Have Iowans rejected Democratic values?

[progressoid]

The analysis of election outcomes in Iowa is not a new topic. But applying the lessons that could be learned has eluded some candidates and our dedicated supporters. In at least the last four general elections, Iowa voters have selected the Republican candidates up and down the ballot. As a party, we are poised to repeat the behaviors of the past that have cost Democratic candidates their races.

Democrats have lost state House and Senate seats in most of rural Iowa. We have lost at the top of the ticket in the four key races, for president, governor, U.S. Senate, and several U.S. House districts. Our analysis to date has addressed the following concerns:

Have Iowans rejected Democratic values? The conclusion: not necessarily. Does it mean they reject all Democratic candidates? Again, not necessarily. What we have not done with those conclusions is determine the correct course of action.

...

In most statewide races, reaching voters with a message takes resources that are again sequestered in defensive positions. Candidates with lackluster messages but good relationships with donors are funded in ways that drown inspiration by sheer volume. This approach has created a system that supports career politicians, donor-class insiders, and party puppets, not Democratic leaders. Iowans are not hearing the Democratic message. They are not hearing:

We want you to thrive, and here is how we will measure it and how we will get there…
We want your communities to grow, and here is how you can achieve that…
Your safety, comfort, and quality of life should be affordable and attainable, and here is how we will assure that…
We want you to reap the rewards of your work, and here is how we will empower you…
We want a fair opportunity for you, and here is how we level the playing field…
Your diversity is valued, and here is how we protect it…
Corporate corruption and corporate welfare must be stopped, and here is how we will stop it…

more...https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2022/02/15/democrats-must-finance-their-inspiration/

[Claire Oh Nette]

1. Evangelicals are a big problem in Iowa

My in-laws are from a small town 30-40 minutes north and west Ft. Dodge. Steve King Iowa.

They are lovely people, but church is the center of their social lives, and for some, their work lives, too. THey're not fanatics, but one nephew is I'd assume an angry incel.

They vote R because that's what they think they should do. They hear it in their churches. They read Christian books and news outlets. Surgeons don't save them, god does through their prayers.

Barry Goldwater nailed it, and this should be the rift that divides the "traditional gop" from this new radicalized John Wayne Republican Jesus come back as TDFG cult.

They willingly believe Earth is 6,000 years old, and nifty things like fossils and carbon dating as easter eggs from Satan to test their belief. Very literal, very rigid in their thinking, very small box traditional family. THey love Mayberry. As a Californian, with divorced parents, single til I was 34, with a gay brother, and step parents and birth parents, too, I was way outside their box.

[Claire Oh Nette]

2. Barry Goldwater, Prophet

"Mark my word, if and when these preachers get control of the [Republican] party, and they're sure trying to do so, it's going to be a terrible damn problem. Frankly, these people frighten me. Politics and governing demand compromise. But these Christians believe they are acting in the name of God, so they can't and won't compromise. I know, I've tried to deal with them...

There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever one calls this supreme being. But like any powerful weapon, the use of God's name on one's behalf should be used sparingly.

The religious factions that are growing throughout our land are not using their religious clout with wisdom. They are trying to force government leaders into following their position 100 percent. If you disagree with these religious groups on a particular moral issue, they complain, they threaten you with a loss of money or votes or both.

I'm frankly sick and tired of the political preachers across this country telling me as a citizen that if I want to be a moral person, I must believe in 'A,' 'B,' 'C,' and 'D.' Just who do they think they are? And from where do they presume to claim the right to dictate their moral beliefs to me? And I am even more angry as a legislator who must endure the threats of every religious group who thinks it has some God-granted right to control my vote on every roll call in the Senate. I am warning them today: I will fight them every step of the way if they try to dictate their moral convictions to all Americans in the name of 'conservatism.'"

- Barry Goldwater, prophet.

[PortTack]

3. Yes I believe they have!