Iowa politicians also avoid tough questions | News, Sports, Jobs

AP PHOTO Iowa Congressman Zach Nunn, Republican, and Republican presidential candidate and author Perry Johnson, right, check out an FFA sheep show at the Iowa State Fair, Thursday, Aug. 10, 2023, in Des Moines.

In recent years, Republicans have often accused Joe Biden of dodging the media. He refused to give extended interviews, refused to be questioned during regular White House press briefings, and denied the public the chance to see how he thinks and articulates his positions.

Critics say Biden and his staff avoided these unscripted events because they realized he wasn’t mentally agile enough to handle the demands of pointed questions. The president’s supporters dismissed such claims — even though Biden’s performance at the recent debate confirmed their worst fears.

I am not here to plow that political ground again. Instead, I am asking why other political leaders much younger than the 81-year-old president are so reluctant to stand before their constituents and journalists and answer questions on a variety of topics.

Take, for example, Congressman Zach Nunn, 45, who represents Iowa’s 3rd District in the House of Representatives.

Iowa’s longest-serving official, Sen. Charles Grassley (who at 90 is nine years older than Biden), has made it his political strategy to visit Iowa’s 99 counties every year and answer questions in each one.

Not all of these events are open to the public, however, especially in larger cities. Progress Iowa, a progressive advocacy group, found a few years ago that fewer than half of counties had actual public “town hall” events. In most places, Grassley’s events were invitation-only and hosted by businesses, service clubs, and other groups.

But compared to Nunn, Grassley seems fearless.

Progress Iowa recently found that Nunn has never held a public meeting in any of the 21 counties in the 3rd Congressional District since taking office in January 2023.

Nunn has, of course, met with voters in those districts. But a meeting with a select group, whether invited by the congressman’s staff or a local host, is not the same as an open-door event where anyone can attend and ask Nunn about his positions and his votes.

Nunn’s approach differs somewhat from other members of Iowa’s U.S. House delegation. Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Ashley Hinson and Randy Feenstra have each held at least one public town hall forum since their current House terms began in 2023.

Nunn’s avoidance of these public Q&A events is baffling. Elected officials want to hear from their constituents. It’s an important part of their job. Town hall events give the officeholder a chance to explain their positions on a range of issues.

That’s why such public access to elected officials was more common in the past than it is today. Governors Robert Ray and Terry Branstad met with reporters at least once a week and answered questions about any topic the reporters asked. Ray believed the sessions were an important way for him to stay informed about the wide range of concerns Iowans had, whether or not they supported him.

Branstad enjoyed the give-and-take as he sat down with a group of Iowans. He wasn’t naive enough to think he would avoid pointed questions. But he believed such sessions gave him a chance to explain himself and his positions directly to citizens.

Nunn probably doesn’t understand this, or perhaps he isn’t concerned about this aspect of public service.

A public town hall meeting where anyone can attend will generate different questions and a politician will gain different insights than a private Q&A event. A host at a private event is unlikely to invite someone whose questions might make Nunn uncomfortable. And if the private event is at a company, an employee is unlikely to risk embarrassing the guest—and the boss—with a sensitive question.

Grassley set the standard by visiting every county every year, but State Auditor Rob Sand has improved the Grassley standard even further by holding public town hall meetings in all 99 counties every year.

A few weeks ago, Sand published a schedule of 100 public town halls he will hold in the coming months. There is no guessing whether Sand will visit a particular district. It is in the schedule on his office website. There is no doubt about when, where, and at what time he will meet with the public. It is in the schedule. And there is no doubt about who can attend. Anyone can.

Rob Sand understands what Zach Nunn doesn’t:

Even when some questions make Sand squirm, or when some force him to quickly gather his thoughts, or when someone from the other party asks an embarrassing question, Sand knows that this is part of being an elected official. It’s just part of it.

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Randy Evans can be reached at [email protected].