Week In Review: February 3-9

I'll never get back the 3 1/2 hours I wasted on a spectacularly dull Super Bowl. But at least that multi-lingual Coke ad made Steve King's brain explode. The important thing: A corporation as big as Coca Cola had to have market research and focus grouped that thing to the tenth of a percent, way way way beyond anything a political campaign can do. They had to have seen there would be a Know-Nothing backlash. And yet they must have also seen that positioning themselves on the side of diversity and pluralism would be a net positive and sell more carbonated water flavored with corn syrup and coca leaf extract.


Congrats to Kevin Kinney, winner of the 2013 American Legion Iowa Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award. Kinney's also a Democratic candidate in open Senate District 39.

Legislative announcements: McGregor Democrat Patti Ruff seeking a second term. Ruff knocked off one term Republican Bob Hager in 2012.

Anesa Kajtazovic scores another big on-line poll win, this time via conservative site the Coralville Courier. Jack Hatch doesn't do as well in the governor poll, but keeps it close. And Mike's GOP Senate primary contest - "poll" grants too much legitimacy though he does block multiple votes - gives Sam Clovis a lead.

I almost missed a holiday: Turns out Friday was the 2nd annual International Clash Day. Of course, for me EVERY day is Clash Day. We'll have it on the calendar for next year and I'll work on getting it declared a paid holiday in the next union contract.



Duly noted:Former Iowa public health director sends out a tweet.

Did today's CBO report actually say HC reform would cost 2 million jobs by 2017, mostly lower wage workers?? And Dave Loebsack voted 4 it!
— Dr. Miller-Meeks (@millermeeks) February 4, 2014

Captain Obvious was a little confused by that.

And since I as an American am not allowed to say anything on the subject, I'll shut up and link to Israeli publication Haaretz for the Must Read Of The Week: "47 years a slave: A new perspective on the occupation" of Palestine.