Rick Smith
Latest from Rick Smith
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Where Was Joni Ernst’s Squealing Over Tariffs?
Making Washington squeal was a major theme used by Joni Ernst in campaigning for the Senate in 2014. She has continued to claim that she is holding Washington accountable by declaring a monthly, “Joni’s Squeal Award.” She has used that squeal award to highlight numerous trivial spending issues and attack various Democratic proposals. Where is…
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Iowa Water Festival Planned To Fight Iowa’s Water Quality Emergency
The first Iowa Water Festival is this Sunday, June 23 from 11:30-2:30 at the Izaak Walton League and Water Works Park in Des Moines. The clean water advocacy organizers have a lineup of speakers, educators and scientists dedicated to improving Iowa’s deteriorating water quality. It is a free public event. The Izaak Walton League will…
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Trump’s Real Russian Collusion: NATO
The real collusion between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin is evident in Trump’s pro-Russian actions across the world. President Trump’s relentless attacks on NATO, his promotion of far-right nationalist politicians, his defense of authoritarian leaders, and his assaults that weaken the European Union all directly benefit Putin. Trump’s actions and statements advance…
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Can Iowa Democrats Avoid A Family Feud In 2020?
Can the Iowa Democratic family avoid a repeat of the 2016 family feud that seriously fractured party unity?Because the Sanders-Clinton race was so close that year, there was a plethora of hard feelings and theories about unfair or a rigged result in the 2016 caucuses. Some argue that the deep division dampened support for Hillary…
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Joni Ernst Blames The Corp, Not The Climate, For Iowa Flooding
In a May 5th guest article in the Des Moines Register, Senator Joni Ernst blamed the Army Corps of Engineers for lack of timely warning prior to the epic Missouri River flooding. She claimed we need better communication and warning about potential flood risk. Ernst’s call for more communication is in sharp contrast to her…
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Iowa Student Activists Raise Voices For Climate Action
Certain issues reach a political tipping point when timing, events or actions captures the public’s attention. One of the reasons that action on climate has skyrocketed to the top of the Democrats’ priority list is the actions of the world’s youth. In March, over one million students held climate strikes in over 123 countries calling…
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Cindy Axne Boosts Funding For Iowa Flood Relief
Congresswoman Cindy Axne successfully pushed through Congress an additional $3 billion in disaster relief for Iowa and the Midwest. Both the House ($14.2 billion) and the Senate ($13.5 billion) passed hurricane disaster relief bills in January. However, the bills have been held hostage by Trump due to his objection to money designated for Puerto Rico.…
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Republicans’ Unconstitutional Attack On The Attorney General’s Independence
Republican legislators’ attack on Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller is an unconstitutional power grab. Not only is this action a betrayal of basic constitutional principles, it will likely cost taxpayers millions of dollars in lost settlements. In addition, this legislation insults the decisions of Iowa voters that have made Miller the nation’s longest serving Attorney…
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Democrats Gather This Weekend To Address Rural Issues
Cracking the rural code by finding a successful message is essential to Democrats’ future elections. It’s not only critical in Iowa, but in much of the so-called red flyover country of the heartland. Iowa Democrats understand that they can’t win majorities in the Iowa House and the Senate or statewide elections without finding a message…
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Broken Promises: GOP Attempts End Run On IPERS
Do you recall all the Republican promises about protecting Iowa Public Employee Retirement System (IPERS) during the Hubbell/Reynolds campaign in 2018? Democrats warned repeatedly that Reynolds and the Republican legislators couldn’t be trusted. Nevertheless, Reynolds and her Republican legislative buddies vowed over and over during that campaign that they would never touch IPERS or the…
