SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
November 13, 2024
Sullivan’s Salvos 11/14/24
In this edition:
*Election Recap
*”Good” vs. “Bad” Campaigns
*Monday Morning Quarterbacks
*Election Day as a Holiday?
*Kudos to Eastside Dems!
*Did You Know?
*Election Recap
The 2024 Election is mostly in the books. I spent dozens of hours knocking on doors; while I certainly didn’t get all the outcomes I had hoped for, it feels good knowing I gave it my best effort.
Turnout in Johnson County was a record! More people voted in this election in Johnson County than ever before! Great work, citizens!
You all know what happened at the top of the ticket. Here are a few additional results:
US House: In Iowa’s First District, incumbent Republican Marianette Miller Meeks leads Christina Bohannan by just a couple hundred of votes. There are still ballots being cured here, so stay tuned. Overall, the US House is incredibly close. Right now, it looks as though the Republicans might take control, but if so, it will only be by a couple of votes! Stay tuned!
Iowa Senate: It looks like the GOP advantage is going to be 35-15 going forward. Iowa House: It appears Republicans will hold a 67-33 edge.
Locally, the three Democratic Supervisor candidates all won election – myself, Lisa Green-Douglass, and Mandi Remington. Brad Kunkel was reelected as Sheriff, and Julie Persons was elected Auditor. I am really looking forward to working with both!
Congratulations to all the winners, and thanks to everyone who threw their hat into the ring. We have a lot of work ahead!
*”Good” vs. “Bad” Campaigns
Ever heard of someone who won an election yet ran a lousy campaign? Me, either! Since we are deep into the political season, I want to share one of my political pet peeves:
I get really tired of all the Monday morning quarterbacking. If the candidate wins, they “ran a great campaign”. If they lose, the campaign was “terrible”.
Sports analogies get overused in politics, but I think it is apt to use one here. Picture the game of golf. Sometimes you play very poorly, and can get beat by anyone. Sometimes you play poorly and your opponent plays even worse – then you win. Conversely, sometimes you play well and win. It is also possible to play your best and still get beat.
This also happens in politics, though it is rarely acknowledged. Yes, sometimes the loser ran a poor campaign. But just as frequently, they ran a good campaign and still got beat. It happens.
The “experts” who are commenting on these campaigns – their punditry is usually just hot air.
Yes, there are campaigns that are well run, and there are some that aren’t. But I rarely hear anything other than fawning over winners and piling on losers. That is not analysis!
*Monday Morning Quarterbacks
You know how this phrase got started…. It is easy to sit in judgment after the fact, and complain about what a quarterback (or coach) SHOULD have done. I am sometimes guilty of this; we all are.
But I see a difference between a loyal fan questioning her team and a person who did nothing to support the cause. I may question something the Hawkeyes do, but my love of the Hawkeyes runs deep. I support them emotionally, financially, etc. In my mind, I have paid my dues, and therefore earned the right to comment.
The elections are over, and now it is time for the Monday Morning Quarterbacks of the political world to rear their ugly heads. Like the football variety, they seem to know what should have happened after the fact.
Both Republicans and Democrats have plenty of these folks. They can tell you exactly what Harris or Trump SHOULD have done.
So, my question to the MMQs: Did you make any calls? Did you knock any doors? Did you contribute any money? Did you write any letters? Did you pay your dues in any way?
The people who suffer most from the slings and arrows are the local political parties themselves. Apart from several temporary college-aged staff people, local political parties are made up of local people. They are volunteers. And yes, often they do not operate as well as they could. But you know what? Half the battle is showing up! Don’t like how your local party operates? Join it, and try to make some changes.
There is an old saying: “If you don’t vote, don’t complain”. But in reality, that saying is not the law. As Americans, we are free to say just about anything we want. So get ready to listen to a whole bunch of people who should be quarterbacks and Senators.
*Election Day as a Holiday?
It has become very popular amongst Democrats to push for Election Day as a National Holiday. I think this is a mistake in priorities.
Election Day is a holiday in many countries. What do people do on said holiday? They travel, of course. Who travels? The only people who can – people with money.
So Election Day in these countries becomes a huge day for eating out, buying gas, going to movies, shopping, etc. What is required to have bustling restaurants, gas stations, malls, and theaters? Staff. Low wage, low benefit staff. Who now are under even greater pressure to work that day.
The ICCSD and other schools did not have school on Election Day. Ask the single parents you know if that made things easier or harder.
We might actually get LOWER turnout if Election Day was a holiday! The people who would benefit already have enough agency to go vote when it suits them. They don’t NEED a holiday to vote. The people who need time to vote need more days of early voting, more convenient satellite locations, and evening voting hours. That is what we should be prioritizing!
Please don’t fall for the “Election Day as a Holiday” trap! That is not the cure for what ails us!
*Kudos to Eastside Dems!
Another election is over, and once again the Iowa City Eastside Democrats put on a virtuoso performance! Their work is truly unparalleled.
A huge thanks to Sharon, Tara, Gail, Becky, Jodi, Sue, Patti, Linda, and all the others for your amazing work! You are my heroes!
Thank You!
There is a lot going on in our world right now. Honestly, local politics is low on the list of important topics. But I would be remiss if I did not say some thanks after being reelected.
I won reelection on Tuesday. I have several people to thank:
1. My wife, Melissa Fath. It is not easy to be the spouse of an elected official. I am SO blessed to have Melissa as my partner!
2. The voters. I have worked really hard. I think we’ve accomplished some great things. It feels great to know most of the voters approve!
3. My Treasurer, Gary Smith. Keeping track of the money and filing the official reports is tedious, thankless work. I could not do it without Gary’s dedicated behind-the-scenes service!
4. The Iowa City Federation of Labor and Laborer’s Local 43. The endorsements mean a lot, deep in my heart. I am so proud to be a delegate to Iowa City Fed!
There are plenty of other people I could thank, but readers would grow weary of the whole list. Please allow me to just offer a big THANK YOU! to everyone who helped with this election. I promise to do my best to make you proud!
*DID YOU KNOW? November’s name has remained unchanged since the ancient Roman calendar, which was in use until 45 BC. This first Roman calendar was only made up of ten months, with November being the ninth month. November translates rather appropriately into “ninth month” in Latin. When the Julian calendar was adopted in 45 BC, two new months were added, which pushed November back to the 11th month. Despite its change in position, November was never renamed.
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---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:00 PM
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