I tagged along as the Greater Des Moines Partnership logged its 37th annual lobbying trip to Washington, D.C., with nearly 200 community leaders. The trip May 11-13 was my second.  

Here is a some of what happened, in brief: 

Vilsack implores Iowa leaders to “think big” on water quality
A small group went to meet U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday. Clive City Councilwoman Susan Judkins wanted to talk to the former Iowa governor about the prospect of using U.S. Department of Agriculture funds to aid the work of local watershed authorities, now that the Iowa Legislature has adjourned again without approving a major initiative to improve Iowa’s water quality. 

“We need the resources,” Judkins said in an interview. “How can we collaborate? We are not waiting for the outcome of the lawsuit.” She referred to the Des Moines Water Works’ lawsuit contending that three northwest Iowa counties that operate drainage districts should be regulated under the federal Clean Water Act. Also in the private meeting with Vilsack — who declined my interview request later — were Jennifer Terry of Des Moines Water Works, Polk County Supervisor Angela Connolly, Michael McCoy of the Metro Waste Authority, Partnership water quality task force co-chair Steve Bruere, Dylan Mullenix of the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization and Pleasant Hill Assistant City Manager Ben Champ. 

Vilsack told the group he is more than a little angry that the Iowa lawmakers failed to act. He had endorsed a controversial plan from Gov. Terry Branstad to use money from an extended sales tax originally intended for school infrastructure to pay for water quality projects. There were other proposals — including the standing idea of raising the sales tax to fill a special state conservation and recreation fund approved by voters — but they went nowhere. 

When Vilsack addressed the whole Partnership group on Thursday, he could barely hide his frustration that Iowa — his adopted home state, and a place where Vilsack recorded one of the strongest records on water quality of any governor — has failed to take landmark action on water quality as Minnesota and Wisconsin passed regulations to force action. Vilsack prefers the voluntary approach farmers endorse, but even that will take much bolder action than he sees now, Vilsack said. 

“The state of Iowa needs to get serious about water quality,” Vilsack told the group. “There is just no question about it. A failure of the state to get serious about water quality will lead ultimately to someone other than someone in the state of Iowa deciding what to do with industries and businesses that are central and important to the future of Iowa.

“I can’t tell you how irritating is it is for me in my office to showcase a Minnesota placard on their water quality initiative,” Vilsack said. “I have to showcase it because they were the first state to step up in a significant way to leverage the resources of USDA to improve water quality. Their approach is a regulatory approach. They set goals and standards. I don’t know if that system would work in Iowa. I think we are more inclined to be more incentive-based.”

Water quality work would mean better outdoor recreation, Vilsack said. Agriculture productivity would rise, too, he said. 

Vilsack paused and cleared his throat, as though he knew he had to choose his next words carefully.

“We had a group in my office the other day wanting to talk about water quality. The impression I got early on in the meeting is we are thinking kind of in a narrow space here. The one thing I have learned in this position — and I’ve traveled all over the country and all over the world — we’ve got to think bigger.

“We have to have a bolder vision in Iowa. I read recently that Garth Brooks came to the Iowa Events Center. I thought back to the day when we didn’t have an events center. Why do we have an events center? Is it because we thought small? No. We thought big. We put the Vision Iowa program together. It changed the face of Des Moines. No one can dispute that. You’ve got a library, you’ve got the Principal Riverwalk, you’ve got the events center, you’ve got the science center, you have the World Food Prize, paid in part by the Vision Iowa program. Because we thought big. We were willing to take a leap. We didn’t think incremental. We didn’t think risk-free. 

“Iowa has so many advantages. It has incredible advantages. But what holds us back is that hesitation,” Vilsack said.

“This water quality issue is an opportunity for us to send a bold message to every citizen in Iowa that we are hopeful and proactive and positive about the future. I have no doubt that if the state could come up with big enough plan, we would see a transformation of the landscape of our state. We wouldn’t have to worry about lawsuits. We could have clean water without increasing the cost to consumers too much. We could have incredible outdoor recreation opportunities that would make Iowa a destination. We would have new industries crop up. 

“You all are leaders. You are the cream of the crop. Think big. Lead. Encourage the legislators to think big. It has worked in the past. We are not small thinkers. It is up to you to convey that message back home.” 

The college president and the general
I was next to Brig. Gen. Tim Orr, adjutant general of the Iowa National Guard, at lunch when Rob Denson, president of Des Moines Area Community College, walked up. He appeared to have a joke in mind. Which wasn’t surprising given his reputation on this trip (which included another round of Denson rap that is unlikely to get him into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame). 

“Hi, general. Your community college here. Don’t mention Drake and Iowa State in your comments, OK?” Denson told Orr.

Orr laughed. Denson then mentioned his plans for the afternoon. “I’m going to be on the floor of the Kosovo Embassy. They want to drink in midafternoon. Is that normal?”

Replied Orr, after a slight hesitation: “I haven’t had those experiences.”

Orr later greeted Jason Walsmith of the Nadas, who doubles as a photographer on this trip. Walsmith and Friends are going to play at the Camp Dodge concert series this summer. Also in the lineup, which the general recited from memory: Blue Band, Brother Trucker, Abby Normal and Sidewinder, which is the 34th Army’s pop/rock band. 

Greater Des Moines Partnership Live
A Thursday-night party featured the first variety show the Partnership has staged on one of these trips. There was an agreement to keep this off the record to protect the performers, but let’s just say the show included rock, jazz and classical music, comedy, juggling, school fight songs, cheer acrobatics and skits, all staged with a professional sound and lighting crew at Hamilton Live, a performance venue was readying to stage the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in a few days.

Young spoofs Grassley, again
Congressman David Young has made a habit of teasing Sen. Chuck Grassley on these trips. This one was no different.

“There’s a guy here who has been addicted to Dairy Queen for a long time. And he’s addicted to picking up pop cans on the side of the road. We love you, Sen. Grassley. This is an intervention for you. It’s time that you get help. You know what he says about those pop cans. He gets so excited about the 5-cent refund on the pop can. (Shifts to impression of Grassley.) “It’s like 6 cents, because you don’t have to pay taxes on it!”

Young also said he was excited that the Partnership’s congressional meeting was on the Senate side. “I made sure I showered and put on pants. Over here is like the golf membership, right? The House is like the pool membership. It gets a little sloppy over there sometimes.“

Congressional health plan
Congressman Steve King noted the advice of many that we all get a half-hour of aerobic exercise a day. He noted that he walks five miles a day, based on his step-counter. “If I walk slowly, I can get my half-hour in,” he joked.

Family matters in transportation
Beth Osborne, president of Transportation for America Consulting, appeared on a panel about transportation options and making sure people can walk, bike and use mass transit in addition to using their own vehicles. “The only reason I have a car is my husband works for the FBI, which is in the middle of nowhere. I am bitter about the $8,000 a year in car costs.”

The World According to Rob
Des Moines Area Community College President Rob Denson told the audience that his goal isn’t just a great community college network, it’s “world domination.” “We don’t intend to be second,” Denson said.

He also noted the changing demands from employers. “It used to be welders, welders, welders. Now it’s IT, IT, IT,” he said, referring to information technology.

And he had this suggestion for the next time you go to a restaurant. “You should see if they have our culinary arts people. If they don’t, you should leave,” he said with a smile.

Klobuchar channels Palin
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat, had the crowd laughing more than once, especially when she reprised former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s line about knowing about foreign affairs because she could see Russia from her house in Alaska. Klobuchar, talking about how she loves working with Iowa’s delegation, added, “As you know, I can see Iowa from my porch.”

She also paused to thank Iowa for giving the world the late Johnny Carson of “Tonight Show” fame. She thanked Minnesota for bringing us comedian-turned-senator Al Franken.

Grassley a big spender?
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley did more than repeat his intention to sit on President Barack Obama’s nomination to the Supreme Court so that a future president could fill the slot. He took time to praise the Greater Des Moines Partnership staff for its logistical work on the three-day lobbying trip. He suggested they all deserved raises. What, now the fiscal conservative is a big spender? (Well, at least when it’s someone else’s money.)

“The sky is not necessarily falling”
At a White House briefing, presidential aide Jerry Abramson told the Partnership crowd, “The sky is not necessarily falling.”

“The month before President Obama came to office, we lost 800,000 jobs,” said Abramson, the White House director of intergovernmental affairs. “We are now in the 74th consecutive month of private-sector business employment growth. That’s not to say there aren’t issues we have to deal with in this country.”

“When the president came to office, we were close to 10 percent unemployment. We are at 5 percent unemployment.”

And there are 19 million more people with health insurance, he added.

He also said that Greater Des Moines is a good example of the strength of an area that uses collaboration to improve the economy. “The top 100 metro areas make up 87 percent of the jobs in this country and literally create the economic strength and energy that we want in America.”

Obama aide: Lead in Pacific, or “cede control to China”
Robert Diamond, White House director of private-sector engagement, said the Trans-Pacific Partnership needs to be implemented, especially given China’s separate negotiations with Asian nations.

“Trade is a favorite topic to bash out on the campaign trail,” Diamond said. “The fact is, the world has changed. Globalization is real. There are two ways we can go. We get to write the rules or someone else gets to write the rules. And that somebody else is China. As we are sitting here today, China is negotiating with every one of these countries that we’ve negotiated the TPP with. Those free trade agreements will have none of those intellectual property protections, none of those labor protections, none of those environmental protections. We have a strong choice. We get to continue to lead in the fastest growing region in the world — the fastest growing economy in the world, the Asia Pacific — or we get to cede control to the Chinese. That is a factual statement. That is not a talking point.”