Welcome to our new subscribers. We recently began a series of Monday Zoom Lunch sessions featuring notable folks in conversation with paid subscribers to this column. Last Monday’s guest was Laura Belin, producer of Bleeding Heartland: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/about/
Is it ironic that our Zoom Lunch guest last Monday worked as a journalist in Russia decades ago but is denied press credentials by the GOP-controlled Iowa legislature? Click for more about the Iowa House denying Belin press credentials. Nothing about the Iowa Legislature is surprising anymore. Still, it's shocking.
Laura Belin covers Iowa politics. Yes, she is a Democrat, but if the term 'fair and balanced' can describe any bloggers today, it applies to Belin.
She does the job of three reporters on most days. Although Belin is apologetic for the time she couldn't work while recovering from a seriously broken ankle earlier in the year.
This blogger does all of this with very little compensation. Belin doesn't offer paid subscriptions or take donations from politicians and their staff or anyone she might cover someday. So, IF you don't fall into that category and want to support Belin's work, you have to start here: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/faq/
Got it? Good.
Our Potluck numbers are growing. We had up to 28 participants on our call with her last week. This Potluck Zoomer gang is observant and informed and asks great questions. Here's a truncated summary. Miss a Monday, miss a lot.
Belin grew up in Des Moines. Her mother died when she was a child, and her father, attorney David Belin, died unexpectedly in 1999. He was a celebrated attorney known nationally for his work for the Warren Commission. His New York Times obituary is here: David W. Belin, Warren Commission Lawyer, Dies at 70.
Laura wrote a column on June 23, 2020, about losing her mother 40 years prior. Delving into her personal story is not the usual stuff of her Bleeding Heartland work; however, this gives you a look into a part of her story: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2020/06/23/40-years-without-my-mother/
Laura began covering Russian politics during the regime of Boris Yeltsin. When Vladimir Putin took over, she found the KGB creep taking over all aspects of Russia's politics, news, and information. By 2006 Belin says she couldn't do the reporting she previously thought she'd build a career upon.
Our Zoomers asked Belin about the primary and her general predictions for Iowa Democratic party candidates. I've come to learn about Belin in personal conversations over the past year, is that her outlook is often pessimistic when it comes to Iowa Democrats. And she can go into valid detail as to why.
Suppression tactics keep people from voting—especially democrats. Doing away with ticket-splitting of state-wide officeholders could spell trouble for incumbents like Attorney General Tom Miller and Treasurer Mike Fitzgerald. Voters had chosen these Democrats time and time again, even when they voted for a Republican gubernatorial candidate.
Still, her predictions are slightly off on occasion. She didn't see a unanimous decision by the Iowa Supreme Court on whether to allow Abby Finkenauer on the ballot. She was surprised by the margin of victory Admiral Michael Franken won in the primary--15-point lead. Belin thought he had the momentum to win, but not that big.
Some of us old-timers remind her that no one thought an unknown history professor from Cedar Rapids named Dick Clark would knock off long-time incumbent Jack Miller. And George H. W. Bush had an approval rating in the 90s before being defeated by Bill Clinton, so there are plenty of examples of the adage, 24-hours-is-a-long-time-in-politics.
Still, voter suppression coupled with inflation, plus the fact that a proposed gun amendment to the Iowa Constitution on the ballot will fuel NRA campaign dollars, don't make Belin optimistic. Any attempt at common-sense reforms being implemented would become unconstitutional if passed. So count on lots and lots of ads on radio and television scaring gun-owners into thinking the Democrat-Nancy-Pelosi-Loving-Socialist-Defund-the-Police-legislative candidate in your district will confiscate your hunting rifle.
That is if there is a Democratic candidate in your legislative district. All over the state, seats are uncontested by Ds. And one of the more disturbing trends for the party of Harold Hughes, John Culver, Dick Clark and Tom Harkin - all Democrats who held Iowa U.S. Senate seats - is that medium-size cities like Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Burlington, Dubuque, Clinton, Indianola, Boone, and Ottumwa, are no longer solid strongholds for Democrats.
Eight Iowa Senate races (out of 34) and 32 Iowa House races (out of 100) had no Democratic candidate file in March.
https://sos.iowa.gov/elections/pdf/Candidates/primarycandidatelist.pdf
The party could hold special nominating conventions this summer to get someone on the ballot in those races, but that rarely happens.
Some believe Michael Franken has a chance to reach the old base. Or, as one labor leader says, "At least this time I don't have a candidate I have to shove down our member's throats." Since winning the primary, Franken has been all over the state with no indication of letting up and firing off bold Tweets and ads challenging Grassley at every turn.
"Come join me on a gun range, Senator," says Franken in a recent ad, responding to a statement Grassley made in a town hall where he said he didn't know much about guns. "I'll show you the potential damage an assault rifle can do to a human body."
Still, Belin doesn't think the Democrats have a chance at regaining the Iowa House or Senate, but she walked us through why it is essential to maintain as many seats as possible. Depending on the number, even in the minority, many appointments can be blocked.
Belin is a wonder with a brilliant mind capable of understanding and analyzing complicated rulings by the Iowa Supreme Court. The time stamp on an email from her this morning was 1:36 a.m. Take a look if you want to understand the latest abortion ruling: https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2022/06/20/iowa-supreme-courts-abortion-reversal-may-cast-long-shadow/
Belin posted the link on Twitter in the wee hours of the night, prompting former State Party Chair Sue Dvorsky to respond: Do you ever sleep? Now I can't.
If you attended this session with Laura, I hope you add your perspective in the comment section below. We have participants from around the state: Humboldt, Algona, Ottumwa, Jefferson, Des Moines, the Iowa Lakes area, and Cumming. Just like a good ol’ Iowa potluck, everyone brings something to the table.
Speaking of the court, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, Suzy Christensen, will be our Monday Zoom Lunch guest on August. 22.
Former Ambassador to China, Terry Branstad, joins us June 27.
Today’s Monday Lunch Zoom guest will be Ambassador Kenneth Quinn.
If you’d like to participate, become a paid subscriber to our Iowa Potluck. Proceeds fund scholarships to the Okoboji Writers’ Retreat to be held September 19, 20 and 21. Thank you.
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