TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THE LACK OF SUPPORT FOR JOE BIDEN IN RURAL IOWA

 

President Joe Biden

On the way home from the outlet malls in Altoona, Iowa, driving through Iowa's rural corn field towns, I saw another one, a pickup truck with "F**k Biden" plasticized on the cab's rear window.

Or, maybe it was the same truck we saw a week or two ago, but parked in a different town.

Adding to the thrust of this story, we also saw a couple fading "Trump/Pence" signs still surviving the elements of wind, rain and hail for which the rolling green hills of Iowa are noted.

Either way it's not a scientific sampling, but we've checked the 2020 election returns and know that all of Iowa's rural counties went for Trump, one at an 87% plurality, while Des Moines and a couple larger cities were solidly Biden.

All in all, Iowa is a red state, so "F**k Biden."

But, what is it that makes the rural Iowa farmers so vehemently anti-Biden?

One can't help but respect the work ethic of these families who mechanically plant, cultivate and harvest corn and soy beans from these farms.  Perfect rows of corn over hundreds, thousands of acres, neat silos and barns, homes well-constructed, if not fancy, are all physical demonstrations of people with a strong work ethic.

And, every one of these towns; Ottumwa, Eddyville, Eldon, Oskaloosa, Fairfield and yes, Keosauqua, contain houses of worship for different versions of Christianity, all teaching the words of Jesus Christ to "love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself."

Catholic churches, the religion the current president professes, are included in this mix.  In fact, Burlington, a town we visited just last week, has three Catholic churches.

But, still, "F**k Biden!"

Well, Biden is old, but so am I and so is Donald Trump, the current Republican frontrunner, so, it can't be age alone that makes Iowans think and say "F**k Biden!"

It should be noted that Joe Biden is someone who's worked to overcome stuttering, but, still, his speech is somewhat halting, making you want to finish his sentences for him.

But, is that malady enough for Iowans to think or say "F**k Biden?"

Country singer Mel Tillis, like Biden, a stutterer

The late country singer Mel Tillis was a stutterer and nothing suggests Iowans hated him.

And, it's not as if Trump as President worked magic for the farming community.

Actually, his erratic foreign policy and retaliatory tariffs hurt agriculture and his tax relief to the top 1% of income earners benefited only the very richest.

Yet, "F**k Biden!"

I will reach out to Iowa's farmers whenever the opportunity strikes.  

It's doubtful any read the Brownsville Observer.

I'm just curious about a certain phrase I've seen on display along Iowa's roadsides.

Well, you know.