An 'inside baseball' look at Iowa GOP Politics
One of the most talked about bills in this session of the Iowa Legislature is HF2177. Introduced by State Rep. Norlin Mommsen, R-DeWitt, the bill calls for video cameras and live streaming of Iowa classrooms. Video streams would be available on demand but only to parents or guardians. Mommson’s bill also calls for penalties if…
Let me start with the relevant bona fides. My wife and I have eight adult children. When our oldest reached school age we signed him up for the local public school and the local Christian school. We spoke with teachers in both schools and in the end we decided that we could do a better…
Education is going to be a hot topic in the 89th Iowa General Assembly. It started with Senate President Jake Chapman’s opening day remarks about a sinister agenda and there are numerous bills addressing education being considered in the legislature. Some of these will be contentious but on some I think the various parties can…
There, I said it. The Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) doesn’t trust you! By you I mean the grassroots Republicans who knock on doors, make phone calls, walk in parades, participate in caucuses and go to conventions. I served on the RPI State Central Committee (SCC) for over a decade. I know most of the…
The Iowa Corn Growers Association has great motto: Corn Grows Iowa Corn does indeed grow Iowa. Iowa is a farm state and ethanol is the third rail of Iowa politics. Even presidential candidates from oil rich states have to tread carefully at caucus time when talking about ethanol. The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association has been…
HawkeyeGOP began in 2006 as a way for me to express my opinions and inform the grassroots about the inner workings of the Republican Party of Iowa. The site went dark after it was hacked in 2013. Well, it is a new world. Republicans control the Governor’s mansion and both houses of the Iowa legislature….