On February 16, 2011, Congressman Tom Latham stood on the floor of the House of Representatives and made a complete fool of himself while simultaneously attacking the Iowa ethanol industry.  It’s not clear if Latham just didn’t read the amendment he was attacking, if his staff gave him bad analysis, or if he is so desperate to attack Congressman Bruce Braley, who sponsored the amendment, that he ignored all of the facts and the numerous ethanol and renewable fuels organizations who were aggressively encouraging lawmakers to support it.

Check out the video and see how Latham breathlessly goes on and on about the common sense amendment, it’s pretty astonishing:

I recently took a break from politics after the election in November, but politics is a very addicting thing, as many of you know.

At a recent event in Des Moines I had a chance to listen to Howard Dean and meet with Senate Candidate Bob Krause, about a single payer option.

I had been in contact with Mr. Krause since 2007, online mostly, as he headed the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus, and was a tireless worker for veterans in Iowa. Mr. Krause really wowed me, not only by his record (which you can find here http://www.krauseforiowa.com/positions.asp) but also because he is really motivated to win this race even though it will definitely be an uphill climb.

Ever since the end of the 2008 election I had wondered about this seat. I thought I would take on a “wait and see” approach because of the rumors of Vilsack running for senate and the very daunting task of knocking off someone like Grassley, who finished something like 70% t 20% in 2004. But, Bob Krause is the real deal, he is campaigning now as if if it was October 2010, and I believe he is what we need to put up the best possible fight against Chuck Grassley.

Here is Bob's Website: http://www.krauseforiowa.com/home.asp

And his facebook Link if you wish to catch up with him through there

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#/profile.php?id=1500601293&ref=ts

Thank you for your time and attention

This is my first entry and will keep it pretty short.  I am the Democratic candidate in Ankeny running for the seat previously held by Carmine Boal.  I have a long hard road of raising money and knocking doors, but I have been working hard introducing myself to as many people as I can.  I am finishing up school at the University of Iowa and have a long history of working on issues important to Iowans here in the state that I will go into at another time.  I'm happy to share some of my thoughts and views here and hope that anyone that has any questions will get in contact with me.  Thanks and have a great day. 

I just wanted to remind everyone out there, especially those who were disenfranchised by the primary campaign that there are still many great democratic candidates out there that need our help.

 Among these is Susan Radke. I recently volunteered for Susan at Scandinavian days in Story City and was very impressed with her knowledge and the way she really connected to the people.

I have no official ties to this campaign, but I would like to help out democrats in anyway I can, and I believe the best way to do that is to volunteer your time, effort and sometimes money.

Action is the key word here, to do something progressive for the cause.

I set up a facebook group and I can be reached through that if anyone would like to volunteer, and dont worry about time constraints, I have things that may take 5 minutes and things that might keep you busy for days, it all depends on the level of involvement you wish to have.

Here is the link

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15419328954

Thank you

Adam Smith

PS

I would also like to politely ask the great staff at Bleeding Heartland If they could help me promote this race

As Memorial Day nears and the death toll continues to climb in Iraq, most Democrats are united in our determination to extract our troops from Iraq safely and swiftly.  As important as withdrawing our troops is how we care for the troops upon their return home.  Yesterday I had the pleasure of speaking with retired veterans at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown about exactly that – how America should, and can, honor our veterans.  

Equalitygiving.org has endorsed William J. Meyers, recognizing him for being
the most pro-equality candidate in Iowa's 4th congressional district.

Congratulations William!

At one point in my career of working with nonprofit organizations, I estimated having assembled and submitted close to 2,000 grant applications.  Through this process, I learned some important lessons that have helped prepare me for service in Congress.

I Am Running for the Iowa House

by Nate Willems, Sun Mar 16, 2008 at 05:29:04 PM EST

Hey,

I just wanted to tell everyone about the young Democrats group I started at DMACC Boone Campus. I am hoping we can get some state Legislatures to speak. I am also hoping we are able to blog, canvass, and in all other ways help out the IDP.

If you have any suggestions about how a group of young democrats can help our party or if you would like to attend one of these get togethers. Drop me a line on this blog post and I'll make sure I get back to you promptly!

Thanks

Adam Smith

DMACC Boone Democrats

Gretchen Lawyer is running for Representative of the 36th district in Iowa. She is kicking off her campaign today (April 12th).

I have already taken on a huge load for the upcoming summer and early fall electoral season. I, as many others , understand the importance of widening our majority in Iowa and getting valuable support for the Democratic candidate in this very important swing state of Iowa.

Despite my large campaign list, I have decided to help two others in there quest for the Iowa House. Gretchen Lawyer and Nate Willems (who I hope to do a diary post on later this week).

I am hoping that I can get some help from those out there in the blogisphere… I have a lot of things that I would like a little help on, most notably getting a website set up.

IA-36 must be won for the democrats, it is absolutely crucial.

Links:

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9952679158

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/19069

gretchenlawyer@gmail.com

I recently spoke with a former client colleague who I assisted in a hospital expansion project.  Although it’s been several years since I worked with this organization, the project stands out in my mind as a very gratifying professional experience.

The challenge for this hospital was to generate the philanthropic funding required to build a new and expanded Emergency Room.  They needed $3 million to make this happen.  As I recall, their capital campaign generated $3.3 million and a terrific new ER opened 18 months ago.  It’s a handsome facility… but more important, it brings a much higher level of emergency care to an entire community.

One reality of healthcare today is a significant number of people coming to an Emergency Room do so without insurance and without ability to pay, knowing (hoping?) they won’t be turned away.  To address this situation, hospitals expand their emergency facilities.  Often, additional space is NOT driven by an increase in medical emergencies but rather the need for a universal healthcare plan, one that covers every man, woman, and child in the United States. 

I’m proud of this hospital… for the care they provide, for their commitment to the community, and for their many dedicated employees.  It was a pleasure to work with them and a good example of the positive results that can be brought about through a community-wide collaboration. 

But expanded facilities won’t solve our nation’s healthcare dilemma.  This will require positive results coming out of Washington, which in turn is likely to require a Democratic President and increased Democratic margins in the House and the Senate. 

Like many 4^th district Iowans, I am committed to meaningful healthcare reform.  I anticipate working hard to generate the desired results when a new congress convenes next January.  Of course, other changes must take place in the next 9 months for me to have this opportunity, including a change in our congressional representation.  I’m committed to helping make this change too!

Until next time, 

Kurt Meyer         

Congressional Candidate for Iowa's 4th District

Elisha Gayman is one of our most progressive state legislators. I recently happened upon an extreme right wing blog suggesting that there readers start out on a smear campaign against her, in an attempt to turn over her seat (which she won by 200 votes last election). This really boiled my blood. He also continued to talk about McKinley Bailey, A veteran, and also announced that there should be a smear campaign against him.

This had really motivated me to do whatever I can to help these progressive democrats against a very desperate, un-American, values-lacking Republican Party of Iowa.

I would also like to plug one of my favorite Reps, Susan Radke in the 10th district.

Thanks for hearing my rant, and I hope you all will check out these candidates and help if you can.