This is how we start taking the country back, from the ground up

[DFW]

A friend of mine is running for state auditor in Iowa. It may seem like a nothing post, but in a rural state like Iowa, it is anything but. He also has ambitions to go on from there (as in House and then Senate). He is currently only 1% up in the polls, but he is at least ahead of an entrenched incumbent who thought re-election was going to be a free ride in the era of Trump.

Rob looks like a nerdy 17 year old, but he is a smart guy in his mid-thirties who is from a tiny town in rural Iowa. Exactly the kind of Democrat we need in places like that.

Anyone in Iowa out there who is not voting straight party, please don't forget to vote for Rob Sand for state auditor.

&feature=youtu.be

[Beartracks]

1. Knr

[Demovictory9]

2. Cute ad

[DFW]

4. He obviously has a very limited budget

I think he did a very good job with the limited funds he has. I sent him some money, but I'm just one jerk out here across the sea. The ad is funny, personable but also to the point without even mentioning his opponent (VERY clever).

One note..the last time I saw Rob, we were in Washington in April, and when discussing his further ambitions, I told him he ought to talk to Howard Dean. He said he'd like to meet him some day. Some day? I said how about right now? I called Howard, and handed the phone to Rob. I thought they'd talk for a few minutes and exchange email addresses or something. Instead, they talked for HALF AN HOUR. Howard obviously saw (or, rather, heard) the same potential I did.

Ever the polite midwesterner, Rob even apologized for running my battery down. I said I'd let it ride this time, as it was for a good cause.

[pangaia]

14. Wow. You know everybody..

I met Dr Dean once.. A story I have told here several times and will not repeat now.

But, the Howard Dean you just described was exactly the Howard Dean I met.

I was flabbergasted at his genuineness, kindness, intelligence-- just a really good human being..

[DFW]

16. Not everybody, not even close

But I've known Howard since he was "Howard Who?" and finishing up his time as governor of Vermont, closing in on 20 years now. We were together at a gathering at New Year's, when a friend of mine, said, "you should meet this guy--he's thinking of running for president, and I really think he has a chance."

We've kept in touch ever since, get together when we can (last had breakfast right here in Düsseldorf last October), even traded Leo Kottke guitar solos late into the night one time at some hotel (Howard is a 12 string guitar fan, as am I). His genuineness, kindness and intelligence, as you noted, are all in abundance. Too good for us to have as president, I guess. I'm proud to call him a friend.

[pangaia]

24. That is beautiful. You are so lucky, and so, I suspect, is he..

[DFW]

27. We always split wishing we had more time.

I don't think either of us has slowed down since we first met. My job takes me to a different country almost every day, and he became a presidential candidate, then the most amazing DNC chair, and after that, he has been exactly what he told me in February, 2009: "raising hell for causes I care about."

Most people don't even know he is a big environmentalist among all the other causes he works on. He also was working on a march from Bangkok to the Burmese border to protest and raise awareness about human trafficking--just all sorts of stuff the headlines never bother with (they prefer him to comment on Trump in 2 minute segments on MSNBC, and ignore so much other stuff he cares deeply about).

He'll be 70 in November and has more energy than most 40 year olds I know.

[pangaia]

32. That is amazing to hear....

You know, it is probably just as well the media ignores the things he does that he really cares about... somehow, perhaps that makes them---- perhaps then they are not able to suck the life out of it.... cheapen it, like they cheapen almost everything else they touch.. Leaves what he does untouched and genuine.....


Especially interesting to me is the Bangkok to Burma march.

I guess only because I visited Thailand once some years ago and, among many other 'non-tourist adventures, rented a 'car' and drove from Chiangmai through the jungle to Mae Hon Son, before it was MAE HONG SON.. No airport yet. Almost no westerners when I was there..

We arrived after dark ( I had found a little place in I think, SMALL PLANET - something like that.) An Australian ex-pat and his Thai wife had a --- what... "accomodation'' they lived in a mostly open round. 'building'- a very big 'hut' if you will, and they rented out maybe 4-5 small huts with mat floors, etc , on the side of a mountain. When I drove in he exclaimed, "HOW DID YOU FIND US??" Lol.. Apparently he just had the place for when his many friends around the world where in country. Some, I surmised, quite important folks.. :&gt )

OH his wife could cook !!!


My entire 3-4 weeks in Thailand were like that... One magical adventure after another.....

[DFW]

44. I envy your Thai experience

I was only there once, and only for three days, did the usual tourist passing through routine.

I'm of two minds on your view about the media ignoring so much of Howard's work outside of US politics. It does leave him some freedom he might not otherwise have had in these domains. On the other hand, his "causes" might have gotten some more support if they had been made more prominent. Plus, it would help negate some of the nastier comments like "Howard Dean has become a corporate sellout." Besides the fact that I automatically ignore any post dissing any Democrat containing "corporate" or "corporatist," Howard took his position as a bargain of convenience--he got some steady income, and his "firm" got to use his name. Seeing as how he has not suffered any restrictions on his activity by his "employer," I'd say he did not get the short end of the stick in that bargain.

[pangaia]

45. Well, I do have to agree with you about the media. I guess it is a 2 edged sword.

I am also of 2 minds about 'dems and corporations.' What do I REALLY know about power at the top?

I live in the NY 27th district and the dem candidate is Nate McMurray, who is taking NO corporate $$$....running against indicted sleazeball, millionaire Chris Collins. :&gt )

It has gone from definite R to TOSS UP ! Nate needs $$ and the dem 'powers that be' give him nothing.. Not a penny... Although Perez did show up at a campaign headquarters opening.


Oh, in Bangkok, I jumped in the river and 'saved' a monk who tried to jump on one of those long-tailed boats with the 2000 HP Caddy motor just as it was pulling away from the floating dock. I was a brief hero. HA HA !!!

In fact I don't even know if they still have those boats.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. I recall your talking about him before...

And because you did, I sent him a contribution!

Glad to support a good guy.

[Docreed2003]

5. K&R!

[elleng]

6. Thanks. Sent this to my brother and his family,

who LIVE in Iowa!

[DFW]

17. Thanks for that!

Rob can use all the help he can get!

[elleng]

20. You're welcome.

My sister in law thanked me, and I have hope they'll get the word out, as they have a large business and social circles. Fingers crossed!

[violetpastille]

7. Yes! This!

There are a lot of ideas floating around about how Democrats should message themselves.

Great job, Rob!

You can't fake sincerity, but you can't mistake it either.

[DFW]

18. I told him I was proud of his effort in the ad spot

Iowa is one of the few states I've never been to, but I get the impression this is exactly what will resonate there.

[Reader Rabbit]

8. OMG, that spot is fantastic!

It's like one of those interview questions where they ask you your biggest flaw, and you turn it into a strength.

Rob!

[rurallib]

9. Proud to have voted for him already

his opponent is dragging her feet on auditing the Republicans on their medicaid privatization scam. Hope he wins big.

[DFW]

19. He mentioned that her hands were not the cleanest

And Rob prides himself on being exactly that. The story of how he uncovered the lottery scam reads like a John Grisham novel.

[Basement Beat]

10. Be sure to keep us updated!

It'll be a lot of races to follow in my state alone and fear this may end up slipping my mind during the flurry of news for the night.

[DFW]

21. I hope to hear the good news from him the day after the election.

He did say that his Republican opponent finally woke up to the fact that she actually had a fight on her hands, and was mobilizing the forces of evil to have her back. She was late getting started, though, not realizing that there was a Democrat out there actually interested in mounting a serious challenge.

[snort]

11. Fuck it

Let's do it from the top down. But we can start with Rob. That's okay. Why is it I like Rob? Dammit, I already gave to Beto. Fuck it

[DFW]

22. Fear not!

I've given to both of them.

[CloudWatcher]

12. His web site ...

For the google impaired, here's a link to his web site. There's a big red donate button on the front page

https://robsand.com

[DFW]

29. Thanks for that!

I keep forgetting little details like that

[KY_EnviroGuy]

13. Point well taken, DFW.

This is what Repugs have been doing for a long time, down at the levels where people many times don't even think about party affiliation.

One reason town, city, county and state level offices need to be pushed back leftward is because these smaller government structures do have significant pull and influence on government levels above them! A county board of commissioners can have substantial effects on state legislation, for example.

So, it can be bottom-up in that regard and we do need to pay more attention to these smaller races.....

[DFW]

25. The smaller races is how we lost so much ground to begin with

Howard and Hillary are both working toward rectifying this, and I think this is why Howard talked to him for so long. Howard recognized something there. Jim and DFA have now been in touch, too. Rob could go far, but the longest journey still starts with that first step. I hope this is one of them.

[FakeNoose]

15. He does look young, but I'm sure he's capable

Good luck to Rob Sand and all the Iowa Democrats!

[DFW]

23. When I first met him

I thought he was a gawky teen looking for his parents. When I heard he was a 35 year old prosecutor from Iowa, I couldn't believe it. He was there by himself at the last New Year's gathering, and December 30 is always "dinner on your own." I saw him wandering around on his own, and invited him to join my family, as we were there with both girls and their boyfriends, and I had reserved a couple of extra places in case we got some hangers-on. I had reserved at my favorite Lebanese restaurant, and Rob had never had Lebanese food before (I think I made a convert). Despite our VERY different backgrounds and ages, we clicked, and I have kept in close touch with him ever since. If he is successful in getting the State Auditor's spot, I'd bet money on his representing his district in the House of Representatives within ten years, maybe sooner.

[oberliner]

26. Does Iowa's auditor need to be an accountant?

CPA Mary Mosiman says yes. Lawyer Rob Sand says no

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/news/government/does-iowas-auditor-need-to-be-an-accountant-20180930

[DFW]

28. Mosiman wants to keep her job and is trying to make Rob look unqualified

So obviously, not having done a great job (especially when it comes to uncovering Republican corruption), of course, she wants to make up SOMETHING that could disqualify Rob from the job. But he is a lawyer, and knows his way around legalities. She is running scared if she has to resort to this.

From the article you cite:

"Sand points to the section of Iowa law that spells out the duties of the state auditor. In that section, the law states, “audits or required fiscal year examinations shall be made as determined by the governmental subdivision either by the auditor of state or by certified public accountants, certified in the state of Iowa.”

Sand says because state law calls for audits from the auditor “or” an accountant, there is nothing to prevent him from fulfilling the office’s duties. He points to previous auditors who were not accountants.

“The statutes establishing the office create no legal requirement that the state auditor’s office be a CPA, and there is no consequence if the office is not a CPA firm,” Sand said. “Thus, any person by authority of holding the office can issue audits because they have been so elected.”

To Mosiman’s assertion that a non-accountant auditor would lead to outsourced work and thus higher costs, Sand said any additional costs would come out of the office’s budget and would not add to the state’s financial burden.

Sand’s campaign cited testimonials gathered by three Republican county attorneys who agree with his reading of state law."

[oberliner]

30. There has been a Republican in this job since 1967

It would be pretty incredible for a Democrat to win!

[DFW]

38. Maybe no Democrat has actively sought the post since 1967 with any serious effort

....which would be a symptom of our larger national predicament. Rob's dedication in going for the post was probably as much a surprise for the local Democrats as it was for his opponent. After all, who even WANTS to be state auditor of Iowa, right? This, of course, is exactly what we need nation-wide.

To paraphrase Mao: Let a million Rob Sands bloom. Let two dozen state legislatures be re-taken that way.

[OhioBlue]

41. One party control since 1967 seems like a great campaign point to make to voters that an

Auditor's office which is supposed to provide checks and balances should not belong in the hands of one party for 50 years.

[DFW]

42. It's not a strong argument to make on its own

You also have to point out that the job hasn't been well executed the whole time. We leave them an opening if we let them say that the reason Iowa's voters have left the job in Republican hands for 50 years is because Republicans have been doing such a wonderful job for 50 years. Iowa's voters need to see why they Republicans have been doing an ever worse job--complacency leads to lax enforcement which leads to corruption, which Rob has been so effective in combating. We have the more complicated argument to make. All they have to say is "Iowa has been voting for Republicans for this job for fifty years because they know we've been so good at it for 50 years." It requires a longer explanation to lay out why that is such a flawed argument, and people like simplistic explanations, even often preferring them to the truth (2016, e.g.).

[OhioBlue]

53. Good points. The way I see it, 50 years of Republican control in the Accountability office

leads to a lot of instances of sweeping misdeeds or mistakes under the rug. No Republican is going to come in (especially an incumbent) and risk embarrassing their party brethren or being isolated from their party infrastructure by investigating those misdeeds. The pile under the rug is probably pretty big right now. Iowa voters need to find out what is under the rug.

[DFW]

54. Exactly. Now you've got it. It's not enough to say "they've been there too long."

That's what the Republicans said about FDR in 1944, too.

Obviously they will point everywhere BUT under that rug. It's our job not only to point out what's under the rug, but to make people aware that a rug has been there for fifty years in the first place, and they don't want you looking at it. THAT's when they start stumbling all over themselves trying to yell that their voters need to be looking everywhere else but at that rug (sort of like the Kavanaugh nomination).

[mahina]

31. Thanks DFW

K/R

[DFW]

43. I fully admit

If I hadn't met Rob myself, I wouldn't have had the faintest idea who he is, or why his race was in the slightest important. After all, what should a Texan living in Germany care about who becomes state auditor of Iowa, right? But it's men and women like Rob who will be the future base and nourishing ground for our party's next generation of leaders. After all, 15 years ago, there was a well-spoken young guy in the Illinois state legislature that wasn't on anyone's radar yet, either. Now, he's already a highly respected ex-president.

[AJT]

33. Just donated.

[BadGimp]

34. Very effective ad!

[littlemissmartypants]

35. I'm wondering if you cross posted to the Iowa group. eom

[DFW]

39. No. I probably should have.

I'll look at it, and if no one else has so far, I'll do it.

Like I said, I've never even been there, so it didn't occur to me.

[47of74]

36. I voted for him.

I voted straight goddamn D when I voted last Monday, including for Mr. Sand.

[NBachers]

37. Done

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/rob-sand-for-iowa

[DFW]

40. Thanks to all who donated. That was NOT the intention of my post!

Obviously, Rob can use every cent donated. A campaign for state auditor of Iowa is not exactly the most glamorous fundraising cause out there. This isn't Beto against Cruz.

But it IS worthy of attention as a poster child for how we begin to make up for all those years we ignored races like Rob's all around the country. You don't get to cross the finish line if you weren't at the starting line.

[dalton99a]

46. Kick

How to Vote Early in the 2018 Midterm Elections

[Catch2.2]

47. Thats how the Tea Party did it!

Start at the local level and work our way up. We need to start getting progressive candidates in office at all levels. And for god's sake, vote!!!

[DFW]

48. No more unopposed Republicans

This unfortunately will mean finding a lot of Democrats willing to run as hopeless causes, but we can't improve our numbers if we are willing to stay at zero.

[Omaha Steve]

49. K&R!

[Hekate]

50. Kick!

[DFW]

51. I took the liberty of telling Rob about DU and your responses

He was grateful for the support, both fiscal and moral!

[dawg day]

52. Tell him for the next election, make a big jump

Auditor to governor
or
senator
or
congressman

We need young candidates who don't wait in line. (A certain young Illinois state senator comes to mind. For that matter, a young Arkansas governor.)

it's time for boomers to retire gracefully and be supportive with money and volunteering and wisdom. (I'm a boomer, ready to retire to wise guy status.

The more ambitious and bold young women and men elected officials the better. Just make the second (and third) jump a major one so all the way to the top, we get the Grassley types out.

[DFW]

55. Let's put it this way

If I passed your suggestion to him, I would:

a) not be doing it for the first time, and
b) not be suggesting something he wasn't already thinking about.

He may look like a gawky nerd, but he is smart, well-spoken, and has thought plenty about the career rise of a certain Illinois state senator some 14 years ago. In 14 years, I'll be 80, but if he really goes that route, I have an inside track on who will be one of his elder foreign policy advisers, and it won't be Henry Kissinger!