Category: Politics & Voting

Community Briefs for Monday, March 1, 2021

Christine Hawes
thurgood brooks

Catch up on news items about progressive and intersectional groups, businesses and people throughout Iowa and Illinois: Thurgood Brooks is a native Rock Islander challenging fellow native and four-year incumbent Mike Thoms for mayor April 6. Read and watch WQAD’s coverage of Brooks’ town hall and his platform, which includes affordable housing, revitalizing downtown, reaching out more directly to Rock Islanders, a more transparent city government, and more. The Map Room in Cedar Rapids is seeking community groups who would like to collaborate on fundraising through the bar and restaurant’s…

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Groups ramp up, seek help, to fight Iowa’s anti-LGBTQ bills

Christine Hawes
genderless

DES MOINES — If you’d like to join the fight against a rash of anti-LGBTQ bills proposed by Republican state legislators this year, two of Iowa’s leading civil rights groups are providing three chances to get involved within the next week. “Moral Mondays Iowa: The State That Loves to Hate” will feature State Rep. Liz Bennett, D-Cedar Rapids, and leaders of Iowa Safe Schools and One Iowa Action. They’ll educate Iowans Monday on the 14 anti-LGBTQ bills introduced this year in the Iowa State Legislature. Then, on Wednesday, the One…

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Iowa, Florida still seized by Trumpism, Republican culture wars (COLUMN)

Sharon Hughes Kunkel
iowa florida cover

Iowa and Florida both went strongly Trump in the 2020 election. Both are led by governors who mimicked many Trump policies. Both have state Houses and Senates in Republican control. Both resisted mask mandates and have led the country in COVID-19 transmission rates. Both have a history of legislative bills targeting transgender people. In both Iowa and Florida, the battle against Trumpism remains in full swing. Read Sharon Hughes Kunkel’s pointed call to action. SARASOTA, FL. — In a thrilling turn of events, we won the White House and Senate,…

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EDITORIAL: The Biden-Harris era as an antidote to nihilism, full-spectrum

Christine Hawes
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Today’s the start of the Biden-Harris era. But more importantly, let’s make it the “End of Nihilism” era. Nihilism, the belief that everything is hopeless, is the ugliest ‘ism of all. It encompasses all the other ‘isms, encouraging a belief that nothing matters and there is no hope for a better world. It’s the one ‘ism that has the danger of uniting the far right AND the far left, white and Black, mystical pagans and fundamentalist Christians, jacked-up young adults and the frail elderly. Nihilism got a lot of fuel,…

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TRM Blog: Challenging lessons for Iowa City, activists after rumor-post controversy

Christine Hawes
balloons 3696902 1920

An editorial we ran last week turned out to be a grand social experiment. The results, outlined below, aren’t a good look for progressives, liberals and the far left. But before we get to that: for anyone who started, fanned, flamed, continued or belatedly joined the witch hunt against Kelly Stucker and The Konnexion, start planning your “I was wrong” party now. Seriously, make it a party. A light-hearted affair. Enjoy the liberation of contrition. Let yourself laugh about it. Because after all, when you look back, it IS laughable…

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Support for Trump increased this year among Black, Latino, LGBTQ voters

Christine Hawes
equality illinois panel

The progressive post-mortem is already in on last week’s presidential election, and it’s grim: support for Donald Trump grew this year among Blacks, Latinos and LGBTQ people. Trump doubled his support among Black women, from 4 to 8 percent, Newsweek reports. Among Black men, support for Trump grew from 13 to 18 percent. An estimated 36 percent of Latino men voted for Trump, up from 32 percent in 2016. Among Latino women, support for Trump grew from 25 percent to 28 percent. And about one-fourth of Trump voters this year…

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Quad Cities “Count Every Vote” ONLINE vigil leads post-election events in Iowa, Illinois

Christine Hawes
postelectionrecovery scaled

(UPDATED NOV. 6, 2020) DAVENPORT — Almost a dozen vigils, rallies or strategy events are already scheduled in Illinois and Iowa to help people cope with or respond to post-election uncertainty. They include this Saturday’s virtual Count Every Vote/Defend our Democracy Rally, hosted by Quad Cities Interfaith. Organizers decided Friday to convert the event into an online rally “due to alarmingly high rates of COVID and our health services being overwhelmed,” the group wrote. Quad Cities Faith involves almost a dozen different groups representing academia, various spiritual faiths and organized…

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Same-day voter registration, rides to polls in Illinois, Iowa

Christine Hawes
to vote scaled

Are you among the estimated 7.3 million eligible voters in Illinois and Iowa who have yet to cast your vote in this year’s election? Would a ride to the polls help? You can still vote today in Iowa and Illinois, even if you’re brand new to the whole process: the two states are among 20 states that allow same-day voter registration. In Illinois, bring two forms of I.D. to register today, including one that includes your current address. In Iowa, bring an I.D. that includes both your photo and your…

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“What if …?” Event Zooms on nonviolent civil disobedience, post-election

Christine Hawes
nonviolence cover

A Quad Cities pacifist/activist is inviting Midwesterners to fine-tune their understanding of nonviolent civil disobedience in anticipation of possible resistance from President Donald Trump to the results of the Nov. 3 election. Acknowledging the possibility that Trump may still win a second term, Rev. Rich Hendricks of Davenport says the greater likelihood and difficulty is that Trump proposes or attempts civil rights suppression “post-election and pre-end of term.” Hendricks is holding two Zoom sessions — one at 7 p.m. Monday (Oct. 26) and the other at 2 p.m. Tuesday (Oct.…

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