Press-Citizen caps off endorsement week giving Culver the nod. But the overall tone of the editorial is less Vote 4 Chet and more Don't Vote For Nussle:
As much as we counsel against single-issue voting, the sheer number of such issues adds up fast. At a time when there is justifiable concern that the U.S. Supreme Court may decide that legalizing abortion should be an issue best left to the states, Nussle said he would support a South Dakota-style ban on all abortions accept in cases threatening the life of the mother. At a time when we're dealing with national and statewide questions of immigration reform, Nussle supports Iowa's English as the Official Language law. At a time when we're looking to improve Iowa's standards of education, Nussle's running mate, Bob Vander Plaats, suggests that we need to be teaching intelligent design along with evolution in public schools.
And how much did THIS play into it:
We had hoped for the chance to have Nussle explain his positions on these controversial issues in person. We met with the Green Party candidate, Wendy Barth, and the Libertarian Party candidate, Kevin Litten, but despite our repeated requests to interview Nussle, the Congressman's campaign staff was never able to find a convenient time.
Mess with the Old Media at your own risk. Which plays into the Nussle Is Inaccessible theme that the Register was playing earlier this month. Their endorsements, by the way, are tomorrow...
Republicans are trying to buy Iowa's congressional seats:
Republican Mike Whalen of Bettendorf has loaned his campaign $250,000, while Republican Jeff Lamberti of Ankeny has loaned his campaign $150,000, according to reports filed late Thursday that reflect activity Oct. 1 through Oct. 18.
The Register article doesn't mention Jim Leach's earlier $187,000 debt to himself.
Loebsack and Leach do Iowa Press this weekend and the Register lead looks at Leach's old boss:
Leach described Rumsfeld as a friend whom he had known a long time. In 1965 and 1966, Leach worked on Rumsfeld's staff when Rumsfeld was a congressman from Illinois. In 1969 and 1970, Leach was a special assistant to Rumsfeld when Rumsfeld was director of the Office of Economic Opportunity during the Nixon administration. Leach was first elected to Congress in 1976.
Tangent: The top ten hits the week Jim Leach was first elected included:
Number One was Steve Miller's geography lesson and Free riff ripoff, "Rock'n Me." Is that rockING me or rock AND me? Steve, the route from Phoeniz, AZ to Northern California (noted for high female body temperatures) is shorter if you bypass Tacoma, Philadelphia, Atlanta and LA. Were those stops on the Fly Like An Eagle `76 tour? And PLEASE tell us what The Pompatus Of Love is.
So much has changed in the world of music, so little has changed in Eastern Iowa congressional representation. Back to the 21st century:
Loebsack said Rumsfeld should be booted from his job for mishandling the war in Iraq and alienating American allies.
"He's mismanaged the war. He also led us astray before the war. We need the countries Donald Rumsfeld called 'Old Europe' and alienated."
The Reg also looks at the most expensive legislative races. They include a handy-dandy chart that's unfortunately an illegible graphic in the online edition. Basically, if you're seeing the race on TV, it's on this list. TV is a hugely wasteful expense in a race the scale of an Iowa legislative race. Let's say you have a bottle of miracle spot remover. A $4 bottle will remove any stain possible in one square foot of carpet. Great, right? Catch is: to use it, you have to spray it on the whole room, so it costs $400 to treat a 10 x 10 room. That's TV in an Iowa House race.
Living a political life I miss out on a lot of normal life in even-numbered falls. Things like Halloween and the World Series. I didn't really zoom in on either until I took a couple of rare free hours for an all too necessary trip to the laundromat and saw folks marching to the bars in costume and caught a few innings as the Birdies beat the Kitties.
And of course, being a junkie of my own ball game, I paid more attention to the political ads than the baseball. The new Nussle ad is bizarre:
I'm Jim Nussle.
Negative campaigning is bad.
My wife version 2.0 loves me.
Here's some pictures of horsies and puppies and some pretty music.
I don't recall if there were actual puppies, but you get the idea. Looked like a stock Iowa tourism spot with a new voiceover. And I'm not trying to pick on anyone's marriage - my own attempt failed - but if you're going to campaign on "family values" (sic), if you're going to film ads with your own special needs child, then you get back what you dish out.
Anyway they're singing a rousing chorus of "We Are The Champions" in St. Louis and Johnson County Treasurer Tom Kriz, a major Cards fan, is no doubt elated today. A tall cold Bud toast to the Cardinals.
Chet Culver stands for abortion, gay marriage, human cloning, illegal immigration anbd seizing private property through eminent domain.
ReplyDeleteNONE of those are Iowa values, family values, or Christian values.
They are the values of Hollyweird and the liberal elitists who will desstroy this country if they prevail.
That is why I will be voting for Jim Nussle.
God Bless America and God Save this country from the Liberal Democrats.