Our May WONKS! looked at "Women & Politics" and we focused on the experiences of our panelists. In this Wee WONKS!, former Attorney General and former candidate for governor Bonnie Campbell may surprise you with her assessment of future female empowerment.
Wee WONKS! - Female Groundbreakers: Journalist O. Kay Henderson and Pollster Ann Selzer
WONKS! Questioners Ann Selzer and Kay Henderson - both successful in their fields - talk of their experience with gender prejudice and whether they feel they've reached the "mountaintop."
Wee WONKS! - Mary Kramer's Musical Interpretation of the Iowa Legislature
Mary Kramer was invited to be one of the panelists for the WONKS! "Women & Politics" show in May. You may know we record our podcasts at the Noce Jazz Cabaret, where there is always a piano present. Host Kevin Cooney had asked Mary a few days before whether she'd like to entertain during intermission, but it would be our secret. We only had one microphone in that part of the stage and hadn't planned on making a podcast from it but it turned out to be the surprise of the night, and we couldn't resist sharing. Enjoy!
"Pre WONKS!" - Women & Politics
Previewing our Women & Politics WONKS!, some thoughts on women and how they are treated differently in the political world. With Ambassador Mary Kramer, Melissa Gesing, who resigned as head of the Iowa Federation of Republican Women after then-candidate Donald Trump made his infamous off-camera statements to Access Hollywood, and Jessica Vanden Berg who has worked as communications director with Democrats in Congress and on congressional campaigns.
Wee Wonks - Millennials: Is Anyone Listening to Us?
If Millennials are soon to be the “biggest generation,” you would think they’d have some big-time political clout... right? Well, a questioner at WONKS doesn’t think politicians are listening. Why is that? Some interesting opinions – as always – from our “Millennials & Politics” edition.
Wee Wonks - Eric Branstad
We heard a lot about Millennials and their impact in the 2016 election. Mostly the focus has been on the Sanders and Clinton campaigns. But the director of Donald Trump’s Iowa campaigns in the caucuses and general election says Millennials came out for Trump too, and they weren’t your stereotypical Millennials. Eric Branstad is just a couple of years too old to be called a Millennial, but he was thinking about them — a lot — during the campaigns.
Wee Wonks - Do Millennials Lean Left?
At a recent WONKS! looking at Millennials, a questioner raised the issue of whether the demographic leaned left and that fewer Millennials were supporting third-party candidates. So how would that affect elections?
Wee Wonks - Judy Downs: An Elected Millennial
They're literally the biggest thing since the Baby Boom. Millennials will soon overtake Boomers in numbers on the demographic charts, but is it fair to pigeonhole them politically? Do they really have an impact? Find out what WONKS! panelist Judy Downs thinks will be more important than just Millennials in a Wee Wonks! presentation.
And, as always, thanks for your subscription/support/review!
Wee Wonks - Pollster Ann Selzer: I think, therefore I Ann!
Ann Selzer knows the best questions to ask and — perhaps more importantly — the best people to ask! But there’s a ton of science that goes into polling. Money too! These are just some of the topics Selzer discussed with Kevin Cooney after she was part of the WONKS! Podcast looking at one of her favorite topics: The Iowa Caucuses.
Wee Wonks - Erin Murphy: 21st Century Journalist
Erin Murphy heads up the Des Moines bureau for Lee Enterprises, reporting for several newspapers across Iowa. His career started in the new millennium, giving him insight into the role and requirements of 21st century reporting.
Wee Wonks - Dave Busiek: TV News in the Digital Age
Live vans and satellite trucks pale in comparison to the changes brought by the internet. Dave Busiek talks with Kevin Cooney about TV news in the digital age.
Wee Wonks - Michael Gartner on Politicians: "They're fun to be with."
They're interesting and tell good stories. Michael Gartner has been listening to - and hearing from - politicians for decades. In our Wee Wonks with Michael, he talks about the good, the bad, and the ugly of befriending pols.
Wee Wonks: Money & Politics - Des Moines Register Political Columnist Kathie Obradovich
Here’s a chance to get inside the mind of the most powerful political columnist in the state. Kathie Obradovich talks about a career that didn’t start with political reporting. She and Kevin Cooney talk on-on-one about life as The Des Moines Register’s primary political voice.
Wee Wonks: Money & Politics - The Reluctant Leader: Sue Dvorsky
Sue Dvorsky spent most of her adult life as a teacher and heading up the Iowa Democratic Party was not in her plans. Yet, here she was - put in charge of a party in transition. Listen in as Kevin Cooney and Dvorsky talk one-on-one about the job she never planned to have, but loved once she had it.
Wee Wonks: Money & Politics - Panelist Dave Kochel Profile
Dave Kochel has been a republican strategist for decades, helping GOP candidates from Branstad to Bush - Jeb Bush. He’s fought plenty of battles, but none like the one he faced in the midst of the Iowa Caucus campaign in 2015 when he got the news he had cancer. Here’s a one-on-one interview as Kochel talks about the big fight.
Wee Wonks: Money & Politics - Big Money! Really BIG!
We've heard there's big money in politics. Here's a brief tale about some really big money being passed around. Republican Dave Kochel and Democrat Jeff Link discuss the mega-thousand dollar checks and who wrote them!
Wee Wonks: Money & Politics - What About the Lobbyists?
At our most recent WONKS! where the topic was Money & Politics, a local lobbyist talks of expectations that they (the lobbyists) donate to legislators’ campaigns. Our panel of Republican and Democrat insiders looks at whether whether there’s a better way to fund campaigns.
