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By Rod Boshart, Gazette Des Moines Bureau

DES MOINES Democrats hope to take control of the Iowa House in Novembers election by offering an agenda aimed at improving economic security for middle-class families, revitalizing rural Iowa and growing the economy to expand opportunities for workers who are aided in upgrading their skills.

Rep. Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, whose 47-member caucus is the House minority party, said a strong candidate recruiting effort has made him optimistic heading into the Nov. 4 balloting that Democrats will be able to seize power in a chamber led by a 53-Republican majority the past two years.

We think that all too often the House (under GOP control) is focused on special interests and on personal ideology agendas rather than what the needs are of regular Iowans, said Smith, who was joined at a Statehouse news conference by Rep. Marti Anderson of Des Moines.

He said the choice for Iowa voters is between House Democrats with common-sense mainstream ideas to move the state forward versus tea party Republicans with fairly right-wing agendas to do things like restrict birth control and restrict workers rights.

Smith said Democrats want to freeze instate undergraduate tuition at state universities for another year, expand preschool opportunities to more children, raise the states minimum wage, guarantee equal pay for women, improve the environment and protect the states vulnerable populations.

Other ideas include expanding job-training opportunities for workers to upgrade their skills, targeting state incentives to small businesses and entrepreneurs, making child care more affordable and giving Iowa companies the first chance at state contracts to create jobs in Iowa.

House Democrats also will partner with rural communities to capitalize on their unique strengths to create good jobs and improve quality of life, Smith said. Plans call for boosting renewable energy, improving air and water quality, expanding broadband and Wi-Fi to more communities and small businesses and supporting first-time farmers.

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, was unimpressed with the Democratic to-do list.

House Democrats have been remarkably consistent with their agenda, Paulsen said in a statement.

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Iowa House Democrats offer middle-class help

President Barack Obama talks Friday with journalists from the Trotter Group, including the Free Press' Rochelle Riley, center. He acknowledges his administration hasn't assuaged Americans' fears fast enough. / CHUCK KENNEDY/White House The man behind the Trotter Group

William Monroe Trotter (1872-1934) was the first African-American Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Harvard University. Barred by racism from pursuing a career in international banking, he settled for becoming an uncompromising activist and newspaper publisher who attacked racists and people he called "African-American accommodationists."

Trotter was the founder and editor of the Guardian newspaper and made the front page of the New York Times when he went to the White House and confronted President Woodrow Wilson about lynching and segregation.

Rochelle Riley had one question for the president. Read her column to find out what it was -- and how the president answered.

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Obama: Democrats can win if voters can tune out attacks

DES MOINES | Democrats hope to take control of the Iowa House in Novembers election.

They say theyre offering an agenda aimed at improving economic security for middle-class families, revitalizing rural Iowa and growing the economy to expand opportunities for workers who are aided in upgrading their skills.

Rep. Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown, whose 47-member caucus currently is the House minority party, said a strong candidate-recruiting effort has made him optimistic heading into the Nov. 4 balloting that Democrats will be able to seize power in a chamber led by a 53-Republican majority the past two years.

We think that all too often the House (under GOP control) is focused on special interests and on personal ideology agendas rather than what the needs are of regular Iowans, said Smith, who was joined at a Statehouse news conference by Rep. Marti Anderson of Des Moines.

He said the choice for Iowa voters is between House Democrats with common-sense mainstream ideas to move the state forward versus tea party Republicans with fairly right-wing agendas to do things like restrict birth control and restrict workers rights.

Smith said Democrats want to freeze in-state undergraduate tuition at state universities for another year, expand preschool opportunities to more children, raise the states minimum wage, guarantee equal pay for women, improve the environment and protect the states vulnerable populations.

I think the best legislation that we have done through the years has been when we try to work together and come up with good, pragmatic solutions to the problems that regular Iowans are facing, Smith said.

Democrats in the House would listen to Iowans, work together to get things accomplished and keep D.C. politics out of our state Capitol.

House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, was unimpressed with the Democratic to-do list.

These tired ideas only lead to job losses, less take home pay for hardworking taxpayers and less stability for Iowa families, he said.

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Iowa Democrats aiming for House control

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