04 Apr 2007

Senior Citizens, Big Business, & a Labor Union Walk Into a Presidential Campaign...: Divided We Fall

By Randy Stalsberg

The numbers behind the "Divided We Fail" send a clear message to presidential candidates: Ignore us at your peril.

AARP has 38 million members nationwide. Service Employees International Union (SEIU) represents 1.8 million workers and is the country's largest labor union. And Business Roundtable has roughly 160 member companies with a combined workforce of 10 million people and annual revenues of $4.5 trillion.

Those are the core organizations behind Divided We Fail, an initiative that aims to make health care and long-term financial security (an umbrella covering Social Security) the primary issues in the 2008 presidential campaign. The effort, which was launched earlier this year (and was announced in the Quad Cities last week), will focus initially on four states with early influence on the presidential nominating process: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, and South Carolina.

31 Oct 2006

Rock the Boat

By Administrator

Reader issue #605If you are an independent voter - that is, a person who does not identify with either of the major political parties - Democratic and Republican leaders would prefer that you did not vote on November 7.

Not only that, but they're doing everything in their power to keep you from voting. They might not break into your house and tie you up until November 8, but they do invade your home through television ads hell-bent on disgusting you with the campaigns, the candidates, and the process. They want you to turn off, tune out and drop out.

24 Oct 2006

Ringing the Susie Bell

By Administrator

For those of us who have frequented the Davenport City Council Chambers for meetings, the charming, outspoken-but-always-diplomatic "ole lady" wearing all the different fun hats is a familiar face. Her name is Susie Bell, and she is the Republican candidate for House District 86 of the Iowa legislature, running against Democrat incumbent Cindy Winkler.

Susie has been following politics since her youth. A wide variety of issues has piqued her curiosity, and more often her ire. She has campaigned in more grassroots efforts than she can name, but give her time and she will recall key aspects of every one, including their outcomes.

05 Sep 2006

Optimism and Populism: Jim Hightower, September 8 at Veterans Memorial Park Band Shell in Bettendorf

By Administrator

Jim Hightower is less an activist or strategist than a cheerleader.

Reader issue #597 Even now - when the Republican and Democratic parties are virtually indistinguishable, when the executive branch of the federal government has curtailed civil liberties in the name of national security with little opposition from Congress, and when popular sentiment seems to have little power in Washington - the Texan finds plenty of silver linings.

29 Mar 2005

In the Wake of Defeat, Progressives Organize in the Quad Cities

By Jeff Beatty
These days, "organization" is a word on the lips of Quad Cities political activists opposed to America's increasingly conservative direction. And some of the organizing is happening outside the two major parties.
26 Oct 2004

Candidate Statements for the November 2 Election

By No Author
The River Cities' Reader asked candidates in contested Scott and Rock Island county races - from people running from U.S. Senate to county offices - a simple question: "Compare yourself to and contrast yourself with your opponent(s) in terms of your respective positions on the issues you think will be most important during the next term of the office you're seeking.
26 Oct 2004

Putting the Election in Perspective

By No Author
Last week, the River Cities' Reader assembled a small group of citizens and community leaders from a variety of backgrounds to discuss the November 2 election. The goal wasn't to talk about specific candidates or races but to put the election in a local context: What do federal, state, and local races mean to the Quad Cities? The discussion lasted more than an hour, and what follows is a transcript.
29 Oct 2002

Positions for U.S. House of Representatives (Iowa seat) and U.S. Senate (Illinois seat)

By No Author
1) Would should the role of Congress be in the country's current standoff with Iraq? If the U.S. does enter an armed conflict, how should the country finance the war effort? Ann Hutchinson (Democratic Candidate for U.
13 Aug 2002

Former GOP Legislator Tops Libertarian Ticket in Illinois

By Jeff Ignatius
When the Illinois Libertarian Party asked Cal Skinner whether he'd run for governor on its ticket, he wondered what was in it for him. The answer was a political party that's very good at collecting petition signatures, which fits right into Skinner's plans.
28 May 2002

Democratic Candidates for Congress Bring Strengths, Weaknesses to Voters

By Jeff Ignatius
Voters in the June 4 Democratic primary for Iowa's First District seat in Congress have a difficult choice ahead of them. Each of the three candidates has positive attributes, yet each also has significant political liabilities.

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