Why I’m Voting for DeJear
Iowa Needs New Leadership
I know it’s an uphill battle for Democrats to get elected in Iowa these days. Somehow, our state that used to be somewhat reliably purple — the same state that got the ball rolling for Obama in the 2008 elections with our first-in-the-nation caucuses — is turning redder and redder.
I have some theories for why Iowa’s crimson is deepening. People listening to the scream network — or, I should say, fox news. And Sinclair Broadcasting group. Networks who need angry viewers to keep watching and buying products from their advertisers.
Keep viewers angry by convincing them that the Democrats are coming to take away your guns/turn your son gay/give all your money to Ukraine/whatever today’s talking point is.
I live in the deepest blue part of the state, Iowa City, home of the University of Iowa. The kind of town where pride flags far outnumber confederate flags (newsflash, dummies; Iowa wasn’t in the confederacy, you’re just racist). The sort of place where the Republican entry in the Homecoming parade is met with stony silence.
I’m sure that, as individuals, Republicans are good people, who love their families and their pets, shovel their neighbor’s driveway, and don’t actively work to harm others. As a collective, though, the things Republicans have brought to our state do not help.
Iowa used to be known for its high-quality K-12 education. Heck, we put “First in Education” on our state quarters, back when state quarters were a thing. Republican leadership for the past several years has consistently underfunded public education and even demonized educators. The current Iowa state Senate president even said that teachers and educators have a “sinister agenda” to “normalize deviant behavior” in children.
Listen, if you think teachers — not individual teachers, who may have their faults, but ALL teachers — have a “sinister agenda,” then you’re an asshole. Sorry, not sorry.
I’ll be voting for DeJear for the next governor of Iowa. Our current Governor, Kim Reynolds, hasn’t done anything to improve the quality of life for Iowans. Our water isn’t any cleaner under her leadership. She doesn’t have a plan to improve public schools. As the Raygun t-shirt says, she is really bad at this.
DeJear as governor would help improve public schools and access to mental health services. She would support women’s rights to their own healthcare decisions. She believes in common sense gun laws.
And a DeJear win would help convince me that Iowa is not a lost cause. As DeJear says, Iowa is worth the work.
