Iowa law enforcement agencies reported 17 hate crimes in 2010, a small fraction of the 6,628 reported nationwide, according to a new report released by the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Ten of the crimes in Iowa were based on race; five on sexual orientation; and two on ethnicity.

Nationwide, 47 percent of incidents were racially motivated; 20 percent based on religious bias; 19 percent on sexual-orientation; and 13 percent on ethnicity or national origin. Hate crimes from 2009 to 2010 remained steady.

A total of 221 Iowa law enforcement agencies provided data to the FBI, with 14 agencies submitting incident reports. Two hate crimes were reported in Des Moines, the state’s largest city; two in Davenport; two in Bettendorf; and one each at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University.

DES MOINES — U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Cumming) calls it “nonsense” for politicians to suggest doing away with the U.S. Department of Education, saying “that flies in the face of 200 years of U.S. history.”

Several GOP presidential candidates have called for eliminating the department, including U.S. Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) and Texas Gov. Rick Perry. Others have called for at least weakening it.

Tom Harkin

Harkin said since the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 there’s been an expression of the federal government having a role in education of the territories, and even suggested the preamble of the U.S. Constitution calls for the federal government being involved in education.

“I submit to you that you can’t promote the general welfare and secure the blessings of liberty without education,” Harkin said.

He also said the United States is “still one nation,” and every state and district has an interest in making sure children don’t fall through the cracks.

“A child who’s ill-educated in one state may not just be a burden in that state, that child can move to Iowa or Nebraska or Minnesota, you get my point,” Harkin said. “So we have a national interest in this from that standpoint.”

But Harkin, chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, was quick to acknowledge there is a division in Congress and among the American people about the role of the federal government in education.

He said his committee has had that debate over the last year as they’ve worked on the Elementary and Secondary Education Reauthorization Act of 2011, which was just approved out of committee on a bipartisan vote.

“That’s fine, but that doesn’t mean they’re irrevocable differences,” Harkin said. “It just means we have to get together and try to find a meeting ground, a common ground on which we can move forward, and I believe we’ve done that in this bill.”

That bill largely does away with No Child Left Behind, Harkin said, a controversial act passed in 2001. Harkin made the comments during a tour of the Des Moines Public Schools’ Downtown School on Friday morning.

Members of the occupy movement interrupted U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann’s scheduled foreign policy speech in South Carolina Thursday, forcing the candidate to exit the stage.

Similar to a recent protest of Wisconsin’s Gov. Scott Walker in Chicago, the demonstrators read and echoed sentiments on prepared pages. Eyewitness reports indicate that roughly 20 demonstrators affiliated with Occupy Charleston took part in disturbance.

A statement on the Occupy Charleston Facebook page read, “Today Occupy Charleston shut down a speech by presidential candidate Michele Bachmann. Together in unison we took advantage of the moment to address the system and the people within it as to the unjust role of corporate money in politics. Michele Bachmann was not our target in this action; she is a representative of the institutional and legal corruption that has infected our country — a system of corruption that values profit over people and is driven by the financial interests of the few against the many.

Political candidates have the finances to create a spectacle to promote the interests of the 1%. This is an ability that is not afforded to the vast majority of the people. Our actions were an attempt to break that spell and to give voice to the 99% and their interests which have too long been ignored by the political establishment. This is not a Democratic or a Republican issue, this transcends petty party politics.”

After the demonstrators had left the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier where the event was being held, Bachmann returned to the stage and asked those remaining in the crowd, “Don’t you just love the First Amendment? It’s great. We have a great country and I want to thank you all for your understanding.”

The victory of Democrat Liz Mathis in an Iowa Senate District 18 special election revealed a number of things in advance of the 2012 general election, political experts say: Democrats can win tight elections, political organizations are willing to spend heavily on legislative seats and name recognition is crucial in short races.

Liz Mathis

Mathis defeated Republican Cindy Golding on Tuesday, meaning Democrats will retain a 26-24 advantage in the Iowa Senate and be able to turn back controversial legislation from the Republican-dominated Iowa House.

Timothy Hagle, a professor of political science at the University of Iowa, agreed Mathis’s background as a TV news anchor in the area was a key factor in her victory. Because of that, he doesn’t think the race says a lot about which way the political winds are blowing in the state.

Tim Hagle

Dennis Goldford, a professor of politics at Drake University, agreed Mathis’s prominence in the community played an important role in the race. But he said Mathis’s victory also shows Democrats can win tight elections in the state.

“Initially my gut sense was it’s a seat that was likely to go Republican, so I was a little surprised that it went to the Democrats,” Goldford said. “I think that shows the advantage of name recognition, number one. But number two it showed that if Democrats will organize and do the hard legwork necessary to turn out a vote they can win an election.”

Dennis Goldford

Final numbers aren’t out yet, but reports from October and November show Democrats not only organized well but funneled a lot of money into the race. Mathis raised $128,452 and took in-kind contributions worth $690,776, mostly from the Iowa Democratic Party. Golding raised $86,846 and took in-kind contributions worth $250,325. And the National Organization for Marriage made independent expenditures on behalf of Golding worth $40,133.

“The most significant thing about it was these elections have become so important that I think we crossed the $1 million mark on that election,” said Iowa State University politics professor Steffen Schmidt. “That’s a lot of money for a state Senate seat.”

But Democrats’ victory in the special election could help the GOP down the line, Hagle said. Mathis’s victory could mean a bigger push by Republicans to unseat Senate Democrats in 2012, he said, and could lead to some Democrats feeling pressured to vote with Republicans on certain issues.

Goldford agreed, saying Republicans out-organized Democrats in 2010 and will be energized to do so again in 2012.

Steffen Schmidt

“Republicans desperately want to take control of the Senate,” Goldford said. “Even if they’d won this election it still would have been 25-25 and I think this will push Republicans to fight even harder to get a majority in the Senate.”

The bottom line, Schmidt said, is likely another year of deadlock in the Iowa Legislature on controversial issues like same-sex marriage and abortion that Democrats have been reluctant to vote on.

“It basically leaves the status quo, makes it hard for the Republicans in the tea party and others to push some of their conservative agenda, at least until the next election,” he said.

The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.

Liz Mathis, 43, won a clear victory in a special election Tuesday by earning 13,184 votes or 55.8 percent support, according to the Linn County Auditor’s Office.

Cindy Golding, her Republican opponent garnered 10,283 votes or 43.52 percent support. The Constitution Party’s Jon Tack earned 151 votes and just under 1 percent support from voters in the 40 precincts that currently comprise Senate District 18.

Liz Mathis

“Over the past 40 days, we talked with thousands of people here. They told us they were concerned about job creation, small business growth and education funding. We listened to them and we built our campaign on addressing their concerns.”

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs) extended his congratulations to Mathis Tuesday night.

“As Iowa’s newest State Senator, Liz Mathis will ensure that our state continues to be a place where business can grow and prosper, a place where we can raise our families and a place where our children have access to every opportunity,” he said.

Sue Dvorsky, chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, also congratulated Mathis and extended her thanks to the candidate and the party’s “countless volunteers and community leaders.”

“This election reaffirms Democratic commitment to creating jobs and strengthening education in the state of Iowa. Voters in Senate District 18 know that Democrats are the best choice to continue moving Iowa forward, and made their voice heard tonight at the polls,” Dvorsky said.

But in addition to being a victory for state Democrats, the race was also welcomed as a victory for LGBT Iowans. If the outcome had been different, a possibility existed that a House Republican plan to begin a constitutional amendment process would move forward.

In fact, several regional and national social conservative organizations that object to same-sex marriage made independent expenditures in support of the GOP candidate. Just days prior to the election, a series of robocalls featuring former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee were issued by Citizens United on behalf of Golding. The National Organization for Marriage, The Family Leader and Family Research Council Action drove the “Values Bus” into the district on Monday in order to rally voters to support Golding based on cultural issues.

Troy Price, executive director of One Iowa, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy group, heralded the election results as “a great victory for Iowans.”

” Voters in this district clearly rejected the mean-spirited and misleading attacks of our opposition that we saw right up until the polls closed on election day. Instead, voters elected the candidate they felt would best move our state forward. We are so proud of our volunteers, staff, and supporters who helped make this victory possible. We know that Liz Mathis will be a great senator, and we look forward to working with her in the coming legislative session.”

“The election is over, but the battle is far from over. Now, the focus turns to the coming legislative session where we fully expect the opponents of equality to redouble their efforts to take away the rights of loving, committed gay and lesbian couples,” added Price.

“One Iowa will be there to stand up for marriage equality at every turn, and we are excited to work with the fair-minded Senate majority to ensure that freedom and equality remains in the heart of the heartland.”

District 18 covers Marion, Hiawatha, Robins, portions of Cedar Rapids and towns in rural north and western Linn County including Alburnett, Coggon, Center Point, Central City, Fairfax, Palo, Prairieburg, Toddville, and Walker.

(Editor’s note: Readers who would like to see how the vote totals broke as they came in Tuesday night should check The Iowa Independent’s Twitter stream.)

At a speech Monday hosted by the Family Research Council — a conservative Christian organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center has identified as a hate group — U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann said she would defeat socialism, described leading Republican candidates for the White House as “frugal socialists” and accused Pres. Barack Obama of working to “usurp” the U.S. Constitution.

She said “Washington D.C. will never look the same again after my administration.”

Would pursue federal amendment banning same-sex marriage

Bachmann repeatedly attacked Pres. Barack Obama saying he does not follow the U.S. Constitution.

“President Obama appears intent on ignoring our constitution by abusing his executive power when he chooses which laws he will uphold and which ones he will not,” she said. “We saw him say he will not uphold the law of the land, which is the Defense of Marriage Act.”

DOMA, passed in 1996, holds that the federal government will not recognize same-sex marriages, even those performed in states where it is legal.

She said she would have the American public vote to ban marriage rights for same-sex couples.

“I will work to protect American families from activist judges who are trying to dismantle marriage as a legal institution solely between one man and one woman. Some Republican candidates seem confused by this issue. I am not. It is at the core of my conviction.”

She added, “I want to and I will work for a federal marriage amendment so the courts cannot impose their will on this country. Only a federal marriage amendment can prevent the courts of one state from imposing same-sex marriage on us all.”

During the question period, Bachmann was asked to compare her stance on legal rights for same-sex couples compared to Mitt Romney, who has said he supports some rights for couples such as civil unions and domestic partnerships.

Bachmann dodged the question: ”Again, I believe that marriage is between a man and a woman. I don’t believe in marriages with multiple genders and even multiple partners.”

On abortion, she went after her opponents. “Some Republicans seem to be confused about what it means to be pro-life. I believe it is the role of government to protect life from conception to natural death. I’ll never be confused about that issue and you won’t find you tube clips with me advocating otherwise. For starters, Planned Parenthood will be zeroed out if I am president.”

Bachmann says GOP candidates are ‘frugal socialists’

“President Obama believes in cultivating power unto himself and centralizing power unto himself, he’s been willing to engage in a massive redistribution of wealth and in the politics of an Occupy Wall Street envy to achieve his purposes.”

She said Obama’s stances should be contrasted “with the 10th commandment, which teaches that we should not covet what belongs to our neighbor.”

“I will work to eradicate socialism across the United States government. So many Republicans aspire to be frugal socialists. We can’t restore liberty if the choice a year from now is between a socialist and a frugal socialist,” alluding to Romney’s status as the GOP presidential front runner.

Urges defeat of child welfare treaty

She said she was also concerned that Obama will push to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, a treaty on child welfare that has been signed by all 196 members of the United Nations except for the United States and Somalia. It’s the most widely supported treaty in the world.

The United States hasn’t actually committed to the treaty. The Senate would have to ratify the treaty as it does all treaties.

The treaty is generally opposed by conservative Christian home-schooling groups and religious right leaders on the grounds that it may curtail parental rights, though things like homeschooling aren’t thought to be impacted by the treaty.

“This treaty would threaten the most basic unit of government, that many of you have come here to defend and that’s the family,” she said. “As president, I will withdraw the signature of the United States from this treaty.”

Bachmann believes in ‘liberty for lightbulbs’

On light bulbs, Bachmann said, “I championed the Light Bulb Freedom of Choice Act, I believe in liberty for light bulbs.”

Bachmann’s new book, Core of Conviction, will go on sale later this month. At least eight times during the press event, she mentioned the title of her book, “Core of Conviction,” without ever mentioning she had a forthcoming book.

Speaking on Meet the Press on Sunday, former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman became the first 2012 GOP presidential hopeful to publicly express concerns with the “fetal personhood” amendment that appears on Mississippi’s ballot today.

Though Huntsman spoke about Mississippi’s Amendment 26 in vague terms, he did say he feels that the amendment “goes too far.”

“I think it goes too far,” Huntsman said. “I mean, I’m pro-life and always have been. I have two little adopted girls to prove the point. But I think life begins at conception. And I, you know, have certain caveats or exclusions in the case of rape, incest and life of the mother. But I’ve, I’ve always been — I’ve always been pro-life and proud of my record.”

The personhood amendment, if passed, would define life from the moment of conception — which could not only ban abortion but could have negative effects on in vitro fertilization, intra-uterine devices and birth control.

Though similar initiatives have appeared across the country support hasn’t been as strong as in Mississippi. While the proposal has been heavily criticized for its potential ramifications, Amendment 26 has been endorsed by both candidates for governor and attorney general. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour voted in favor of the amendment via absentee ballot last Thursday.

MARION — A handful of voters in Iowa Senate District 18 gathered in the Walmart parking lot Monday morning to hear from Republican candidate Cindy Golding and several social conservative groups that have supported her bid.

As is typically the case with most whistle stops of the Values Voter Bus in Iowa, members of the media nearly matched citizens who came out to hear directly from those concerned with cultural issues. This particular stop, however, wasn’t tied to the 2012 presidential election or an upcoming judicial retention election. Instead, the bus made its stop on behalf of Golding, who hopes to be elected during special polling Tuesday and change the balance of the Iowa Senate.

Iowa Democrats currently hold a slim 26-24 majority in the Senate chamber. The Tuesday special election, which pits Golding against Democrat Liz Mathis, will determine if the majority stands or if the Senate will be evenly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Social conservatives have reached out to many voters in Senate District 18 because they believe removing the Democratic majority is key to moving forward with several items on their agenda, which includes taking the first of two legislative votes to place a constitutional amendment that would ban gay marriage in Iowa before voters and further restrictions on abortion rights.

Golding spoke only briefly at the rally and left immediately after offering her remarks. Campaign staffers indicated that she was only barely able to fit the bus stop into her final push.

Golding told those attending that it isn’t social conservative groups like the National Organization for Marriage, Family Research Council, The Family Leader and others pushing to keep gay marriage in the spotlight, but a focus that has resulted from media coverage of the race.

“I want to point out something that maybe has been lost on a few people,” Golding said.

“How often has The [Cedar Rapids] Gazette chastised voters for being single issue? And did you see yesterday’s paper?,” she asked, a reference to an endorsement by The Gazette’s editorial board of Mathis. “The media has made this a single issue, not us.”

Marriage is, she said, “one of several issues” that should concern voters.

“We have a chance to change this state,” she said. “And it’s not one issue, it’s 83 percent of the bills that passed the House that we don’t get to debate on the floor of the Senate.”

But speakers who took the microphone after Golding departed made clear why they were supporting Golding and what they hoped to accomplish within the realm of cultural issues.

“The Iowa Senate is a graveyard,” warned Chuck Hurley, a former state representative affiliated with The Family Leader. “We do not pay salaries for senators to kill bills that the majority of Iowans want debated. It’s wrong. It’s tyrannical. Cindy Golding’s election would give us a breath of fresh air. It would give us a chance.”

Janene Paramore, a Cedar Rapids resident, said she didn’t realize how narrow the Democratic majority was in the Senate and, therefore, “how pivotal this vote is.”

“For me, it’s really about the points that were made here today — that so much legislation is not even being debate,” she told The Iowa Independent after the rally. “It seems like if we can just get Cindy in there then we can at least have some debate.

“I think one of the biggest problems today and why we are off the path of being Americans is because we don’t know what Americans believe anymore. Just like your memory makes you a person; that without it you don’t know who you are. We no longer know who we are as a nation. I think it is important that we actually debate these issues and are educating our people.”

Debbie Berberich, of Stone City, who also attended the rally, said, “I believe if we lose this, we also lose our culture. I’m talking about the values; the systems that make a country great and a family great and a person great. I believe that Cindy represents all of these things. I know her life. I know what she’s done, her activities, and I believe she is worth supporting.”

When Chris Plante, executive director of NOM Rhode Island, was asked after the rally if having an evenly split Iowa Senate would create an opening or break gridlock, he responded, “Could it be any worse than it is right now?”

Video from the rally is embedded below:

Citizens United, a conservative political group based in Washington, D.C., is making independent expenditures in Senate District 18 just days before a Nov. 8 special election to decide the balance of power in the Iowa Senate.

The group’s political victory fund spent $3,000 on Nov. 4 for telephone calls supporting Republican Cindy Golding. The calls ran from Nov. 4 to Nov. 6.

Cindy Golding

Citizens United has several arms, including a tax-exempt non-profit that focuses on limited government, free-market economics and Judeo-Christian values. It also has a documentary film production and marketing piece, which has made movies with Newt Gingrich, Michele Bachmann and Fred Thompson.

The National Organization for Marriage also made two more independent expenditures on behalf of Golding in recent days, paying for mailings and phone calls on Nov. 3 and 4.

The group spent $1,604 for direct mail on Nov. 3, and $1,539 for phone calls on Nov. 4. Golding is taking on Democrat Liz Mathis, on whose behalf no independent expenditures from outside groups have yet been made.

NOM previously spent $9,757 on Nov. 1 for a direct mailing for Golding in Senate District 18. NOM also spent $9,847 on Oct. 27 and $8,009 on Oct. 18 for direct mailings. On Oct. 20 the group spent $252 for a press release, and on Oct. 21 spent $1,539 for robocalls to 23,683 voters.

Liz Mathis

Social conservative group The Family Leader has also made expenditures on behalf of Golding, totaling $100.

The race is perceived as crucial for advocates and opponents of marriage rights for same-sex couples. Democrats currently control the Iowa Senate, 25 to 24, after Sen. Swati Dandekar (D-Marion) resigned to take a position on the Iowa Utilities Board.

With the Iowa House controlled 60-40 by Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal has been the key bulwark to stopping debates on the issue.

The Iowa Supreme Court ruled unanimously in 2009 that the Iowa Constitution’s equal protection clause was violated by a legislative ban on same-sex marriage.

Terry Branstad

Branstad said there’s been a short window in the special election, which has hurt Republican Cindy Golding and helped Democrat Liz Mathis. Branstad set the date for the special election on Sept. 16.

“I believe that the Republican candidate, Cindy Golding, has a great background and great business experience and is a hard worker, but also I think she has a considerable name recognition disadvantage,” Branstad said. Mathis is a former television news anchor.

Liz Mathis

Mathis has outraised and outspent Golding in the district, according to campaign finance reports. Branstad also noted the Iowa Democratic Party has vastly outspent the Republican Party of Iowa in the district, pouring more than $200,000 into the race in recent weeks.

The race will determine control of the Iowa Senate, and has attracted interest from national social conservative groups like the National Organization for Marriage.

Cindy Golding

But despite the national interest, unusually large spending and political implications of the election, Branstad said not too much should be read into the results.

“When you look at special elections, they are not much of an indicator … they’re an indicator of that particular district at that point in time,” he said. “So I don’t think people should read too much into it but obviously we’ll see.”