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Art Cullen: Iowa Taking A Hard Turn Right [View all]
Republicans steering our ship of state are taking a hard bank to the right ahead of the 2022 midterm elections, and all Democrats can do is stand by and watch.
GOP legislators controlling the statehouse are advancing bills to amend the state constitution in hopes of overturning Roe v. Wade, to allow school vouchers, to reinstate the death penalty, to bar Regents universities from spending outside funding without state approval, and so on. It almost goes without saying that taxes will be cut at a time when a pandemic cries for public resources.
The November elections clearly gave Republicans a mandate to do as they wish. History indicates that the GOP should make a big comeback in congressional and legislative races following the election of a Democratic president. This hard-right legislative agenda rewards the base and solidifies it.
...
Who will emerge as that new voice?
Abby Finkenauer lost her seat in Congress from Dubuque after just one term. Rita Hart is still counting votes from her defeat to Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the congressional seat out of Iowa City. Scholten is thinking about writing a book or doing a podcast. Is he that next Dick Clark or Harold Hughes? Rob Sand isn’t, so far. Is Chris Hall or Mike Franken? Or is Iowa so fundamentally different now, radically so, that nobody can be?
https://www.stormlake.com/articles/iowa-taking-a-hard-turn-right/?fbclid=IwAR2KZPdKIZaSyAiiPWM-ShkeYZbxxTA7rjrEyIZZlcVzSnRCImumrOaTjEM
GOP legislators controlling the statehouse are advancing bills to amend the state constitution in hopes of overturning Roe v. Wade, to allow school vouchers, to reinstate the death penalty, to bar Regents universities from spending outside funding without state approval, and so on. It almost goes without saying that taxes will be cut at a time when a pandemic cries for public resources.
The November elections clearly gave Republicans a mandate to do as they wish. History indicates that the GOP should make a big comeback in congressional and legislative races following the election of a Democratic president. This hard-right legislative agenda rewards the base and solidifies it.
...
Who will emerge as that new voice?
Abby Finkenauer lost her seat in Congress from Dubuque after just one term. Rita Hart is still counting votes from her defeat to Mariannette Miller-Meeks for the congressional seat out of Iowa City. Scholten is thinking about writing a book or doing a podcast. Is he that next Dick Clark or Harold Hughes? Rob Sand isn’t, so far. Is Chris Hall or Mike Franken? Or is Iowa so fundamentally different now, radically so, that nobody can be?
https://www.stormlake.com/articles/iowa-taking-a-hard-turn-right/?fbclid=IwAR2KZPdKIZaSyAiiPWM-ShkeYZbxxTA7rjrEyIZZlcVzSnRCImumrOaTjEM
Really, really embarrassed to say I'm from Iowa anymore.
11 replies
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