Iowa
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9:06 p.m.
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Yesterday the U.S. House approved a bill to require additional Congressional Budget Office analysis on legislation with a large price tag. The concept is intended to reduce the apparent cost of tax cuts to the federal budget. Iowa's representatives split on party lines over this bill and proposed amendments, including one offered by Democrat Leonard Boswell (IA-03). Pete Kasperowicz explained t...
Bleeding Heartland - 8:47 a.m. - 10 clicks 
Iowa Rivers Revival announced today that Charles City won its 2011 "Iowa River Town of the Year" award. The non-profit organization, created to advocate for protecting Iowa rivers and streams, honored the Floyd County seat because city leaders "responded to record floods in 1999 and 2008 by embracing the Cedar River with new ideas and bold projects, such as transforming a low-head dam into Iowa'...
Bleeding Heartland - 6:08 a.m. - 12 clicks
U.S. Senators Chuck Grassley and Tom Harkin both voted for a bill to ban insider trading by members of Congress, which overwhelmingly passed the U.S. Senate today. Follow me after the jump for details on how the Iowans voted on significant amendments to the bill, including one backing term limits for members of Congress. S. 2038, the Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge or STOCK Act, ...
Bleeding Heartland - Thu 6:08 p.m. - 11 clicks
Iowa Senate Democrats received unwelcome news from Marshalltown yesterday when former Republican State Senator Larry McKibben announced that he will run in the new Iowa Senate district 36 this year. McKibben's decision makes this seat a tougher hold for first-term Democratic incumbent Steve Sodders. The new Senate district 36 covers all of Marshall and Tama Counties, plus a small rural area in s...
Bleeding Heartland - Thu 10:00 a.m. - 11 clicks
Candidates love to empathize with struggling middle-class Americans, but middle-income government employees are an easy target for politicians trying to earn their deficit warrior stripes. Today more than a third of U.S. House Democrats voted with nearly all the House Republicans to keep most civilian federal employees' salaries frozen through 2013. All five Iowans voted for the legislation, even ...
Bleeding Heartland - Wed 6:23 p.m. - 14 clicks
Yesterday was the deadline for Congressional candidates to file financial reports on the fourth quarter of 2011. Details on fundraising by all the incumbents and challengers in Iowa are after the jump. As I did last quarter , I'm covering the districts in reverse order, because the most interesting money stories came out of the new fourth and third Congressional districts. IA-04 Demo...
Bleeding Heartland - Wed 7:44 a.m. - 15 clicks
Apologies for the lateness of this post: it's past time to reveal the Bleeding Heartland Iowa caucus prediction contest winners. 1. How many Iowans will participate in the Republican caucuses? According to the Iowa GOP, attendance was 121,503 this year, a little higher than the 2008 participation of 119,188 Iowans. Winner for this question: Bleeding Heartland user albert, who guessed...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 3:25 p.m. - 12 clicks
Iowa Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Joe Bolkcom took to the Senate floor today with a clear message for Iowa House Republicans and Governor Terry Branstad: "no tax cut will pass the Senate Ways and Means Committee" until an expansion of Iowa's earned income tax credit has been signed into law. The federal government established the earned income tax credit in the 1970s, and Iowa created i...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 12:28 p.m. - 17 clicks
Can't wait to learn more of the backstory on this one: Matt Strawn announced this morning that he is resigning as the Republican Party of Iowa's state chairman. In a videotaped statement, Strawn cited competing business, personal, and political interests. He did not refer to the controversy over his attempt to declare the Iowa caucuses a tie with no clear winner . Supporters of Rick Santorum were...
Bleeding Heartland - Tue 8:27 a.m. - 18 clicks
A new progressive super-PAC pledged today to support grassroots organizing in Iowa's new fourth Congressional district against five-term Representative Steve King. UPDATE: Added King's reaction to this development below. The CREDO SuperPAC was created by the CREDO mobile phone company, which has long donated a portion of its revenues to numerous progressive non-profit organizations . (For the...
Bleeding Heartland - Mon 12:09 p.m. - 18 clicks
After a few months of exploring a second run for Congress in Iowa's first district, Republican Ben Lange has confirmed that he will soon make his candidacy official. James Q. Lynch reports today that Lange will formally announce his candidacy in February. "Throughout the exploratory process, I have kept an open mind and listened carefully to the feedback I received," Lange said. "Our perfo...
Bleeding Heartland - Mon 6:22 a.m. - 15 clicks
On Saturday night the Des Moines Register announced the major stops on the 2012 Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI). The 471-mile ride will start in Sioux Center on July 21 and end in Clinton on July 28. Overnight stops are after the jump, along with findings from a new study on the economic impacts of recreational bicycling for Iowa. The official RAGBRAI site includes de...
Bleeding Heartland - Sun 9:25 a.m. - 14 clicks
Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker will represent Zach Edwards, a Democratic operative who is charged with attempting identity theft against Republican Secretary of State Matt Schultz. Edwards was arrested in Des Moines on January 20 : According to the Criminal Complaint, on June 24, 2011, Edwards fraudulently used, or attempted to use, the identity of Iowa Secretary of State Matt Schultz and...
Bleeding Heartland - Jan 27 - 15 clicks
Our Secretary of State still wants to see your ID. Make that a photo ID with an expiration date on it, please, so your Iowa State student ID card will not suffice. You need it unless you vote absentee, or get someone to swear you are really you, or swear it yourself if you are in a nursing home and can't vote like other absentee voters. Or unless you have a religious objection or sw...
Bleeding Heartland - Jan 27 - 13 clicks
I do not believe the Reverend Kelly. But I am not sure if I don’t believe him when he said he didn’t murder those eight people, or when he said he did. What I do know is that five years later, passangers on board the westbound number 5 train, which had pulled out of Villisca, Iowa at 5:19 A.M. that Monday morning, remembered the twitchy, diminutive preacher telling his fellow bleary eyed travele...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 27 - 18 clicks
The House Majority PAC, a super-PAC created last year to help Democrats win back control of the U.S. House, is running a television commercial criticizing Representative Tom Latham, the Republican candidate in Iowa's new third Congressional district. House Majority PAC is also showing interest in Iowa's fourth Congressional district. Yesterday the group released topline poll numbers from eight H...
Bleeding Heartland - Jan 26 - 6 clicks
The news out of Iowa this week is that the final results of the Iowa Caucus have been tallied and certified. In the immediate aftermath of the vote, Mitt Romney was declared the winner by all of eight votes. However, it has taken the Iowa GOP the past two weeks to actually count and certify all the votes, and a funny thing happened on the way to that final tally. ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 21
This is from my apolitical SF hipster friend. A guy whom until recently couldn't name a political candidate to save his life. I thought it fascinating that this primary is now bleeding into the detached hipster psyche...! Anyway the shirts are kitschy, but cute. He's generally struggling, so support him and buy a shirt if you like em... http://www.cafepress.com/... PS. They're m...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 21 - 3 clicks
Mitt Romney: Will two flips make a flop? (Orig. photo: Pool/Reuters) Mitt Romney on Jan. 4 , one day after unofficial results from the Iowa Caucuses showed him leading Rick Santorum by eight votes: It sure is nice to have a win, I tell you. And Mitt Romney today , shortly after the Iowa Republican Party revealed their final certified tally showed Rick Santorum was ahead by 34 ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 19
Here's how it works in the GOP: When Mitt Romney leads unofficial tally by 8, he "wins." When Rick Santorum leads final results by 34, he "tied." Guess what happened to Mr. Inevitability? The unprecedented winner of three straight Republican primaries, Mitt Romney, apparently didn't win the first one. From today's Des Moines Register : THE RESULTS : Santorum finished ahea...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 19
Congressman Bruce Braley has a video up that responds to the threat of SOPA/PIPA. As he speaks, his words are beeped out and black strips keep appearing over his face. Braley is trying to let us know that he gets it, and I let him know that I approve. If you are in Iowa, please do likewise. When we get what we want from a politician, we need to reward and reinfo...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 18
Who really won Iowa, Rick Santorum or Mitt Romney? And at this point, does it matter? Iowa Republicans are currently tabulating the final certified results for their caucuses—and the results could show that the real winner was Rick Santorum, not Mitt Romney. The final, official results of the Iowa caucuses are expected to be released as early as Wednesday and as late as Friday, ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 17 - 10 clicks
Hey, Mitt Romney here. I recently spoke with some residents from the publicly-owned state of Iowa and explained to these individual corporations of voters that "corporations make money... everything corporations earn ultimately goes to people," which therefore means that "corporations are people." Now I'll be the first to admit that I'm no Satan, but I can't understand why this concept is so har...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 16
A few weeks ago, Cenk Uygur, host of the online show The Young Turks (now on Current TV as well) wrote an article which appeared on this website as well as the Huffington Post entitled: Vote Against Obama . It's premise was that democratic voters, instead of voting for Obama in the Iowa primary, should vote "uncommitted". Given the results of the primaries in Iowa, obviously Cenk Uy...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 16 - 3 clicks
Republicons do not care about the constitution, they pretend to. They do not care about democracy, they pretend to. There is nowhere in the Constitution that requires an ID card to vote. They forget that. For all of their "concern" about securing the validity of elections by denying the elderly, the poor and ethnic minorities the vote, as Maddow points out - their Iowa caucus leaves many quest...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 8 - 4 clicks
In one of the strangest moments from Iowa was Rick Perry's announcement that he was going back to Texas then the next day magically deciding to head back into the breach in South Carolina. One could say that this is just another in a long line of Perry-isms, it is however much deeper and far more money driven. ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 8 - 2 clicks
Nate Silver, while noting that it doesn't really matter from a substantive perspective, points out that Iowa may not have actually been won by Mitt Romney after all: Mr. Romney’s victory is unofficial — the counties have up to two weeks from the caucuses to send their final certified results to the state party. However, there is no provision for a recount in the caucuses, and the campaign ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 6 - 2 clicks
I am appalled with Iowa giving Rick Santorum's candidacy a boost. He has got to be the least plausible, dumbest contender of all in the Republican field. ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 5 - 2 clicks
A musical tribute (again to a sixties tune) to the lower tier Republican candidates in Iowa, who might just drop out soon (well, actually Bachmann already has). ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 5 - 2 clicks
Judge: put both names on the birth certificate A Polk County district court judge ruled today that the spouse in a same-sex marriage should be listed on their child's birth certificate without going through adoption proceedings. Judge Eliza Ovrom ordered the Iowa Department of Public Health to issue a birth certificate naming Melissa Gartner as a parent of Mackenzie Jean Gartner. “Pursuant...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 5 - 2 clicks
In French Revolutionary terms, the split in Iowa demonstrates the clear division in the Republican party between the 1st and 2nd Estates. The First Estate being the established power structure, in this case the wealthy corporate interests that benefit from de-regulation and targeted tax incentives and subsidies they are positioned to lobby for. Not much headway can be made with this group. The...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 5
With Iowa finally behind us and New Hampshire the next stop on the Travellin' Salvation Show; and all those college kids that cheered on Obama now cheering on Ron Paul, and... well, just when you thought this election cycle couldn't get any whackier... well, we're yacking about it on the radio. Still Up? Call the Show! Jibber your Jabber is Live on Blue Skies 9pm-Mid. Left Kos Time! ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4
By John Gehring Cross-posted from Faith in Public Life Action GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum, a proud Catholic who often speaks about his faith on the campaign trail, is attracting some formidable buzz from pundits who view his strong showing in the Iowa caucuses as a sign that the former Pennsylvania senator might have enough mojo to rally a coalition of religious and blue-c...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4
With the Iowa caucuses now preserved in the fossil record beneath layers of political detritus, there’s finally some real extinction news to report. Initial score: GOP 5, Darwin 1, or maybe, just maybe, GOP4, Darwin 2. This is more like it! While our Mesozoic misfits managed to stay alive through a series of low-expectation debates , Iowa is where the rubber hits the road (in an ethanol-fue...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
A technician irons the U.S. flag on the back of the stage before Mitt Romney's Iowa Caucus night rally. (Rick Wilking/Reuters) 123,000 people in Iowa got to decide that at least two of the GOP field weren't worthy to continue. This is fair to the rest of America, how? Iowa will say that they're worthy of this monopoly on the process because they are better at vetting candidates via re...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
Michele Bachmann chose to run on the basis of "repealing Obamacare" and she ended with reiterating the need to "repeal Obamacare". Eleven times she said it in her drop out speech. The call fell on deaf ears. She didn't get it. She says she will remain true to her principles. Her principles were not enough for Iowa. There aren't enough bone heads in America to support her bone headed agenda. Al...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4
This morning's Washington Post Blog had perhaps the most important piece of evidence about Mitt Romney's approach to this election: You tell him you’re going to be in a race, and he wants to win it,” said Russ Schriefer, Romney’s senior media adviser. “His mind-set was: ‘Look, if you guys think it’s worth me going to Iowa, great. Send me there. . But can we win? And what does winning mean?’ ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
We didn’t want to start a panic, but in the early hours of this morning, I mean just after midnight, citizens of Iowa were alerted to a grave danger. Dozens of UFOs were spotted over various parts of the state. … Continue reading → ...
A Feather Adrift - Jan 4
(Bachmann: Jim Young/Reuters, Perry: Brian Snyder/Reuters) If it weren't for Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry running in Iowa, Mitt Romney's eight point "victory" over Rick Santorum would have been a double-digit defeat, so he can't be happy to learn that both candidates are apparently planning to end their bids. Last night, Perry announced he wouldn't be heading to South Carolina...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
I’ve been biting my tongue the past few weeks while being told repeatedly not only by the TeeVee Talking Heads (who do little but spew Conventional Wisdom) but also by most of the independent political bloggers whom I respect, that Newt Gingrich’s campaign to snag the Republican nomination is over and done with. Looking at the Iowa results, I still can’t see that. Here’s my own fast-n-lo...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
(Caricature by courtesy of DonkeyHotey, via Flickr) Okay, so Iowa is over, yay! If nothing else it showed that it really is not relevant in terms of helping the nation decide which candidate to pick. The Republican field was the most volatile that Gallop has seen since it started tracking primary races. Mitt Romney “won” by getting exactly the same amount (minus a few) that he did when ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4
Mitt Romney's "win" wasn't much of a victory (Orig. photo: Pool/Reuters) Mitt Romney in the 2008 Iowa caucuses: 30,021 votes, 25.2% Mitt Romney in the 2012 Iowa caucuses: 30,015 votes, 24.6% So Mitt Romney managed to "win" in 2012 not by building on his 2008 performance, but rather by holding nearly even—and dividing his opposition. That's some kind of a big victory, eh?...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4 - 2 clicks
Charles P. Pierce writes The Iowa Where No Candidates Come : DES MOINES — The afternoon ran cloudy toward evening, and there were no camera crews in the old industrial area down at the end of 15th Street here. There were no television lights to illuminate the darkening skies. There was nobody in a suit. There was nobody with a microphone. There were no talking heads. There were no consultan...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 4
Yes, Iowa was close. Yes, Newt finished fourth, which is where John McCain finished in Iowa four years ago. Here's what the media won't report: Iowa is losing Republicans like crazy. At least, they're losing the caucus-going kind, which is the kind that might actually volunteer to campaign for a candidate. Here are the numbers: ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 3
We have waited for this moment forever. We went through Donald Trump, Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum as co-front runners. We've eagerly watched the likes of Jesus and Reagan being said simultaneously with the same conviction. We've protested Planned Parenthood and black people. But now it's time for the first GOP caucus of 20...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 3 - 2 clicks
Haha! It looks like the Republicans from Emmet County have made the only logical choice: ...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 3 - 2 clicks
Breaking AP Report - Jan. 3., 2012 -- "None of the above" has won the Iowa Republican Caucuses, and is expected to have a better chance against President Barack Obama than any of the current contenders for the GOP nomination. (This report is brought to you via my own mental SatireWire.) Reports state that former First Lady Nancy Reagan has rebuffed requests for her to help channel the former...
DailyKos (Iowa) - Jan 3 - 2 clicks
I don’t ask for much. I truly don’t. I’m fully lodged in the 21st century, unlike the Contrarian who often seems happier contemplating the 19th. (You should hear his rant about “episodal ” TV and how Dallas ruined television forever) … Continue reading → ...
A Feather Adrift - Jan 2
