An Afternoon with Hardin County Democrats
From the 'Capillaries of Democracy' Dept.
I only wish more of you could’ve have been in the room with me at the Hardin County Democrats Rally For Rural Voices held Saturday evening at the Iowa Falls Community Theater.
You would have been inspired by what took place. The honesty and courage displayed by the Hardin Co. Dems in a decidedly challenging moment for Iowa Democrats was gratifying to witness.
Invited to speak at the event were Democratic candidates for Iowa U.S. Congressional seats including U.S. House candidate Sarah Corkery (running in the 2nd District against Rep. Ashley Hinson) and Hardin County Supervisor candidate Lisa Lawler. Educator Professor Jolene Teske offered compelling advocacy for protecting Iowa public education while yours truly was there at the request of Hardin Co. resident Julie Duhn. I was representing Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement and talking up CCI’s summer convention coming up this weekend Saturday August 10 in Ankeny.
Veteran Iowa reporters who cover Iowa politics know the scene: Maybe 30 or so people in the common area of the community center (thankfully somebody made sure the air conditioning was on..) homemade pies (a yummy catalyst for fundraising) sit in the kitchen awaiting the auction, some great home cooked main dishes, sandwiches and maybe the best chocolate laden Rice Krispie treats I’ve had in decades are served up to all who need sustenance before candidate presentations.
In between the candidate presentations however, fierce bidding wars for State Fair Award-winning pies broke out. Cherry, Apple, and English Walnut pies (with a nail-biter of a bidding battle over the Strawberry/Rhubarb pie between candidate Lisa Lawler and her father Paul )
Democratic candidates for Iowa U.S. Congressional seats invited to make presentations were U.S. House candidate Sarah Corkery (running hard against Ashley Hinson) and Hardin County Supervisor candidate Lisa Lawler. Professor Jolene Teske spoke with passion and reason on protecting our public education system in Iowa. All of the candidates credited their Iowa public education with providing the foundation on which to build successful careers. My presence there was at the request of Hardin Co. resident Julie Duhn representing Iowa Citizens For Community Improvement.
There is no question that Iowa Democrats are in a tough place right now but that’s precisely why Saturday’s experience was such an extraordinarily exhilarating experience. A revealing look into the true heart of Iowa grassroots politics separate from ‘party politics’.
Listening to Corkery, running a smart, economical campaign despite inconsistent support from her own party was truly inspiring. Maybe this is the opportunity to repair intra-party relations frayed since the Obama years. Both Lawler and Corkery have paddled themselves out into a perilous ocean but I sense that they are poised to catch a possibly historic wave.
That wave is the Imminent rise of Kamala Harris.
Hardin County’s weekend gathering may have been relatively small with no big-time operatives around but you could sense a universal realization amongst the candidates that indeed, something fundamental was evolving…and definitely for the better.
Update: Read Justin Ites’, report of the event for the Times-Citizen in Iowa Falls. (paywalled)
When I was first approached to speak to Hardin County Dems, President Joe Biden was still in the race for re-election but less than two weeks later…..
Below are my revised comments to the Hardin Co. Dems in light of the seismic changes to the Democratic ticket
A Second Chance….
Well, here we are now in August 2024. You don't need me to tell you about the less-than-desireable position that Iowa Democrats find themselves in currently. I can tell you that in 2008 from where I sat in California, it looked as if Iowa Dems were in the catbird seat.
As the first State to give Obama the critical push of acceptance that later led to his nomination and ultimate election as the 44th President of the United States, Iowa was into was some heady stuff.
I came back home to Iowa in the Summer of 2009 expecting to see a highly unified, focused Democratic party but what I observed on the ground was certainly not that. I wasn't living here at the time but the divisions and factionalism I saw here were disappointing, especially when I heard Limbaugh on the radio spreading divisive disinformation with no effecive pushback from media or anywhere else.
The Obama-era unity appeared paper thin amongst Democrats while Republicans were ironically using the tools of the civil rights movement i.e. Evangelical churches and their grassroots supporters to begin replacing his messages of hope and change to their own divisive concepts of racism and ridicule.
Ask yourselves, those of you who were there, what happened?
The unity of that time was lost quicker than an ice cream cone in the sun.
Well, that may have been the case before but with Lawler and Corkery(!) These women are fighters for the kind of ethical governance that all Iowans regardless of affiliation could be proud of.
If Iowa Dems can realize the opportunity they’ve been given, then together we have a chance.
Can Iowa Dems pull themselves together, forget the divisions and factionalism that has cost us so much and pull together again.
Deep down I know that you can but here is the real challenge for all of us:
Given this second chance at building a people-powered democracy-supporting apparatus for victory, can you squash intra-party divisions in order to build consciousness for activating everyone from moderate Dems to CCI activists in recognizing and defending what brings us together.
Here some math for you:
Imagine putting together a coalition that will last not just one election but to win FOUR election cycles in a row. Imagine the commitment, the messaging, the pipeline of candidates that Iowans could cultivate to build the wiser Iowa that we all can support—even Republicans who aren't so far down the rabbit hole that they vote against their own interests.
But Dartanyan, that's 16 years of efforts.
That's right folks, it took 35 years to get to this place and if you know about making systemic change you know that 16 years is not that long when you're talking about human endeavor. The rights that have been taken away from women were under threat practically from the moment of passage of Roe V. Wade.
To rebuild the coalitions necessary to make the progress we all want will take patience, consistency and a much more ecumenical assesment of our relationship to each other. I don't think a party (or groups associated with our views on civil rights, environmental and racial justice) can stand apart any longer from so-called progressive organizations like Iowa CCI. I would think that protection of our public assets from education to healthcare would be enough to “get the old band back together” for another shot at creating a more just and sustainable Iowa.
We (you here In Iowa) did it once before and it would seem the Fates have delivered to us another chance to not just win an election but to pull together the energy embodied by Barack Obama and now Kamala Harris to rebuild and dare I say rejoice in our ability to believe in ourselves, our vision and our future.
A few words about education:
As an educator who happens to be a black man with roots in Buxton, I know how important education has been in preparing me for the world. In the bad old days, the slave master didn't see the need for education for the slaves. In fact, intentional elimination of one's own heritage and even name made it easier for the slaveholder to control their human property. The same vision haunts me today as Kim Reynolds continues the Branstad tradition of undermining our public schools. And to what end?
An ignorant populace is a pliable one. And here's the thing: Enabled by local right-wing media (WHO) Republicans like Rep. Steve Holt or transplanted Washington stater like Rep. Skyler Wheeler spew unchallenged ignorance about everything from the 1619 Project (hat tip to Waterloo-born author Nicole Hannah-Jones) to false statements about 'indoctrination' in our public universities.
Republican legislators, enabled by WHO, spew hatred and ignorance into the homes of regular Iowans day in and day out while The Des Moines Register has no Washington bureau to keep an eye on folks in D.C.
While Republicans couch their rhetoric in terms that seem friendly to “moderate White Iowans” the reality is that rural families are being hurt as much as anyone by Republicans delivering local control and citizens' rights into the hands of corporate actors dedicated to turning our public resources into their private profit centers.
I didn't expect to see Kamala Harris ascending to the big chair this soon but after living in California during her time as AG, I can tell you she is exactly the one to rekindle the possibility of not just a wiser Iowa but a wiser nation.
Iowa, throughout its history has played an important role in shaping the political narrative. We’ve had definitive wins and losses over the last 40 years. The Obama years were a testament to the cohesion and vision of Iowa Democrats and progressive minded Iowans
With the continued rise of Kamala Harris, a person with the knowledge, grace and grit to take on the challenge we face, I'm literally praying that we in the Hawkeye State can shake off our self doubts and reclaim our true progessive legacy. Believing in our mission and our people is the first step. I wouldn't presume to tell you all specifically what you must do to build back but I will end by saying: You did it once and you can do it again. You will do it by expanding your constituent base to include not just the business friendly or moneyed interests. The educators in this state need solid support from all of us in the days to come, You can see where Kim Reynolds, The Heritage Foundation and the American Legislative Exchange Council is trying to take you. It will take all of us to work together over the next 16 years to build the kind of place we want Iowa to be. Thank you all.
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“knowledge, grace and grit”
Keep on, Dartanyan. Thanks for writing.
🙏🏼 Amen, Dartanyan! "[Rebuild the coalitions ... [protect] our public assets from education to healthcare ... “get the old band back together” for another shot at creating a more just and sustainable Iowa."! 🙌🏼