Paulsen threatens layoffs as Culver strikes deal with AFSCME

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Nov 19, 2010 at 16:20:43 PM CST

Iowa Republicans immediately denounced the deal.

Congress offers no holiday cheer to long-term unemployed

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Nov 19, 2010 at 10:29:00 AM CST

If the measure is not renewed, some 2 million people by the end of the year will stop getting weekly checks they receive as they look for work, says the National Employment Law Project, which advocates for workers' rights.

By a vote of 258 to 154, the proposal to extend benefits through February fell short of the two-thirds margin needed to pass the House under special rules allowing an expedited vote.

Some 21 Republicans joined 237 Democrats to vote for the measure, while 11 Democrats and 143 Republicans voted against.

Under normal rules, the measure needs only a simple majority to pass. Democratic leaders in the House said they would schedule another vote for the week of November 29.

The roll call shows that Iowa's House members split on party lines. Democrats Bruce Braley (IA-01), Dave Loebsack (IA-02) and Leonard Boswell (IA-03) voted to extend the unemployment benefits, while Republicans Tom Latham (IA-04) and Steve King (IA-05) voted against doing so.

The bill that failed would have cost $12.5 billion, and various House Republicans cited concerns about increasing the deficit. That's a sick joke when the GOP caucus is eager to make all the Bush tax cuts permanent without any plan to pay for them. Jobless benefits are among the most efficient ways the government can stimulate economic activity, because people who are out of work will almost certainly spend any additional income on goods and services. Tax cuts in general are far less stimulative, especially tax cuts for people with plenty of disposable income.

In other Congressional news, House Democrats elected outgoing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi as minority leader this week. She defeated Blue Dog Heath Shuler by 150 to 43 in a secret ballot vote. Outgoing Majority Leader Steny Hoyer will be minority whip, and outgoing Majority Whip Jim Clyburn will be assistant leader, a newly-created position. Braley's staff confirmed that he voted for Pelosi, but for some reason, Boswell's and Loebsack's staffs declined to answer the Des Moines Register's question about whom those representatives backed for minority leader. I would be shocked if either of them voted for Shuler.

Who's who in the Iowa House for 2011 (updated)

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Nov 18, 2010 at 19:41:02 PM CST

Follow me after the jump for information about who will run various House committees in the 84th General Assembly. It's notable that Paulsen passed over veteran legislators while giving chairmanships to some representatives beginning their second or third terms.

Previewing the Iowa Senate district 48 special election

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Nov 18, 2010 at 11:10:36 AM CST

Both parties will hold nominating conventions soon to choose candidates for this race. The Republican is likely to be Montgomery County Auditor Joni Ernst, who announced her candidacy immediately after Reynolds resigned. The Democratic candidate will probably be Ruth Smith, who ran against Reynolds in 2008. Smith is from Lamoni (Decatur County) and travels the district in her work as a physical therapist and coach. Her campaign website is here.

Anything can happen in a low-turnout special election, but Republicans are strongly favored to hold this seat. As of November 1, there were 10,444 registered Democrats, 15,257 Republicans and 14,306 no-party voters in Senate district 48. Reynolds defeated Smith 53 percent to 43 percent in 2008. In this year's election, Culver received well under 40 percent of the vote in all of the seven counties and didn't even break 30 percent in Montgomery County. Republican Joel Fry easily defeated Democratic State Representative Mike Reasoner in House district 95, containing Decatur, Clarke and most of Union county. GOP State Representative Cecil Dolecheck was unopposed in House district 96, which makes up the rest of Senate district 48.

If Republicans hold Senate district 48 and recounts don't change the results in Senate districts 13 and 47, Democrats will hold a 26-24 in the Iowa Senate next year.

UPDATE: The Iowa Democratic Party's special nominating convention will take place on December 1 in Creston. Republicans will nominate their candidate on November 23 in Creston.

Grassley, Senate Republicans block Paycheck Fairness Act

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Nov 18, 2010 at 06:30:00 AM CST

Senate Democrats didn't muster enough votes today to overcome a Republican-led filibuster of the Paycheck Fairness Act, a bill that would have lifted the cap on damages in pay- discrimination lawsuits and restricted how employers can fight such complaints. The legislation would also have banned employers from penalizing workers who share salary information to find pay discrepancies.

Democrats pushed the measure, which would have strengthened remedies under the Equal Pay Act of 1963 for women, early in the Obama administration as part of a pro-labor agenda. It passed the House of Representatives in January 2009, along with the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act. [...]

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Association of Manufacturers and other business groups lobbied Republican senators to block the companion piece of legislation.

Yes, Grassley and every other Republican present (plus "Democrat" Ben Nelson of Nebraska) voted to block debate on the Paycheck Fairness Act. If you're a working woman getting paid less than your male colleagues, Grassley wants to limit your ability to find evidence of discrimination as well as your compensation if you file a claim against your employer.

Grassley's lack of concern for underpaid women is no surprise. He also voted against the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act several times.

Add the Paycheck Fairness Act filibuster to the list of reasons Democrats should take up Tom Harkin's call for Senate reform. Yet again, 41 senators overruled 58 colleagues who supported moving a bill forward. Senators will be able to change the chamber's procedural rules in January, when the newly elected Congress begins work. Democrats would be idiots not to do so.

Speaking of corporate influence over American politics, Bloomberg News reported yesterday that America's Health Insurance Plans, a lobbying group representing health insurers, gave the U.S. Chamber of Commerce $86.2 million in 2009.

The spending on the Chamber exceeded the insurer group's entire budget from a year earlier and accounted for 40 percent of the Chamber's $214.6 million in 2009 expenditures. [...]

The $86.2 million paid for advertisements, polling and grass roots events to drum up opposition to the [health care reform] bill, said Tom Collamore, a Chamber of Commerce spokesman. The Chamber said in a statement it used the funds to "advance a market-based health-care system and advocate for fundamental reform that would improve access to quality care while lowering costs."

Know a pro-choice Democratic woman who deserves an award?

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Nov 17, 2010 at 15:07:24 PM CST

At the annual Women's Appreciation Day Reception on March 7th, DAWN's List will recognize progressive, pro-choice Democratic women from across the state for their work and dedication. [...]

The awards include the Lifetime Achievement Award, Rising Star Award, Activist Award, Elected State Official Award, Elected Local Official Award and Special Recognition Award.

"Following such a tough mid-term election, it may seem like there isn't much to celebrate about," said event chair Natasha Newcomb. "That is far from the truth. Despite the current political climate, we know that women from all over the state get up every day and work to protect Iowa's progressive values. We host this annual event to recognize and honor these women."

Both men and women can submit nominations anytime before January 28, 2011. Contact information and the nomination form are on the DAWN's List website.

Someone needs to nominate Anesa Kajtazovic for the rising star award. In a terrible election cycle for Democrats, she just became the youngest woman ever elected to the Iowa House and the first Bosnian immigrant ever elected to the Iowa legislature. She received more than 58 percent of the vote in House district 21 against a credible opponent, former Waterloo Mayor John Rooff.

Who else deserves recognition, Bleeding Heartland readers?

Where the Iowa statehouse Democrats are

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Nov 17, 2010 at 08:42:58 AM CST

I agree that early voting helped Braley, Loebsack and Boswell, but if the Democratic ground game were as good as it was supposed to be, we should have lost fewer Iowa House and Senate seats. Assuming recounts don't change the results, Democrats lost six state Senate seats and 17 state House seats, gaining only one Republican-held House district for a net loss of 16 in the lower chamber.

It will take a long time to sort out why the Democratic GOTV program didn't contain the state legislative losses at a lower level. First, it's worth looking closely at where our statehouse candidates succeeded and failed. A list of Iowa House and Senate seats Democrats held before and after the elections, divided by Congressional district, is after the jump.

Republican with Iowa ties quits RNC job, slams Steele

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 20:51:30 PM CST

That won't happen if the departing RNC political director Gentry Collins has anything to say about it. Jonathan Martin got hold of the resignation letter Collins sent to Steele and the RNC's executive committee. Rarely have I heard of an employee denouncing the boss in such a devastating way. Excerpts and background on Collins are after the jump.

UPDATE: Scroll to the bottom for some reactions to Collins' letter.

Former legislator Struyk to advise Secretary of State Schultz

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 09:17:32 AM CST

Before retiring from the legislature, Struyk was the top-ranking Republican on the Iowa House State Government Committee, which considers bills related to election law. In 2007, Struyk voted against HF 653, the bill enacting same-day voter registration in Iowa, as did every other House Republican. Click here for the bill history, including a long list of Republican-sponsored amendments to weaken that measure. Roll call votes on the amendments to HF 653 and the final bill are in this House Journal (pdf file).

More concerning, Struyk was one of only six state representatives to vote against SF 2347, the 2008 bill requiring all Iowa counties to use paper ballots and optical scanner machines. The House Journal for that day (see page 806 of this pdf file) doesn't record any debate or proposed amendments to that bill, which passed 92 to 6. I couldn't find any record explaining why Struyk opposed that bill.

Schultz made photo ID requirements for all voters the centerpiece of his campaign for secretary of state. I hope he won't also try to roll back same-day registration or paper ballot requirements. Election-day registrants are already required to show photo ID and proof of address in Iowa. Anyone who claims to be worried about voter fraud should support the ban on paperless touchscreen voting machines.

UPDATE: In the comments, Bleeding Heartland user thomasjschultz says that Matt Schultz supports the paper ballot requirement. His campaign website included this statement on same-day registration:

The Legislature passed, the Governor signed into law, and the current Secretary of State supported Same-Day Voter Registration, which has created the potential for voter irregularities and fraud. As Secretary of State I will fight to reform Same-Day Voter Registration and require all ballots cast by voters registering on Election Day to be cast as Provisional Ballots. Requiring these ballots to be cast as Provisional Ballots will ensure that anyone attempting to cheat the system by fraudulently registering on Election Day will not be able to change the outcome of the vote.

Secretary of State Mauro reported in 2009 that nearly 46,000 Iowans used election-day registration in the November 2008 general election: 21,553 Iowans registered to vote for the first time on that election day, and 24,376 had previously been registered to vote in a different county. Current law already requires county auditors to follow up on election-day registrants: "If the county auditor is unable to locate a voter after sending two notices, the matter is reported to the county attorney and the Secretary of State."

Iowans, keep a closer watch on loved ones in nursing homes

by: desmoinesdem

Tue Nov 16, 2010 at 08:03:07 AM CST

The Iowa Health Care Association's influence will increase in the next administration. Governor-elect Terry Branstad told Iowa Public Television in October that he will appoint new leadership for the Department of Inspections and Appeals, with a view to more "collaborative and cooperative" work with nursing homes. That's not good news for residents whose lives literally depend on how standards of care are enforced.

Monday meal: Easy mashed winter squash (3 variations)

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Nov 15, 2010 at 20:45:12 PM CST

Winter squash keeps well at room temperature--maybe too well. If you haven't got a lot of preparation time or don't know what to do with the vegetable, it's easy to just let it sit on your counter week after week.

After the jump I've posted the three easiest ways I know how to cook and serve winter squash. Use any squash with orange flesh, no matter what the outside looks like. Good options include butternut, acorn, blue hokkaido, hubbard, kabocha, red kuri or turban. Any of the variations would work alongside a meat or vegetarian main dish. Mashed squash is just as filling and more nutritious than white potatoes.

Iowa House Democrats elect Kevin McCarthy minority leader

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Nov 15, 2010 at 16:15:48 PM CST

The press release from the House Democratic caucus does not say whether anyone challenged McCarthy for the leadership position. Last week Dave Jacoby of Coralville and Mark Smith were rumored to be considering a run for minority leader, although Smith told the Des Moines Register he had decided against pursuing the job.

I've never been in the McCarthy fan club. He and Murphy sometimes pushed bad legislation, including the odor study bill that was a gift to CAFO operators. McCarthy is also a notorious opponent of real campaign finance reform. I'm not just talking about the VOICE act, which would have created a voluntary public financing system. I'm talking about reasonable contribution limits, which the Democratic House and Senate leadership never moved in the past four years. I doubt McCarthy will collect many five-figure checks for the House Truman Fund once Iowa has a Republican governor and a large GOP majority in the lower chamber.

While I would have preferred to see a new face for House Democrats who wasn't part of last session's leadership team, I wish McCarthy well. He'll have a big job holding the Democratic caucus together and laying the groundwork for future gains.

McCarthy issued this statement today: "House Democrats are committed to strengthening our economy and helping create jobs. We will work together on the main stream, bread and butter issues that effect the every day lives of Iowans. However, if Republicans steer to more extreme policies at the expense of ordinary Iowans, we will make our voices heard." The reality is that with 60 votes and almost no moderates left in the GOP caucus, House Speaker Kraig Paulsen and Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer won't need to work with Democrats on any bills they want to pass, no matter how extreme.

Even though the House Democratic caucus will be much smaller next year, it still will have some new blood. Seven Democrats won open-seat House races on November 2: Chris Hall from district 2 (elected despite unusually strong GOP performance in Sioux City), John Wittneben from district 7 (Palo Alto, Emmet and part of Kossuth counties), Anesa Kajtazovic from district 21 (Waterloo), Mary Wolfe from district 26 (Clinton), Dan Kelley from district 41 (Newton and most of Jasper County), Dan Muhlbauer from district 51 (Carroll County and parts of Crawford and Sac), and Ruth Ann Gaines from district 65 (Des Moines).

Gronstal re-elected leader and other Iowa Senate news

by: desmoinesdem

Mon Nov 15, 2010 at 08:00:55 AM CST

More Iowa Senate news is after the jump.

Events coming up this week

by: desmoinesdem

Sun Nov 14, 2010 at 20:00:00 PM CST

Events that got lost in the shuffle include the 1000 Friends of Iowa annual meeting in late October, where the 2010 Best Development Awards were announced, and the grand opening of the Roshek Building in Dubuque on November 9. This historic building holds several local businesses and offices for about 1,300 IBM employees. The redevelopment project earned the city of Dubuque a U.S. Commerce Department award for economic development excellence.

I also wish I'd flagged the recent groundbreaking of West Union's Green Pilot Streetscape.

"Today is certainly a milestone, not only for the people of West Union and Fayette County, but for all Iowans and, in fact, much of the nation," David Yocca, senior partner of Conservation Design Forum, later agreed. "The reconstruction of a significant portion of the public realm of West Union as planned is one of, if not the most integrated, wholistic, forward-looking efforts that has been done on any street anywhere in this country."

He explained that the future West Union downtown district will represent an emerging example of green infrastructure, which will serve communities by creating safer, more comfortable, walkable and bikable streets; improve the health of local water, air, and soil;

Restore hydrology and the natural environment; provide long-term cost savings and value over convention infrastructure; support local businesses and job creation; and provide a more beautiful, authentic setting for outdoor use and enjoyment.

The improvements in downtown West Union will be fantastic. Unfortunately, Republican candidates all over Iowa misrepresented this project to spread lies about Democrats funding "heated sidewalks."

Details on some of this week's events around the state are after the jump. Pleast post a comment or e-mail me directly about other events worth noting.  

Weekend open thread: Dumb ideas edition

by: desmoinesdem

Sat Nov 13, 2010 at 17:49:34 PM CST

Speaking of Washington Republicans, the incoming House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor, recently assured the Israeli prime minister that Congressional Republicans will be a "check" on the Obama administration and that "the Republican majority understands the special relationship between Israel and the United States." Imagine if a Democratic Congressional leader had promised a foreign prime minister to stand up for that country against the Bush administration if necessary.

When Congress reconvenes next week, members will consider budget bills for fiscal year 2011. Incredibly, the Senate seems poised to reduce funding for the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), even though poverty rates are up because of the recession and high unemployment rate. Helping families pay their heating bills keeps people from freezing in the winter, or burning their house down by using unsafe portable heaters. It also is stimulative, because it cash that qualifying families don't have to spend on utility bills is cash they will spend on goods and services. The LIHEAP Action Center calculates that if the Senate doesn't approve the higher level of funding passed by the House, Iowa's share of LIHEAP funding stands to drop from $75 million in fiscal year 2010 to $36.8 million in the coming year.

Speaking of unwise budget cuts, Governor-elect Terry Branstad and the Republicans in the state legislature want to eliminate public funding for family planning services. That will please the GOP base but doesn't make fiscal sense:

The results of the study by the University of Iowa Public Policy Center show that publicly funded family planning services are cost-effective for women who would use Medicaid and other public assistance programs if they became pregnant and gave birth.

"With the prevention of an unintended pregnancy, a significant amount of future public funding expenditure can be avoided," said lead researcher Belinda Udeh, assistant research scientist at the Public Policy Center.

The study focused on women being served by Iowa's publicly funded family planning clinics in 2009. Study co-authors were Mary Losch of the Center for Social and Behavioral Research and the Department of Psychology at the University of Northern Iowa and Erica Spies, a UI graduate research assistant.

The study based on data collected in 2009 also concluded that publicly funded family planning is most cost-effective for women under the age of 30. When considering forecasting the avoided expenditures for just one year for this age group, over $3 could be saved for every $1 spent on family planning services, Udeh said. The probability of averting a pregnancy need only be 2 percent for this age category for family planning services to be considered cost effective, she added.

The study further reported an overall weighted average for all age categories.  For women already receiving assistance, $3.40 could be avoided in the first year for every $1 spent on family planning services, and $10.84 when the savings are forecast for five years. The savings are even greater for women who would be newly eligible for assistance with savings of $3.78 and $15.12 for every $1 spent on family planning in one-year and five-year forecasts, respectively.

Taxpayers get excellent value for money spent on family planning services. Can't say the same for the absurd amount we spend on salaries for the head football coach and his assistants at the University of Iowa.

This is an open thread. What's on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers?

UPDATED: Recounts coming in Senate districts 13 and 47

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 17:19:02 PM CST

It's unlikely a recount would change the totals by more than a few votes, but I understand why Naeve is trying. If the Republicans could flip the result in district 13, they would have a chance for equal power in a 25-25 Senate.

As things stand, Democrats will probably hold a 26-24 majority in the upper chamber. I haven't heard whether Democratic Senator Keith Kreiman will request a recount in district 47, where he trails Mark Chelgren by 12 votes out of more than 19,000 cast.

UPDATE: According to Saturday's Des Moines Register, Kreiman is asking for a recount in district 47. I would too if I were behind by less than 0.01 percent of the vote.

In related news, Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Reynolds officially resigned her state Senate seat today. Her resignation clears the way for a special election in district 48 before the Iowa legislature convenes in January. As of November 1, there were 10,444 registered Democrats, 15,257 Republicans and 14,306 no-party voters in the southern Iowa district covering Montgomery, Adams, Taylor, Union, Ringgold, Decatur and Clarke counties.

Teaching kids about politics: Losing

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 09:05:14 AM CST

This year he and his younger brother started showing interest in the election during the spring. Normally, I don't encourage my kids to be pessimistic about the future, but my older son (like many seven-year-olds) hates losing at anything, so I felt I needed to prepare him for the likely outcome.  

Grassley to be ranking member of Senate Judiciary Committee

by: desmoinesdem

Fri Nov 12, 2010 at 06:29:22 AM CST

Speaking to Tibbetts on November 10, Grassley said,

"I would hope to be doing roughly the same things on health care in the Judiciary Committee as I did in the Finance Committee," he said.

Grassley has been a tenacious investigator of the Food and Drug Administration and the pharmaceutical industry. He also said he would remain active overseeing nonprofits.

Grassley said fraud-related issues are squarely within the Judiciary Committee's jurisdiction.

Also, the New Hartford Republican has a history of casting a wide net in his oversight activities. In the 1980s, Grassley targeted waste in the Pentagon budget while he sat on a subcommittee of Judiciary, not a Defense-related panel.

In his new role, Grassley will be a more prominent figure in battles over confirming President Barack Obama's judicial nominees as well.

Over in the U.S. House, Steve King (IA-05) is set to become chairman of the Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on immigration. He has been ranking member on that subcommittee since 2007. John Deeth notes that a Hispanic Republican group based in the southwest is objecting due to King's use of "defamatory language that is extremely offensive to Hispanics." Good luck getting the House Republican caucus to care, even if Latino voters did swing last week's elections to Democrats in Colorado, Nevada and California.

Veterans Day links and discussion thread

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 14:06:09 PM CST

A few thoughts and links on the holiday are below.

Smithson leaving ethics board to be Iowa House chief clerk

by: desmoinesdem

Thu Nov 11, 2010 at 10:52:17 AM CST

Smithson has been the Executive Director for the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board since 2001 and the board's attorney since 1998. He previously served as the attorney for the Kansas Governmental Ethics Commission.

Raised in Pocahontas, Iowa, Smithson graduated from WestmarCollege in Le Mars before earning a Juris Doctorate from Washburn University School of Law in Topeka, Kansas.

Smithson has lectured and written several articles on government, ethics, lobbying, and campaign finance as well as contributed to the book," Money, Politics, and Campaign Finance Reform Law in the United States." He also teaches election law at the Drake University Law School in Des Moines.

The chief clerk serves as the House Parliamentarian, supervises House personnel and oversees the budget for the lower chamber's operations.

Smithson will be a tough act to follow at the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board. Kathie Obradovich commented,

Smithson has capably led as executive director of the Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board and has the right personality and reputation for fairness to have immediate credibility in the clerk's role.

What I'm sorry about is that he won't be at the ethics board any more. He's been unfailingly knowledgeable, competent and accessible in a very important role. We can only hope his successor has as strong of an interest in transparency and public access to campaign records. I'm also going to miss Mark Brandsgard, whose dry wit was often the only reward for listening to hours of mind-numbing House debate.

Brandsgard became chief clerk of the Iowa House in early 2009, having held various House staff positions since 1977.