Taking advantage of the Easter holiday, Gov. Vilsack chose to ride out the tornados (hope everyone out there is safe and sound) by taking a trip out to Iraq. Is this trip a reflection of Vilsack’s desire to keep in touch with Iowans serving abroad, or is it the continuation of his efforts to build up a cache of international credentials? Does our man in Des Moines really want a crack at the White House? If so, he’d better start flexing some fundraising muscle, as PAC money reports show that this year Vilsack has only raked in $400,600, compared with a cool $6 million for Hillary.
The Iowa legislature resumes Tuesday, hoping to hammer out what remains on the budget. Among the notables is haggling over proposed pay raises for teachers, as the Register reports that Iowa now ranks only 41st in teacher pay grade. Aren’t our schools supposed to be a centerpiece? Gov. Vilsack has also earmarked close to $15 million to allow every 4 year-old in Iowa the chance to go to preschool.
Finally, for those keeping up on the immigration debate, here’s an article showing the effects that restricting migrant labor would have on Iowa’s agriculture. If Iowa is already experiencing labor shortages, what’s it going to take to get Steve King to stop running his mouth?
Sorry for this somewhat personal post, but it has a link to Iowa politics (in that it is linked to me).
My grandfather (whom I never met, but for whom I was named) was a land developer in Florida from the 1950s until he died. Among other things, he founded a town called Tequesta, which is where I grew up. Anyway, this story was on the front page of the Drudge Report, which is why I caught it:
Councilman-elect Basil Dalack, 76, a Korean War veteran, won an uncontested election to fill a vacancy on the five-person council of the southeast Florida town of Tequesta.
But he is refusing to take the oath of office — due to be administered on Thursday — because the oath requires him to “support, protect and defend” the government. His decision comes at a time when polls show ebbing support for the war.
Dalack said he believes the U.S. war in Iraq is unjust and “an abomination.” He said he could not sleep at night if he took a pledge implying blanket support for the U.S. government.
I don’t really know much about Tequesta politics, nor do I know anyone currently involved in them (although I do kind of know the judge who ruled on the case), but I saw Dalack’s yard signs when I was home over break, and they didn’t look any different from the others. What has the world come to, when we can’t even tell when a village council candidate is a far-left pinko communist operative?
It looks like John McCain is setting himself up for a presidential bid in 2008. Yesterday, McCain spoke in Cedar Rapids to help fundraise for Nussle–but also it seems to start ingratiating himself in a state that receives tax credits and subsidies that he has repeatedly criticized.
McCain acknowledged that he was considering running in 2008, and that in order to win Iowa he would need “an army on the ground.” He didn’t seem to care much about Iowa in 2000, when he skipped campaigning here altogether to focus on New Hampshire. However, now it appears that he wants our support. To that end:
“At $10 a barrel (for oil), I don’t think ethanol was a very viable option,” he said before an appearance to bolster the Republican gubernatorial campaign of Jim Nussle. “At $60 or $70 a barrel, I think it needs to be examined. There’s also national security implications.”
This is a big ol’ about face from the days when he called ethanol tax credits and subsidies “outrageous” and a “boondoggle.” Given that he is announcing this while in Iowa and campaigning for Nussle, it is hard to believe that his reversal is due entirely to economics and not politics, as he said that it was.
Mary Lundby became one of the most powerful Republicans in Iowa yesterday, as Yepsen babbles. Republicans want us to think that this means they’re “not your father’s Oldsmobile anymore.” I never thought that to begin with; but still, this isn’t going to change my mind about them. If Yepsen is to be believed, we do have something to look forward to:
This is no guarantee of GOP success in November. While replacing a floor leader in the midst of a session is a big deal in the political community, it’s doubtful anyone about to vote for a Democrat in an Iowa Senate race this November will change their minds as a result of Lundby’s coup.
And if you think she’s going to be better at campaigning around the state, think about it: this is seen as a coup precisely because of how different she — a city slicker — is compared to the typical Iowa Republican model of rural conservatism. She’s going to get to the one restaurant in Barnes City (it’s across from the grain elevator, if you want to go) and balk. Republicans are trying to cast her as a McCain. Making this woman their mouthpiece for the elections won’t necessarily make their powerful grassroots base (i.e. religious conservatives) happy.
Update: LyingAroundIowa reports that there has already been a staff resignation in connection with this (and that there will be more). Although they also erroneously claimed that Iverson was going to quit the legislature completely, and they are sometimes narrowminded.
In Bradford, IA, yesterday afternoon, 2,300 pigs were burned to death by agri-business. The ISO Pork facility in Bradford had some kind of cleaning machine malfunction:
The fire was reported at 12:40 p.m. and firefighters were still on the scene in the evening.
Franklin County Sheriff Larry Ritchsmeier said the fire was likely caused by a malfunction in a machine designed to clean the facility.
About 1,350 sows and 1,000 baby pigs were killed, but Ritchsmeier said the death toll could rise due to smoke inhalation suffered by other hogs.
Iowans complain about the smell of hog confinements as they fight for more control in determining where they are located. I can only imagine how bad this must have smelled.
According to the Register Edwards said in Des Moines yesterday that he’s “seriously considering” another run for the presidency. And he’s not fooled by Vilsack’s reticence either:
“Obviously if the governor decides to run that will be a huge factor here in his own state,” Edwards said.
Unlike candidates in 1992, who didn’t contest Harkin in Iowa, Edwards said “I don’t think what other people do is going to influence what decision I make, and then if I decide to run, how.”
The Register is also covering Fallon’s statement of support for the party’s nominee. For the most part it’s the same statement on his website & stuff we already know, but it does include a positive mention:
Fallon has a loyal, grass-roots following and often scores the loudest applause during candidate events where he appears with the others.
The article also mentions some new Blouin proposals:
In other primary news, Blouin proposed restoring cuts to the state’s community college system over the past five years. The proposal was the third in a series related to education by the Blouin campaign this spring.
Blouin also proposed spending an additional $40 million on job-training programs affiliated with Iowa’s community colleges. The announcement came in the wake of a financial scandal involving the management of a central Iowa job-training program.
Yesterday, Geraldine raised questions about Ed Fallon’s loyalty amid what seemed to be a lack of committment on Ed’s part to stick by the party’s nominee after the Primary. Thankfully, today the Fallon camp responded with an unequivocal commitment:
“I will not run as an independent,” Fallon said, “I’m planning to win, but if I don’t, I’m confident that the volume of support I have received will show the Democratic nominee that they need my supporters to win. To get my supporters on board and give them the enthusiasm they need to turn out for the general election, the nominee has to be strong on the issues.”
Grinnell has a lot of people who support Ed Fallon’s gubernatorial bid. Yesterday, many went to volunteer at his campaign headquarters in Des Moines and got to know his friendly staff. They’re better organized than most campaigns, and — although they may be behind in fund raising — they have a lot more for volunteers to do at this point than other campaigns.
At least one volunteer expressed a little confusion, though, when he wasn’t able to tell a potential supporter whom he was calling that Ed Fallon will support whoever earns the Democratic nomination for governor in June. In fact, he was directed to give the ambiguous answer, “That’s a decision that’s still being talked about among the staff.”
What could this mean? Does Fallon think he’d have a shot running as a third party candidate in November (and would his chances be improved by all the volunteers who come in now, even though many will feel betrayed if he does that)? Or does his staff believe that he can’t commit to supporting the other democrats merely because he won’t look like he’s running to win anymore?
If it’s the second possibility, they’re wrong. Party loyalty (or, more notably, party disloyalty) can become a huge issue in Democratic primaries, and it can only hurt Fallon. After all, there are still a lot of people who remember when Fallon endorsed Nader instead of Gore in 2000 — who irrationally blame Fallon for Bush’s victory. Fallon needs to get out ahead of this immediately or he’ll lose a lot of supporters.
Update: This appears to have been resolved by a comment from one of his staff members.
