Meet the Press talks with Elkader leaders for future segment

By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register

The city of Elkader has been rather popular in the news as of late. On the heels of being mentioned in Gov. Kim Reynolds’  condition of the state address, NBC’s Meet the Press (MTP) and journalist Chuck Todd traveled to town to produce an episode about the uniquely political town. 

Todd and his crew ventured to Elkader after reaching out to Brian Bruening, owner of Schera’s Restaurant and chair of the Clayton County Democratic Party, to discuss a commentary he published on his Bleeding Heartland political blog about political polarization and the shift of Barack Obama voters to Donald Trump. 

According to statistics provided by Bruening by way of Ballotpedia.org, Clayton County and northeast Iowa had the largest collection of Obama to Trump voters in the nation. The data showed that, in counties won by Obama in 2012, he did so with a margin of victory of 7.03 percent, whereas Trump won those counties by a margin of 22.78 percent, expressing a marked shift in voting temperament in the region and something that has given “repeated attention to our area by political reporters,” Bruening stated.

After a phone conservation with Bruening, Todd made his way to Elkader with the MTP Digital staff in tow and set up a meeting at Schera’s for the discussion, which was also attended by mayor Josh Pope and Elkader Chamber Vice President Amanda Schneider. 

According to Bruening, MTP was looking to understand Elkader as a town, how it has changed over the decades and how it seemingly transcends the political differences and polarization that tends to dismantle urban areas. 

During this conversation, Todd inquired on some of the reasons behind the political shift. Bruening mentioned they talked about some of the changes that occurred during the 1980s farm crisis, the deterioration of small towns due to the loss the network of family farms provided and the loss of small industry that typically supports small towns. 

These changes have led to Clayton County moving from a bi-partisan county with a mixture of elected Democrats and Republicans into one where the electorate, which might appear on the surface non-partisan in party registration, over the course of the last few election cycles has “broken decisively for Republican candidates.” 

“It seems people have hardened into their tribes and folks don’t cross lines to even consider supporting a candidate outside their party,” Bruening said. 

Bruening also suggested the shift simply could’ve been due to the nature of the elections, with the historical figure in Obama drawing people to the polls, and likewise Trump, although for different reasons. 

“I’m not sure why this occurred so strongly in Iowa. Political pundits have been trying to decide the answer to this question since 2016,” Bruening said. “More and more, Democrats are seen as the party of urban, diverse areas, characteristics we don’t have here in northeast Iowa.”

However, despite this political polarization, Elkader remains a small town with common, unifying goals. It has, as Bruening highlighted to MTP, “cultivated and maintained a strong downtown business community, weathered through a lot of the economic challenges of the last few decades and [the] business community fosters cooperation among those who may have differing political views.”

“Indeed, having the common goal of a strong downtown is a unifying goal that helps transcend political differences—or at least pushes them in the background,” Bruening added. 

On this, Schneider agreed, while also noting the apolitical nature of the Elkader Chamber, asserting the organization is “free of political biases [and] does not feel any political polarization.” 

Instead, Schneider focused on the business community, the chamber’s involvement and the uniqueness of Elkader’s community cooperation. In her conversation with Todd, Schneider discussed what the Elkader Area Chamber of Commerce does, while emphasizing the “area” part of the name. Living in a small town, it takes a village to prosper despite being in an out-of-sight, out-of-mind position when it comes to Washington, D.C. But for Schneider, this is not a concern because “we are a community that is resourceful and helps one another.”

In Schneider’s view, Elkader a small town example that should be emulated, with its “multiple community organizations, businesses of various industries, a good school district and families of all kind living and working together simultaneously.” She also pulled out the quote “life really can be this good,” giving credit to Alpine Communications, from which the quote originated. 

In her estimation, this means several things, including an openness in Elkader to accept everyone of various backgrounds. If you come to Elkader looking for something, there is a good chance you will find it. 

You will also find “a caring community, professional and recreational businesses and many different opportunities to be involved, connect and develop personally and professionally with other like minds,” Schneider added. 

One thing Bruening and Schneider mentioned is that people choose to live in small towns for many of the reasons listed above, as well as the notion of family, creating roots and a simple dedication to seeing where you come from thrive. 

On this point, Bruening offered the idea of choosing to live in small towns versus being forced to as an underlying cause of political polarization, or the urban versus rural divide. 

On the dedication side, Schneider believes this is contagious due to the social nature of people. When surrounded by friends, family and a community you care about, you get “ignited to take action,” she said. 

“Once you give your time and resources one time, the reward of being a part of something bigger than yourself, such as community, is something worth doing time and time again. I do believe that the dedication is unique to Elkader, but I am positive there are other communities that are just as much of a gem,” Schneider said. 

Bruening, a self-professed “cheerleader for Elkader,” finds the attention gratifying because it exposes people to the realities of small towns and that you can make a life in one. 

The attention also “highlights to people outside of our area that Elkader exists and that what happens here is important for the state and the country [and] that small towns can be great places to live. I think some of the political divisions we see in the country might be eased if more people understood that,” Bruening said. 

On the Chamber side, the attention is also positive and a reflection on Elkader having “made a name for itself.” 

“I feel honored to have had the experience to speak on behalf of the Elkader Area Chamber of Commerce with a national media platform. You never know how a visitor coming in from the big city might interact with you, and I am happy to say all of the Meet The Press crew was friendly and polite. I believe viewers of this special will get to see Elkader for what it really is: a thriving small town community in the heart of rural America,” Schneider said. 

As for Pope, he simply stated, “Anytime we can get out name out to others, it is a good thing, especially on the national level.” 

The segment featuring Elkader is expected to air on NBC’s Meet the Press Digital later this month.