“We can be cold

As a falling thermometer in December
If you ask about our weather in July”
(Iowa Stubborn - The Music Man)

It saddens me to see what has become of Iowa. It wasn’t that long ago we had one of the most conservative Senators (Grassley) and one of the most liberal (Harken). For 30 years we had Jim Leach as a Republican in the House, but today he would be a left wing Democrat. In 2009 Iowa was the first in the nation to recognize same sex marriage. Just 15 years ago.

West of I-35 was always solidly conservative Republican, Steve King territory. But the eastern half was decidedly more liberal. Iowa City was always very left wing, and Cedar Falls just a bit more to the right. Cedar Rapids and Des Moines trended Democratic. The Quad Cities, Dubuque, Waterloo, and Ft. Dodge were blue collar union strongholds, primarily John Deere influenced.

There are still liberal and Democratic pockets, but the state is full on red and heavily MAGA.

I used to defend Iowa’s first in the nation status. The diversity of political opinion (if not race, etc), the serious civic mindedness of the populace, and the low cost of entry were strong points in my opinion. But no more. I’d be happy to see this be the last Iowa caucus with a switch to several groups of state primaries.