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Bleeding Heartland
It's what plants crave.
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LGBT 
Wed May 22, 2013 at 11:15:00 AM CDT
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Time for another discussion thread on the race for Iowa's open U.S. Senate seat. Recent news on the campaign is after the jump.
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Tue May 21, 2013 at 10:05:00 AM CDT
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Johnson County Recorder Kim Painter is among ten openly LGBT elected or appointed officials the White House will honor tomorrow as "Harvey Milk Champions of Change." Painter became the first openly gay or lesbian non-incumbent elected to public office in Iowa in 1998. She has since served as leader of the Iowa Commission on the Status of Women and president of the Iowa State Association of Counties. A strong supporter of marriage equality, Painter hated having to deny marriage licenses to LGBT couples before the Iowa Supreme Court struck down the Defense of Marriage Act. She believes those couples' act of civil disobedience in 2004 started "the conversation about marriage equality here in Iowa." She married her longtime partner soon after the Varnum v Brien ruling took effect.
Yesterday Painter credited Bill Crews and other Iowa public officials who came out as incumbents before she ran for office. Having lived outside Iowa during the 1990s, I was not aware of the important role Crews played in the LGBT community. He was appointed mayor of Melbourne (Marshall County) in 1984 and re-elected four times. Frank Myers wrote last year,
Although most in Melbourne were aware that Crews and his partner were gay, it was not a topic discussed by anyone until 1993, when Bill and Steve attend the the March on Washington of that year for Lesbian, Gay and Bi Equal Rights and Liberation. Crews had written an opinion piece for The Des Moines Register, effectively coming out on a grand scale, that was published in their absence. When the two men returned home they discovered graffiti scrawled on the walls of their home: "Get out," "No faggots," "Melbourne hates gays." A portion of the home's interior also had been vandalized. This became a news story covered in nearly every market nationwide.
Click here to read an interview with Crews about the experience. During the 1990s, Melbourne was "believed to be the smallest town in the United States to have an openly gay mayor." Crews was re-elected for the last time in 1995 and moved to Washington, DC in 1998.
Harvey Milk famously urged his "gay brothers and sisters" to come out for the good of the whole community. Painter, Crews, and others including State Senator Matt McCoy have helped make Iowa a more inclusive place.
Bonus Iowa political trivia: Painter was one of 31 Iowans on the LGBT leadership council supporting Hillary Clinton for president in 2007.
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Mon May 06, 2013 at 07:25:00 AM CDT
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In a decision announced on Friday, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that it is unconstitutional for the Iowa Department of Public Health to refuse to list a non-birthing lesbian spouse on a child's birth certificate. Details on this nearly unanimous ruling are after the jump. I was intrigued by how Governor Terry Branstad's three appointees from 2011 handled this case.
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Wed May 01, 2013 at 11:22:00 AM CDT
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Successful campaigns require money and boots on the ground. Representative Bruce Braley is already trying to recruit the small donor and volunteer army he'll need for next year's U.S. Senate election.
Without Democratic primary competition or a Republican candidate to define yet, Braley can't fire up his base by pointing out his opponent's flaws. Instead, he is using online petitions to identify and energize supporters. So far, those petitions are narrowly focused on issues important to activist groups--in contrast to the broad themes of Braley's message to Iowa voters as a whole.
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Wed Apr 24, 2013 at 07:55:00 AM CDT
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Former State Representative and State Senator Swati Dandekar is reportedly considering a bid for the open first Congressional district seat.
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Wed Apr 17, 2013 at 16:01:00 PM CDT
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State Senator Dennis Guth demonstrated today that he merits strong consideration in any search for the most clueless Iowa legislator.
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Mon Apr 08, 2013 at 09:28:00 AM CDT
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One of the most influential world leaders of the 20th century died today. Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was 87 years old. The BBC posted her obituary and other links about her life, as well as reaction to her passing and a collection of her most famous quotes.
It's hard to overstate how much Thatcher changed British politics and society during her eleven years as prime minister. On the other hand, she was such a lightning rod that her own Conservative Party replaced her in 1990 rather than face another parliamentary election with her leading the government.
Like her political "soul mate" Ronald Reagan, Thatcher is admired by many conservatives on this side of the pond. But whereas the Tories have moderated their policies under the last few party leaders, the Republican Party has moved much further to the right since Reagan's presidency. Today's GOP politicians reject any tax increases (failing to acknowledge Reagan's many tax hikes) and view compromise on immigration reform as betrayal.
Any memories about Thatcher's life or thoughts about her legacy are welcome in this thread.
UPDATE: In this speech from 1988, the British actor Ian McKellen lambasted the Thatcher government's "queer-bashing."
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Wed Apr 03, 2013 at 18:35:00 PM CDT
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What's on your mind, Bleeding Heartland readers? Four years ago today, the Iowa Supreme Court announced its unanimous ruling in Varnum v Brien, striking down our state's Defense of Marriage Act. After the jump I've posted some links about that case, marriage equality in general, and today's Iowa Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth.
This is an open thread: all topics welcome.
The return of Iowa wildflower Wednesday is probably still a couple of weeks away. By the first week of April 2012, many spring wildflowers were already in bloom (far earlier than usual), but even the bloodroot isn't out yet where I live.
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Wed Mar 27, 2013 at 19:31:00 PM CDT
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Today the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in United States v. Windsor, a challenge to the constitutionality of the 1996 federal Defense of Marriage Act. Unlike yesterday's hearing on California's same-sex marriage ban, this case will affect many Iowans directly. The court's ruling on DOMA will determine whether thousands of married LGBT couples in Iowa are eligible for benefits granted to married citizens under federal law.
Lots of links are after the jump, but the enduring sound bite from the day will surely be Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's comment: "You're saying [...] there are two kinds of marriages, the full marriage, and this sort of skim milk marriage."
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Tue Mar 26, 2013 at 16:57:00 PM CDT
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The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments today in Hollingsworth v. Perry, the challenge to California's constitutional amendment that banned same-sex marriages. Proposition 8 passed by popular referendum in 2008.
Many links about today's hearing and possible outcomes are after the jump. A separate post will cover tomorrow's Supreme Court arguments in the challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
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Mon Mar 18, 2013 at 16:40:00 PM CDT
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The Republican National Committee released a so-called "autopsy" on the 2012 election results today. You can read the full report on the "Growth and Opportunity Project" here. I've posted a few excerpts, links and thoughts after the jump.
Any comments about the GOP's rebuilding and rebranding effort are welcome in this thread.
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Sun Mar 03, 2013 at 10:14:00 AM CST
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What's on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers? This is an open thread.
A couple of items related to religion caught my eye over the past few days. Governor Terry Branstad is promoting a new anti-bullying bill, which includes a religious exemption that some may interpret as a "license to bully." More details are below.
Also after the jump, I enclosed part of a commentary from an Iowa rabbi who is "dumbfounded" by people who "demonstrate little respect for any other religious tradition than his or her own." I predict that this rabbi will stop being surprised long before he stops having these interactions.
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Fri Mar 01, 2013 at 14:52:00 PM CST
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The times they are a-changin': more than 200 Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate have signed an amicus curiae ("friend of the court") brief arguing that the U.S. Supreme Court should strike down the key provision of the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act.
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Thu Feb 28, 2013 at 11:20:00 AM CST
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Chalk up another blow to the "Hastert rule". Today the U.S. House approved the Senate's version of the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization, even though a majority of House Republicans opposed the bill. All 199 Democrats present were part of the 286 to 138 majority supporting the bill, including Iowans Bruce Braley (IA-01) and Dave Loebsack (IA-02). Unburdened by the prospect of a competitive GOP primary for U.S. Senate, Tom Latham (IA-03) was among 87 House Republicans who also voted for the bill. Steve King (IA-04) was one of 138 Republicans to oppose it.
The Violence Against Women Act's previous reauthorization expired at the end of September 2011, but last year the House and Senate failed to reconcile the bills passed in each chamber. (Iowa's representatives split on party lines over the House version of the Violence Against Women Act.) The contentious issues centered on protections for LGBT victims of violence, undocumented immigrants, and a provision granting tribal courts "full civil jurisdiction over non-Indians based on actions allegedly taken in Indian Country." House Republican leaders capitulated on those issues by allowing the Senate's bill to pass today.
Loebsack's official comment on today's vote is after the jump. I'll update this post with more political reaction as needed.
UPDATE: Added comments from Braley and King below. Note the priceless double-speak from King: he emphasizes voting for the Violence Against Women Act, not clarifying that he voted for the Republican effort to substitute the House version of the bill, which failed. His press release does not acknowledge that on final passage, King voted against the bill President Barack Obama's going to sign. How many Iowa media will report that King voted for the reauthorization, without realizing that he only voted for the House version? Request to Bleeding Heartland readers who live in IA-04: please let me know if you hear a news story that wrongly implies King voted for the Violence Against Women Act.
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Tue Feb 26, 2013 at 13:40:00 PM CST
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While more than 80 nationally prominent Republicans have signed on to a brief encouraging the U.S. Supreme Court to support marriage equality, Iowa Republican legislators continue to march lockstep behind efforts to overturn the Iowa Supreme Court's Varnum v Brien ruling.
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Tue Feb 12, 2013 at 16:40:00 PM CST
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The U.S. Senate approved the Violence Against Women Act reauthorization today by 78 votes to 22 (roll call). All of the no votes came from Senate Republicans. It was "deja vu all over again" for Iowa's senators; just like last year, Democrat Tom Harkin voted to reauthorize the VAWA, while Republican Chuck Grassley voted against the bill. Grassley supports most of the VAWA but objects to a few provisions favored by Senate Democrats. Last week the Senate rejected a substitute bill offered by Grassley.
For more details about the reauthorization and how Iowa's senators voted on other proposed amendments, follow me after the jump.
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Sat Feb 09, 2013 at 20:55:54 PM CST
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What's on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers? A few links related to Iowa demographics are after the jump, along with highlights from this week's "Iowa Press" program, featuring Republican Party of Iowa Chair A.J. Spiker and Iowa Democratic Party Chair Tyler Olson.
This is an open thread.
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