Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
In a 173-128 vote, delegates to the Iowa Democratic Party’s annual convention changed the party’s constitution to give the governor sole responsibility to select his running mate. Delegates would still have the responsibility to ratify the choice.
Barb Kalbach (photo by Beth Dalbey/The Iowa Independent)
The change comes in response to a challenge by Barb Kalbach, a fourth-generation family farmer from Dexter, who announced earlier this year that she would ask Democrats at the party’s state convention Saturday to vote for her to replace Lt. Gov. Patty Judge on the gubernatorial ticket this fall. Kalbach began asking delegates for their support at district and county conventions, but the constitutional change means she will not have the opportunity to be nominated by delegates for the position.
“This is just not right,” Kalbach said in an interview with The Iowa Independent shortly before the vote. “Delegates should have the right to nominate someone else if that is their choice.”
Sandy Dockendorff, the Iowa Democratic Party’s rules chair, said the change does not take any rights away from the delegates. They will still be asked to ratify the governor’s choice, “and if they don’t approve, they can vote ‘no.’”
“It’s the same method the national party uses to select a vice president,” she said.
Ed Fallon, a former state lawmakers and liberal radio host in Des Moines, pointed to the 1944 national Democratic convention, which saw delegates decide not to renominate President Franklin Roosevelt’s choice for vice president, choosing Harry Truman instead.
“It’s probable that in most cases, delegates will rubber stamp the governor’s nominee, but the power should continue,” Fallon said.
Since 1988, the governor and lieutenant governor have been elected on the same ticket, and Democratic delegates have always ratified whoever was chosen by the governor as a running mate. Previously, Iowa had a system in which the positions were elected separately and, occasionally, were from different parties.
Norm Sterzenbach, a delegate from Linn County, said the change is needed because the lieutenant governor has no real statutory responsibilities. So, since the job is defined by the governor, it should be the governor’s choice, he said.
Kalbach disagrees.
“What kind of democracy is this,” Kalbach said. “I want to be a Democrat. If I wanted this type of behavior, I’d go be a Republican. Limiting the delegates control of the nomination process is contrary to the spirit of democracy.”
The vote may come back up later Saturday afternoon. The amendment passed on a voice vote, and there has already been a motion for a vote by paper ballot. The motion was ruled out of order.
UPDATE at 12:14 p.m.: Delegates are currently requesting a new vote on the measure by paper ballot.
UPDATE at 12:17 p.m.: The motion falls nearly 100 votes short of total needed to force a vote by paper ballot.
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