Iowa WONKS!

Iowa is known for its first-in-the-nation caucuses, but only WONKS! has the infamous war stories of the political wannabes as they out-huckster the midway barkers for Iowans’ attention. Enjoy!

He’s best known for being Stormy Daniels’ attorney, but Michael Avenatti is at the Iowa State Fair, doing what candidates do, hanging with local Democratic political operatives and seeing if there’s support for a presidential bid.

WONKS! drills deeper into the issue of "Sports & the Media" as we hear about college athletics from the business side. When did athletic departments get so powerful – and how did it happen? Are there racial barriers in college sports? And we discuss the plight of the youngest athletes, from participation trophies to the over-emphasis on sport specialization.With Olympian Natasha Kaiser Brown, Iowa Cubs Owner Michael Gartner, investigative sports journalist Tom Witosky, Drake basketball legend Adam Emmenecker, KXNO Host Heather Burnside, Missouri Associate Athletic Director Brian Brown, and KCCI TV Sports Director Andy Garman. Hosted by Kevin Cooney and recorded before a live audience at Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines, Iowa.

The chemistry & conflict of sports goes beyond the teams and events. It's in the media coverage. It's in the administration by owners, coaches and boards. It's even among the athletes themselves. In this WONKS!, the first of two dealing with the topic, we hear from a baseball team owner, three journalists, two iconic athletes and the associate athletic director of a major state university.

Our May WONKS! looked at "Women & Politics" and we focused on the experiences of our panelists. In this Wee WONKS!, Bonnie Campbell may surprise you with her assessment of future female empowerment.

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."

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!

Five Democrats running for Governor have their say in the final debate before the Iowa Primary. WONKS! Regulars Matt Paul, Matt Strawn and Ann Selzer join Kevin Cooney to see who got the hits, errors and win.

A former president of the Iowa Senate and former Iowa Attorney General join two experienced political campaign experts to assess the past, present, and future of women in Iowa politics. With Mary Kramer, Bonnie Campbell, Melissa Gesing and Jessica Vanden Berg! Veteran reporter Kay Henderson and nationally recognized pollster Ann Selzer join in. Recorded live at the Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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!

They’ll soon outnumber Baby Boomers as the biggest generation. But who are they and how do they feel about issues? Former Branstad & Reynolds spokesman Jimmy Centers and Trump Iowa Campaign Director Eric Branstad join Democratic Millennials Judy Downs and Kimberley Boggus in a free-wheeling WONKS! Journalists Jason Noble of the Des Moines Register and IPR’s Clay Masters are with Dennis Goldford and Kevin Cooney at the “Inquisitors Table.”

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.

The Iowa Caucuses attract worldwide attention as America’s first indicator of presidential preference. But these neighborhood meetings are not without controversy, history and humor. In this edition of WONKS! party and campaign leaders take questions on what works — and what doesn’t. Guests are former Congressman Dave Nagle, campaign and communications manager Eric Woolson, Democratic National Committeewoman Jan Bauer and former Iowa GOP Chairman David Oman. Joining hosts Dennis Goldford and Kevin Cooney with questions are nationally renowned pollster Ann Selzer and WHO-TV Political Director Dave Price. Great stories and great insight.

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.

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.

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.

What’s the role of the news media when it comes to covering politics? Is that role different in the eyes of the politicians? Should print reporters be on TV? Are cable news outlets trying to change the government or just report on changes? The tables are turned as a panel of esteemed journalists takes questions from state party leaders and the audience. It’s good stuff! With Michael Gartner, Carol Hunter, Dave Busiek, Erin Murphy, Troy Price and Matt Strawn. Moderators/Hosts Dennis Goldford & Kevin Cooney. Recorded before an audience January 15th at Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines, Iowa.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Former party chiefs and campaign managers who spearheaded efforts for Barack Obama, Jeb Bush, Al Gore, Mitt Romney and more talk money! Who has it, who spends it and how they get it! As usual, Republicans, Democrats and journalists get together for fun and secrets... and everyone is still talking to each other when it’s over! Sue Dvorsky, Dave Kochel, Jeff Link, David Oman and Kathie Obradovich join co-hosts Dennis Goldford and Kevin Cooney and 100 of their closest friends at Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines.

In our first live episode, Democrat and Republican campaign and party executives sit down (together!) with journalists to tell humorous and revealing "war stories." Panelists Emily Parcell, Anne Roth, Matt Paul, Matt Strawn, David Yepsen and O. Kay Henderson join hosts Dennis Goldford and Kevin Cooney live at the Noce Jazz Cabaret in Des Moines. Laughs!

In this “sample” episode, the theme is food and drink on the road. Dennis Goldford and Kevin Cooney talk to Matt Paul, Iowa State Director for the 2016 Hillary Clinton Campaign; Matt Strawn, former Iowa GOP Chairman; Anne Roth former finance director for the Charles Grassley Campaign and Radio Iowa’s Kay Henderson.