Bleeding Heartland is a community blog for Democrats and progressives in the state of Iowa. Join up, post your thoughts as comments or diaries, and help build up current majorities and keep our leadership honest.
Congratulations to the same-sex couples who received marriage licenses in Washington, DC today, the first day same-sex marriage became legal in the capital. The city council had approved same-sex marriage rights last fall, but "because Washington is a federal district, the law had to undergo a congressional review period that expired Tuesday." The weddings will begin on March 9 because of a mandatory waiting period.
One person who wasn't celebrating today was Representative Steve King. He complained yesterday that Republican leaders in Congress didn't push "hard enough" to overturn the D.C. city council's decision on marriage equality.
Republican lawmakers, led by Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), have introduced a resolution in Congress to overturn the city council's ruling, which Congress can do because Washington is a federal district, and not a state.
King took Democrats to task, also, for not allowing a vote on that measure.
"There's a certain level of understanding that this pro-same sex marriage agenda is a Pelosi agenda; it's a leftist, liberal agenda," King said. "There are a lot of items we need to be fighting, and this is a big one."
Look on the bright side, congressman. Maybe Iowa will become less of a gay marriage "Mecca" now that same-sex couples can get married in DC (as well as Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont and New Hampshire).
Seriously, I find it encouraging that Democratic leaders in Congress didn't feel political pressure to overturn DC's decision on marriage equality. This issue is losing its potency for the Republicans, and their House and Senate leaders seem to recognize that, even if Steve King doesn't.
Although King has little sympathy for gays and lesbians who want the same civil marriage rights he enjoys, he did find in in his heart last week to stand up for Washington lobbyists:
[Y]es lobbyists do a very effective and useful job on this Hill. [...] Somebody needs to stand up for the lobby, it is a matter of providing a lot of valuable information.
UPDATE: I know it doesn't pay to go looking for logic in comments by Steve King, but even by his standards, this is bizarre. King argues that since House Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank is gay, and Frank doesn't want the federal government interfering in a consensual relationship between two adults, then Frank should oppose prevailing wage requirements for federal contractors. King's idea is that contractors and their employees are "consenting adults" who should be able to agree on a wage of their choice. (By that reasoning, King would want to do away with the minimum wage and other labor laws.)
QUESTION: As you may know, same-sex marriages have been legal in Iowa for over a year. Would you favor or oppose a constitutional amendment which would over turn current law allowing same sex marriages in Iowa?
YES NO NOT SURE
ALL 39% 42% 19%
MEN 43% 40% 17%
WOMEN 35% 44% 21%
QUESTION: Regardless of how you feel about same-sex marriages, do you favor or oppose allowing same-sex couples the same benefits allowed to heterosexual couples, known as civil unions?
FAVOR OPPOSE NOT SURE
ALL 51% 40% 9%
MEN 47% 44% 9%
WOMEN 55% 36% 9%
Less than a year after the Iowa Supreme Court's Varnum v Brien ruling, a slight plurality of Iowans would not support a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Among independents, a plurality oppose a constitutional amendment and a strong majority would support equal rights for same-sex couples in the form of civil unions. Even among Republican respondents, just two-thirds supported banning gay marriage.
Last week Democrats in the Iowa House and Senate defeated Republican efforts to force a floor vote on a marriage amendment. Although GOP candidates and interest groups will push their "let us vote" campaign this fall, I am less and less worried about the marriage issue hurting Democrats in the 2010 statehouse elections. Economic issues will be far more important to voters.
The Iowa Legislature has been moving at an unusually fast pace during the shortened 2010 session. It's time to catch up on what's happened at the statehouse over the past three weeks. From here on out I will try to post a legislative roundup at the end of every week.
February 12 was the first "funnel" deadline. In order to have a chance of moving forward in 2010, all legislation except for tax and appropriations bills must have cleared at least one Iowa House or Senate committee by the end of last Friday.
After the jump I've included links on lots of bills that have passed or are still under consideration, as well as bills I took an interest in that failed to clear the funnel. I have grouped bills by subject area. This post is not an exhaustive list; way too many bills are under consideration for me to discuss them all. I recommend this funnel day roundup by Rod Boshart for the Mason City Globe-Gazette.
Note: the Iowa legislature's second funnel deadline is coming up on March 5. To remain alive after that point, all bills except tax and appropriations bills must have been approved by either the full House or Senate and by a committee in the opposite chamber. Many bills that cleared the first funnel week will die in the second.
Shortly after the Iowa Supreme Court unanimously cleared the way for same-sex marriage rights in April 2009, prominent social conservatives in Iowa vowed to vote out three Supreme Court justices who face retention elections in November 2010. Those are Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and Justices Michael Streit and David Baker.
Judges do not campaign actively for retention, but today Ternus commented on the upcoming elections during an Iowa Public Radio appearance. (continues after the jump)
I didn't have time to pull this together yesterday, but here's a late weekend open thread. Share whatever's on your mind.
(UPDATE: If you think you know American history, see how well you do on Charles Lemos' Presidents' Day trivia quiz. Each president is the correct answer to only one question.)
After the jump I've posted details on many events coming up this week. I hope to attend the screening of the "Big River" documentary in Des Moines on February 18. It's a sequel to the must-watch "King Corn," and the screening is a joint benefit for the Iowa Environmental Council and Practical Farmers of Iowa.
If you are a Democratic candidate in Iowa, please e-mail me your list of upcoming events so I can include them in these threads. (desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com)
Oxfam America "is seeking Des Moines area volunteers to lend 5-8 hours of time per week to help them raise awareness of the impacts of climate change on global communities and encourage action to alleviate it." If you're interested, you need to contact them by February 15 (information below).
Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate failed this morning to force floor votes on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. In the Senate, minority leader Paul McKinley asked colleagues "to sign a petition that would allow Senate Joint Resolution 2001, which would begin the process of amending the state's constitution to ban same-sex marriage, to be brought to the Senate floor for a vote despite not being approved by a committee." Only one of the 32 Iowa Senate Democrats (Tom Hancock) joined the 18 Republicans in signing this petition.
Later this morning, House Republicans tried a procedural maneuver that could have allowed a floor vote on House Joint Resolution 6 (a constitutional amendment on marriage) despite the fact that no House committee has approved it. The procedural motion needed 51 votes to pass, but only one Democrat, Dolores Mertz, voted with the 44 House Republicans. Mertz is a co-sponsor of the marriage amendment and votes consistently with Republicans on social issues.
Last April, two Democrats (Mertz and Geri Huser) joined with House Republicans on a similar procedural vote. Good for Huser for voting with the majority this time around. One House Democrat was absent today: Mark Kuhn, who also missed yesterday's proceedings in the chamber. It seems likely that he is either sick or was unable to get to Des Moines from his home in rural Floyd County. North-central Iowa just got hit with another major winter storm.
House Republican leader Kraig Paulsen acknowledged today that opponents of marriage equality don't have the 51 votes needed to force a vote this session in the Iowa House.
Unfortunately for Republicans, recent polling data suggests gay marriage is not a high priority for most Iowans. Every statehouse Democrat should be echoing the words from House Speaker Pat Murphy's official statement today:
"In these tough economic times, Iowans want the Legislature to keep focused on help for middle class families and small businesses. In this shortened session, my goal is to keep the House focused on key priorities -- balancing the state budget without raising taxes while creating good-paying jobs for Iowans and making sure every child receives a quality education and affordable health care."
In related good news, the New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee voted down two bills today that were aimed at repealing same-sex marriage rights in that state.
The House spent almost 30 minutes on a rarely used "call-of-the-House" in which each of the 100 members were ordered into the chambers to vote unless they were previously excused.
Hancock explained why he joined the Senate Republicans as follows: "I live in a highly Catholic area and I think that's what the folks wanted me to do [...] I never received that many contacts to say not to."
Pat Murphy said Republicans "can go ahead and use" the House vote in the upcoming campaign, but added, "I would advise Republicans that 'It's the economy, stupid.'"
More than 60 percent of Iowans think gay marriage "does not deserve the Legislature's limited time" this session, according to the latest poll conducted by Selzer and Associates for the Des Moines Register. The poll surveyed 805 Iowa adults from January 31 to Feburary 3, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent.
The question named six issues on which legislation has been introduced during the 2010 session, which has been shortened by 20 days due to budget constraints:
The state Legislature can address large and small issues during the course of the session. For the following issues, please tell me if you think the issue does or does not deserve the Legislature's limited time. Puppy mills. Gay marriage. Driving and texting. Gun control. Gambling. Payday loans.
62 percent of respondents said gay marriage does not deserve the legislature's time, while only 36 percent said it does.
Here's hoping this poll will bolster the spine of any wavering statehouse Democrats. Iowa House Republicans are expected to use procedural maneuvers this week to try to force a vote on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. When they tried that last April, two of the 56 House Democrats joined Republicans on a procedural vote. House Minority leader Kraig Paulsen wasn't deterred by the latest poll, telling the Des Moines Register,
"The majority party has successfully convinced people that that's something that takes a lengthy period of time," Paulsen said. "There's no reason it should have to take more than 30 minutes."
Poll respondents presumably know little about how much committee and floor time a marriage vote would consume, but I think Paulsen is missing the point here. Selzer in effect asked Iowans what's important for the legislature to handle. More than three-fifths of respondents said gay marriage doesn't rise to that level this session.
Notably, a recent poll commissioned by Republicans also suggests that gay marriage is a low priority for most Iowans. Voter Consumer Research conducted that poll in late January for The Iowa Republican blog and the Concordia Group (a political consulting firm run by Nick Ryan, with ties to the American Future Fund). Respondents were asked which three issues are most important to them: "Forty-one percent said jobs and unemployment, thirty-three said the economy, and twenty-eight percent said education." Way down the priority list was "moral values" with just 14 percent, Craig Robinson indicated in this comment thread.
The conservative GOP base expects Republican legislators to try every trick in the book to bring a marriage vote to the floor. Iowa Democrats should make sure the public knows that while they were focusing on more important issues, Republicans kept trying to waste time on a marriage vote. Based on this polling as well as the results from last year's special election in Iowa House district 90, I doubt gay marriage will be a winning issue for Republican candidates this November.
Later today I'll discuss some other findings from the latest Des Moines Register poll. I was surprised to see that of the six issues Selzer asked about, only driving while texting had a majority (72 percent) say it was worth the legislature's time to tackle this session.
The coming week will be busy at the state capitol, because February 12 is the first "funnel" date. All bills excluding appropriations bills that have not been approved by at least one committee by February 12 will be dead for the 2010 session, unless something extraordinary happens.
Also, Iowa House Republicans are expected to try to suspend the rules this week to force consideration of a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. If last April's events are any guide, they can expect help from two Iowa House Democrats: Geri Huser and Dolores Mertz. Meanwhile, Mertz is working with a group of Republicans on a constitutional amendment that would "recognize human eggs as persons worthy of legal protection." Such an amendment would outlaw abortion and probably some forms of birth control as well.
Jochum is an all-around outstanding legislator. If I lived in the first district, she would definitely have my vote for Congress whenever Bruce Braley decides to run for U.S. Senate.
This thread is for anything on your mind this weekend. Am I the only one out there who doesn't care who wins the Superbowl?
After the jump I've posted details on other Iowa political events scheduled for this week.
Branstad is at his most incoherent when speaking about gay marriage, but his answer to an open-ended question about the state budget was also revealing. The whole interview is worth your time. I discuss a few of my favorite excerpts after the jump.
Legalizing gay marriage in 2009 + producing artisanal charcuterie (try La Quercia's organic prosciutto) + University of Iowa football landing among the top 25 college teams for the fifth time this decade + ranking second on MainStreet.com's Happiness Index = one seriously happening Hawkeye State.
That's an odd set of data points, but then, the whole list is rather eclectic. Iowa ranks just behind "Our reputation around the world," "The Beatles" and "Undersea exploration" and just ahead of "Surgery," "Wind power" and "Dental visits."
I didn't realize Oprah was on record supporting marriage equality, but good for her. I don't eat prosciutto, but I've heard good things about La Quercia. (Oprah neglected to acknowledge Iowa's outstanding artisan cheeses.)
Iowa ranked second on MainStreet.com's Happiness Index because of the 50 states plus Washington, DC, we had the fourth-lowest rate of non-mortgage debt as a percentage of annual income, the fifth-lowest unemployment rate, and the sixteenth-lowest foreclosure rate. Only Nebraska scored better overall.
In a private meeting last October, Terry Branstad warned social conservatives that gay marriage was "not going to be a central issue" in the gubernatorial campaign, and that Republicans "have to use finesse, and not overplay our hand."
Since Branstad officially launched his candidacy last week, we're starting to see how he intends to "finesse" the marriage issue before the Republican primary in June.
It's conceivable that Vander Plaats' campaign could take off in the coming months. Right-winger Marco Rubio is now considered likely to defeat Florida Governor Charlie Crist in that state's U.S. Senate primary, despite commanding leads Crist had in polls a few months ago. However, I assume Branstad will lock up the Republican nomination with little trouble.
Branstad will undoubtedly be a tough general-election opponent for Governor Chet Culver. The biggest hurdles for a challenger are usually name recognition, fundraising, and getting voters to imagine the challenger doing the job he's seeking. Branstad is well-known, has done the job before, and has wealthy donors behind him. Frankly, I'd rather not have him in this race.
But my mother taught me not to focus too much on the negative. After the jump I offer some silver linings of a Branstad candidacy.
I've been assuming for the past few months that there's no way Bob Vander Plaats can defeat Terry Branstad in this year's Republican gubernatorial primary. Branstad's statewide connections from his four terms as governor and his support from major donors should give him an insurmountable edge, especially in the eastern Iowa counties. While Vander Plaats would have a great shot at winning a caucus or a statewide convention, I didn't see any way he could keep Branstad below 50 percent in the primary, especially with Branstad likely to raise far more money.
I've started to rethink my assumptions as conservative Republicans have spoken out against Branstad.
Everyone knew the Iowa Family Policy Center's political action committee would endorse Vander Plaats at some point, but their statement yesterday went far beyond expressing a preference for Vander Plaats. The IFPC made clear that they will not support Branstad in the general election if he wins the GOP nomination.
Follow me after the jump for more on the IFPC's endorsement and how Vander Plaats could win the primary.
About 200 people attended One Iowa's Equality Red Blue Purple event on Sunday in Des Moines. A coalition of more than two dozen statewide organizations, including major labor unions, oppose a constitutional amendment to rescind same-sex marriage rights in Iowa. Republicans as well as Democrats have signed on as co-chairs of Equality Red Blue Purple, and dozens of local organizations have joined the coalition too. After the jump I've posted the full list of co-chairs and coalition members.
On Tuesday, supporters of marriage equality plan to deliver "over 15,000 postcard petitions to legislators in every district in the state," according to One Iowa's Justin Uebelhor. Opponents of same-sex marriage plan a large rally at the capitol on Tuesday as well.
This week One Iowa's television ad, "This Place," will run in the Des Moines market. The ad was created soon after the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling last April. It depicts marriage equality as consistent with Iowa traditions of fairness and protecting our freedoms under the state constitution.
Democratic legislative leaders have vowed not to allow floor votes on a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage during the 2010 legislative session. However, Republicans will try various procedural tricks to force a vote on the issue. I expect Democratic lawmakers to stand firm against a marriage amendment, and I hope that they won't cop out when confronted by constituents who want to ban gay marriage.
On a related note, a lawsuit against California's Proposition 8, which banned same-sex marriages, goes forward this week in federal court. The lead attorneys are David Boies and Ted Olson, who were on opposite sides during the Bush v Gore case that decided the 2000 presidential election. Writing in Newsweek, Olson laid out "The Conservative Case for Gay Marriage," which is worth a read.
House Speaker Pat Murphy is not ruling out significant layoffs of state workers. It really is unfair to balance the budget mostly on the backs of state workers, especially since demand for state services increases during a recession.
I was surprised to see Culver's chief of staff, John Frew, suggest a scaled-back version of "fair share" legislation could pass this session. If Democrats don't have the votes for a prevailing wage bill, I can't imagine they'll get 51 votes for fair share, but I hope I'm wrong.
In other news, Iowa may be on the verge of coming out of the deep freeze. I read today that the highest temperature recorded anywhere in Iowa since January 1 was 20 degrees Fahrenheit one day in Keokuk (southeast corner of the state). How are you surviving the cold? I've been wearing slippers, wool sweaters and extra layers. My kids still insist they are comfortable running around the house in pajamas and bare feet. Our dog could walk for miles, even on the days when it's been below zero F when I'm out with him.
This thread is for anything on your mind this weekend.
Hot topics on this blog during the second half of the year included the governor's race, the special election in Iowa House district 90, candidates announcing plans to run for the state legislature next year, the growing number of Republicans ready to challenge Representative Leonard Boswell, state budget constraints, and a scandal involving the tax credit for film-making.
I expected 2009 to be a relatively quiet year in Iowa politics, but was I ever wrong.
The governor's race heated up, state revenues melted down, key bills lived and died during the legislative session, and the Iowa Supreme Court's unanimous ruling in Varnum v Brien became one of this state's major events of the decade.
After the jump I've posted links to Bleeding Heartland's coverage of Iowa politics from January through June 2009. Any comments about the year that passed are welcome in this thread.
Although I wrote a lot of posts last year, there were many important stories I didn't manage to cover. I recommend reading Iowa Independent's compilation of "Iowa's most overlooked and under reported stories of 2009," as well as that blog's review of "stories that will continue to impact Iowa in 2010."
Following up on the diary I posted this morning, this post compiles links to Bleeding Heartland's coverage of national politics from July through December 2009. Health care reform was again the number one topic. I wish there had been a happy ending.
It took me a week longer than I anticipated, but I finally finished compiling links to Bleeding Heartland's coverage from last year. This post and part 2, coming later today, include stories on national politics, mostly relating to Congress and Barack Obama's administration. Diaries reviewing Iowa politics in 2009 will come soon.
One thing struck me while compiling this post: on all of the House bills I covered here during 2009, Democrats Leonard Boswell, Bruce Braley and Dave Loebsack voted the same way. That was a big change from 2007 and 2008, when Blue Dog Boswell voted with Republicans and against the majority of the Democratic caucus on many key bills.
No federal policy issue inspired more posts last year than health care reform. Rereading my earlier, guardedly hopeful pieces was depressing in light of the mess the health care reform bill has become. I was never optimistic about getting a strong public health insurance option through Congress, but I thought we had a chance to pass a very good bill. If I had anticipated the magnitude of the Democratic sellout on so many aspects of reform in addition to the public option, I wouldn't have spent so many hours writing about this issue. I can't say I wasn't warned (and warned), though.
Links to stories from January through June 2009 are after the jump. Any thoughts about last year's political events are welcome in this thread.
Against that backdrop, the Iowa Family Policy Center issued a press release Monday promoting next week's rally. The "news hook" for the release was a proclamation Culver signed two months ago declaring November 20th, 2009 to be "Transgender Day of Remembrance."
IFPC Action President Chuck Hurley commented on the document by saying, "Governor Culver not only failed to keep his promise to the people of Iowa concerning the defense of marriage, but now is using the power of his office and the dignity of the state of Iowa to promote sexual confusion and deviant behavior."
The IFPC slammed Culver for not publicizing the proclamation, saying the group had obtained it only through a Freedom of Information Act request. Troy Price, a spokesman for Culver's office, told the Des Moines Register,
"The Governor believed this proclamation was an appropriate way to honor the memory of transgendered individuals who have lost their lives because they lived their lives. He believes that all Iowans should be protected from discrimination and abuse. Mr. Hurley used this proclamation to advertise a political rally and score cheap political points. We would hope that all Iowans would join us in remembering those who have lost their lives because of discrimination."
Price says the governor signs about 300 proclamations a year and it's office policy to leave it up to the requesting organization to publicize it.
Speaking of right-wingers talking up a scandal where none exists, Steve Benen reports on conservatives hyperventilating because President Obama appointed a transgender individual as senior technical advisor to the Commerce Department.
![[Bleeding Heartland Logo]](http://www.bleedingheartland.com/upload/logo.jpg){kind=logo}
