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So like a lot of you, I get my election news from David Nir and the one story that caught my attention was Nir pointed out that Congressman Steve "The Minute Man" King (R. IA-5) is actually thinking about running for Senate against incumbent Senator and Progressive Champion Tom Harkin (D):
http://thehill.com/...
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), fresh off a hard-fought reelection battle, isn't ruling out running for the Senate in 2014.
Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) has not said whether he's running for reelection. King, a Tea Party favorite and strong fundraiser, could make a strong run for the seat, whether it's against Harkin or another Democrat.
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"I know that’s something that is on the horizon ... but I think there are some decisions that need to be made before I could comment on that," King told local reporters.
The congressman said he is keeping his options open but doesn't "want to raise expectations unnecessarily." - The Hill, 11/9/12
So King is being a little coy about the possibility of mulling a Senate run but the fact that he is thinking about it is laughable. Of course King thinks he could have a shot at beating Harkin. This guy is so out of touch that he really doesn't believe the GOP's problem with Hispanic voters is what cost them the election:
http://thehill.com/...
Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa) believes the GOP's big loss with Hispanic voters isn't its biggest electoral problem.
"We saw a marginal loss of the Hispanic vote, so people say we can't build a coalition again unless we make those accommodations," he said, according to Slate. "We should look at what happened with the conservatives who stay home. What happened with the biggest gender gap in history? What happened with the Ron Paul coalition, and the libertarians?" - The Hill, 11/15/12
But here's the thing, I actually want him to go through with it. Here's why, I love Tom Harkin and I really hate Steve King. Harkin is a great man who not only deserves to be re-elected, I think he deserves an easy race. He got one back in 2008 but I'd like him to have another one in 2014. Plus it would be highly entertaining to see a race between Harkin and King.
King represents one of the most conservative districts in Iowa and Harkin has been a strong voice for progressives in the Senate. Not to mention Harkin has a long history of taking out GOP congressmen who have tried to run against him:
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http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
Harkin, 72, has made a career out of defeating Republican congressmen. He knocked off an incumbent senator in 1984 to win his seat, then bested Reps. Tom Tauke, Jim Lightfoot and Greg Ganske in subsequent re-election bids. - National Journal, 11/15/12
We couldn't get King kicked out of the House of Representatives this year but if he actually runs against Harkin, we can finally get rid of one of the craziest, bigoted members of the House GOP and the Tea Party Movement. Now some of you are wondering, "But Harkin is old! Won't he retire?" Well here's a reason to not believe that:
http://amestrib.com/...
“He’s a relatively young, vigorous guy who shows no slackening interest in doing what he does,” said Drake political science professor Dennis Goldford, who has been following Iowa politics since 1985. “I wouldn’t be surprised to see Harkin give at least one more go.” - Ames Tribune, 11/10/12
Plus if King runs for Senate, we will finally be able to get rid of him from the House of Representatives once and for all:
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“He’s an incendiary bomb thrower,” Goldford said of King. “He’s Michele Bachmann in a suit. It wouldn’t just be a fairly conservative, white, Protestant electorate that he normally has in western Iowa. You know if he ran statewide there would be a lot of Democrats itching to take him down.” - Ames Tribune, 11/10/12
I don't believe that Harkin will retire this year. He knows it's not his time to go. He has too much work to do. Plus he's been a leading voice to take Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare off the table to avoid the "fiscal cliff":
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/...
Obama and Democrats are demanding an extension of tax cuts on earners’ first $250,000 of income, while allowing the rates to rise for income over that amount. Harkin is one of a camp ardently opposed to cuts or changes to the Medicare and Medicaid health-care programs as a means of long-term debt and deficit reduction.
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“No deal is better than a bad deal, because things will change after Jan. 1, the positions will change,” he said. “Quite frankly, if we don’t get a good deal, we’ll just take it up in January or February.”
And, he added, Democrats’ leverage will actually be greater should the tax rates rise: at that point, Democrats would be fighting to cut taxes on middle- and low-income earners, while Republicans would be seen as resisting such cuts unless the richest 2 percent of Americans also got a break. - Des Moines Register, 11/15/12
Harkin, along with West Virginia U.S. Senator Jay Rockefeller (D), are taking the lead in getting their fellow Democrats in the Senate to reject cuts to Medicare and Medicaid as part of the "grand bargain":
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http://www.politico.com/...
West Virginia’s Jay Rockefeller and Tom Harkin of Iowa are circulating a letter among their Democratic colleagues that calls on the president to stand firm on revenue, entitlement programs and spending cuts. They’re hoping to get as many as 30 Senate Democrats to sign on, Rockefeller said.
The letter, which was obtained by POLITICO, is dramatic in its policy prescriptions to avert the fiscal cliff.
For one, it says the president should insist on $1 in revenue for each $1 in spending cuts. It also says that the $917 billion in spending cuts enacted under last year’s agreement to increase the debt ceiling should be counted toward the next round of deficit reduction.
“These cuts are real, and have an effect on everything from housing to education,” according to the letter. “To ignore the significance of these cuts — by not counting them — further threatens programs that benefit working families.” - Politico, 11/14/12
The 2014 Iowa Senate race is going to be a very important race to follow. We need brave men like Harkin to stay in the Senate and if King actually makes a go at it, we can finally be ready rid of this Tea Party extremist. The only Republican right now who views King's possible Senate run as a potential embarrassing failure is Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (R):
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"I think Steve King, I just don't think he can do it in Eastern Iowa. He's a great friend of mine, he's a good guy, he's a good congressman, and if he focuses on his district, he can represent that as long as he wants. But in terms of him winning statewide, I think that would be a tough uphill climb," Branstad said. - National Journal, 11/15/12
Branstad thinks Congressman Tom Latham (R. IA-3) would be a better option for Iowa Republicans:
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He's represented northeast, north central, northwest and now southwest and Des Moines. There's only one quarter of the state he's not represented, and he's been the best vote-getter we've ever had," he went on. "If Tom Latham wanted to run for the Senate, he'd be a very formidable candidate. I'm not sure that he's interested in it." - National Journal, 11/15/12
But has Latham's shot at running against Harkin come and past?
U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, who earned his 10th term in the House Tuesday and who represented the pre-redistricting 4th District that included Ames, is a moderate Republican with a history of performing well in Democratic strongholds like Story County. Latham, though, could have run against Harkin in the past and chose not to. - Ames Tribune, 11/10/12
The Iowa Senate race is going to be a big race, no matter who the GOP nominates. They have been trying to get rid of Harkin for years but it's thanks to grassroots support, like the support here from the Daily Kos community, that has always helped secure Harkin's re-elections. Lets get ready to do it again. Throw some money towards Harkin's Act Blue page and hopefully we'll get to see a Progressive Hero take out a Tea Party Hero:
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https://secure.actblue.com/...