Does the parade hoopla make a political difference? Well, it sells the idea of politics as patriotic, gets names and faces out there, and can be fun if done right.

Coralville is one of the Fourth’s bigger parades, and both parties brought the signs and the candidates.

This being Johnson County, the Democrats had the bigger numbers…

…but the Republicans were out as well.

The biggest political name at Coralville was Congressman Dave Loebsack.

A buffer unit of a vacation bible school separated the Democrats from the GOP, and Loebsack from his opponent…

Mariannette Miller-Meeks.

Loebsack had the banner….

but Miller-Meeks had an ambulance, in keeping with her listing the medical credential often.

She also had the candy as she’s an opthalmologist, not a dentist. Dentists cringe at the candy, but it’s a must.  When I was a legislative candidate, I did the math.

The amount of candy required for a parade is always greater than the amount purchased
(Cp<Cr).

The more candy you get, the more will be thrown
(Cp+x2<Cr+x). 

Therefore, there will never be enough candy to make it to the end of the parade
(Cr = ∞).

But miraculously, Johnson County Supervisor Pat Harney managed to make his last at least three-quarters of the way.

The Independence Day parades in Coralville, Oxford and Hills were Johnson County’s first parades of the year. The first two, North Liberty Fun Days and Iowa City Pride Fest, were flooded out.

Here’s an effective tactic. On the right, in the dark green, is House District 29 candidate Nate Willems, D-Lisbon, at the Oxford parade. He’s walking with the legislator he’s hoping to succeed, Ro Foege, D-Mt. Vernon, and with Pat Hughes, Oxford resident and local labor leader.

You can also use the parade to show off some party unity. Carrying the Obama banner: Ross Wilburn from the Iowa City council, one of the earliest Iowa City Obama backers, along with Johnson County attorney Janet Lyness and state Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City, who were prominent Hillary Clinton supporters.