Stories

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed as U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tuesday, has named John Norris as his his chief of staff, sources close to Vilsack said today.
Norris served as Vilsack’s chief of staff during his first two years as governor. He also served as chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party in 1998, ran unsuccessfully [...]

In a phone interview with the Iowa Independent conducted before the announcement of her new job, Jackie Norris talked about what it was like to be a part of the historic campaign that elected America’s first black president, what lessons can be learned from the organization and what the future may hold for the political couple who got engaged at the 2000 Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles.

Jackie Norris, Iowa State Director for President-elect Barack Obama’s campaign, has taken the position of Chief of Staff to Michelle Obama, the Washington Post reports.
Norris worked as a scheduler in Vice President Al Gore’s office, and she and her husband, John, have been involved in Iowa Democratic politics for years.  In 2000, she was Gore’s [...]

The Washington Post reports that Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley has turned his scrutiny of nonprofit organizations to the University of Chicago Medical Center, where Sen. Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, has worked for about ten years:
The ranking minority member on the Senate Finance Committee is seeking information from the non-profit University of Chicago Medical Center about [...]

In his interviews for YouTube at the Democratic National Convention, recent University of Iowa Law School graduate Rich Peters is focusing, among other things, on supporters of U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, Barack Obama’s chief rival in what was a protracted and close nomination fight.
Peters is covering the convention for YouTube and [...]

A YouTube video blogger from Iowa covering the Democratic National Convention said prospective First Lady Michelle Obama connected with women during her keynote speech Monday night.

Speaking to about 100 people at the new Crossroads Bistro in Carroll Sunday morning, Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama’s wife, Michelle, a Princeton and Harvard-educated lawyer, talked of her motherly concerns.

Retirement security is not an abstract policy idea for her, said Michelle Obama, a mother of two young girls. Her own mother, thanks to years [...]

[Commentary] I wanted to say something in response to Lynda's post, which is quite poignant and something people should read. When I saw that Hotline piece saying Sen. Obama had been given a Secret Service detail, I too took a deep breath.
It's a sad, scary thought that there are those out there who would cut [...]