Perry Steps in Sweeney-Grassley

Perry Steps in Sweeney-Grassley

Kind of feel like I'm missing the Occupy boat but I've flat out been too busy. "This is what democracy looks like" sometimes means local. It's Iowa City primary day so don't expect much from me till very very late tonight. And of course no GOP debate stuff from me.

Rick Perry, inadvertently or not, stepped in the state's hottest legislative primary, headlining a Friday fundraiser for state rep and future US Senate candidate Pat Grassley. He is of course paired up in redistricting with fellow Republican Annette Sweeney and neither will move. Neither Sweeney nor Grandson Grassley have endorsed. Here's an endorsement checklist; that used to be my job to track when I made more money writing.

It'll be a Ron Paul homecoming at UIowa October 21, with an 8 PM IMU speech. Sure to be rowdy but he'll never top the 2007 Olive Court tailgater.


David Brody of Pat Robertson's CBN says it: "There a certain segment of evangelicals who simply won’t vote for a Mormon."

Continuing her death spiral:

Michele Bachmann is moving home.

The Minnesota Republican “will basically be setting up camp and almost living in Iowa until the Iowa caucuses,” her Iowa campaign co-chairman Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, told Iowans who participated in a Bachmann campaign telephone town Hall conference Oct. 10.

Because the Moving To Iowa strategy worked so well for President Chris Dodd.

Border wars close to home. In a remarkable show of tone-deafness:

According to local township officials, Julie Kuntz, of Graphton, has to pay for 350 feet of fence that she doesn't want. The ruling is based on an Iowa statute written in 1851.

The man on the proverbial "other side of the fence" is one of her state lawmakers; Senator Merlin Bartz.

"I think the most important point here is fortunately in this case, I as a lawmaker don't get to determine the law and the Kuntzs as lawbreakers don't get to determine the law," said Senator Bartz. "It is a decision made by the township trustees."

Bartz is paired up in redistricting with Democrat Mary Jo Wilhelm... who might pick up two votes.

And redistricting consultant Jerry Mandering appears to have found work in Maryland.