Trump comes to Iowa for comfort amid the cold

The Sac News shared on Facebook my column from last week lamenting our loss of freedom, which generated a lot of insight in the comments, like “Art Cullen sits down when he pees.”

That caused me to look at the dude’s profile. Just him and the dog. Like an old high school acquaintance who owns the libs 25 keystrokes at a time from an acreage where he lives, just him and the retriever.

My social media demographics say the wisened ladies dig me. Where were they when I was 19 at Puff’s drinking alone? I would sit down to pee if I was in a clean bathroom, for fear of teetering in a stupor. It’s the polite thing to do. My wife would agree.

Social media is good for a guy only a dog could love. He can go howl at the digital moon. The cause for freedom rises from the icy streets of the Twin Cities where federal agents shot and killed two citizens protesting liberty’s demise.

Trump had to back down. De-escalate, he said. But nothing changes, he added.

The multitudes jeer him. World leaders play him for the fool he is. The devil is cunning and never sleeps, but the forces of good prevailed for now in the eternal struggle. 

Trump instinctively returned to his safe place, Clive, Iowa, for a rally around all his successes, like hamburger priced for a prince and farmers begging for mercy. Not to mention teargas on Nicollet Avenue.

Thousands of people huddled outside the Horizon Event Center to protest.

Inside, guitarist and erstwhile correspondent Vern Wichtendahl of Whittemore reported enthusiasm was muted. Trump tried to rouse them with: “If we lose the midterms, you’ll lose so many of the things that we’re talking about, so many of the assets that we’re talking about, so many of the tax cuts that we’re talking about, and it would lead to very bad things. We’ve got to win the midterms. I mean, I’m here because I love Iowa, but I’m here because we’re starting the campaign to win the midterms.”

Outside, protester Walt Bradley of Algona shared on Facebook that the Clive cop told him he would have been protesting with the others if he could have. The goons shooting up Minneapolis give him a bad look.

Trump came to talk economy but rambled into building the world’s biggest military so everyone is afraid, Wichtendahl observed. That isn’t working out for somebody trying to buy a house.

People are afraid but not cowed by the state violence on citizens. Online penpal Ben Gran of Des Moines wrote an ode to the Midwest, and especially Minnesota, for setting evil back on its heels. “At its best, the Midwest is a little more neighborly, a little more community-spirited, a little more egalitarian. People in the Midwest tend to be a little more modest and down to Earth,” said Gran, who used to write for Tom Vilsack and does stand-up comedy. 

Gran often pillories Iowa. But he sees us in Minnesota. We have a sense of right and wrong. We show up for each other because we have to when the snow flies sideways or the wind rips off your roof.

This is where Trump is kicking off the midterms and where his movement should meet its demise. Randy Feenstra was not allowed to speak while the other Republicans were, but the tall drink of water could be seen lurking over Trump’s shoulder at the Machine Shed. This is the man who wants to be your governor. He can’t get no respect in Urbandale. That had to be humiliating.

It was festive in the tailgate protest area. Bradley writes: “There was of course the customary people hollering, whistle blowing, bullhorns blaring, lots of people dressed up in costumes, but the real surprise was the atmosphere was anything but somber or sad. People were laughing, and joking! It was more party atmosphere. Everyone was friendly, in the course of an hour or two I’d met a dozen great people of all ages. It was just the antidote I needed to relieve some of the frustration and powerless I’d been feeling!”

A Democrat could be Iowa’s next governor. Three of our four congressional districts are in play. You never know, when lightning strikes and they’re shooting White people in Minnesota, a Democrat could perform respectably in the Fourth Congressional District. The US Senate race is wide open.

Trump threw a few bones to the ethanol lobby, thinking that should do the trick come November along with the $12 billion ag trade disaster account. He revisited grievances. Even Republicans are getting tired of his retribution tour. When you lose the Clive cop, disappointment lies in waiting for the lonely Sac Countian who obsesses about how people pee. The poor dog has to listen to him and can’t vote. We can. Iowa could reclaim its dignity.