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The Democrats are ready to kick off their convention in Chicago, and it's not the same convention we expected even a month ago.

What do we expect in the Windy City?

In this edition of the city's.

It was supposed to follow a script.

An incumbent president glides through the caucus in primary season and then handily wins the party's nomination.

But for Democrats, a funny thing happened on the way to Chicago.

President Joe Biden's decision to step aside, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris, who quickly coalesced her party to stand behind her.

Has created a dizzying five weeks of political drama, the likes the nation has never seen before.

As Democrats get ready to gather.

We talked with the head of the Iowa Democratic Party, Rita Hart.

So much new when it comes to the Democratic Party over just the last 2 or 3 weeks.

And let's start with what are the latest?

And that is the selection of Tim Walz as vice president.

What's your initial reaction?

I'm assuming it's a midwesterner.

You really do appreciate this election.

Yeah, I'm absolutely tickled to have a midwesterner as our nominee for vice president.

And I got to know Tim Walz a little bit.

I spent some time with hi last summer at the state fair.

He came down for another event.

And so I've gotten to know him a little bit.

And, I would tell you that that he's just a great choice for vice president nominee.

He's he's so genuine.

And I think that that's what's exciting, I think in general is that he is the real deal.

You know, as far as hit him as a public servant, that's that's his heart.

That's who he is.

You know, he's a he's a teacher, you know, so we have a bit in common that way.

And, and he just is he's, he really wants to make the world a better place.

And and so that's quit a contrast, I think, with, with, some of some politicians who may look more polished and may have, a particular resume that people are used to for, for a politician, but to have a genuine, honest, Midwestern kind of, former coach and teacher be in this position, rise to this level.

I in politics is is truly encouraging.

And I think it just it just bode well for the country in general that that this is a guy who's going to be who's going to, have the right values.

He's, he's, going to fight for the right principles.

He's really got the best interest of ordinary Iowan and ordinary Americans at heart.

And he's going to work really hard for the American people.

He is seen as a progressive Minnesota governor.

and Kamala Harris could be seen as a progressive as well.

Is is that going to leave out some Democratic voters?

You know I think, again, this is why he's such a good choice that he just he he, is a common sense.

Let's do what's right for, for the average person.

Right.

And, and so even though, you know, you can you probably have some things that, that you can pick at as far as his, past record, you cannot argue with the fact that he is somebody who is, looking for a practical solution, a commonsense kind of approach to any problem that arises.

And he's always got the the, the working people of the, of his stat and now of this country in mind as he fights for the principles and the values that he holds.

This is very interesting Democratic ticket that really didn't face a primary or a caucus.

I mean, does that bother you at all as a longtime, you know, political operative, a long time politician and, and, an active member of the Democratic Party.

You know, these are reall these really are unusual times.

But what I am encouraged by is the response from ordinary Iowans.

Right?

You know, I, I spent a lo of time going around the state.

I spent a lot of time talking to, Democrats on the phone.

we'v got a national delegate, group that's going out to Chicago here in a couple weeks.

And I was very, pleased that they were so quick to embrace this process.

so, yeah, it's it's unusual.

I would say it's it's historic.

It's probably neve going to happen this way again.

But, the way it came about is very, I think, reflective of how Democrats feel that this is a good move, that they're pleased that that we have had the, the presidency and vice presidency that we've had ove the last four years that that's, that, that, that they're very grateful for, the, the administration and their gains that they have made.

But, they appreciate the fact that that Biden made this decision and they kno that he would not have made it had he not realized tha this is the best thing for him personally and for the country at large.

And so people are very excited about this.

they're very much on board.

And, we're we're excited about the next 90 days as we get Kamala, Kamal Harris and, and Tim was elected.

You do know that, getting Democrats organize is sometimes like herding cats and that you see that, this this, duo of Harris and Waltz has coalesced, with so much support.

Does that even surprise you?

Yeah.

You know, I was really worried about this, that that if, if this transpired, tha that we would have some kind of chaotic kind of approach here, but quite the opposite.

And that too, is, you know, really makes us very positive and have a have a great outlook for November.

it just tells us that these are two quality candidates.

this is a process that that we, the Democrats have embraced.

And, we're going to work as hard as we can to get these two people elected.

Well, as you know, the convention is coming up in Chicago.

you will be there, of course.

usually a convention is a time that, you build up some suspense.

And one of the big, you know, things of suspense is, of course, naming your vice president sometimes.

Tell me, is there a reason why people should watch the convention?

Because we already know everything.

Oh, I don't know.

I think that this is I don't think, the vast majority of people know either one of these candidates all that well, I mean, she's the vice president.

We know we know what her role has been.

We know her history, her background.

We know how hard she has worked to get to the situate to the place where she is now.

But this is different to be stepping into the presidency.

She's going to show a show to us exactly what her leadership is going to look like and what her priorities are going to be.

And the same thing with Tim Walz.

You know, I think some people know him.

I think, some people here i Iowa, have gotten to know him.

But, as a whole, I think that the nation needs an introduction to, this great man who is going to be a great vice president.

So I'm looking forward to the convention.

And so, I would tell you this delegate, this delegation that we're taking to Chicago, very excited.

They know that this is goin to be, a historic opportunity.

And, you know, we're looking forward to paying some tribute to a great president.

You know, Joe Biden is goin to have an opportunity now to, to show us what he's going to be like from now till till November.

And we have so much to be grateful for.

And so this is an opportunity to celebrate that with a tribute to him and the excitement of what this new duo is going to, look like to us going forward.

You see, we have a lot to be grateful for, but you know that domestically, the economy is still going to be a major issue.

James Carville of course, I won't quote him directly, but it's always the economy when it comes to, nationa elections and pocketbook issues that we're still seeing, you know, troubling signs, with the latest, employment report, also fears of a recession.

The R-word is being discussed once again.

I mean, there's some real fears out there still that people believe the Democratic Party has not met.

Well, I don't think that there is any doubt that this, administration, the Biden administration, has really delivered for th American people in so many ways.

Of course, there's always, upticks and downturns in the economy and things that are beyond any president's control.

But you cannot deny that the Inflation Reduction Act, the Infrastructure Act, the Chips act, there's so many things that this president has done, that that has moved this country forward.

And so there's plenty to crow about.

and, again, it's not so muc that we're that we're looking at what's happened in the pas as we are excited about the fact that we've got leadership her that really has their priorities straight, that they value hard working, Americans who, can trust that these people are going to wor every day as hard as they can.

for the future of America.

We're also hearing more from the Republicans in regards to, Kamala Harris's stance, with Israel.

not often is foreign issues that big of a, a role in the election, but it seems to be for the Democratic Party, with the Jewish vote.

do you fear, backlash?

because of some of the, support for Palestinians or Gazans?

that's going to impact the November election?

Well, again, this is this is a, an issue that, of course, is very complicated and, and not an easy issue.

You know, it's, and and again, as the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, I don't get involved in foreign relations issues too much.

but I would say again, that that this is an issue that the President Biden ha been working on very carefully.

It's an issue that is important to so many people, but it's it's tricky and it's complicated.

And, again, we have the faith that these two people that Kamala Harris and Tim Walls are going to, have the the right values and the, the belief that they can make a differenc in world politics and, and and, nobody's expecting that, that this is going to be something that's going to go away anytime soon, but they're going to work really hard and, and uphold American values as they do that.

Do you feel the Democratic Party, though, is losing some of the Jewish support?

Not that that like one religion or one ethnic group, definitely votes one way, of course.

But is there a concern.

You as, the chair of the party?

I don't hear that concern a lot.

Yes.

I think people in general are very concerned about this issue.

people are looking for peace in the Mideast.

and, and so but I do think that there are, there are issues that, that they that are fought more, more, front and center.

Right.

And, and people are really looking to have some leadership that helps them to solve the problems that they deal with every day, you know, child care, affordability and accessibility.

the high, high price of groceries, the, the fact that, that people are, struggling to, to keep their jobs and to, and, and that, that the things that that lik their rights being taken away.

I think that's a though those kinds of issues are the first and foremost the fact that that as a result of, that they don't want to go back to the fact that Trump is crowing about the fact that he, helped to take away women's rights, that they're that that, we are, looking at a situation where our children and our grandchildren, our daughters and our granddaughters have fewer rights than we did growing up going through this process.

That's troubling to people.

And, and, of course education is important to folks.

there's just so many issues that are, that are, that are important to people.

Right now.

that I don't I don't know that there's a lot of fears here.

There's just a lot of, of, hope that we can get to a better place.

Well, and you kind of brought up my next topic and that is reproductive rights.

Christina Bohannan is running of course, against Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the first Congressional District and one of the very first, if not the first television commercial that I've seen from Bohannan ha to do with reproductive rights is actually a major issue fo Iowa Democrats in this campaign.

I think it' a major issue for Iowans, right?

I mean, not only is this a this is just a unusual situation where our rights have been taken away, that we've had 50 years of a law that, that now gives that now has been flipped.

And, here in Iowa, we've got the six week abortio ban that just went into effect.

That's trul going to affect women's lives.

And it already has, you know, because of bans like this.

Iowa finds itself in a situation where we don't have enough OB gyns across the state to provide good quality care.

And so women of, of all ages and all stripes are going to be affected by that.

Our infant mortality rate has gone up.

Our mother, our maternal mortality rate has gone up.

Our cancer rates are high.

These are these are things that are affected by the fact that we have, an abortion ban that has discouraged GYNs from remaining in the state o from attracting, others to come.

And so our health care itsel is is definitely on the ballot.

As you know, Iowa Democrats have really suffered a lot of losses.

the entire congressional delegation is now Republican, basically supermajorities in the House and the state Senate.

Republican, Republican governor.

how do you think the, Harris Waltz ticket could impact, down ticket races?

how do you think the people at the top of the ticke could impact the Iowa elections?

Yeah, that' what we're seeing right now, is, you know, that there's an increase in and, optimism and therefore we're we're getting more people to step up to volunteer.

our fundraising is going well.

people are, expressing more interest and that's, that' going to help us with, with the what we know we have to do better this time around is to get our Democratic vote back up.

You know, we have not we have not done a good job o getting Democrats to the polls.

And so, to have this increased interest is optimism.

The sense of of excitement around the top of the ticket is going to help drive more people to the polls, and that's going to help our down ballot, candidates.

The other thing is that we have more people running for office this yea than we have in several cycles.

So we've got, good quality candidates and plenty of them running for the House and for the Senate and for our county parties, County, elections, down the ballot.

And so to have increased interest, as Democrats getting more Democrats to the polls, it's going to help us get more people elected.

Another bad sign for Democrats, though, is voter registration in Iowa.

It used to be a one third split almost perfectly between Republicans, Democrats and independents.

But Republicans hav really surged in registration.

Wouldn't that be a cause of concern?

Yeah, again, that's what we that's what we are working on.

That' why it's really great to have, a, an, increased surge of optimism at the top of the ticket because, people have been discouraged and, and, I, I believe that, there's been a lot of, discouragemen on both sides of the aisle, but, this is an opportunity for us to, get that excitement back, especially from certain factions of of Democrats.

You know, young people now have a more reason to be optimistic and get more involved.

So that's the that's the, that's what we're working on, is making sure we get this message out that this is a strong, effort on the part of Democrats to prioritize women's reproductive right to prioritize public education and our taxpayer dollars going to public education rather than to private schools and private when families who can't don't need who can already afford to sen their kids to private schools, and and the ability of, of Democrats to say that we are the party that's working on climate change.

We are the party that works hard for working families where the we're the party that cares about minimum wage, that cares about, making sure that that families, can, have the kind of employment and the kind of pay that that, helps them to sleep well at night.

This is the party we are.

And this is, gives us new energy to make that case.

This may seem like a strange question, but you've been in the public spotlight for a long time.

and, you know passions are great on both sides of, issues in politics right now.

And, of course, there is th assassination attempt against, former President Trump.

And there were reports, of course, that there are other assassination threats, that have been increasing across America, some from foreign influences, some perhaps domestically.

Does it concern you?

First off, the temperature of the campaigns and and are there concerns for the safety of all candidates?

Absolutely.

I mean, no one is is happy about an assassination attempt, right?

That that is a very concerning thing.

And it and it's reflective of the divisiveness that we have seen develop over the last several cycles.

People are tired of that.

I'm tired of that.

And and again, I guess that's one thing that I'm excited about myself personally with the Harris Wall's ticket, is that I watch those to talk about their priorities, their values, and as they're doing that, they have great joy because they know how to talk to folks and disagree with folks and not create animosity.

We can be on the opposite side of issues and respect each other and get along, but we haven't been doing that well as a country over the last couple cycles, and that's got to change.

You know, the country that we want to live in is a country where we can disagree, but we can, work together and to find common ground.

And that's how most people want to be.

but we have found ourselves i this very divisive, environment.

And I think people are really tired of it.

They're looking for leadership that will lead us the way out of that.

And that's what I see with, Harris and Walls.

I see two very dedicated people who, know how to get this job don and know how to do it with joy.

And finally, and we just have a few moments left, Joe Biden stepping down.

what does that say politically about, Joe Biden's legacy?

Well, again, I think, Joe, Joe Biden's legacy is going to be, really positive in the history books.

And I think, again, I mean, people have said this many times, but I think it's very true.

His decision here to step aside was a selfless one.

He did this because he thought it was the best thing to do for the country.

And, and that's so honorable.

And, you know, I think that that's why, again, I'm looking forward to the national convention.

We have an opportunity to say to Joe, thank you.

you're doing the right thing.

We appreciate everything you've done.

And now it's up to us.

It's up to us to, pick up, pick up the baton and, lead us into a better future.

Our thanks to Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart.

Little Joe Russo has been bus with performances in the cities, including the ones in the Minnesota cities.

She's set to play at the Bureau County Fair later this month, but we caught up with her when she played one of her originals at the Black Box Theater in Moline.

That's where she took to the stage to play undone.

I can just touch the sky with the tips of my fingers.

I can just taste the morning with the tip of my tongue.

I can just feel the warmth of your breath.

Where it lingers.

I can just hear my heartbeat.

And know.

I'm undone.

Then another.

And another.

Better looking.

I can tell by the way.

That you answer my questions.

I can tell by my way that I tremble.

Your near.

I can tell by the way that I act without reason.

I can tell my my heartbeat I know I am undone.

Than any.

Night.

Morning.

With a touch of your hand I can hold it together.

With the sound of your voice I can hear all the songs you.

With the way that you look at me I see forever.

With the way that my heart beats I know I'm undone.

Low, Joe Russo and Undone performed at the Black Box Theater in downtown Moline.

She's set to perform at the Bureau County Fair on August 23rd.

On the air, on the radio, on the web, on your mobile device and streaming on your computer.

Thanks for taking some time to join us.

As we talk about the issues on the city's.

At IHMVCU we've always been here for you.

You are and always will be our top priority.

We care about your financial health and we are here.

IHMVCU is a proud supporter of Wqpt.

The future.

That's where our minds ar at Western Illinois University, Quad Cities.

We are innovators searching for something new outside of the textbooks dog loving, leadership driven, world changing.

Whether you choose to study on campus or online, your future is designed on your terms.

Start your future at WVU.

.edu/QC.

Public Affairs programing on Wqpt is brought to yo by The Singh Group at Merrill, serving the Wealth management needs of client in the region for over 35 years.