Geraldine, why don’t you try defending Boswell’s votes on key issues of national importance for a change?

Is it because you know that many of those votes, when Boswell broke with Democrats to rubber-stamp Bush’s policies, are indefensible?

Or is it because you feel third district voters shouldn’t be concerned about small matters like writing blank checks to fund a war, passing the bankruptcy bill, repealing the estate tax, and giving the president’s torture policy the blessing of Congress?

By the way, how do you feel about spending taxpayer money to send out glossy campaign-style mailers for Boswell? How much do you think those cost to print and mail out? Tens of thousands of dollars, or hundreds of thousands? Sounds pretty sleazy to me.

Probably not, since you don’t seem to feel very inspired to talk about Boswell’s actual record.

If people are willing to contribute to a political advocacy business, what’s wrong with that? I used to send Steve Gilliard money to support his full-time blogging. He wasn’t providing any specific service to me, but I and many other people donated money because we thought his blogging had value.

Just like the people who have contributed to I’M for Iowa think Ed Fallon’s advocacy has value. Obviously, you are not one of those people. But isn’t the marketplace wonderful?

I am involved with 1000 Friends of Iowa, which advocated for increasing Main Street funding for many years, including while Fallon was its executive director. So I don’t know what you’re referring to when you say that he voted against Main Street. I also don’t know what specific education funding bill you are talking about.

I have to tell you that even if I disagreed with Fallon over some bill on state education funding (and I don’t know enough to say whether I do or not), that to my mind is not more crucial than Boswell’s votes on issues of great national importance, such as Bush’s horrendous energy bill, repealing the estate tax at a time of record deficits, the bankruptcy bill, trade agreements, and so on.

We simply disagree about the Iraq War supplemental funding bills. Bush needed Congress to pass those. I agreed with John Edwards–Congress should just send Bush bills with a timeline. If he vetoes that, send him another bill with a timeline. He is never going to do anything to bring troops home unless Congress exercises its power of the purse.

But Boswell wasn’t inclined to work with the Congressional Democrats who wanted to stand up to Bush on any number of issues.

From my perspective, the legislative accomplishments of our current Iowa House and Senate Democrats are not too impressive. They have failed to act on a lot of things that could improve this state’s economy, environment and quality of life. So their opinion of Fallon’s effectiveness doesn’t carry a whole lot of weight with me.

Are you seriously trying to tell me that the “Fallon loophole” is the biggest problem with Iowa’s campaign finance laws that needs to be addressed? They aren’t doing anything about much bigger problems, like the fact that one person can donate unlimited amounts to legislative and gubernatorial candidates.

Fallon self-limited donations to his gubernatorial campaign–I think he didn’t take more than $2,500 or $2,800 or something in that ballpark from any one person.

The basic question of integrity is far more important than who supported what timeline when.

You mean like the integrity of using your franking privilege to send out a campaign flier?

Or the integrity of trying to pass yourself off as someone who stands up to Bush when in fact you have a habit of voting with Republicans “when the chips are down”?

I want my Congressman to represent my interests and not throw his lot in with the Republicans every time it’s politically expedient to do so.