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progressoid

(50,712 posts)
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 04:32 PM Jan 2021

Art Cullen: Iowa Taking A Hard Turn Right

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


Really, really embarrassed to say I'm from Iowa anymore.
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Orange Buffoon

(200 posts)
1. Why would the state be opposed to regents universities spending outside funding?
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 04:41 PM
Jan 2021

And what IS outside funding--tuition from out-of-state students?

SharonClark

(10,309 posts)
3. Possibly grants and research money.
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 05:10 PM
Jan 2021

The repugs are anti-education in general because they believe the universities are filled with communists.
They beleve in "homerule" except when they can stick it to the cities.

TygrBright

(20,987 posts)
2. Don't feel too bad. The whole "Upper Midwest" is having its "nice patina" ripped off to reveal...
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 04:48 PM
Jan 2021

...the underlying racist, nativist, misogynist core that was always there.

It is very easy to be "nice" to people who share your skin color, general faith (if not specific denomination), etc. It's easy to preach the values of inclusion, togetherness, community well-being, etc., when only small groups of minorities or immigrants are among you and you can showcase your niceness with those "exceptions".

It's easy to invest in high-quality public education for all the children when all the children are a lot like YOUR children. It's easy to buy in to social programs, housing, public infrastructure, safety nets, health care, etc., when the people benefiting are people like you.

Because you know people like you deserve all those things. They'd do the same thing in your place. They share all those cultural values about hard work and marriage and how to raise children and education and saving for the future and so on.

Extending that to a few "different" people among you initially seems like an extension of the (Lutheran/Presbyterian/Catholic/Episcopal/etc.)-based doctrine of looking after those less fortunate.

Then at some point the balance tips and there are just too many "different" people and you come to realize they don't necessarily make all the same kind of choices or value the same cultural norms you do, and worst of all, they want a seat at the table and a say in dividing up the pie, and suddenly YOUR CHILDREN'S FUTURE IS AT RISK.

And the naked racist asshole within subsumes the nice Midwesterner and you're electing scum like Michele Bachman and Steve King.

sadly,
Bright

progressoid

(50,712 posts)
7. Yeah, that "Iowa nice" thing is getting it's mask torn off.
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 05:24 PM
Jan 2021

My parents are life long Democratic Iowans living in a very red area. For over 6 decades they served their small community. A community that is 70% red. Last year, for the first, they felt unwanted. Their 3x5 foot hand-painted Biden/Harris sign in their front yard was broken in half. While they made a new one, I ordered 8 yard signs for them and a few other Dems in town. Within a week , 6 of the 8 were stolen. I can't call it home anymore.

progressoid

(50,712 posts)
11. We didn't have any problems but I know some others who did.
Fri Jan 29, 2021, 12:08 AM
Jan 2021

On the flip side, one of our neighbors is a trumper. He didn't take his sign in until Jan 21. I guess he just couldn't let go. So sad.

There were a bunch of trump signs still up in town even though the city ordinance says they are supposed to be removed a week after the election.

progressoid

(50,712 posts)
8. My wife's Aunt is from WI.
Thu Jan 28, 2021, 05:27 PM
Jan 2021

She's in Utah now. She says she doesn't recognize her home state anymore. This is going to take years (decades?) to undo.

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