Iowa Democrats Gaining Confidence for the Fall Election
Missouri Valley Times
It's all about defense this fall for Republicans trying to hold their grip on the Iowa Senate.
Twenty-five
seats are on the ballot in the 50-member Senate. And of those 25 seats
up for grabs, 18 are currently held by Republican senators. Democrats
must defend only seven seats.
Republicans hold a 29-21 majority in the Senate and have commanded the chamber since the 1996 election.
..."We
have been pleasantly surprised at how well things are going," said
Senate Minority Leader Mike Gronstal, D-Council Bluffs. "So we're going
to continue to run aggressive campaigns."
Senate Majority Leader Stewart Iverson, R-Dows, is playing it cool.
"I think
we'll be OK," Iverson said. "I tell our candidates all the time, if you
don't go out and work you're not going to win. This is not rocket
science."
(more)
It's
telling, though, that Iverson would even have to remind his incumbents
of this. From what I've seen, it looks like the Republican incumbents
in the Senate are sitting on their, um, "laurels," totally unaware that public opinion is rapidly shifting, while the Democratic
opponents are out there, day in and day out, meeting the people and
working hard to win. Looking good, indeed!
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Sunday, August 22
Iowa Democrats Gaining Confidence for the Fall Election
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Aug 2004 03:30 PM CDT
Kerry Files Complaint With FEC Against Swift Boat Ads
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Aug 2004 10:02 AM CDT
Kerry Files Complaint With FEC Against Swift Boat Ads
CNSNews.com Claiming that TV ads from Swift Boat Veterans for Truth (SBVT) are untrue and illegally coordinated with the Bush-Cheney presidential campaign, the Kerry campaign filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission late Friday. The complaint states that, "based on recent press reports and SBVT's own statements, there is overwhelming evidence that SBVT is coordinating its expenditures on advertising and other activities designed to influence the presidential election with the Bush-Cheney campaign." "This Republican front group for Bush is out of credibility after being caught in lie after lie day after day," Kerry campaign Press Secretary David Wade told CNN. (more) Well, all I can say to that is, well done, Senator. Swift boat skipper: Kerry critics wrong Chicago Tribune Tribune editor breaks long silence on Kerry record; fought in disputed battle The commander of a Navy swift boat who served alongside Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry during the Vietnam War stepped forward Saturday to dispute attacks challenging Kerry's integrity and war record. William Rood, an editor on the Chicago Tribune's metropolitan desk, said he broke 35 years of silence about the Feb. 28, 1969, mission that resulted in Kerry's receiving a Silver Star because recent portrayals of Kerry's actions published in the best-selling book "Unfit for Command" are wrong and smear the reputations of veterans who served with Kerry. Rood, who commanded one of three swift boats during that 1969 mission, said Kerry came under rocket and automatic weapons fire from Viet Cong forces and that Kerry devised an aggressive attack strategy that was praised by their superiors. He called allegations that Kerry's accomplishments were "overblown" untrue. "The critics have taken pains to say they're not trying to cast doubts on the merit of what others did, but their version of events has splashed doubt on all of us. It's gotten harder and harder for those of us who were there to listen to accounts we know to be untrue, especially when they come from people who were not there," Rood said in a 1,700-word first-person account published in Sunday's Tribune. (more) Thanks to Ellen Ballas of Rapid Response - Iowa for this article. Not So Swift Boat Veterans By William Rivers Pitt, Truthout.org Ever hear the old story of the lady and the snake? A lady finds a snake injured in the road. She takes it home, cares for it, helps it heal, and the two become friends. One day, the lady is in her garden with the snake, and the snake suddenly bites her in the throat. The lady lays dying and gasps, "Why did you bite me? I was your friend?" The snake replies, "Lady, you knew I was a snake when you picked me up." This is a parable the Bush/Cheney campaign is getting to know with suddenness and venom. They apparently picked up a snake named the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, and that snake just took a mighty big chomp out of them. It started at the end of July with the Democratic National Convention. The central theme was Kerry's Vietnam service record, and the convention brought out so many Generals and Admirals to vouch for Kerry, you thought the Fleet Center was hosting a brass festival. Couple that with Kerry's "Band of Brothers," the men who served with him and are now campaigning with him, and at the end of the thing you had the Democratic candidate packaged as a genuine American hero. After 9/11, after Afghanistan, after Iraq and all the casualties, having a blooded veteran standing forth was an image many Americans could get behind. (more) Thanks to the tireless Ellen Ballas for this article, too! Sign The Petition JohnKerry.com The front group for the Bush campaign called "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" is continuing to spread their lies about John Kerry's military record. Their statements have been contradicted by official Navy records, the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune and every man who served under John Kerry -- yet George Bush refuses to condemn their tactics. Through his silence, George Bush is approving their action. And Bush campaign officials in Florida are even promoting events for this front group. Enough is enough. No matter what these Bush campaign shills now say, John Kerry's commanders remarked in 1969 that, "In a combat environment often requiring independent, decisive action, LTJG Kerry was unsurpassed." Tell George Bush to stop the smear and get back to the issues. Click here to sign the petition. Thanks to Darrell Lewis for sending in this petition..
Drake U. Professor Challenges Iowa Nader Petition
by
Linda Thieman
on Sun 22 Aug 2004 04:30 AM CDT
Drake U. Professor Challenges Iowa Nader Petition
Des Moines Register A Drake University journalism professor Friday filed a challenge to the petition that put Ralph Nader on the [Iowa] ballot for president, saying the petition does not meet the requirements of state law. Lee Baldwin Jolliffe , 50, a registered Des Moines Democrat, is asking state election officials to declare Nader's petition invalid based on her assertion that fewer than 1,500 of the 3,198 signatures on the petition are from eligible electors. She also said the petition has other discrepancies, such as some people not signing their name, not stating a correct address or not living where they say they do. In addition, she said some of the people simply do not exist. "The nomination petition, therefore, does not meet the requirement of Iowa Code," Jolliffe said. (more) |
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