Divided We Fail: Iowa

AARP and Divided We Fail leaders and supporters celebrate the achievements of the past year and move forward to the second phase of the Divided We Fail initiative.

Raise Your Voice for Change

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Divided We Fail was launched nationally last year by AARP, the Business Roundtable, the Service Employees International Union and the National Federation of Independent Business as a response to the critical need to raise the voices of millions of Americans who want to see substantial changes in health care and lifetime financial security issues.

On March 28, 2007 Divided We Fail was launched in Iowa at the Statehouse in Des Moines with volunteers, team members, former Governor Terry Branstad and AARP CEO Bill Novelli. With much of the national political attention on Iowa and the other primary and caucus states – Divided We Fail volunteers and team members in Iowa were charged with making sure the presidential candidates were addressing health and financial security issues as they campaigned around the state. Prior to the caucus on January 3, 2008, Divided We Fail:

• Brought together a coalition of Divided We Fail Iowa team members representing business, labor, education and non-profit organizations. The Iowa team includes: AARP, former Governor Terry Branstad, Communications Workers of America Local 7102, DeWaay Capital Management, Des Moines University, Easter Seals, Iowa Assn. of Homes & Services for the Aging, Iowa Caregivers Assn., Iowa Credit Union League, Iowa Health Care Assn., Long-Term Care Guild of Des Moines, Marsh ConsumerConnexions, NFIB Iowa, Qwest Communications, SEIU Iowa, Siouxland Chamber of Commerce and Wells’ Dairy Inc.
• Volunteers, staff and team members attended 400+ candidate events where they posed questions to the candidates on health and financial
• Held three multi-candidate Divided We Fail issue forums in Davenport, Sioux City and at the Iowa State Fair
• Conducted 40 Town Hall Conversations on health and financial security, with more than 500 participants statewide
• Collected over 12,000 Divided We Fail pledge cards
• Distributed nearly 1,000 copies of “In Their Own Words” – a candidate guide, during a two-week bus tour of Iowa, in addition to 45,000 that were mailed

During 2008, Divided We Fail Iowa continues to raise the issues of health care and financial security with candidates, elected officials and Iowans of all ages – to send the message that gridlock is unacceptable on these vital domestic issues.

We invite all Iowans, who believe that the time for partisan division is over, to join this discussion on health care and lifetime financial security. With the support of over 10,000 Iowans who have signed the Divided We Fail pledge, we will work toward a common goal: ending partisan gridlock and finding sensible, nonpartisan solutions that address the issues in a real and lasting way. With your voices, we’ll bring that message to Washington in a way that cannot be ignored.

Join the Iowa Divided We Fail Online Community!