The danger of groupthink in Iowa’s Legislature

As a teacher I joked, “I hope I die during teacher in-service, because the transition won’t be abrupt.” Those meetings were deadly dull, and about as relevant to teaching as Lawrence Welk to rock ’n’ roll.

But there were exceptions.

During one of those deadly sessions, the principal wheeled in the Betamax, and we watched “The Road to Abilene.” It’s a simple story, and it might help answer the question, what happened to Iowa?

The story is about a family in Coleman Texas on a 103-degree day sitting on their porch playing dominoes. The father suggests they go to Abilene for supper. It means 84 miles round trip in an unairconditioned car. No one wants to go, but no one objects since they all believe everyone else wants to.

Family members refuse to voice their true feelings for fear of disagreeing with what they think is a unanimous decision. Groupthink forces the family into a trip no one wants to take to a place no one wants to go.

I’m afraid that’s why the party once known for small government has decided only big government has the wisdom to write public school curriculum, decide what books may be in the library and make medical and school bathroom decisions for LGBTQ kids and their families.

It’s groupthink at its ugliest, and it’s not about a stifling 84-mile car ride no one wants to take. It’s about the future of Iowa and the well-being of our kids.

This thinking takes hold when one party holds the trifecta of power, and it doesn’t really matter which party. No one dares test the validity of the unanimous agreement.

In a state ruled by one party the legislature becomes an echo chamber fueling groupthink. In those states, the word, “mandate” is used so often, it might as well be capitalized as a proper noun.

That’s how extremism burns down a state.

Iowa glows red, and the loudest base spawns the most extreme politicians. There’s little doubt this state is a GOP stronghold. There are 681,871 registered Republicans compared to 597,120 registered Democrats, and 571,009 registered no party.

Politicians dance with the base that brought them to office, but sometimes they don’t know their dancing partners. Legislators who stereotype 681,871 Republicans as all baptized in the church of MAGA are wrong. There’s an estimated 30-35 percent of that base that are hard-core “Always Trumpers,” but that leaves a healthy majority of the base searching for something else.

Even though Legislators continue attacks, according to a recent Des Moines Register poll, 65 percent of Iowa adults think their public schools align with their family values. A whopping 72 percent of parents of kids attending public schools think public schools are on target with their values.

In another Register poll, 52 percent of Iowans oppose the private school voucher law.

So, how can Iowa begin to recover from groupthink?

The easiest way is for Iowa voters to vet the candidates better. Those that pledge to be an independent voice in November need to be held accountable in January. Republicans who are sick of legislators bullying just because they can, need to shout stop.

I don’t believe there’s a majority of moderate Republicans hiding under the Golden Dome, but I do believe there are enough who can’t stomach this extreme agenda who by disagreeing could help shatter groupthink. That takes political bravery that we’ve always expected in Iowa and has been in short supply lately.

Hopefully, that quiet base will start to shout in time to keep Iowa from taking a trip no one wants to a place no one wants to go.

Bruce Lear lives in Sioux City and has been connected to public schools for 38 years. He taught for 11 years and represented educators as an Iowa State Education Association Regional Director for 27 years until retiring.