Blog for Iowa

Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Flood Recovery

paul deaton — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 05:00:00 -0500

Cedar Rapids, Iowa and the Flood Recovery

by Paul Deaton

"Eventually, there is a need to act and that is where the government may force some residents out of their homes. This part of the process can be unpleasant and who can blame people for speaking up and pointing to perceived hypocrisy in the process."

What is the balance between respecting the culture of indigenous people and the wants of governments? Historian Luther Brewer wrote of Linn County, Iowa, “When the first white settlers located in Linn County, the Red Men (sic) still occupied the land, and even after treaties had been fully ratified, Indians were slow to give up these choice hunting places along the Red Cedar and the Wapsie. It is needless to say that the rights of Indians were not protected and they invariably were set aside and driven away as fast as possible.” Some say that in 2010, the City of Cedar Rapids has returned to this pattern of removal of populations in its implementation of the flood recovery plan. That is a harsh assessment.

In the wake of the floods of 1993 and 2008, our government was compelled to act. The flood of 1993 was described as the most costly and devastating to ever occur in the United States. It was bad enough, flooding about 30,000 square miles in a 320,000 square mile hydrographic basin that included much of Iowa. The flood of 2008 was worse. It has been described as the fourth worst natural disaster in United States history, hitting Iowa's second largest city of Cedar Rapids particularly hard and disrupting lives that are not healed today. People who lost everything in the flood now must rebuild their lives. More than two years after the water crested, many are not sure what that means. In discussions with elected officials, there has been no question they empathize with the victims of the floods.

When Cedar Rapids resident Ron Corbett announced his campaign for Mayor on March 9, 2009, he said, “the question is not whether Cedar Rapids will recover and return to the days when we were leading Iowa in job creation and innovation; instead the question is whether we will do this together as a unified community and do it sooner rather than later.” During the campaign, Corbett pointed to the slow progress of flood recovery and to his credit, after the election, Mayor Corbett has taken steps to remediate the flood's damage and get the city moving. Not everyone agrees with the approach the city has taken.

There is a group in the Time Check neighborhood that is dissatisfied with what the government is doing. When Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge was in West Branch earlier this week, she was asked what recourse people who were dissatisfied with the progress of the flood recovery had. She indicated that Governor Culver met with this group in Cedar Rapids to hear their concerns. What she also said was that in some ways, for people who lost everything, there could be no complete recovery from the devastation. The 2008 flood was unprecedented and government “had to do something.”

In a surge of recent activity, including a demonstration outside a restaurant where Governor Culver was holding a fundraiser, the group has gained the ear of the governor, the mayor, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and other officials. What happens from here is an open question, but this is a critical time for the group as they may get only one bite at the apple of public officials' attention.

In society, everyone does not get what they want. While one role of government should be to protect the rights of minorities, protecting those rights does not mean satisfying every demand. The author is friends with people who have lived in the flood zone. Some have moved out, some have unaddressed needs and others have repaired their homes and are seeking to live life as best they can. From the discussion with Lieutenant Governor Judge, it is clear that the Governor is aware of the Time Check neighborhood situation and was willing to listen. The author is confident that Mayor Corbett is also willing to listen.

Eventually, there is a need to act and that is where the government may force some residents out of their homes. This part of the process can be unpleasant and who can blame people for speaking up and pointing to perceived hypocrisy in the process.

At the same time, when we consider the dispossession of the natives from this same land, a considerable amount of listening and thought has been given to the Cedar Rapids flood recovery. Certainly there has been more empathy than was given to the natives in the 19th century.

In several ways, this discussion between government and a community group is about respect. Both sides are capable of showing respect and should do so. The author also submits that it is as the Rolling Stones pointed out, “you can't always get what you want, but if you try, sometimes, you get what you need.” Let's hope that all of the flood victims can get on with their lives, that being one way to get what they need.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

Michele Bachmann is on to Blog for Iowa

paul deaton — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 17:21:45 -0500

Michele Bachmann is on to Blog for Iowa

(Editor's Note: Blog for Iowa has its roots in the Democracy for America movement and we occasionally report on what DFA is doing. If you have a mind and the means to contribute to a political candidate, we recommend you support your local progressive candidates first).

Dear DFA Member,

We've got Michele Bachmann running scared.

She's so afraid our support for progressive Democrat Tarryl Clark will put Clark over the top and Bachmann out of a job that she's using it to scare more money from her Tea Party supporters.

Bachmann sent the email below yesterday. I've copied it in full -- but I changed all the links -- so we can make sure this is one scare tactic that backfires on Michele Bachmann. Let's double down in our support for Tarryl Clark and show Bachmann what it really means to be "steamrolled" with a "liberal surge of money." We raised $22,000 in 24 hours last time, can we do it again before the end of Labor Day weekend?

CONTRIBUTE TO TARRYL CLARK RIGHT NOW

-Arshad
Arshad Hasan, Executive Director
Democracy for America

Dear Fellow Conservative,

Today we are only 60 days away from Election Day. And while thousands of Minnesotans -- including my family -- are enjoying time together at the Minnesota State Fair, my opponent and her liberal allies are plotting new schemes to defeat me on November 2.

I'm running against a tax-and-spend liberal whose love for taxing hardworking families goes so far that she wants to raise taxes on state fair food like corn dogs and beer! It's facts like this that make it crystal clear: we can't afford to allow Tarryl Clark and Nancy Pelosi to defeat me.

I need your support in these final weeks as I fight back against the attacks they launch every day. Will you follow this link right away to make an immediate donation of $60, $120, or $180? By giving just $1, $2 or even $3 per day from now until the election, you will ensure that our shared constitutional conservative values continue to have a strong voice in Washington.

I'm the top Congressional target on the left. You may already know that Nancy Pelosi has targeted me for defeat, but did you know Howard Dean has thrown his weight behind my opponent?

His far-left liberal organization, "Democracy for America" raised $22,000 in 24 hours to defeat me and have bragged about it to media outlets. They're using this as an example of how much liberals like Dean want to see me defeated. Let's show them we're not going anywhere. I need your immediate support to fight back against this liberal surge of money in my race.

Will you follow this link to make an immediate donation to help me raise $22,000 in 24 hours? I know, with your generous support, we can match Howard Dean and his far-left supporters dollar for dollar.

Liberals see a conservative tide building across our nation. So they are pulling out all the stops to try and stop our rallies and defeat candidates like me. They will stop at nothing to silence our voices.

We must band together to send a message that we are only gaining strength in the final 60 days leading up to this election. Your immediate donation of $60 -- just one dollar per day -- will help me do just this.

Please don't sit on the sidelines and allow Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean steamroll me with their well-funded attacks. Take action today!

Your support, encouragement and prayers are always appreciated.

Sincerely,

Michele Bachmann

P.S. My opponent and her liberal friends will be using the final 60 days of this campaign to attack me. Nancy Pelosi and Howard Dean have thrown their full financial support to my opponent. Dean is the latest to target me for defeat, raising $22,000 in 24 hours for my opponent. Will you help me match this amount with a generous donation of $60 or more today? Any amount you can give up to the $2,400 legal limit is appreciated. I am confident, with your continued support, we will celebrate victory on November 2.

Democracy for America relies on you and the people-power of more than one million members to fund the grassroots organizing and training that delivers progressive change on the issues that matter. Please Contribute Today and support our mission.

Paid for by Democracy for America, and not authorized by any candidate. Contributions to Democracy for America are not deductible for federal income tax purposes.

A Case for Culver-Judge

paul deaton — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 05:00:00 -0500

A Case for Culver-Judge

by Paul Deaton

"The 2010 midterm elections may not be about logic and achievement. Rather than take Iowa into the future, the Republican candidate, Terry Branstad, proposes to undo the accomplishments of the Culver Judge administration if he were elected."

On Labor Day during election years we stand at the cusp of political candidates' decision to go all in. If they have done the work, the canvassing is finished, they know the votes needed to win, strategies are developed and tactics to get to a winning election day are being implemented. Labor Day Weekend is a pivotal point in the election cycle and this year it can be expected to be a bumpy ride until the first votes are cast on September 23rd through election day on November 2nd. Chet Culver and Patty Judge are all in.

The logic of the case to support Chet Culver and Patty Judge is clear and Lieutenant Governor Judge laid out the case at a town hall meeting in West Branch, Iowa this week.

“The Iowa budget has been balanced every day that Culver and Judge have been in office,” said Judge. Going into the election, state revenues are up, easing some of the recent budget concerns.

While unemployment is too high, depending upon which numbers you look at, Iowa's unemployment rate is lower than in 40 or 41 other states. The focus of the Governor has been on stimulating job creation in Iowa through the I-Jobs program and the Iowa Power Fund. Judge touted the work of the Iowa Department of Economic Development which brought 261 companies and more than 20,000 jobs to Iowa during their administration, including the technology companies IBM, Microsoft, Google and GoDaddy.com.

During the Culver-Judge administration, taking care of the education and well-being of our youngest citizens has been a priority, with additional funding for preschool programs (over 21,000 additional kids will attend preschool through the state’s voluntary preschool program in the fall) and health insurance coverage under the Hawk-I program for more children (Over 57,000 kids who did not have health insurance before Governor Culver and Lt. Governor Judge took office now do).

Once a person understands the record of the Culver Judge administration, one can see that it have been a record of substantial and credible achievement. Check it out here.

The thing is that the 2010 midterm elections may not be about logic and achievement. Rather than take Iowa into the future, the Republican candidate, Terry Branstad, proposes to undo the accomplishments of the Culver-Judge administration if he were elected.

According to Patty Judge, Terry Branstad would end the subsidy for preschool. He would attempt to put the ban on stem cell research lifted by Governor Culver back into place. He would eliminate the judicial nominating committee and politicize the appointment of judges. He would eliminate the Department of Economic Development and turn management of related tax incentives and forgivable loans over to private business. According to Judge, “this is not a good idea. You want to have your thumb on every dollar, every minute.”

As Iowans prepare for a long Labor Day Weekend, there is much to look forward to in the campaign. The gubernatorial candidates have agreed to three debates which will enable Iowans to see what the candidates are made of, side by side. Those of us who watch television will get sick of the 30 second attack ads. Campaign workers will reach out to us until we get our vote cast. In the end, progressives will find that supporting the Culver-Judge ticket is a way to continue the progress started during their first term. The alternative is a choice for the state to go back to a time that was not the best of times, for those who remember the Branstad years.

It is up to us to get the positive message out as the final days of the campaign approach. Learn about the Culver-Judge record, and tell your family, friends and neighbors. While no elected official is perfect, with Chet Culver and Patty Judge, there is a strong record of accomplishment during their first term. They have earned a second.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

Click here to join the Culver-Judge Campaign.

The START Treaty is Up To Iowans

paul deaton — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 05:00:00 -0500

The START Treaty is Up To Iowans

by Paul Deaton

"Instead of New START being an opportunity to reduce the excessive nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States, some view this as an opportunity to modernize them. The logic of this is twisted, considering that a nuclear exchange between Russia and the United States seems unlikely."

That Phyllis Schlafly would surface in the debate over ratification of the New START Treaty is not surprising: opponents of the treaty are running out of people on the bench. A broad bipartisan consensus of support for ratification of New START has been building over the last year, and the conservative bench has emptied as the team has, for the most part, lined up in support of the treaty. Treaty opponents are left with are the likes of John Bolton and Schlafly, people who have a long history of opposing arms control measures with the Russians.

In a recent blog post, Schlafly trots out the same worn sawhorses opponents have used to build their arguments against New START. This from a woman who opposes the United Nations, the World Trade Organization and who wrote in 1961 that arms control "will not stop Red aggression any more than disarming our local police will stop murder, theft, and rape.” Every argument Schlafly presents in opposition to New START has been addressed by Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, John Kerry, during the hearings he conducted. Ranking member of the committee, Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) has spoken in favor of ratification. One hopes that the treaty's fate rests with people like Lugar and Senator Bob Corker (R-TN), who has also spoken publicly about his concerns over the treaty. The concerns of Senator Corker and others like him have been and will continue to be addressed as the Senate Foreign Relations Committee vote on New START approaches in mid-September.

While there has been substantial discussion of nuclear weapons by public officials since the 2008 elections, the truth is that the United States has been acting like a country that has moved past the nuclear age for a long time. Senator John Kyl (R-AZ) said on March 6, 2003 during floor debate of President George W. Bush's Moscow Treaty, “It assumes a degree of trust between nations that are no longer on the precipice of war.” Senator Corker noted after recent trips to investigate the condition of our nuclear arsenal, “If Americans had witnessed, as I did, the deteriorating state of our nuclear infrastructure and weapons, they would recognize the urgency to maintain them.” Instead of New START being an opportunity to reduce the excessive nuclear arsenals of Russia and the United States, some view this as an opportunity to modernize them. The logic of this is twisted, considering that a nuclear exchange between Russia and the United States seems unlikely.

If one asks members of the millennial generation about arms control issues, the topic is not on the radar for most. The assumption is that others will take care of national security and deal with the problem of our aging nuclear arsenals. The others are you and me and ratification of the New START Treaty may come down to Iowans and our two senators.

The New START Treaty has become a whipping boy to vet ideas about nuclear non-proliferation and the role the United States plays therein. A year ago, one thought the New START treaty would be a slam dunk for ratification, but it has become a strong point for conservatives to stop another success of the Obama administration. Ratification of New START would be a modest step along the road to nuclear non-proliferation and a world without nuclear weapons. It is a step we need to take.

Iowans should urge Senators Grassley and Harkin to vote in favor of ratification of New START when it comes out of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

Click here to contact Senator Grassley on the START Treaty.
Click here to contact Senator Harkin on the START Treaty.

National Columnist Agrees with Blog for Iowa About Media

Trish Nelson — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:00:00 -0500

National Columnist Agrees with Blog for Iowa About Media

by Donald Kaul

Did you see those pictures of Michelle Obama sashaying around Europe--Spain I think it was--and staying at that fancy hotel? I mean, who does she think she is, Nancy Reagan? Isn't she kind of getting ahead of herself, putting on airs?

Whoa! Wait a minute. Stop. Apparently the IT officer of the local tea party coven has hacked into my computer and these are the distressing results. I have deleted him.

The tea party tempest unleashed by the First Lady's mid-summer vacation--only Marie Antoinette would have left her husband alone on his birthday, apparently--is a function of the August news cycle.

Every August, real news slows to a trickle. Even real journalists are forced to join Fox News in concentrating on some mini-scandal. Usually it's a sex scandal, but we've had so many of those already this year that this August we had to make do with Mrs. Obama's vacation. On a scale of 10, 10 being the most scandalous, I rate this one a minus-two.

What is it with the honkers of the Right? Every time one or both of the Obamas seems in danger of having a good time, talk radio goes ballistic. Remember when the couple went to New York City to take in a show? You would have thought they'd made off with the Crown Jewels.

And Cokie Roberts once objected to their vacation in Hawaii as too "exotic."She said they should have gone to Myrtle Beach. (Someone should tell Ms. Roberts that by definition Hawaii isn't "exotic," which literally means "foreign."It is a state. Myrtle Beach on the other hand is in South Carolina, which still hasn't decided whether it wants to be in the Union. And that Barack Obama grew up in Hawaii, making this a trip home.)

I'm all in favor of the first couple taking vacations. The White House is its own kind of jail and it's good for them to get away once in a while.

George W. Bush carried it a little far, however. He was more or less permanently on vacation and only made brief visits to the White House.

Leave the Obamas alone, I say.

(click here to read the entire article at Other Words)

Donald Kaul is a RAGBRAI co-founder and a former columnist for the Des Moines Register. His column appears regularly on OtherWords.org

Mainstream Media Worse Than Fox, Limbaugh, WHO-Radio

Trish Nelson — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:00 -0500

Mainstream Media Worse Than Fox, Limbaugh, WHO

I'd like to follow up today on Dave Bradley's great post yesterday about the problem of the broken mass media (corporate media).

Here is a classic example of how the mainstream media, in this case CNN, perpetuates lies made up by the right-wing. This is just one example of something that happens all of the time, but goes by so fast you don't have time to catch it and keep track. I guess that's why we have The Daily Show.

The mainstream media's role in the right's war against President Obama and progressivism is every bit as despicable and harmful as what Fox News or Rush Limbaugh or Jan Mickelson does. To illustrate this point, check out this introduction by Larry King to his show tonight (Monday).

Larry's booming voice-over: "The president says he's a Christian...why do some refuse to believe him?"

What? It's not as if we have only Obama's word for it. It is a provable, documentable F.A.C.T. It's not just a matter of "he said-she said." If you heard only Larry's introduction, you would draw the conclusion that it is not certain that the President is a Christian, only that he is claiming to be one. And it's all just a matter of whether you believe him or not! Like you can just pick a side and argue about it.

But here's the truly absurd part: How is it that tens of millions of people and the entire media - right, left, and middle, have seemingly forgotten the first attempted swift-boating of Obama in the form of Reverend Wright, Obama's Christian pastor?   Get it? If Obama was a Christian then, during the Reverend Wright years, and during the campaign, obviously, the wrong kind of Christian, but a Christian nonetheless, how does it work that he is not a Christian now?

So, now we're talking about Obama's religion as if we've never even had the previous conversation that nearly toppled Obama's presidential campaign! It's a new day, and the media have moved on! No looking back, no following the thread, no one even pausing to wonder aloud, or ask the question, "If Obama was so tight with Reverend Wright, for all those years, how is it that you all think he's a Muslim now?"

Who knows what tomorrow's narrative will be.

This country has a real media problem. And it's not just Fox, Limbaugh, WHO and Glenn Beck. At least Fox et al, you know what they're about, they're right-wing propaganda machines and not well disguised. But Larry King carries the weight and the appearance of objectivity - so when he perpetuates the falsehoods by pretending he doesn't know what the truth is, and when David Gregory does it, and Brian Williams, and everybody else in the mainstream corporate media, and no one points out the absurdity of it and no one refers to Obama's Christian religion as a simple F.A.C.T., this greatly compounds the problem, because the result is a huge number - tens of millions - including people you and I know personally - Iowans - friends and family, who are horribly misinformed, make life miserable for themselves and everyone else, vote against their interests, and make it impossible for the country to function as one nation.

Check out Rachel Maddow's regular bit lately, "It Doesn't Fit The Narrative." It's about how the mainstream (corporate) media passes on story lines that they like, but that are not true.   And then do something to join the media reform movement.

Iowans Must Plan a Media Strategy

Dave Bradley — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 05:00:00 -0500

Iowans Must Plan a Media Strategy

by Dave Bradley

Many of you endured a series of articles I wrote giving a brief overview of how those on America’s right wing slowly and steadily took control of nearly all media in this country. We are now in the midst of the havoc that having little competition in media can create.

It is so disturbing that media can gin up loud and rabid outrage on the most insane and inane issues in just a short amount of time. And sadly 50% of America takes up their cause believing such cause to be a true test of patriotism. But much more sadly, save for a few tiny voices, no one in the media calls the right wing on their craziness nor their lies. Instead they go along, I guess so the loud and rabid citizenry will not turn on them.

The media I speak of here consists of newspapers, radio, television (including cable), and the internet. Of these only the internet is still open and available to all voices and views. The others have long ago restricted access only to the approved voices. We now have a media that has the range of views equal to that of the old Soviet Union.

How could a non-issue like a Muslim community center in NYC become a national issue? How can half of American be so convinced that voting against their own interests is good? How can a country believe that a man who has been president for 18 months is responsible for all national debt that has accumulated over the country’s life? How can a senator (Grassley) who was responsible for rubber stamping the largest and most damaging borrowing in this country’s history be considered a financial conservative?

Why would a party that openly works only for a very small slice of our population have even a prayer of winning any seats let alone half of them?

I think we all know the answer. Media, which most Americans trust to be truthful, has so distorted reality that many believe provably false things to be true.

Has all been lost already? Should we surrender and sew Goldman –Sachs medallions on our shirts? Of course not! But we do need to engage much more actively in returning the media to a balance.

First and foremost we must not permit the takeover of the internet by corporate gate keepers. After the election, protecting internet neutrality must become mission #1. It looks like corporations have happened on a strategy that may allow them to control traffic via court decisions. When you get a notice to call congress people to protect internet neutrality do so immediately. Internet neutrality needs to be codified so it can no longer be messed with.

Second, progressives, lefties must come together to build a network for disseminating information. Low Power FM (LPFM ) has the potential to be the backbone of such a network. It is time that we fight fire with fire. The right wing will not give up their stranglehold on media; in fact they want to tighten it even more. While our leaders must push for a national media policy, we need to plan as if nothing will happen in that arena.

Given that media outlets are not available and are expensive, keeping the internet open and the strategic use of LPFM, seems like a good place to start.

See Dave's previous articles on the media:

West Liberty Group to Start Community Radio

Media Wars: Will LPFM GIve Iowans a Fighting Chance?

Iowa in the Age of Consolidated Media

Getting Our Message Out: Fighting Fire with FM (and Net Neutrality)

The Great Surprise – The Telecommunications Act of 1996

The Plane Facts About Media: What I Learned While in Flight

A Brief History of Media Consolidation

Observations on the Media in Iowa

Dave Bradley is a self-described retired observer of American politics "trying to figure out how we got so screwed up." An Iowa City native currently living in West Liberty, Dave and his wife Carol have two grown children who "sadly had to leave the state to find decent paying jobs."

Iowa Progressive Radio: This Week On The Fallon Forum

Trish Nelson — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 16:35:20 -0500

Iowa Progressive Radio: This Week On The Fallon Forum

Monday - Thursday from 7:00-800 pm, join us for the fusion of politics and civility at 98.3 WOW-FM and on-line at 983wowfm.com. Call (515) 312-0983 or (866) 908-TALK to participate in the conversation. If you miss the show, you can hear it as a podcast and please help support local progressive talk radio with a donation through Pay Pal or by check to PO Box 13421, Des Moines, IA 50310.

Dear Friends,

The Associated Press continues to churn out good, cutting-edge investigative reporting. Regrettably, most of it is bad news. Take for example, the recent AP examination of US Department of Energy data, showing that since 2008 over thirty conventional coal plants have been built or are in the works. AP reporter Matthew Brown writes, "The expansion is an acknowledgement that 'clean coal' is far from reality and that emission regulations are stalled."

In Iowa in recent years, two separate proposals for new conventional coal-fired power plants were defeated. That's progress. But with the ugly head of climate change rearing itself more often -- and in more and more devastating manners -- small steps aren't going to accomplish the sea change that's needed in energy policy.

Monday, leading us in a conversation about coal and climate change is retired ISU chemistry professor Bernie Gerstein. Bernie's experience on this issue is deep and detailed, and we look forward to having him with us.

Tuesday, we encourage you to listen to Obama's speech on Iraq at 7:00 pm, then call and share your thoughts and comments as Bradshaw joins us to analyze the President's speech. We'll also want your feedback on the recent news about the $5 billion in tax dollars wasted on failed or unfinished construction projects in Iraq.

Wednesday, it's back to our conversation about the cracking and crumbling of the DeCoster family's egg dynasty. There are so many angles to cover -- politics, money, immigration, health and safety, legislation, sustainable farms, backyard chicken coops. We'll pick one or two and focus on that in what promises to be an ongoing discussion.

Thursday, we broadcast live from Newton where we'll talk about wind energy and what one mid-sized Iowa town has done to retool its economy after a big corporation closed the doors. Special thanks to Newton realtor Dan Kelley for his help in getting this event set-up. And best of luck to Dan in his campaign for the Iowa Statehouse this fall!

Ed and Lynn Fallon

Iowans Can Help Fight Teabaggers' War on Social Security

Trish Nelson — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:14:35 -0500

Iowans Can Help Fight War on Social Security

DemocracyforAmericia.com

Remember all the hullabaloo going on this time last year?

Teabaggers were taking over town hall meetings with Senators and Congresspersons across the country. They were loud and the media loved them. They were protesting healthcare reform -- and the public option in particular. They said it was a "government takeover."

You know how it all turned out -- some Corporate Democrats caved and the public option was killed.

Well, the Teabaggers are at it again and this time they're going after Social Security... and Corporate Democrats are running scared.

But we're not going to let them win. We're going to beat Teabagger candidates with progressive fighters. And we're not going to let Corporate Democrats off the hook. We're going after any Democrat who votes to cut Social Security with everything we have -- ads, polls, primary challenges. But we rely on you to help us to do it.

The current war on Social Security is nothing more than a top-down corporate attack run by the same people who tried to privatize Social Security under George Bush. Only this time they're running an Astroturf (fake grassroots) campaign to get their message out.

Contribute $10 right now to beat back the Tea Party and keep Corporate Democrats from caving to them again.

These right-wingers saw Corporate Democrats cave to Teabaggers on the public option and they're working to make it happen again.

But we're going to fight them every step of the way and we need your help to do it. Democracy for America is a real grassroots organization. We're powered by small contributions from supporters across the country -- our average contribution is less than $50! -- so contribute today to support our mission.

Support a real grassroots organization and help hold Corporate Democrats accountable.

Working together, we can beat the Teabaggers this fall and keep Corporate Democrats from caving to them again.

Arshad Hasan, Executive Director
Democracy for America

*ACTION ALERT FROM BFIA: DON'T FORGET ABOUT SEPTEMBER DFA NIGHT SCHOOL*
(click on the link for more class info)

Sep 1 7:30 pm Creating a Positive Campaign Culture

Sep 8 7:30 pm Relational Organizing 101: House Meetings, 1-1's, Emergency Meetings

Sep 15 7:30 pm Mobilizing Progressives with Google

Sep 22 7:30 pm GOTV: Getting Out the Progressive Vote

Democracy for America relies on you and the people-power of more than one million members to fund the grassroots organizing and training that delivers progressive change on the issues that matter. Please Contribute Today and support our mission.

Iowa's Fiscal Wolf in Conservative Clothing

paul deaton — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 05:00:00 -0500

Iowa's Fiscal Wolf in Conservative Clothing

by Paul Deaton

"What he really means is that he has become a devoted member of the party of “no” in Washington and is busy obstructing the progress of Democrats as they deal with the financial legacy he left when his party was in power."

In an interview with the Sioux City Journal's editorial board last week, Senator Chuck Grassley asserted that “I have a record of fiscal conservatism.” If fiscal conservatism means approving the Bush Tax Cuts without a way to pay for them, funding the Iraq war outside the normal budgetary process and raising the debt ceiling, all of which Grassley did during his tenure as chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, Iowans should want no part of a sixth term for the incumbent United States Senator. Instead we should support Democrat Roxanne Conlin to replace Grassley as our US Senator.

Senator Grassley represents as “fiscally conservative” in comparison with the other members of the 111th Congress. What he really means is that he has become a devoted member of the party of “no” in Washington and is busy obstructing the progress of Democrats as they deal with the financial legacy he left when his party was in power.

As this week's numbers indicate, the economic problems to which Grassley contributed have the country in a much worse financial position than expected. Gross domestic product fell last month to an anemic 1.6%, indicating that the country could plunge into another recession. Chairman of the Federal Reserve Board Ben Bernanke responded to concerns in a speech given this week at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Economic Symposium in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The Fed said that the central bank was prepared to step in if necessary to help provide additional stimulus to the economy and avoid the type of debilitating deflation that struck Japan in the 1990s.

Grassley criticized the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, or stimulus bill, during his editorial board meeting saying it failed to stimulate the economy. The author's criticism of Grassley is why did he fail to stop the irresponsible spending when he was chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and the Republicans were in power? That would have indicated fiscal conservatism and perhaps would have helped the country avoid the financial collapse of 2008.

If the action of the stimulus bill was not bold enough, if the actions of the Fed proved to be inadequate, then these things are evidence of how badly the Republicans impacted the economy while they were in power recently. As Vice President Biden said this week, “After months of promising a look at his party’s agenda and their plans for America, (Representative John Boehner, R-OH) made what was billed as a major economic address. And his chief proposal apparently was that the President should fire his economic team. Very constructive advice, thanks.

So, let's just review a little history here: For eight years before we arrived, Mr. Boehner and his party ran this economy and the middle class into the ground.

They took the $237 billion surplus they inherited from the Clinton Administration and left us with a $1.3 trillion deficit, and, in the process, quadrupled the national debt – all before we had turned on the lights in the West Wing.

They gave free rein to the special interests to write their own rules at the expense of everybody else.
And the sum total of it was the greatest economic crisis since the Great Depression—a crisis that wreaked havoc on families and businesses across this country--a crisis from which we are still digging out.”

Iowa's Senator Grassley was an architect of the Republican economic policy during his tenure as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and we should remember that during this election cycle.

Someone we know, Tom Fiegen, said last week, “The weak durable goods orders report this morning coupled with the continuing slump in housing is not good news as we head into fall. More happy talk and extending the Bush tax cuts is not the answer. Watching the 2010 election unfold feels like a repeat of the 1930s and the return of the Dark Ages.”

Let's work towards another direction by electing Democrats in 2010. This year, a vote for Senator Grassley is a vote for more of the same. A vote for Roxanne Conlin is a vote to support the efforts of Democrats to undo the havoc created when Republicans were in power. Our state and the nation need to move from the party of “nope” to the party of “hope” by casting a vote for Roxanne Conlin for U.S. Senator.

~Paul Deaton is a native Iowan living in rural Johnson County and weekend editor of Blog for Iowa. E-mail Paul Deaton

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