Excellent and very thorough column as always. One thing I noticed, though, is that you wrote -
State Senator Zach Wahls launched the first digital ad of his U.S. Senate bid last week. It’s a negative spot about the incumbent, but in a plot twist, the ad does not mention Joni Ernst’s infamous remark that “we all are going to die.”
The ad does mention the infamous remark. No worries. We all make goofs.
Point taken! I should have said it doesn't highlight that issue. Instead, it highlights her term limits pledge (which I think many people don't remember). I've corrected the post.
You write: “The Iowa Hunger Coalition noted in a June 30 blog post that “If these SNAP cost-share provisions pass and are signed into law, the state of Iowa could be on the hook for upwards of $40 million annually.” That whole piece is worth a read.
Iowa is already spending more this coming year than the state expects to take in, so we don’t have tens of millions of extra dollars lying around to cover food assistance.”
Riddle me this: does Iowa rely on the other 49 states to “shore up” our SNAP costs? If Iowans are spending more on SNAP than they actually pay the federal government for it, maybe it’s time for a pay-as-you-go SNAP program. BTW, word is Coke sells billions of dollars of their soda to SNAP recipients each year. Healthy? Right.
As I listened hopefully to Rob Sand recently it occurred to me why he will lose the governors race.
Our state is being run by a Republican Party with unlimited funds from the Agricultural Chemical industry. The MAGA and Christian Nationalist base is a strong voting block that is angry, hateful and seriously evil. Our legislature has erased abortion rights, eliminated Transgender protections, and made it very clear LGBTQ people are not welcome in Iowa. Immigrants both legal and undocumented and in fact all Latinos are referred to by Legislators as "those people". Will we be shocked when next years' legislature budgets for an Iowa Concentration Camp?
Rob Sand is running on a platform of trying to be reasonable and offering to have open discussions with "both sides". He prides himself on not having his campaign signs being Blue or Red. I understand and long for the days of bipartisan efforts, but those days are gone. To miss quote Sun Tzu in the Art of War, when your enemy is strangling you is not the time to ask for a debate. I support Rob Sands efforts but I fear he will be shouted down.
I feel like Democratic and Democratic leaning voters will be very motivated in 2026 because a Senate race is at stake. Bonus the primary will be vigorous.
So Sand probably doesn’t need to motivate Democrats to come out as much as it is typical. It’s hard for me to see Democratic voters spurning him out of spite when the alternative will be further from their views.
Excellent and very thorough column as always. One thing I noticed, though, is that you wrote -
State Senator Zach Wahls launched the first digital ad of his U.S. Senate bid last week. It’s a negative spot about the incumbent, but in a plot twist, the ad does not mention Joni Ernst’s infamous remark that “we all are going to die.”
The ad does mention the infamous remark. No worries. We all make goofs.
Point taken! I should have said it doesn't highlight that issue. Instead, it highlights her term limits pledge (which I think many people don't remember). I've corrected the post.
You write: “The Iowa Hunger Coalition noted in a June 30 blog post that “If these SNAP cost-share provisions pass and are signed into law, the state of Iowa could be on the hook for upwards of $40 million annually.” That whole piece is worth a read.
Iowa is already spending more this coming year than the state expects to take in, so we don’t have tens of millions of extra dollars lying around to cover food assistance.”
Riddle me this: does Iowa rely on the other 49 states to “shore up” our SNAP costs? If Iowans are spending more on SNAP than they actually pay the federal government for it, maybe it’s time for a pay-as-you-go SNAP program. BTW, word is Coke sells billions of dollars of their soda to SNAP recipients each year. Healthy? Right.
As I listened hopefully to Rob Sand recently it occurred to me why he will lose the governors race.
Our state is being run by a Republican Party with unlimited funds from the Agricultural Chemical industry. The MAGA and Christian Nationalist base is a strong voting block that is angry, hateful and seriously evil. Our legislature has erased abortion rights, eliminated Transgender protections, and made it very clear LGBTQ people are not welcome in Iowa. Immigrants both legal and undocumented and in fact all Latinos are referred to by Legislators as "those people". Will we be shocked when next years' legislature budgets for an Iowa Concentration Camp?
Rob Sand is running on a platform of trying to be reasonable and offering to have open discussions with "both sides". He prides himself on not having his campaign signs being Blue or Red. I understand and long for the days of bipartisan efforts, but those days are gone. To miss quote Sun Tzu in the Art of War, when your enemy is strangling you is not the time to ask for a debate. I support Rob Sands efforts but I fear he will be shouted down.
I feel like Democratic and Democratic leaning voters will be very motivated in 2026 because a Senate race is at stake. Bonus the primary will be vigorous.
So Sand probably doesn’t need to motivate Democrats to come out as much as it is typical. It’s hard for me to see Democratic voters spurning him out of spite when the alternative will be further from their views.
We’ll see though.