Some defense and immigration attorneys criticized [...]
An Iowa Perspective on Coal's Assault on Human HealthIf you'd like to watch online, the IDP will be livestreaming the proceedings here, beginning at 6:30 pm central.
Senator Tom Harkin [...]
Event set-up
The dinner is being held at Hy-Vee Hall at the Iowa Events Center in Des Moines. The stage is located in the middle of the room which is set for 1400 guests. On the far wall behind the state a huge sign that reads “Iowa [...]
Senator Chuck Grassley issued the following comment about his opposition to the motion to proceed to H.R. 3590, the legislative vehicle for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2009. The text of Senator Grassley’s floor speech is below the comment.
“This proposal is another big government [...]
Imagine hundreds of shoppers on black Friday, but instead of paying cash or credit its a free for all. No its not a nightmare for workers, but a privilege to serve. This dream is real and an answer to prayer.
Add [...]
I’ve already written that the health care reform bill that Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) introduced includes tax increases, some of which, start in 2010, while the legislation’s answer to health care reform won’t start until 2014.
The Senate’s version of the health care reform includes a mandate [...]
The second segment of her interview with Bill O’Reilly was on last night.
It was, in my opinion, her toughest interview. He asked her some good questions, and she handled herself quite well. The look she gave him when he mentioned sending the Gitmo prisoners to [...]
…with roughly a quarter of the stimulus money out the door after nine months, the accumulation of hard data and real-life experience has allowed more dispassionate analysts to reach a consensus that the stimulus package, messy as it is, is working.
The legislation, a variety of economists [...]
Join me after the jump [...]
I'm here at the Making of America seminar with somewhere over 100 other folks. It's a day-long Constitutional history class. Pretty cool. (The picture is of people coming in to take their seat.)
To my left as I sit here is Casey Head and to my right is Iowa's' [...]
Get Senate Debate Updates Today From Health Care for America NOW!
I am not that interested in politics. However, I am interested in the implications of politics. These implications are personal and far-reaching. Politics itself is a great deal like religion so much as religion is a framework for a relationship with God, while Politics is a framework for enacting public [...]
Government asserts that Rubashkin aided flight of Agriprocessors co-worker to Israel
U.S. District Court Chief Judge Linda R. Reade has ordered that the Iowa meatpacking manager found guilty on 86 counts of fraud and money laundering will remain behind bars.
Sholom M. Rubashkin, who served as the day-to-day manager at Agriprocessors [...]
A TV and film star is throwing a $100,000+ fundraiser for a candidate for Iowa governor tonight, but the beneficiary isn’t the bleeding-heart Hollywood liberal you might expect.
The Iowa Republican reports that Sioux City businessman and social conservative leader Bob Vander Plaats could raise $200,000 for his gubernatorial campaign [...]
Instead of asking conservatives to call home-state senators with pleas for votes against health care reform, the Republican National Committee is asking its membership to contact the offices of two Democratic senators deemed “critically important” to squashing any up-or-down vote on the reform bill.
U.S. Sens. Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas and [...]
Teen library patrons in Ames will continue to have the opportunity to access accurate sex education materials thanks to a vote Thursday night by the local library's board of trustees. The Register’s Kathie Obradovich reports that U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin will not make it to the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson dinner in person tomorrow night because he’ll be busy trying to pass health care reform in Washington, D.C. In his absence, the party will play a video greeting from [...]
Former Iowa State University wrestling coach Jim Gibbons and state Sen. Brad Zaun, R-Urbandale, both announced intentions Thursday to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell in 2010.
Gibbons, who coached ISU to an NCAA championship in 1987, said he will leave his job at Wells Fargo Advisers to [...]
Our Declaration of Independence states simply yet powerfully: “that all men are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights; that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” To my knowledge, no other nation on this planet uses these words as the foundation [...]
TheIowaRepublican.com will Cover Vice President Joe Biden visit to Iowa LIVE
While the political divide that exists between Republicans and Democrats is wide, the political community in Iowa is still rather small. When the Iowa Democratic Party announced that Vice President Joe Biden would be headlining their [...]
By Emily Geiger
Terry, Terry, Terry… how many chances are you going to need before you finally get it right?
I’m glad to hear (again) that you signed Iowa’s defense of marriage law and that you would support an amendment defining marriage as a union between one man and [...]
On Nuclear Disarmament for Iowa
The month of November has been incredibly busy. With countless big news stories and major events taking place all over the state, it has been difficult to cover everything that has gone on. There have been a number of stories that need to be written. Some of [...]
It is rare for a Hollywood celebrity to get involved in a political contest in Iowa, but Chuck Norris did just that when he endorsed Vander Plaats’ campaign this past June.
In his June column entitled, “3 Amigos Who Fight for America,” Norris wrote, “I encourage [...]
Continuing a busy week with the Going Rogue media and book signing tour. First was a radio interview with Laura Ingraham, listen here or above. They covered the Senate health-care bill, China, America’s superpower status, the McCain campaign media strategy, and more.
She also had her debut with [...]
Guess what? Republicans think ACORN stole the election for Obama. Not just the wacky teabaggers. 52% of all Republicans. Now Doug Hoffman, pathetic as he already was, has retracted his concession of the race, because he says ACORN stole that election too. Does he have any evidence? Of [...]
I can’t say I’m a fan of the 700 Club or Pat Robertson. I do like David Brody who is CBN’s political correspondent and do read his blog often. He had a chance to interview Governor Sarah Palin when she was in Grand Rapids, MI yesterday, and Part [...]
Last night, while watching the preposterous but nevertheless entertaining "Star Trek: Next Gen" episode where a rampant virus makes everyone on the Enterprise "devolve" into giant spiders, lemurs, and other creatures, I had an insight. This is yet another episode where if it weren't for the fact that the Enterprise happened to [...]
The Washington Post reports as Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) presented the Senate health-care plan which the Congressional Budget Office said would cut federal deficits:
Democratic leaders were jubilant that the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that the Senate bill would cut federal deficits by $130 billion over the next decade. [...]
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan’s attacks against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley are simply “insulting Iowans who disagree with the [Obama] administration’s political decision to bring terrorists to the United States,” an aide to the senator told the Iowa Independent Thursday.
Jill Kozeny, communications director for Grassley, was responding to an [...]
U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley’s comparison of civilian trials for terrorists to the murder trial of O.J. Simpson is “false and disrespectful,” Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Michael Kiernan said Thursday.
While questioning Attorney General Eric Holder about the idea of prosecuting five men accused as co-conspirators in the Sept. 11 attacks [...]
Details for those and other [...]
A little over a year ago, I left Wells Fargo. It was a no-brainer decision - despite a lot of initiatives and ideas that I proposed, Wells wouldn't move forward on any of it. So I could have remained as an expert thumb-twiddler, or I could have moved on. I' [...]
Now that Democratic leaders in the Senate have unveiled their health care reform plan, Democrats have “rounded third [base] and we’re heading to home,” U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Cumming, said Wednesday night.
During an interview with MSNBC host Rachel Maddow, Harkin said no one in the Democratic caucus wants to [...]
Here's Life's photo essay, "Sexiest Men of the 50s, 60s, and 70s."With yet another dose of dismal polling numbers indicating that he is now trailing Gov. Branstad by a whopping 24 points, it is no wonder the Big Lug found the time to get the hell out of Dodge and do what we all know he as a true passion [...]
The question of possibly housing Guantanamo Bay detainees at a prison facility on the Iowa-Illinois border isn’t something that deserves consideration, according to U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who said today that he opposes such individuals ever entering the country.
When asked if the detainees would put Iowa residents in danger, Grassley [...]
At Ames High School, he won three state' [...]
Republicans didn't hit the panic button when would-be "shoe bomber" Richard Reid was tried in federal court.
Numerous international terrorists with links to Al-Qaeda are already in U.S. prisons. [...]
By Emily Geiger
So, I really wasn’t planning on writing about Sarah Palin again, but, after seeing some of the news coverage of the last 24 hours, I have to.
I pointed out yesterday what a hypocritical jacka$$ former top McCain aide Steve Schmidt is. I mean, it takes [...]
Check out some of these links, I hope you enjoy!
Mark Levin interviews Sarah Palin (or you can listen above) Patrick Buchanan: Is America at war, or not? Washington Post: A modest proposal by Al Home World Magazine: Imprisoning gays The Christian Post: Disaffected Lutherans Begin [...]
Former Iowa State wrestling Coach Jim Gibbons wants to be the third district’s next member of Congress. Gibbons brings the unique perspective of an athlete, coach, father, husband, and financial advisor to his congressional campaign. However, after talking with him for a couple of hours yesterday afternoon, [...]
The incomparable Ezra Klein:
But what’s the alternative? No one wants an individual mandate. But the folks who spend all their time trying to solve the first problem Ross describes have concluded that you can’t do it without an individual mandate. After all, why do people get priced out of [...]
Man-on-the-street ignorance footage is easy to come by but the above video demonstrates a log on the tea-bagger fire that’s been crackling since election day. In the span of a few weeks it became part of accepted right-winger lore that TARP and its related bailouts were a product of the [...]
It’s official the Liberty Morning event was a smash hit! If you were there you know what I mean. Congrads to Kent Sorenson, who is off to a great start at defeating democrat Staci Appel.
Click this line for Dave Davidson’s Artjournalism image gallery of the [...]
This afternoon Governor Sarah Palin was on Sean Hannity’s Radio show for about 15-16 minutes. Talked the health care bill, the Obama administration, Ronald Reagan, made a reference to “lamestream media,” federal deficits, 2010 elections, government spending, political party machines, and 2012.
She [...]
Yesterday I sat down with Christian Fong. He is the son of a Chinese immigrant and Nebraska farm girl, and as his website claims is a “product of the American dream.” He graduated high school at 16. He earned his B.S. from Creighton at 19. [...]
A little more than half of Americans believe health care reform would do more harm than good, according to a University of Iowa Hawkeye Poll released Wednesday.
The national phone survey of 772 adults, with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.5 percent, found that 52 percent believe [...]
It just occurred to me that Matt Foley has all it takes to become a right wing media personality. He comes from a humble background and has a checkered past. He’s not much to look at but has a resonating baritone voice. And most importantly, he’s one of us! A [...]
Those who immediately voiced opposition to a possible plan to move detainees currently housed at a military prison in Guantanamo Bay into a revamped facility on the Illinois-Iowa border should take time to research instead of offering knee-jerk reactions, U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley said today.
“I’m not going to engage in [...]
TCR - You have to check out this video of Jonathan Swenson getting his head shaved so he can play Daddy Warbucks in Annie. Then check out Annie this weekend!Critics of the massive immigration raid in Postville and the subsequent judicial fast-tracking of detained immigrants on criminal charges have been widely expressing their concerns about Stephanie Rose, the U.S. Attorney nominee for the Northern District of Iowa who took part in the legal proceedings. While U.S. Sen. [...]
The union representing state troopers and game wardens has reached an agreement with the state aimed at saving 43 jobs, Gov. Chet Culver announced Tuesday.
The State Police Officers Council (SPOC) has agreed that its 640 members will take five furlough days during the remaining 7 months of [...]
Some miscellany I’ve read.
Casey’s Critical Thinking: Japanese bowing etiquette Wayne Grudem: The Perspicuity of Scripture (HT: Todd Pruitt) WSJ: Her Side of the Story by Melanie Kirkpatrick NRO: The Rogue, on the Record (National Review interview with Sarah Palin) IBD: Bombs And Circuses in New [...]The Iowa Independent has been tracking the nomination of Stephanie Rose for U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa for months, but now national media outlets have jumped into the act.
The New York Times reported Sunday that Rose’s confirmation has been the subject of growing controversy:
Eleventh-hour criticism [...]
Full comic here.
All religious fundamentalists have a few characteristics that they share in common; one of them is their view of a woman as a purely biological entity whose sexuality must be studiously controlled. The issue of abortion then comes down to punishing women for [...]
U.S. Rep. Tom Latham has pledged to introduce legislation that would prevent the Obama administration from further considering a prison just across the Mississippi River from Clinton as a possible future home for detainees currently housed at a military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
“I have heard from so many Iowans over [...]
A Polk County Judge has ruled the Iowa Department of Economic Development should pay a Canadian filmmaker $6.5 million in tax credits.
The ruling could have bigger ramifications down the road, as several filmmakers who have been denied tax credits weigh legal action against the state.
That’s upper peninsula for the uninitiated; land of guns guns guns! We fished for trophy walleye on Little Bay de Noc until the wee hours of the morning with terrific success. Here’s a twenty eight incher I caught earlier in the evening:
I almost got seasick this [...]
This artwork was hanging in a friend's office, so I took a picture of it. No clue who the artist is... but it's right on.
[...]
By Emily Geiger
I saw Sarah Palin’s interview with Oprah, and I thought she went a long way towards answering some questions people still have about her.
For example, I thought she answered the questions about the widely-panned Katie Couric interview very well. She basically said that [...]
Meet Francis Thicke - Progressive Democrat for Iowa Agriculture Secretary 
In most cases, it’s impossible to accurately predict how political candidates stack up against each other in a primary or general election.
For example, even though both Bob Vander Plaats and former Governor Terry Branstad have run for statewide office numerous times, it’s nearly impossible to predict [...]
By Ed Failor, Jr.
Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal ran an article with the optimistic headline of “GM Plans to Repay U.S. Loan.”[i] My initial reaction was quite surprised; General Motors (GM) is already in the position to repay American taxpayers? Sounds like an amazing feat for [...]
Europe on track to meet or exceed Kyoto goals.
Meanwhile, if you favor doing anything about carbon emissions in America, you’re now a treehugging liberal, despite the fact that rightwingers have lost the argument everywhere except within their own hermetically sealed media environs.
-jb
[...]Caught five minutes today while running to Subway due to an unexpected work break, as I’m not usually on the road when he’s on.
So Genius Republican Party Leader tells me that Democrats want terrorists kept prisoner in the U.S. because that means more prison guards. Union member prison guards, [...]
Just curious as to what you think about this ad?
I’ll throw in a link so they get some free advertising… could they have used a worse picture? When I look at the picture I think…
Tired. Grumpy. Swollen Eye. Hung-Over. I mean could they have [...]
May Congress follow the lead of Blizzard Entertainment, and vote on the health care bill “when it’s ready.” Ezra Klein, who’s essential reading on health care reform, points out some of the cost control measures being considered.
The first comes from the excise tax on high-cost health insurance plans. The [...]
It seems like we are trying to “find our best life now” or looking for some plan, program, formula, or tips for success that will help us overcome __________ (you fill in the blank). Look in your typical Christian bookstore and ask what is popular (outside of the Bible). We [...]
ITAC - The Iowa Theatre Artists Company opens their first holiday production in their new Amana home (the former Barn Restaurant) on Thursday, November 19. This original play with music written by Tom Johnson and the ITAC Ensemble will have a three week run over a [...] After the jump you'll find the recipe for tonight's dinner, which I adapted from "Ground Meat in Cashew Nut'" [...]
It’s saving or creating jobs in congressional districts that don’t even exist.
Wow, impressive. ABC News reports:
Here’s a stimulus success story: In Arizona’s 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. [...]
Earlier today Des Moines Register reporter Jason Clayworth wrote a blog post that has been removed from the Register’s website. My trustworthy staff of researches saved me a copy of what he wrote so I can share it with you.
Here is what Clayworth wrote:
Pictures of a shirtless Chet Culver?
Pictures of [...]
As GOP gubernatorial hopefuls try to draw distinctions from their Republican rivals, the Iowa Democratic Party continues to co-opt their critiques with the hope of weakening potential challengers to incumbent Gov. Chet Culver.
The latest attack was delivered in Dubuque by state Rep. Chris Rants against former Gov. Terry Branstad. Rants [...]
For those of you who were hoping for more policy talk (unlike the Oprah interview) in some of Governor Sarah Palin’s interviews this week for her new book Going Rogue: An American Life. The interview she did with Rush Limbaugh this afternoon provides that.
The [...]
I’m sure that after Culver ran his triathlon he needed a shower, but what the hell does the word “Showa” mean?
As I said countless times, this election will be about competence. Mistakes like this don’t help the perception that Culver is a dumbass.
Update:
It took team [...]
Let me preface this post by stating what most who know me would say is obvious: I’m VERY conservative. I am a self-branded “Republitarian” with strong libertarian roots and a Biblical worldview that places me firmly in the “social conservative” camp.
That being said, there are political realties that are being [...]
The Des Moines Register showered more poll numbers on readers today, and the news is better for Democrats than it was over the weekend.
Though each Iowan seems to have his or her own ideas for how money should be cut from the budget, few blame the Democrats for overspending on [...]
