Dear Friends,
“Pretend I’m on the ballot,“ says Donald Trump.
Ok, I can do that. More than anything, this election is about the damage Trump has done to our country, and the additional damage he threatens to do if Americans continue to give him a compliant US Congress.
That’s crystal clear to me. It’s clear to most voters I talk with.
Sadly, it’s not clear to two of Des Moines city council members — Mike Simonson and Joe Gatto. Both are registered Democrats. Both support Republican Zach Nunn. Both even went so far as to endorse Nunn in a recent ad. (Click on the image to watch the ad.)
A toothless, Republican-controlled Congress is why Trump has been able to advance his authoritarian agenda. A vote for Nunn is a vote to continue to rubber-stamp whatever Trump wants.
Voters in Des Moines — an overwhelmingly Democratic city — oughta be furious at Simonson and Gatto. I am. And if they ever run for reelection, I’ll do everything I can to defeat them.
Sarah Trone Garriott
Hopefully, a majority of voters in Iowa’s third congressional district will have the good sense to send Sarah Trone Garriott to Congress. Sarah’s race is key in the battle to build a firewall between Trump and full-blown fascism.
And no, Mike, you’re not a “moderate” Democrat. “Moderate” is code for corporate. For establishment. For status quo. For, apparently, a Republican Congress.
Simonson and Gatto have company on the national stage. James Carville, king of the “moderate” Democrats, also prefers that Republicans keep control of the US House. In a recent interview with Billy Kristol, Carville said (at 3:10) he’d “rather the Republicans keep the House by five than the Democrats win by five.”
Carville, Simonson, Gatto and other “Democrats” supporting a Republican Congress are the face of a party that’s been on the losing side of elections since 1988. In the past 35 years, even when Democrats have won, they’ve been on the losing side of good policy.
EXHIBIT ONE: “Moderate” Democrats won the Iowa House, Senate, and governor’s office in 2007. They held the trifecta for four years. They failed on the most critical issues.
They refused to rein in industrial-scale hog confinements.
They refused to address campaign finance reform.
They refused to enact Labor’s key priorities, with Governor Culver vetoing the only bill passed by the House and Senate — a bill that would have expanded collective bargaining rights for public employees and teachers.
EXHIBIT TWO: “Moderate” Bill Clinton, under whose leadership Americans got:
Welfare “reform,” which included financial incentives to hire low-wage workers.
Expanded prison construction, the so-called three-strikes law, and historically long sentences for third-time convicts. Who benefited? Private prison corporations.
The North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) — another big wet kiss for corporations at the expense of US jobs.
The anti-LGBT “Defense of Marriage Act.”
The Telecommunications Act of 1996, which paved the way for a few radical-right corporations to take control of our public airwaves.
You get my point. I write this as a registered No Party voter. I never vote a straight ticket. But this election, our best hope for stopping Trump is to elect a Democratic US House and Senate.
In good news regarding the Des Moines City Council, I got a phone call this week from Mayor Connie Boesen. Connie assured me that the City is working closely with the Polk County Election Office to assure that no illegal activities occur at Des Moines polling locations. That includes potentially illegal activities by federal agents.
“We’re all working closely together to make sure the election is safe,” said the mayor.
CLICK HERE FOR THIS WEEK’S PODCAST:
(01:17) Strength For What Lies Ahead, a new book by Andy Douglas — LISTEN
(20:17) Digital economy rebel — LISTEN
(34:44) A look at the news: — LISTEN
(34:44) Iowa Sheriff fines himself over trapped raccoon;
(36:20) GOP candidate’s ad firm mixes up Oregon for Maine
(37:56) Marjorie Taylor Greene calls out Israeli genocide;
(42:14) UK cancels Irish author over support for Palestine;
(45:54) Denver works to end homelessness;
(47:06) FBI raid of Rep. Omar’s home unconscionable;
(50:53) Cyber attacks on frozen-food systems, with Kathy Byrnes — LISTEN
Thanks for reading, listening, and taking action. And if you’re a central Iowa resident, remember to support the local businesses and nonprofits that help underwrite this platform.
Ed Fallon
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