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Thursday, April 21
Join Ed Fallon's Campaign for Governor
by
Linda Thieman
on Thu 21 Apr 2005 05:19 AM CDT
 Join Ed Fallon's Campaign for Governor
A Message from Rep. Ed Fallon (D-Des Moines)
Many
thanks to the over 400 people who came to the official kick-off of my
campaign at the State Capitol earlier this month! The energy and
momentum generated by the rally, which received extensive statewide
television and press coverage, has elevated the visibility of our
campaign and the acceptance of its viability. I am truly grateful
for the support and enthusiasm expressed through your attendance at the
rally, the hundreds of volunteer hours and the donations received.
I meant
what I said at the rally that this is OUR campaign. The issues
that matter to you also matter to me, and I want to be able to do more
than simply talk about them. We can reform the healthcare system
if we stop handing out tax breaks to insurance companies. We can
commit more money to education if we curb the legislature's appetite
for corporate welfare. And we can prioritize environmental issues
such as clean air, clean water and responsible land use, as opposed to
corporate hog farms and expanding tax breaks for urban sprawl and
big-box stores.
It is
time to ask everyone who is passionate about these issues to become
part of this campaign. We are increasing our fundraising efforts
(please consider a monthly pledge!) and putting together a grassroots,
statewide precinct organizing plan. The plan will involve time
commitments of between one and 20 hours per week. Tasks include
distributing literature, door-knocking, phone calling, writing letters
to the editor and organizing events. For those of you who have
already signed up to volunteer, we will be contacting you over the next
few months to see where you can plug in. If you haven't yet
signed up to volunteer, please call us at (515) 244-3113 or send an
email to ed@fallonforgovernor.org.
Finally,
I frequently describe my goal as providing a voice for ALL
Iowans. Several weeks ago, I asked the House Majority leader if
he would allow me to present a resolution to set aside a week to
recognize homelessness, and he refused. This Thursday,
April 21, on the west steps of the Capitol from 11:30 a.m. until 1
p.m., advocates for the homeless and low-income will serve a free lunch
and ask the Iowa House to recognize the importance of increasing public
awareness of this issue. For more information, give me a call at
my direct line at the Statehouse: (515) 281-4300.
Ed Fallon
http://www.fallonforgovernor.org/
Wednesday, April 13
Loebsack Receives Positive Feedback on Possible Run Against Leach
by
Linda Thieman
on Wed 13 Apr 2005 04:37 PM CDT
 Loebsack Receives Positive Feedback on Possible Run Against Leach
A Message from Professor David Loebsack
Recently,
I sent a message to a number of listservs in the 2nd congressional
district (including Blog for Iowa) noting that I am beginning an
informal "exploration" of a run against Jim Leach in '06. So far,
I have spoken to four groups of Democrats and numerous
individuals. The response I have received has been nothing short
of humbling.
Many of
you know me as a teacher of political science at Cornell College since
1982 and a long-time Democratic Party activist in Linn and Johnson
counties and beyond. But I have also worked hard to help the
public engage in important issues by serving as a resource person for
various civic groups, delivering lectures, facilitating discussion,
moderating events, appearing on local television public issues
programs, etc.
Why am I considering running at this point?
It is
time that we in this district begin to halt George Bush and the hard
right of the Republican Party as they try to move America ever farther
in their direction. In recent days, we have seen this movement
evident by the efforts of Tom DeLay and his allies as they try to
capture control of the federal judiciary. Apparently, it is not
enough to control the executive and legislature. They want all
three branches of government in their grasp.
The
simple truth is that Jim Leach remains a Republican who, as Julie
Thomas put it in 2002, at a minimum serves as an enabler for the
right-wing leadership in the House and the Bush administration.
What is needed at this point is a representative who is in touch with
the concerns of folks in this congressional district and who is willing
to “lead” on issues that matter.
Just one
example of Jim Leach’s bad votes makes this point. Recently, he
voted for the House version of the Bush budget that would significantly
scale back, if not completely gut, many of the programs and services that
are the only sources of support for those who have nowhere else to
turn, in many cases just to survive.
Indeed,
the House budget is even harsher than the Bush budget. The values
reflected in this budget, I believe, are not the values of the vast
majority of folks in the second district of Iowa. Interestingly,
there were a few Republicans in the House who had the courage to vote
no, but not Jim Leach.
At this
point, I continue to invite you to be in touch with me if you have
questions about what I stand for, who I am, etc. Also, I am open to all
advice and support. If you think I should move forward with this
“exploration,” please let me know. If you think you would support me as
a volunteer and/or financially, please let me know. If you think there
are others who are more qualified than I and who deserve our unified
support, please let me know. As I have said from the beginning, I
do not plan to do this if I don't believe the necessary support
(perhaps most critically the necessary financial support) will be
forthcoming.
No doubt
the road ahead will be difficult for any candidate who ultimately takes
on Jim Leach in 2006. He is a well-entrenched figure who has been
in Congress for nearly 30 years and he can self-fund any campaign if
need be. Given these realities, any campaign in this district
will likely have to build from the ground up.
We need
to begin NOW to build a true grassroots movement to take back this
district as a first step towards taking back America from the
right-wing of the Republican Party. This will take some time but
it can begin right here in the 2nd district of eastern and southeastern
Iowa!
In
response to the positive feedback I have received over the course of
the past few weeks, I have taken the next step and set up an account
where I will deposit any contributions that might be sent for this
effort. While I am not actively seeking contributions at this
point (I need to be better known first!), I am inviting pledges from
those who know me well and think they will support this campaign should
I make the decision to run.
We can
take back our country from the right-wing of the Republican Party and
we can begin to do so by electing a Democrat in the second
congressional district who will lead on the issues that matter to folks
in this part of Iowa. In the meantime, further contact information is
below (e-mail: dloebsack@mchsi.com)
As always, thanks and take care.
David Loebsack
Mt. Vernon
P.S.
While the bank account's name includes the word committee instead of
campaign (the FEC suggested this), and although the Gazette article
stated that a committee has already been formed, that is not the
case. I am not that far in the process yet.
Loebsack Exploratory Committee
610 Third Avenue North
Mt. Vernon, IA 52314
Home E-mail: dloebsack@mchsi.com
Work E-mail: dloebsack@cornellcollege.edu
Home Phone: (319) 895-8418
Office Phone: (319) 895-4300
Cell Phone: (319) 721-5324
Saturday, April 9
Ed Fallon Makes His Run for Governor of Iowa Official
by
Linda Thieman
on Sat 09 Apr 2005 06:54 PM CDT
 Ed Fallon Makes His Run for Governor of Iowa Official
by O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa
The Des Moines legislator becomes the first candidate to officially declare he's running for governor.
Representative Ed Fallon, a Democrat from Des Moines, has served in the
Iowa House for a little over 12 years, and on Saturday he made his
aspirations for higher office official.
Fallon said election reform is
a top priority. He also promised to develop his own health care reform
plan and to enact tougher measures to restrict urban sprawl.
Fallon
will refuse all contributions from Political Action Committees - PACs
- and from lobbyists. He will also limit donations from individuals to
50 dollars per individual per month.
Fallon lists reform of the
election system as his number one goal, to limit the influence of what
he calls "powerful, entrenched" special interest groups. "I'm running
for governor because I'm tired of seeing a handful of big corporations
and wealthy, special interests get tax breaks and hand-outs while the
issues important to you and me are neglected," Fallon said. "It's time
for rank-and-file Iowans to have our concerns addressed, concerns about
clean elections, about education, health care, decent jobs, livable
wages, agriculture, the environment and a tax structure that is fair
and progressive - and that's the short list."
Fallon promised to be a
voice for all Iowans, including new Iowans, and he made a special pitch.
Twice during his speech, Fallon spoke in Spanish to say he's seeking a
"united Iowa."
Fallon said he'll release his health care reform ideas
later this year. "I'm tired of waiting for the federal government,"
Fallon said. "The bottom line is this: our commonwealth depends on our
common health."
Fallon has long sought ways to limit "urban sprawl" and
Fallon promises that if he's elected governor, he'll try to enact land
use restrictions to ensure prime farmland isn't covered by concrete.
Fallon held a rally in the statehouse to kick-off his campaign, and
about four-hundred supporters were there, including Carter Woodruff of
Des Moines, one of Fallon's friends who spoke to the crowd. Woodruff
said Fallon is different from other politicians because he isn't
"bought and paid for by rich, special interests" but speaks his own
mind. Woodruff praised Fallon for endorsing Independent presidential
candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 rather than Al Gore, the nominee of
Fallon's own Democratic party.
Mark Johns of Davenport, a member of the
musicians union in the Quad Cities, described himself as a conservative
Republican who'll be backing Fallon's campaign. "The one thing that has
impressed me about Ed is he's a man of his word," Johns said.
(Source)
Monday, April 4
Ed Fallon Set to Announce Gubernatorial Run This Saturday
by
Linda Thieman
on Mon 04 Apr 2005 04:37 PM CDT
Ed Fallon Set to Announce Gubernatorial Run This Saturday
A message from Rep. Ed Fallon (D-Polk):
Dear Friends,
I will announce my candidacy for the
Democratic nomination for governor at a rally on Saturday, April 9th,
from noon - 2:00 p.m. at the Iowa State Capitol building, first floor
rotunda. Because the 9th is a Saturday, only the east entrance
will be open, and it is handicapped accessible. Please park in the
Lucas Building parking lot just east of the Capitol.
The
response I have received from friends, allies and others has been
consistently positive and encouraging. All across this state I am
encountering a growing understanding that conventional politics -
dominated and funded by corporate interests - cannot be trusted to
address the issues important to the vast majority of Iowans. Iowans are
frustrated with "politics as usual" and are genuinely searching for a
progressive and winning alternative.
Campaign
finance reform is critical to creating a political environment where
real issues are addressed. Because of this, I am relying only on
donations from individuals - no money from PACs, paid lobbyists or
corporate interests. This means I will most certainly be outspent,
although the response from individuals has been excellent (to date over
$100,000 raised and over $250,000 pledged!).
The
great resource of this campaign is people power. Our effort is based on
the small, monthly pledges of support from individuals and the
significant time invested by hundreds - eventually thousands - of
volunteers. In order to defeat big-money politics, I have had to start
early, work hard and gradually build support neighborhood by
neighborhood, county by county and region by region. With the help of a
great staff - part paid, part volunteer - we've been doing that, and
it's beginning to show.
In order
to demonstrate the true grassroots power of this campaign, we are
setting a goal of 500 people for the April 9th announcement rally. With
a turnout of this size I hope to establish increased credibility with
the media and, most importantly, to send a powerful message to the
people of Iowa that a campaign based on principle, determination and
people-power can win.
Our
success at turning out 500 people for the announcement event rests with
you. We ask you to commit to getting five to ten of your friends,
neighbors and co-workers to join us on April 9th. If you can help in
this way, please call our headquarters at (515) 244-3113 and let us
know how many people you can bring to the rally. This information is
important so we can have a baseline estimate of numbers for logistics
and with our communications with media.
Entertainment
at the event will be provided by The Good Time Band from Davenport, a
union band belonging to Local 67 of the American Federation of
Musicians, and Joe Hynek from Rinngold County.
Confirmed
speakers are Mark Johns (Republican perspective for endorsing Fallon),
Dave O'Connor (education), Lynn Heuss (issues of poverty & social
justice) and Carter Woodruff (personal endorsement). My speech will
follow these speakers, probably around 1:15 p.m.
Following the announcement event, there will be a reception at campaign headquarters, 1135 10th St. from 2:00 - 4:00.
Thanks so much for all of your support and I'll see you on April 9th!!
Rep. Ed Fallon
http://www.fallonforgovernor.org/
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