interchange on I-80/I-380 near Coralville on Aug. 25, 2023. Photo Credit – Mariannette Miller-Meeks congressional newsletter Aug. 27, 2023. It has been no secret the interchange between Interstates 80 and 380 near Coralville needed improvement. It has long been one of the most crash-prone places in the state of Iowa. Commenced in 2018, the infrastructure project to reconstruct it is approaching completion, maybe in time for the Labor Day weekend. On Friday, Aug. 25, the Iowa DOT held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to “open” the Highway 218 part of the ..read more

After the Aug. 17, 2023 town hall meeting in Shueyville, State Representative Amy Nielsen provided the following information to help stay current with what the Iowa House Democrats are doing: Official Legislative Website and Subscribe to Newsletter:  https://www.legis.iowa.gov/  Website:  https://iowahouse.org/ Blue Statehouse Alert Email Alerts (Weekly during session, Monthly during interim):  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-the-blue-statehouse-alert People Over Politics Newsletter by Leader Jennifer Konfrst:  https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-up-for-t ..read more

B-61 Nuclear Bombs The United States is a country where we constantly balance security and liberty. During my youth, we were taught to believe that a large nuclear weapons arsenal, with a triad of land-based missiles, aircraft-dropped gravity bombs, and submarines would deter the Soviet Union from attacking us. When the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 happened, we shifted to a concern that a small group of terrorists had brought havoc on the country by bombing three locations with hijacked aircraft and could do it again. We subsequently gave unprecedented authority to the President to manage our sec ..read more

Mariannette Miller-Meeks at the Iowa State Fair, Aug. 13, 2010. Photo credit – Wikimedia Commons. Can Democrat Christina Bohannan beat Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks during the second contest between them in 2024? One can only hope… and do everything possible to see that she does. Going into her sixth campaign for the Congress, Miller-Meeks has become a wing-nut institution. Iowans deserve better. When Miller-Meeks first ran against Congressman Dave Loebsack in 2008 she got shellacked 57.2 percent to 35.4 percent. In 2010, Republicans regained lost ground in Iowa, yet Loebsack beat Miller ..read more

Iowa State Capitol. Like many of our readers, I traveled to Des Moines and Washington, D.C. to advocate for issues. I remember visiting Congressman Dave Loebsack in Washington, shortly after his 2006 election to the Congress with a list of a dozen issues to cover. It was quickly clear which issues most interested him. Because I had gotten to know him during his 2006 campaign, he patiently listened to them all. Issues-based politics has become a bane to normal political life. People have issues. I have issues with most of them. The Aug. 17 People Over Politics Town Hall Meeting in Shueyville go ..read more

The numbers vary among different legislators and political activists, yet somewhere between 65,000 and 90,000 registered Iowa Democrats did not vote in 2022. It seems like an easy problem to solve. Reach out to those voters, the ones that still live in the state or district, and encourage them to vote. Easy-peasy lemon-squeezy… done before you know it. It surely will make a difference! Not so fast! While a good number of political activists swear that in-person contact — at people’s homes or by telephone — is the most effective way to get voters to vote, Democratic activists who attended the ..read more

One of the issues discussed at an Aug. 17 meeting in Shueyville, with representatives of the Iowa House Democrats, was registering high school students to vote. There are processes and conflicts in doing so within some school districts. To hear attendees tell about it, it was a struggle. State Representative Elinor Levin nodded when I mentioned House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst had been promoting Iowa High School Democrats as an organizing tool. Never heard of it? It is a national organization for Democratic high school students with state and local chapters. High School Democrats of Ame ..read more

Unknown parade during the John Kerry campaign in 2004. The Johnson County Democrats created a political campaign called “No Off-Years.” In a recent email, State Senator Zach Wahls explained: I’m reaching out to invite you to join our “No Off-Years” campaign – a movement that goes beyond the elections every two years and focuses on doing the important organizing work that will turn Iowa blue again. Our democracy thrives when we, the people, are actively involved in shaping its path. It’s not just about rallying before elections – it’s about keeping our momentum going consistently. That’s the i ..read more

Johnson County Democrats at the Solon Beef Days parade, July 2022. In an email exchange with a friend, I asked whether they would attend the Iowa State Fair on Saturday when the two Democratic candidates other than Joe Biden were scheduled to appear at the Des Moines Register Soapbox. They said yes, and would bird dog some of the Republicans as well. Had I known Semafor journalist Dave Weigel would be there, I might have driven to the state capitol for a chance to meet him. Thursday, on their way to the state fair, Iowa Democratic Party Chair Rita Hart and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz stopped b ..read more

First district Democratic congressional candidate Christina Bohannan One of the worst kept secrets in Iowa’s First Congressional District is that Christina Bohannan intends to run against Mariannette Miller-Meeks again in the 2024 general election. All Spring and Summer I’ve been pointing out at in-person political meetings there was no declared candidate for the Congress. Half a dozen different times I was rebuffed, with folks saying there was a candidate. Finally, at a July 6 event at a Mexican restaurant in Solon, someone named Bohannan as a candidate. The soft launch of her campaign was co ..read more