Communism vs. Christian Nationalism

Don’t Get Distracted

by Doug Smith

September 5, 2026

I’m hearing a lot of chatter from Republicans about “communism” from the President on down.  They’ve latched onto it as a scare tactic in a last-ditch attempt to avoid catastrophic defeat at the polls in November.  For the record, there are ZERO Democratic candidates embracing communism as a political system.  It’s just a scary word and that’s the whole point, as taught by the master of political opportunism, Sen. Joseph McCarthy. 

It’s also a distraction.  Get people up in arms about communism, so they forget about the REAL clear and present danger of Christian Nationalism.  Now THAT is something truly frightening, and it’s a reality TODAY.  Project 2025 has their tentacles in virtually every part of the federal government, and in states like Iowa where Republican Christian Nationalists are in full control.

What has Christian Nationalism brought us?  Here in Iowa, our tax dollars are supporting private Christian schools ($329.6 million last year, $352 million next year), medical providers can deny services to those who don’t conform to their own religious beliefs, LGBTQ+ citizens have been stripped of their rights, abortion access is drastically curtailed, and they passed massive tax cuts benefiting only the wealthy, who not coincidentally fund their campaigns.

Those laws were designed, not to solve the problems that Iowans are actually facing, but to implement fundamentalist religious ideology.  Meanwhile, we have REAL problems that need solving!  Water quality, rising cancer rates, a budget deficit of over $1 billion, children languishing in under-funded public schools, a Medicaid system that doesn’t actually help those who need it most, and so much more. 

If you want to waste the next two years passing more Christian Nationalist laws, by all means vote for Matt Reisetter or Sandy Salmon or Pat Grassley or “Kansas Zach” Lahn. 

But if you are ready for change, vote for Calvin Horn, Jim Vowels, Shawn Ellerbroek, Rob Sand, and the rest of the Democratic team! 

Don’t let yourself get distracted when Republicans start throwing the word “communist” around.  Christian Nationalism has bankrupted our state, and now it’s time for CHANGE! 

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