What I'm sure was meant to sound like an attack from potential U.S. Senate candidate, Tea Party Congressman Steve King (R. IA-4), sounded more like a compliment to me:
http://siouxcityjournal.com/...
U.S. Rep. Steve King, R-Kiron, may run against Braley. When interviewing King for today's front page story about verbal hits he's taken from Karl Rove, I asked King to share his impressions of Braley.
"Bruce Braley gave the closing argument on ObamaCare. In order to do that, he had to be hand-picked by Nancy Pelosi," King said.
"He has moved himself -- if you track his votes and the allies that he has -- as a classic liberal, you know, very much in the mold of, well, Nancy Pelosi and Tom Harkin. He would fit someplace in there." - Sioux City Journal, 2/16/13
That might seems like an insult to King comparing Braley to the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Senator Tom Harkin (D. IA) but Braley is actually flattered to be compared to Harkin:
http://www.nationaljournal.com/...
As Iowans prepare to elect their first new senator in 30 years, Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, wants them to know he intends to carry on the mantle of the man he's seeking to replace, retiring Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin. "I'd be honored if anybody considered me as following in the mold of Tom Harkin," Braley said in a phone interview Tuesday, describing himself as "a Democrat who can walk in and pick up his legacy."
Democrats say Braley, much like Harkin, is a strong progressive voice. But Braley said he realizes the need to reach out to voters of all ideological persuasions. "I understand the concerns of all Iowans," Braley said. "In Iowa, every election has a lot of votes up for grabs. You can't represent my district without reaching out to voters across the political spectrum."
In four elections in his Northeast Iowa district, Braley has already weathered several hard-fought campaigns, including a 2010 race that was decided by just a percentage point. Now, he'll have to test that appeal in the western half of the Hawkeye State, which features a more conservative voting base and two representatives who are considered likely contenders for the GOP Senate ticket. "It's incredibly important to be well known in all parts of Iowa," Braley said. "I don't take any county, any region for granted." - National Journal, 2/12/13
It's clear that King wants to challenge Braley in the 2014 Senate election and trying to compare him to Tom Harkin isn't going to hurt Braley. It'll probably help him. In fact, Braley already has a big lead over King in the general according to PPP. Check out their poll here:
http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/...
And continuing with my theme from my other two journals about Karl Rove doing everything he can to screw up the GOP's chances at capturing the Senate, Rove is doing everything he can to stop King from running for Senate. But doing that is only motivating King to run:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Well, if Rove et al. thought that firing a warning shot across Steve King's bow would create an opportunity for a more amenable candidate, like Rep. Tom Latham (R-Iowa) -- who is arguably poised to put up a better fight in a general election against the potential Democratic field -- it seems that their criticism of King is having the opposite effect. As the Iowa Republican reports today, Rove's criticisms are making it more likely that he'll embark on a run for Harkin's seat:
Ironically, the main factor spurring King toward running is Karl Rove’s efforts to prevent him from running. Rove is a renowned GOP strategist who engineered both of George W. Bush’s successful presidential elections. Rove has formed a new group called the Conservative Victory Project. Its goal is to block controversial candidates from winning the GOP nomination in senate races.
[...]
“If I would back up in front of Karl Rove’s initiative, that would just empower him, and he would go on state after state, candidate after candidate,” King said. “I don’t think any individual has the wisdom to make those kinds of decisions, but I think Iowans together can make those decisions and should. That’s the principle. We have to fight this out in the court of public opinion.” - Huffington Post, 2/13/13
Even Governor Terry Branstad (R. IA) thinks Rove is making a huge mistake by trying to stop King from running:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
Turmoil deepened among leading Republicans over efforts to ward off controversial candidates in the next election, as Iowa Republican Gov. Terry Branstad blasted a new candidate-steering plan by Karl Rove and warned him to stay out of state and congressional races.
"I basically told Karl Rove that what he was doing is counter-productive and he needs to stay out of it," said Branstad, recounting a phone call to Rove, the leader of the new Conservative Victory Project.
In the aftermath of last fall's disappointing election outcome for the GOP, party leaders have been focusing on fielding more candidates with broad appeal - and fewer unpredictable ones - but have split bitterly over how to do it, worsening party tensions. - Huffington Post, 2/15/13
And Rove's intervening with these races have pissed the Tea Party off so much that they are now calling him a Nazi:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
A tea party group portrayed leading Republican strategist Karl Rove as a Nazi in an email it sent Tuesday -- and later had to apologize for it, blaming a contractor.
The Tea Party Patriots, a well-established group within the right-wing movement, sent out the message featuring a Photoshopped image of Karl Rove in a Nazi uniform, Politico reported. The email's subject read: "Wipe the Smirk Off Karl Rove’s Face."
The email was sent under the name of Tea Party Patriots co-founder and national coordinator Jenny Beth Martin in a fundraising solicitation. But Jameson Cunningham, a spokesperson for the group, said it was an unfortunate accident.
"The image was a mistake which was never approved by TPP,” Cunningham told Politico. - Huffington Post, 2/19/13
King isn't afraid of Rove and Rove is only pushing him to run which I hope he does. The only way to get rid of these crazies is to encourage them to run for a higher office and make an embarrassment of their supporters. Braley is a proven progressive who carry on Tom hark in's legacy of fighting for the middle-class and pushing progressive values. By the way, Braley has been racking up some big endorsements this week:
http://www.omaha.com/...
Rep. Dave Loebsack is endorsing his Iowa congressional colleague and fellow Democrat, Rep. Bruce Braley, for U.S. Senate in 2014.
Braley announced on Feb. 7 his plans to seek the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Democrat Tom Harkin.
Loebsack said that after serving with Braley in Congress for six years, he’s convinced Braley is the best choice to succeed Harkin and will "fight to strengthen middle class families and to make life better for Iowans." - Omaha World-Herald, 2/17/13
http://www.therepublic.com/...
Former Iowa congressman Leonard Boswell is endorsing Democrat Bruce Braley for U.S. Senate.
Boswell used his Facebook page to endorse Braley on Monday, saying the four-term congressman has fought "passionately for Iowa's small towns, big cities, and working families."
Braley announced earlier this month that he'd seek the Senate seat held for decades by Democrat Tom Harkin, who won't seek re-election. Braley also has been endorsed by Iowa Democratic Congressman Dave Loebsack. - The Republic, 2/18/13
Lets help Bruce win in 2014 by giving him the fuel he needs to run a winning campaign:
https://secure.actblue.com/...