Posted May 03, 2017in Political Mercury
Iowa senator talks corn, trade, foreign policy and the draft In a 1981 movie partially set in Dubuque frustrated brewery workers had a message: “Take this job and shove it!” The Johnny Paycheck song served as the title of that folksy film, and today, those words sum up what some
Read More →
Posted April 05, 2017in Political Mercury
I was somebody else’s baby. Until I wasn’t. Born to teen parents in Cedar Rapids in 1969, the first motherly play-call in my life was a handoff to a nurse who took my swaddled self from the young-and-distressed hands of Biological Mom at Mercy Medical Center to an on-deck circle
Read More →
Posted March 01, 2017in Political Mercury
Party can’t just bash Trump, Reynolds and expect to win, Derek Eadon says The key to resurrecting the Democratic Party in Iowa in the wake of two devastating campaign cycles in which presumed favorites Bruce Braley and Hillary Clinton fell on the swords of their own poor messaging is greater
Read More →
Posted February 01, 2017in Political Mercury
What are the most important four words President Donald J. Trump could say for rural Iowa? “Four lane Highway 30.” U.S. Highway 30 is the longest road in the state, running 331 miles from the Mississippi to Missouri River. The U.S. 30 corridor spans 12 counties and 39 cities. According to
Read More →
Posted January 04, 2017in Political Mercury
First things first. The news of the appointment of the nation’s longest-serving governor, Iowa’s Terry Branstad, to be ambassador to China is encouraging for a host of reasons, from national security to agricultural export opportunities to breakthroughs only possible through the sort of personal relationships Branstad has wisely cultivated over
Read More →
Posted November 30, 2016in Political Mercury
1. Accept the results of the election, kids. Trump won. Full stop. Disgruntled millennials in Portland, Oregon, and tea cuppers who crack when the microbrewery short stocks their favorite craft beer need to learn to take a loss. The time for protest of vote totals? Election Day. Do the results
Read More →
Posted November 02, 2016in Political Mercury
Ladies, let me take you behind the curtain of male privilege and entitlement, into the locker rooms and fraternity chapter chambers and other sanctuaries of unapologetic American maleness. Right up front, I’m here to tell you, Donald Trump’s admissions of genital groping — of breath-mint-popping, lip-puckering readiness for forced kisses
Read More →
Posted October 05, 2016in Political Mercury
Medical technology entrepreneur Dr. Steven Kraus has founded an independent political action committee to boost Hillary Clinton’s White House candidacy. The super PAC — Iowans For A Prosperous & Safer America — launched a website (www.I4PSAmerica.org) and began placing newspaper ads throughout Iowa. The PAC intends to finance advertising in all of
Read More →
Posted August 31, 2016in Political Mercury
A soulless suburban sprawl spills out of Des Moines and other urban centers. Many of you reading this are living in it. But rural Iowans like me bemoan, where have the young people gone? The answer is Waukee, of course. You’re barely out of the Sweet Corn Festival parade route
Read More →
Posted August 10, 2016in Political Mercury
A 1941 International fire truck graced a summer field adjacent to U.S. Highway 30 in western Iowa. Surely it summoned smiles from passersby, many of whom no doubt can remember the old fighting-red rescue vehicle. For my part, I loved seeing the truck, and the 100th anniversary of the Arcadia
Read More →
