Those Lazy, Hazy…
Summertime, summertime, here in the Midwest. Hot. Humid. The weather bureau issued all kinds of excessive-heat warnings. Don’t stay in the sun long. Drink plenty of water. And don’t forget your pets — especially the poor critters some dumb folks like to lock inside cars that are parked in the sun.
This heatwave has gone on for several days, and we’re all hoping a big, splashy, lightning-filled thunder-boomer will pop up, hurl some much-needed rain, and chill things.
This is the 50th anniversary of one of the greatest achievements in mankind’s history. A half-century ago on this very day, two Americans landed on the moon and walked on it. Today’s Des Moines Register devoted its front page to a reprint of its front page from back in 1969 — the day after the moon landing and walk. A classy move, indeed, by the Register.
I’m surely not alone in remembering exactly where I was on that July 20. Fresno. A hot day then, as well. No one on the streets because everyone was watching TV inside their air-conditioned homes. Some viewed Huntley and Brinkley on NBC. My parents preferred Walter on CBS. It was riveting TV, and watching replays of it this past week have made me proud of what Americans — yes, us — were able to accomplish, and sad because we — yes, us — are now so polarized and hateful that we cannot agree on anything.
Yesterday marked another milestone, at least here in Iowa. It was exactly one year ago that tornadoes ripped through our state. Marshalltown — about 40 miles east of Ames — suffered the most. Many downtown buildings were wrecked — including the historic Marshall County Courthouse. Hundreds of homes were damaged. Two major manufacturing plants employing thousands of workers sustained millions in damage.
KCCI-TV — for decades, the most-watched newscast in Des Moines, and deservedly so — sent its anchor team to Marshalltown to originate the station’s 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. newscasts yesterday. As part of that, Steve Karlin and Stacey Horst interviewed Marshalltown Mayor Joel Greer, live at 5. It was a long day for the mayor — a day that had started that morning at 7 when Paul Wierson and I interviewed him, live, on an Ames radio newscast.
Yes, I’m doing radio during our summer stay here. Twice a week, I co-host a one-hour newscast on the FM community station. I’m not an early riser, and this requires me to crawl out of bed at 5 a.m. on Mondays and Fridays. But this time of year, it’s starting to get light at that hour, and it’s warm, so it’s not a terribly heavy lift. During winter’s sub-freezing temperatures, it would be intolerable for this California kid, but we’re back West by then, so I can phone in my radio participation. Literally.
Summertime, summertime. The time of year — at least, the time of THIS year — when politicians make their way across our fine state in search of precious votes for next February’s all-important Iowa presidential caucuses. Yes, yes. Lots of “pundits” deride Iowa’s role in the nominating process. After all, they say, we’re too small. Not representative of the entire nation. Not really important.
But as in so many other cases, it matters not what pundits say because Iowa does — and will continue to — play an amazingly important part in the process. Why else would every one of the two-dozen or so Democrats running for the Oval Office make their way here — continuously — in the months leading up to the caucuses? The Register has counted more than 600 visits by presidential candidates so far and predicts at least 2,500 more before next February.
Iowa is one of the few states where you can meet and greet every candidate. Shake their hands. Talk with them, up-close and personal. Here in Ames, candidates tend to hold court at my favorite summer spot — Café Diem, on Main Street. If you’re in town long enough, you’ll see them there. And because the coffee shop has an intimate setting, anyone attending likely will get a chance to get into a one-on-one conversation with the candidate.
Of course, the hopefuls also show up at other places around town — and so do their surrogates. Jill Biden, the wife of the former vice president, turned up at our library and did a fine job representing him. She took time to have pictures taken with some of the locals, including us. Jill — and her husband — seem like throwbacks to a kinder, gentler time in American politics — a time before every political discussion seemed to hinge on hate. Can we ever get back to those days?
Joe, as well as every other Democratic hopeful, will show up at the Des Moines Register’s “soapbox” during the upcoming Iowa State Fair. That fair is a very big deal, indeed. Every candidate or would-be candidate goes. Back in 2016, both Trump and Clinton made appearances, and you knew Clinton was going to have trouble in Iowa because she looked uncomfortable talking to the fair-goers — as if she did not want to be there. Trump glad-handed with glee. And he won the state in November.
A couple of weeks ago — on the Fourth — Bernie Sanders marched in our annual Ames holiday parade. Then he held a spirited rally at his headquarters on Kellogg. Bernie’s not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you’d been in the audience at that rally — as we were — you’d know why he appeals to lots of folks. He’s a dynamic speaker.
We also attended a gathering at a house for Beto O’Rourke. Shook his hand. Talked with him. Seemed like a nice guy. Seems like he has no chance — at least, not this time around.
And then there’s Steve King. He’s the Iowa Republican Fourth District Congressman who’s always in trouble because of the often-crazy views he expounds on immigrants. Most of his district lies in northwest Iowa, but it also includes Ames. And because this is a quite-liberal town, many here in Ames detest Steve King.
Mr. King held a community meeting yesterday at our city auditorium, and I went because I’m still a reporter at heart — and, yes, maybe even in practice. I’m also curious about many things, including politics, which I covered for decades. And, yes, the audience included many folks who would like to see Mr. King not just leave office, but catch the next flying machine out of the universe, with a one-way ticket.
But Mr. King held his own, and to his credit, remained calm and under control while a few in the audience showed their complete lack of tact — and, in fact, made themselves look somewhat silly. Yes, Mr. King came to town, he took the blows, and he did it his way (with due acknowledgement to Mr. Sinatra’s lyrics).
Summertime, summertime, here in the Midwest. Those weather gurus predict thunderstorms later today, big enough to cool things down. That would be nice, indeed — not just for Iowa, but for the nation, as well. And I’m not just talking about the weather.