Recognizing Bleeding Heartland's talented 2018 guest authors

The Bleeding Heartland community lost a valued voice this year when Johnson County Supervisor Kurt Friese passed away in October. As Mike Carberry noted in his obituary for his good friend, Kurt had a tremendous amount on his plate, and I was grateful whenever he found time to share his commentaries in this space. His final post here was a thought-provoking look at his own upbringing and past intimate relationships in light of Dr. Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Judge Brett Kavanaugh.

Friese was among more than 100 guest authors who produced 202 Bleeding Heartland posts during 2018, shattering the previous record of 164 posts by 83 writers in 2017. I’m thankful for every piece and have linked to them all below.

You will find scoops grounded in original research, commentary about major news events, personal reflections on events from many years ago, and stories in photographs or cartoons. Some posts were short, while others developed an argument over thousands of words. Pieces by Allison Engel, Randy Richardson, Tyler Higgs, and Matt Chapman were among the most-viewed at the site this year. In the full list, I’ve noted other posts that were especially popular.

Please get in touch if you would like to write about any political topic of local, statewide, or national importance during 2019. If you do not already have a Bleeding Heartland account, I can set one up for you and explain the process. There is no standard format or word limit. I copy-edit for clarity but don’t micromanage how authors express themselves. Although most authors write under their real names, pseudonyms are allowed here and may be advisable for those writing about sensitive topics or whose day job does not permit expressing political views. I ask authors to disclose potential conflicts of interest, such as being are a paid staffer, consultant, or lobbyist promoting any candidate or policy they discuss here.

The most prolific Bleeding Heartland author in 2018 was Ira Lacher, who wrote fifteen commentaries under the handle BronxinIowa.

Geezer caucus?

Open-mic night

Leftovers

It’s beginning to look a lot like…

Climbing out of the doughnut hole

Midterm post-mortem

Don’t buy the Des Moines Register–the editor says so

America, 2018

Vacuum up the monsters

The much anticipated blue wave–not

A question for candidates

Two modest proposals

Forgiveness. Can you imagine?

Words in contrast

Latest Des Moines Register casualty: prep football fans

Bruce Lear wrote thirteen commentaries, mostly related to public education.

It’s not expected

Iowa culture lost

The next step

“The most important election of a lifetime”

When good people make dumb decisions

Back to school with the family

Thoughts from Disney World

One and done!

Wishing is not a strategy

Of black holes and school boards

When TLC isn’t Tender Loving Care

A perfect Iowa storm (among 25 most-viewed Bleeding Heartland posts of 2018)

An extreme coupon plan

Matt Chapman wrote eleven posts, mostly related to Iowa legislature’s work.

Waukee School Board to approve wrongful termination settlement (twelfth most-viewed Bleeding Heartland post of 2018)

Waukee’s small-time controversy could be talking point for school vouchers

The bill that was absolutely written by Jake Chapman, not MidAmerican Energy

A life that has led to advocacy

Duplicity in action: The Kim Reynolds mental health ad

Bigotry in Iowa gets a reprieve from skulking in the shadows

Iowa House passes energy giveaway bill like sneak-thieves in the night

Sparks fly in Iowa Senate as Republicans pass mid-year budget cuts

Bob Vander Plaats and FAMiLY Leader men: Pluck out thy right eye

Terrible Iowa Senate energy bill returns – Michael Breitbach edition

Republicans blow a billion-dollar hole in the budget (updated)

Randy Richardson’s nine posts mostly focused on public education and collective bargaining.

Iowa teachers are feeling the burn(out) (third most-viewed Bleeding Heartland post of 2018)

School vouchers make first Iowa legislative appearance of 2018

Change to Iowa’s bargaining law has real impact on these teachers (among 20 most-viewed Bleeding Heartland posts of 2018)

County election maps don’t tell the whole story

Smaller districts more likely to strip optional items from teacher contracts

What’s up with the Iowa Association of School Boards?

What happened on education during the Iowa legislature’s final week

Iowa’s collective bargaining law, one year later

Do we really need a test to measure civics knowledge?

Tyler Higgs covered a wide range of topics in his eight posts.

Part 1: How to corrupt a school district (among 50 most-viewed Bleeding Heartland posts of 2018)

Part 2: How to corrupt the Iowa House (sixth most-viewed at the site in 2018)

Part 3: How to corrupt the Iowa Senate

Part 4: How to corrupt Iowa agriculture

Part 5: How to corrupt Dallas County

They actually brought pitchforks

Waukee School District audit exposes more shenanigans (among 40 most-viewed posts at the site in 2018)

More than a photo

Dan Guild wrote seven posts, mostly about the battle for control of the U.S. House.

The Democrats are on the verge of an historic win

A blue tidal wave? GOP seats that should not be competitive, but are

3 weeks out: Democrats lead but anything could happen

With Democratic House majority in sight, a larger wave may be coming

When waves happen

The House on a knife’s edge

Can anything make Trump popular?

Ed Fallon’s activism inspired five commentaries this year.

Beer and baseball

Iowa’s suffering senator

Politico calls Rob Sand a “young Robert Mueller”

Movement to battle climate change demands unity, civility

Don’t blow clear shot at victory

Three authors contributed four posts each. In alphabetical order, they are Kurt Friese:

The inherent culpability of maleness

Hubbell’s primary landslide calls for unity

Gone but not forgotten: Labor’s struggle with itself

Home rule, the Iowa legislature, and your county board

Josh Hughes concentrated on Iowa campaigns and elections.

Race ratings: Battle for the Iowa House (among 25 most-viewed Bleeding Heartland posts of 2018)

Majority makers: 15 districts that will determine control of the Iowa House (among 40 most-viewed posts at the site in 2018)

Rita DeJong’s strong performance shows Iowa legislature in play

An open letter to Deidre DeJear (co-authored with Olivia Habinck)

Jon Muller shared thoughts about the economy and public policy.

Voters vexed by stagnation myth

A spiritual case for a woman’s right to have an abortion

Governor Reynolds, please veto Farm Bureau/Wellmark monopoly bill

The story has changed, but not the economy

The following eleven writers (listed in alphabetical order) contributed three posts each. Randy Bauer drew on his expertise about taxes and ways to measure economic performance.

Think Iowa’s economy is improving? One key federal measure says no

Summer blockbuster: The Force (for Taxing Internet Sales) Awakens

The trouble with sales tax (It’s not just the internet)

Katie Byerly wrote three posts for the wildflowers series.

Stiff gentian

Grass of Parnassus

Small white lady’s slipper

Writing under the handle “Prairie Progressive,” Jeff Cox offered advice to readers.

Fight racism by voting in local elections

Democratic gubernatorial candidates should go back to the future

Hope and pray for Democratic victories in Iowa

Randy Evans, the executive director of the Iowa Freedom of Information Council, drew attention to the public’s right to know.