There’s a lot of events to attend tonight. Many of them political. In case you are still wondering where to go, here are a couple more ideas:
If you know about more, let us know and we’ll add them.
Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News
I was taken aback by the results of a political survey published (12/28/2007) and copyrighted by KCCI.com in Des Moines. The poll is still up but the details are no longer available on-line. In this survey Iowa “voters” were restricted to 500 Democrats and 500 Republicans only, but that is another issue.
The startling point of the survey is that there was no common ground between the Democratic and Republican respondents listing their 3 most important issues. How can that be? We all live in Iowa. I’d like to talk about the concept of divided.
I don’t remember a time when this nation was so divided. I live in Des Moines and work in Grinnell and have an apartment there so I see an interesting mix of cultures. The first time I went to Grinnell I thought I was on another planet. Stay with me and I will get to the divided part.Grinnell is a very small town (9,000) so I also walk downtown sometimes to the movies or coffee house, and in the summer to the Thursday Night Concert in the Park. Between Monday morning and Friday afternoon the only time I get in my car is to go to the Community Meal at the local elementary school. Grinnell is a fun place in a lot of ways — a real throwback to the 1950s.
One of the most interesting aspects of small town living is that I know people from all parts of society — rich-poor, educated-uneducated, old-young, healthy-handicapped, lawyers-people who collect cans for the nickels, business owners-paper carriers and I see them all within a single week and know them by name. Living in Des Moines for many years I didn’t realize how isolated I had become from a lot of the society until I spent time in Grinnell. It is time-warp back to another era.
In that sense (but not in others) Grinnell feels more like 1950 when I knew my neighbors, when I went to high school with a banker’s daughter and with a boy who lived in a downtown tenement and whose teeth were rotting in his mouth, where my tennis doubles partner was the cantor’s son, where more than 80% of my classmates were white but 15% were African-American, where one of my schoolmates went on to a jazz career in Paris, another to head a major corporation, another to fight Muhammad Ali, and others to just disappear. In the 1950s my friends were rich and poor, black and white, from professional, clerical, and labor families, college-bound and not, and where some of my friends worked after school by necessity and some didn’t. We were diverse but we didn’t know it. We thought we were Americans.
I think that we may have lost that sense of one America where we might think first of unity rather than a narrower group identity. As a nation I think we have lost track of each other. Personally I think we know too narrow a cross section of our country. We have lost the ability to come together and do the uncomfortable — to discuss our points of difference and to find the common ground to rebuild the nation. It is so much easier to seek shelter in catchy phrases, in half ideas, in emotional response, or in a point of view that we feel cannot be challenged.
Are you too isolated? Could your view be broadened?
It is time to reunify the U.S. Good luck.
Guest Writer: James G. Lindberg (Jim) is the the Purple Wren’s sweetie and is a visiting chemistry professor at Grinnell College and retired from Drake University.
Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News
This is a fun way to end the year - with an “I” list. For all the Iowa bloggers. Several of us have been posting lists of Iowa bloggers during the past year, but Drew McLellan turned it into The I List. What a great idea!
Go ahead, add any Iowa blogger links that are missing, grab the code and post it on your blog.
Here’s the list with my additions.
The I list:
Adam Carroll
Andy Drish
Around Des Moines
Art Dinkin, CFP, CLU, ChFC
Association of Business & Industry
Association for Women in Communications DSM Alliance
Babich, Goldman, Cashatt & Renzo
Barry Pace
BeatCanvas
Bill Grell
Blue Frog Arts
Brett Trout
Bridges Financial
Broom Wizards
C Wenger Group
Carpe Factum
Claire Celsi
Cloud Nine Diamonds
Compass Financial Services
Conference Calls Unlimited
ConverStations
Dave Dreeszen
Des Moines Families
Dickinson, Mackaman, Tyler & Hagen
DMWebLife
Do You Q?
Dr U Fantasy Football
DSM Buzz
Dwebware
Employer Ease
Enroute365
Eric Peterson
Essential Estrogen
Focal Point Multimedia
George Davison
Gift Idea Help
Home Know-it-All
Insight Advertising & Marketing
Iowa Bed & Breakfast Association
Iowa Biz
J. Erik Potter
Jann Freed
Jennifer Jaskolka-Brown
Josh More
Kyle’s Cove
Maiers Educational Services
McKee, Vorhees & Sease
McLellan Marketing Group
NCMIC Insurance
Purple Wren
Radio Iowa
REL Productions
Rental Metrics
Rita Perea Consulting
Roth & Company
RSM McGladrey
Ruby’s Pub
Runners’ Lounge
Rush Nigut
Ryan Rossinick
Simplifive
SmartPestSolutions
Snap! Creative Works
Studio 24 Design
Sullivan & Ward’s Iowa Law Blog
Swing Station
The Members Group
The Mitchell Group
The Simple Dollar
The Yin Blog
This Ain’t No Spin Class
Transition Capital Management
US Rodeo Supply
Victoria Herring
Wade Den Hartog
Wealth With Mortgage
When Words Matter
White Rabbit Group
Additions from readers:
24-Hour Dorman
Bleeding Heartland
Blog for Iowa
Century of the Common Iowan
Chase Martyn On Display
Cyclone Conservatives
FromDC2Iowa
Iowa Geek
Iowa Guy’s Blog
Iowa Progress
Joe Says So
John Deeth
NewsConference
OnTheStreet
Political Fallout
Political Forecast
Popular Progressive
Price of Politics
State 29
The Radloff’s Random Midnight Thoughts
Thoughts From the Oasis Amidst the Corn
Related posts:
Recognizing Outstanding Bloggers
Z-Listers are now Pic Shots
Sharing the Z-List Collage
Z-List goes Interactive and Mobile on Wiffiti
Have you seen the Iowa Blogga Nostra?
Using Photo Flicks to Share Memories
Writer: Sandy Renshaw is a self-employed communications consultant. You will also find her blogging at Purple Wren.
At People’s Court Avenue in Des Moines on Sunday, December 30th, about 300 people crowded into a third floor room to hear Gov. Bill Richardson (D-NM) talk. Martin Sheen, the actor who portrayed Pres. Jeb Bartlett on “The West Wing,” sent his regrets. He had been scheduled to speak but caught a cold or flu virus that prevented him from flying.
Instead of Sheen, the crowd heard Dr. Nancy Sebring, who was introduced as the superintendent of Des Moines Public Schools. Sebring mentioned the 31,000 students in the Des Moines Public Schools then talked about political goals for education. She called for an end to No Child Left Behind and for decent pay for all teachers. While there was no outcry, some people in attendance did comment and others concurred that it was more than a little questionable for the superintendent of the public schools to be endorsing a presidential candidate and his education agenda.
Richardson repeated the call for an end to No Child Left Behind and specified a $40,000 starting wage for all teachers. The candidate did not indicate if that wage would be adjusted for inflation or for cost of living, nor if it would apply to workers who provided child care as opposed to a formal pre-kindergarten learning program. Although Richardson said he would uphold the Constitution when he was talking about Americans’ rights and the fight against terrorists, the candidate made claims about education funding, e.g., teacher pay and junk food in schools, that are not part of the federal government’s role under that Constitution.
Under the rules of Policy Governance that the Des Moines Public Schools School Board passed on November 20, 2007, the school board can rate the superintendent only on operational and other district-specific measurements enumerated in the Policy Governance policies. There is a General Executive Constraint that prohibits the superintendent from violating commonly-accepted business and professional ethics and practicies. I made a few calls to various groups that are affiliated wtih school administrators throughout the country but due to the New Year’s holiday coming up was only able to reach one person to ask about the ethics and practicies of superintendents endorsing candidates. That one person, in an adjoining state, said he would be reluctant to endorse a candidate but that each district would probably set its own policies.
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa and covers school board meetings for AroundDesMoines.com. 
The Orange Bowl will pit the University of Kansas Jayhawks (#8) against Virginia Tech’s Hokies (#3 and the Atlantic Coast Conference champions). It will be played in Dolphin Stadium in Miami, Florida, and will be broadcast on the FOX television network and on ESPN radio. The game begins at 7:00 p.m. Central Standard Time. For those who like clearly-stated corporate associations, the football game is known officially as the FedEx Orange Bowl. The halftime performance by ZZ Top seems to mock the caucuses. The band consists of three baby boomers with Texas roots who played during ceremonies for Pres. Bush’s 2001 inauguration. Kansas fans no doubt hope that Thomas Frank’s 2004 book, What’s the Matter with Kansas?, is only a question for the Democratic Party, not for their gridiron team.
Caucus of the Future is being billed as an alternative for people who don’t identify themselves as either Democrats or Republicans. A look at the schedule suggests it is also being held to help plan how to take advantage of the political parties’ conventions being relatively close to Iowa. It is being put together with volunteers and donations and with support of the Sweet Bee information shop. This caucus will have workshops, presentations, games, live music, and plenty of opportunity to learn about different political choices. It will be held on January 2nd and on January 3rd at the Drake Legal Clinic at 24th and University. On the 3rd from 6:15 to 8:00 p.m. the caucus activities wrap up with dinner (vegan), networking, and plans for the future. At 8:00 p.m. there will be what is described as a hardcore punk show with The Power Plant, Waster, Take Control, Shrill, et al. at The Best Place Ever (1159 24th Street).
If you insist upon going to a political caucus, you need first to decide if you are going to attend a Republican or a Democratic caucus. The two parties have different starting times, different locations, and different rules and procedures. Even if you do not want to support a particular candidate, you can still attend the caucus. Indeed, beyond identifying which candidate has the plurality of support, the caucuses are the first step in injecting new ideas into party platforms from the grassroots up. The problem with attending just for the platforms is that there may be nobody caring whether you can make it there and back home.
The preferences shown during the caucuses are not binding upon the delegates elected to the county conventions. However, a statement on the Iowa Republican Party’s web site states that delegates usually feel bound to honor the vote. The Democratic Party selects its county convention delegates 
based on the number of supporters each candidate preference group has. Both state parties now have precinct caucus locations available on their web sites.
If you need help with historical perspective, on January 3, 2009, Alaska celebrates 50 years of statehood. The next state to celebrate 200 years will be Louisiana (#18) on April 30, 2012.
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.
January 4, 2008, will bring changes to presidential campaign politics and possible normalcy back to Iowa. What many people have not yet realized is that in just one more month the first primary for Congressional and statewide offices will 
occur. That will happen in Illinois on February 5th. Not only will Illinois’ voters choose among numerous candidates hoping to be president, three of the state’s Congressional districts will have open seats, including that of retiring Rep. Dennis Hastert, the former Speaker of the House.
Maryland, Ohio and Texas, and Mississippi are not far behind, with primaries on February 12th, March 4th, and March 11th, respectively. There is an interesting Democratic primary contest in Maryland’s 4th Congressional District where incumbent Al Wynn is being challenged by Donna Edwards. Both candidates are African-American and both support a woman’s right to make difficult choices. NARAL has endorsed Wynn, as it has done in the past. Emily’s List has sided with Edwards. Wynn, who was first elected in 1992, has faced considerable criticism for his votes on military activity in Iraq and for supporting bankruptcy reform legislation. Maryland’s Congressional delegation includes fellow Democrat Sen. Barbara Mikulski who is one of 16 women serving in the U.S. Senate.
Montana’s Republican Party decided not to move its primary date ahead but it still wanted to have an early say in the selection of the party’s presidential nominee. The party will hold a county-based preferential caucus vote on February 5th, but only precinct and state party officials and elected office holders are allowed to vote. This year the state’s 25 delegates to the national convention will be bound to the caucus winner for the first vote, a change from past years.
Iowa’s primaries for federal, state, and county offices will be on June 3rd. Nomination papers for the U.S. House of Representatives and for the U.S. Senate are due between February 25th and March 14th, inclusive. Nomination papers for state and county offices can be filed from March 3rd through March 26th. Already several Iowans have made known their plans to run for or to retire from the Iowa House or Senate. Even-numbered senate districts are part of the 2008 election.
The 2007 elections in Louisiana generated less interest than was hoped for as term limits took effect. Writing on BayouBuzz.com on October 19th, Dan Juneau said, “[m]any voters anticipated huge fields of candidates running for open seats and serious challenges for many of the incumbents. For the most part, that hasn’t been the case.” In the election, 25 of 105 House districts and 8 of 39 Senate seats were uncontested. In addition, many contests were only within one party, with no candidates from an opposing party. The National Conference of State Legislatures studied states with term limits and prepared a 2006 publication called, “Coping with Term Limits: A Practical Guide.” The report finds in term limits an increase in partisan influence and increased aggressive legislators since there is no time to acquire on-the-job training before acting.
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.
With the Iowa caucus fast approaching, the candidates are making multiple appearances across the state. It’s an opportunity to hear them all and make a decision.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to sit in the section behind the speaker? We had the chance this week. The lights are really bright. It is an interesting perspective though.
Here’s the full speech Barack Obama gave at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center in Des Moines on Dec. 27, 2007.
Technorati Tags: Iowa, Des Moines, Des Moines News, Barack Obama
A dance review written earlier this month generated considerable discussion when I commented about the most prominent feature of the performance, i.e., a disruptive audience. Some people thought I was being mean and ignorant and not writing a review. The fact that the audience behavior was more remarkable than the performance was, in itself, a review.
People I spoke with about my reaction and the responses to it split as to when it is acceptable to clap. There are many places in which I have no problem with audience clapping during performances. These include the highly-structured routines of the Rockettes, where motions resembling the playing of scales on a piano do not require musical interpretation. Outdoor performances of marching bands, where other distractions are already included in the sensory perceptions, also do not suffer from applause. In a small space, such as Hoyt Sherman Place, clapping is more problematic. Sound carries well in that auditorium, e.g., the thud of dancers’ shoes hitting the stage could be heard clearly in the back of the theatre.
A search of the Internet for ballet etiquette pulled up sites that offered information about what to do at intermission while on a date and how children should behave. The rules included going to the bathroom before going into the theatre, not unwrapping throat lozenges, not talking, and being seated when the curtain goes up. Interestingly, after all these rules about how not to disturb fellow audience members or the performers, clapping was said to be acceptable during the performance after difficult movements or when there was something especially appreciated.
This reminds me of experiences I have when I go to restaurants by myself. At such times I am usually trying to read or to write, so a quiet place is important. Inevitably, when I ask for a quiet table prior to being seated, I am told about children in the restaurant. However, my requests are about noise, not about children. Restaurant staff continuously demonstrate that they do not consider music being played loudly through low-quality speakers directly over a table noise. If a restaurant is full, the crowd can dampen the sound 
of loud music. In turn, the music offers cover for conversations. In contrast, when a dining establishment is not busy, the only reason for loud music is to keep the rock-and-roll-deafened staff awake.
Restaurants can adjust their extraneous noise to capture different types of customers. Such is not possible with dance groups. There are alternatives to clapping during performances, though. The energy of an audience is palpable even before the curtain goes up and receptive clapping at the end of the first dance can set the mood for the ones that follow. During the dancing, audiences’ breathing can reveal excitement or boredom. At the performance that I reviewed, several audience members stopped clapping during the final bows rather than get pulled into the rhythmic clapping coming from one section. This raises a question, was the clapping rewarding or punishing the performers?
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa. 
“Down with corporations!” “Give me change!” are battle cries of frustrated Americans and voters. Democratic candidates for president are spending millions of dollars arming their enlisted supporters with slogans and other imagery. Republican candidates are spending millions of dollars trying to camouflage their strategies for change. The only problem with these wars is that they are useless. Corporations are not inherently evil and some change will happen regardless of who is the next president.
Health care provides a good example of these points. During calls for universal health care, the wealth of insurance executives and the size of their collective campaign contributions often are used to argue for the need of some type of campaign finance reform. Yet, think of all the people who have difficulty with their insurance company or do not have insurance for a particular situation and call up their elected representatives for help. The elected official or, usually, a staff member, calls up the insurance carrier or health care provider and arranges for payment to be made. The constituent is overwhelmed with gratitude. The corporate executives want to keep good relations with the elected official so they agree to cover the medical costs. However, when the insurance company wants something in the future, an executive can call up the elected official and say, “remember when we helped your constituent?” The voter put the elected official in a position to owe a favor to the insurance company without the need for a financial paper trail that election observers could follow.
Exchanging favors is at the heart of compromise. Even if there is no quid pro quo, opposing sides will each give up something until they reach a mutual point that is jointly acceptable.
Another position that does not make sense to me is all the people supporting mandatory insurance coverage who also object to corporate participation in health care decision-making. Do supporters think that if everybody has insurance, then the insurance companies will pay for everything? The companies are not going to change their behavior.
As for other ideas of change, we’re already under assault. I want a president who can position the country to be a global leader throughout the next hundred years, with benefit for all Americans. Only fifty years ago, trolleys, buses, foot traffic, and other methods of transportation moved Americans. Then the Interstate highway system was started. Now, I regularly hear people opine that we will never be a limited-automobile society again because changing behavior just is not that easy. Yet, time after time, when the federal government puts its mind and money behind something, behavior changes.
I gave up trying to sustain myself on hope years ago. I want concrete plans and a solid vision for how America and Americans will come out ahead in these interesting times of global and domestic repositioning. Alas, mostly what I see is people trying to add some trim here or a new facade there and calling it change.
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.
Settle into your seat at the State Historical Museum Theatre for a performance of Caucus! The Musical and the first thing you will notice is a stage set that is eerily reminiscent of a political convention. Within seconds of the musical’s start, you will have no doubt that this is a parody of the feeding frenzy that occurs every four years in Iowa. The practicality of props that easily convert from being signs for one candidate to being signs for another candidate sets the theme for the next two hours.
The performance on December 27th, was billed as a preview. I am tempted to attend the last performance on January 13th (remember, the day that was before the caucuses?) to see the nuances that change as the actors get more accustomed to their roles. There was a slight rawness on the 27th but that is not uncommon for a preview and in this case it just added to the fun.
The story has some timeless parts but there are many references to the current crop of presidential candidates. The fact that the two children of the typical Iowa voter attend separate colleges elicited laughter and approval from the audience. (Yes, one is a Hawkeye, the other a Cyclone.)
Robert John Ford wrote the book, music, and lyrics. Some of the jokes slap you right in the face, some hit you after you’ve had time to think about them. There are also plenty of punches straight to the gut. Although the ideal candidate sneaks up on the protagonist in the musical, the audience has it figured out long before the first act ends. There’s a really great finish, too.
Tony Humrichouser directs. No single character stands out except when he or she is supposed to be noticed individually. When that happens, the egos of the characters grow very large. The sound work, e.g., volume, tone, speed, was exactly where it needed to be for the stuck record. (That’s a stuck record as in all the candidates tend to look and sound alike.) Nothing on the technical or production sides was totally wonderful but sometimes the perfect creative inspiration was found.
Susan Grozier as Kate Wise came close to stealing a scene when the Wise family members revealed the candidates they supported. The only reason she did not totally succeed is that the other performances were quite good. The orgy that springs to mind as the candidates sing “I Need That Man” makes it clear that politics is sexy, and in the year before a caucus Iowa has the power. There are many other memorable moments.
If you are an Iowan ready for a cathartic release from campaign overload, this is the show to see. If you are visiting Iowa to promote a campaign, this is the show to see. If you just want to experience good theatre, this is a show to see.
M.R. Field is editor of Leading Voices: Iowa.
