A few months ago, I bumped into a former aide to Gov. Robert Ray. As we reminisced about the governor, our conversation turned to his nearly daily meetings with journalists.

The aide said yes, those press conferences provided reporters with access to the governor and his comments on issues the state was handling and hearing about from Iowans.

But Ray believed the daily press gatherings had another important benefit, too: Ray could do his job more effectively by listening to the journalists’ questions, the aide said.

State government is a sprawling operation. With reporters combing government agencies for news and bringing their questions to the governor, it meant Ray would be better informed about what was going on in the government he was responsible for managing. Sometimes, those questions dealt with concerns the governor was unaware of — matters that could be dealt with quickly before a small issue could grow into a bigger problem.

Today, Iowa is at the point where one issue has been allowed to fester into a significant problem — and this should alarm Iowans with elderly relatives or who expect to be elderly someday themselves. That issue is the quality of care provided by some of Iowa’s 414 nursing homes and care centers.

by Cheryl Tevis, Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 25, 2023

Martha, Martha, are you listening? Martha? Can you hear me?

Is it Dec. 7 yet? No? Two more weeks? I can’t be the only person who has this date highlighted on my calendar. But my motivation might be different than you’d expect.

For those readers who are Gen Xers or Millennials, Oct. 15 to Dec. 7 is the annual Medicare open enrollment period. With a total of 65 million Medicare beneficiaries in the U.S., it’s a big marketing opportunity. It’s also annoying the hell out of everyone under age 65 – and that’s 83 percent of the American public.

In these incessant TV commercials, Martha, a white-haired lady wearing  super-sized glasses, is described by the narrator as a “cranky” 75-year-old. Apparently, she’s been living under a rock for the past 10 years: she has no idea what the narrator is trying to “man-splain” to her. The commercials are condescending and demeaning.

A 2022 Commonwealth Fund survey indicates that three quarters of individuals aged 65 and older reported receiving daily unsolicited calls or ads: “Hello, this is your senior advisor.” Calls are supposed to be federally prohibited unless individuals agree to be called.

by Iowa Capital Dispatch
November 6, 2023

I said on national television back in August that I would be very surprised if Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds endorsed a presidential candidate ahead of the 2024 caucuses.

Color me surprised. Reynolds is reportedly set to endorse Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a campaign event Monday evening in Des Moines and then take the show on the road, with stops in Davenport and Florida ahead of the third GOP presidential debate.

Reynolds first said over the summer she wouldn’t rule out a pre-caucus endorsement. The reasons I was skeptical then are the same ones that seem puzzling now: It’s a huge political risk for Reynolds and an even bigger hazard to the future of the Iowa GOP caucuses.

DeSantis was 29 percentage points behind former President Donald Trump in the Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll of likely GOP caucusgoers published a week ago. The Florida governor lost his lead over former U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley, who’s now tied with him at 16%. While Reynolds’ backing is certainly a boon at a crucial time for DeSantis, it seems like a stretch that it would push him over the top to defeat Trump in January and launch him to the nomination.

by Dave Nagle, Iowa Capital Dispatch
October 25, 2023

I remember clearly the first day I went to the Capital to become a member of Congress.  I purposely walked up the front steps and was greeted by a guard, who opened the door and said, “Good morning, Congressman.” What a sense of satisfaction to have finally arrived.

But then I walked across the hall and opened the door to the chamber.  I had a second thought, and it was simply, “I hope I don’t screw this up.”

by Rob Sand, Auditor, State of Iowa

Common sense says we can’t judge an outcome before a program begins, but I wasn’t surprised to read a guest essay in the Sept. 3 Des Moines Register proclaiming that “it’s safe to say we were wrong” if we thought Iowa’s new vouchers program would harm our public schools.

I wasn’t surprised because common sense has never been part of the push for vouchers in Iowa.

Here, instead of political talking points, are actual facts about the program’s rules and structure.

by Iowa Capital Dispatch
August 21, 2023

The latest Des Moines Register/NBC News/Mediacom Iowa Poll of the Iowa caucus race, published Monday, was a blowout. Former President Donald Trump holds more than a 2-to-1 lead over his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.