Primary Concern
Doing due diligence
Tomorrow, June 2nd, Iowa will go to the primaries to select candidates for the November elections. If you haven’t done so, please take the time to view the ballots for your area and then, go vote. I realize that there are often uncontested positions at this point, but there are some important decisions to be made. Please take the time to learn about the candidates and then help make those decisions.
If you are unsure who is running or where your polling place is, your county typically has that information on their website. I live in Bremer County (Iowa) and here is the page that gives information for everything from polling locations to sample ballots. You can go to the Iowa Secretary of State page and find the list of County Auditors. Each should have a website that will include similar information on voting for the county in question.
Iowa Capital Dispatch features information on each of the candidates (both Democrat and Republican) for statewide and federal elections. You may have to do some of your own searching for other contested races. But, hey, searching for information has supposedly never been easier - so take a moment and figure it out.
You can do this.
Tired, but willing to fulfill the obligation
I’m going to start by acknowledging that I, and probably very many of you, are tired of the political game. But that does not absolve us from the responsibility that we each have to participate in the governance of our local communities, our state and our nation. If we want to be governed well, we must take the time to make our choices well. If we blindly check boxes or skip participating entirely, we give up our place in the process. When we give up our place in the process, we effectively condone bad governance.
We need to get past the fancy quotes and nasty attacks. And that requires effort on OUR part. After all is said and done, elected individuals are supposed to be public servants. But if we don’t take our part seriously, there is no reason for them to do their jobs in a way that works for all of us.
While I can’t, and won’t do this for every race. I have a few opinions to share that I would like you to consider.
Josh Turek for Senate
I have been reading the platform positions for each of the candidates running for Joni Ernst’s US Senate seat. Candidates includes Jim Carlin (R), Ashley Hinson (R), Zach Walls (D) and Josh Turek (D).
I’m going to start by telling you that this is a rare case where I am very willing to say that I am going to vote FOR someone because I actually think it will be an excellent choice. Too often, I think many of us vote for “the least bad choice.” Well, here’s your chance to pick an individual that I think will be a good one for the job.
Let me suggest that you view Turek’s platform - which is far more detailed than most candidates for many offices at this point. In fact, politicians often avoid getting too specific because they are afraid that they’ll actually have to defend their positions. Turek shows competence and a willingness to engage with the people in the hopes that the best solutions can be found.
I appreciate that water quality is among Turek’s priorities, especially given the current concerns in our state (which don’t stop at Iowa’s borders). As a farmer, I like the fact that Turek supports a Right to Repair bill so farmers can maintain the equipment they buy and I appreciate his view that Congress should not be allowed to go on recess until a Farm Bill is completed when one is due.
I really like the idea to stop private equity from buying into our elder care facilities. That’s something I believe is very much responsible for the decline of our nursing home systems in the state and across the nation. I’ve long felt that turning the care of people, including our elders, into a for-profit operation is a bad idea. Suddenly, profit margins drive decisions, not the welfare of those in the system.
I would like Turek to explicitly take a stand against data centers as well as come up with a start on a cohesive policy regarding Artificial Intelligence. And, I’d also like to see some more movement away from corporate agriculture and pesticides. But he’s closer than most and I think I could actually work with this person.
Turek’s opponent in the primary is Zach Wahls. All I can say here is that I don’t dislike Wahls and he does support many things I agree with. I’m just not seeing the commitment to identifying all of the things that we NEED our next Senator to be working towards. In other words, I see too many holes and, frankly, maybe too much commitment to establishment politics.
Ashley Hinson has been my US Representative and I have categorically removed her from consideration. As a person who has attempted to advocate for change, I can tell you that Hinson and her staff have made it clear they do not want to hear from a person who does not always say what they want you to say. She simply follows the Republican caucus and is not strong enough to stand for something on her own.
For example, when the amendment offered by Representative Pingree (D) was offered for the farm bill to remove a section that would grant lawsuit immunity to pesticide companies, I (and many others) sent letters asking Hinson to support it. The response, when I finally go it, was not detailed, but made it clear that the amendment was not worth considering. The main implication was that nothing good could come from a Democrat. Then, the amendment was sponsored by Representative Luna (R) and the idea was a good one. Hinson and all of Iowa’s representatives voted to remove the lawsuit immunity section.
First, I want to point out that part of the reason for this comes from the fact that the people’s ACTIVE opposition in Iowa (and other states) to lawsuit immunity for pesticide companies set the stage for this result. We CAN and DID make a difference. The Iowa delegation is aware that there are many in the state who are adamantly opposed to letting these big multi-nationals get way without being accountable for the problems they have caused.
Second, I want to make it clear that if Hinson was more willing to engage with constituents more than with those in the party with power, she might have seen the light sooner. It could have been the Pingree/Hinson amendment. There were certainly enough people in Iowa trying to tell her this was a bad idea from the start. But Hinson is apparently blind to anything that doesn’t come from the “right person.” In any event, we don’t need a follower with no intention to listen to constituents in the US Senate. It certainly calls into question competence and definitely makes me think the issue was too complex for Hinson to process.
And, finally, Jim Carlin shows very little interest outside a small number of issues. Iowa is a much bigger place than Carlin’s platform gives it credit for. I don’t see him showing much interest in representing all of the people in the state.
US House District 2
Speaking of Ashley Hinson, her efforts to run for Senate leaves this House Seat open for the taking. And, at present, there are three Democrats running to be on the ballot, two Republicans and one Independent.
Since I will be voting in the Democratic primary, I will be voting for Clint Twedt-Ball to receive that party’s nomination. I agree with him that the ultra-wealthy need to be paying more to help this country run. I also agree that health care access is important, especially in rural areas.
Twedt-Ball is also pushing to stop or slow the development of data centers, which is a growing concern. In fact, it is one we all should have been actively pushing against before this point. But we all have to do what we can when we can. Twedt-Ball’s issues stance is here.
I am also watching Dave Bushaw (Independent) with some interest. Among Bushaw’s main platform points are a desire to see campaign finance reform and a ban on individuals in Congress owning company stock, which can influence their actions.
An Iowa Public Radio summary for all of the candidates for this seat is here. At this point, I know who I will vote for in the primary. We’ll see what I think after the primary for the general election.
Other opinions
I have other opinions, of course. But, for now, I only feel good about sharing what I have above. That’s part of the responsibility of choosing well. If I don’t think I know enough yet to say something, I should probably hold my silence.
But I know I have an obligation to speak up. So, I will.
Thank you for taking the time to read my words. I hope they are of service to you, whether you agree with them or not. Agreement is not required, but the chance to share, discuss and work together for better seems like a reasonable goal.
Here’s to figuring that out.
Thanks, Rob, for making this valuable information available to us, your loyal readers, as well as your thoughts. And thanks, too, for reminding us of our responsibilities, especially in these times.
Thanks for your intelligent, reasoned and responsible review of some of the candidates in your area. I'm following American politics through some of the independent reporters, and am feeling hope in the resilience and push back from citizens everywhere. It's going to be a hard road ahead, but if the tide turns, it will also be an important marker in American history. I don't know if complacent Canadians would have the same fortitude and energy to stand up in the same way. And I hope we are learning from this that complacency makes us complicit in the results we get. Thank you!