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The Nebraska Democratic Party has dumped caucus system in favor of the less costly and primary elections. The national democratic party wanted states with caucuses to make some changes to make them more inclusive and that proved to be very costly.
Also, we hear from a psychologists who says Donald Trump supporters and opponents are different in the way their brains work.
And a new biography of University of Iowa football legend, Nile Kinnick.
That and more coming up on The Exchange, Wednesday at noon and Friday at 9:00 on Siouxland Public Media.
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Welcome to The Exchange, I’m Mary Hartnett. Iowa Democrats will retain their “first in the nation” presidential precinct caucuses in 2020, but they will need to change how they run the nominating events to make them more accessible. This summer, Democratic party leaders met in Chicago for their national meeting. The leaders voted to limit the power of “super delegates” and those delegates will no longer be able to vote in the first round of balloting. Party leaders also recommended that states with caucuses offer absentee ballots to those who cannot attend in person, and track ballots to make the results more transparent. Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price said at the time he supported the changes, even though he didn’t know what those changes would look like.
Our neighboring state of Nebraska has decided to change back to the primary system and skip the caucuses altogether. Jane Kleeb is the leader of Democratic Party of Nebraska. Kleeb says the party has used the caucus system for ten years and found that they had bonuses and drawbacks.
Jane Kleeb--Neb dumps caucuses 9:25
That was Jane KLeeb, the director of the Democratic Party of Nebraska, talking about why that state is switching back to the primary system for the 2020 elections. The Democratic Party of Iowa has said it will keep the caucus system, and go along with the national party’s recommendations to make caucuses more inclusive and accessible. I reached out Democratic Party of Iowa for a comment, and hope to speak with their leader, Troy Price, in the near future.
You're listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media, I'm Mary Hartnett. Since the 2016 election, there has been a lot of concern about the state of the country and the uncivil nature of political discourse. Many people have blamed President Donald Trump for this atmosphere. But psychologist and author Bryant Welch says the election of Donald Trump is a symptom and not the real problem in this country. In his book, “State of Confusion: Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American Mind," Brant Welch says there is nothing that has been more overlooked than the state of the American mind, which he says has been overloaded with changes to society and an enormous amount of data every day.
Bryant Welch
Psychologist Bryant Welch author of the book, “State of Confusion: Political Manipulation and the Assault on the American Mind," that looks at how we perceive and react to political stimuli, and how we can manage our stress over the partisan rancor of today.
You’re listening to The Exchange on Siouxland Public Media, I’m Mary Hartnett. In The twenty-year process of widening HWY 20 to a four-lane road, there was extensive archeological research and digging of the area around Correctionville. Tomorrow night at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center, Megan Stroh Messerole, Archaeologist from the Sanford Museum and Planetarium in Cherokee will present the story of the 2014 archaeological exploration of the project area called “Images Beneath Our Feet: Archeological Discoveries on HWY 20.”
Messerole says, During the survey, archaeologists identified two important ceremonial sites that go back more than 1000 years ago.
Megan Stroh Messerole, Archaeologist from the Sanford Museum and Planetarium in Cherokee, will present the story of the 2014 archaeological exploration of the project area near Correctionville called “Images Beneath Our Feet: Archeological Discoveries on HWY 20.” on Thursday night at 6:30 at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center.
For the third time in six years and sixth overall, Iowa will play in the Outback Bowl. The Hawkeyes will meet No. 18 Mississippi State at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Fla. On New Years Day.
As the University of Iowa football team prepares for the match, some fans thought’s might go back to past seasons and the players who took the field. The most famous of these is Nile Kinnick, the namesake of Kinnick Stadium.
Kinnick died in a plane accident 1943 during World War II after he left the UI law school and an assistant coaching job. Iowa City native and historian Mark Wilson spent ten years researching and writing a new book called, “The Way of Nile C. Kinnick, Jr.” The book is filled with journal entries, letters and other input about Kinnick’s life and career. Wilson says
Nile Kinnick
Iowa City native and historian Mark Wilson spent ten years researching and writing a new book called, “The Way of Nile C. Kinnick, Jr.” The book is filled with journal entries, letters and other input about Kinnick’s life and career. Another sign that Kinnick is not forgotten is the fact that a major motion picture will be made about the UI football player next year, and it will be shot in Iowa City, at the stadium named after the Heisman Trophy Winner.
