So Georgia and North Carolina both have crowded GOP primaries filled with nut jobs competing to become their states next U.S. Senator. But the race to succeed retiring U.S. Senate Tom Harkin (D. IA) is pretty crowded on the GOP side. We've have Mark "The Way To Talk To Women Is On An 'Emotional Level" Jacobs, Joni "Hog Castration" Ernst and this guy:
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/...
A long shot GOP Senate candidate said members of the House of Representatives are refraining from moving to impeach President Barack Obama because of what news coverage of an impeachment of a black president would look like.
In an interview with The Daily Times Herald of Iowa, Senate Candidate Sam Clovis said the reason Obama hasn't been impeached yet is a "practical matter."
"I don't think so and I'll tell you why. It's not that what he has done would not rise to the level where it might be impeachable," Clovis said. "I don't think it's a practical, pragmatic issue and simply because I don't think the nation is ready for it. You know, within this generation we just went through an impeachment of a president and it didn't end well and now we have a situation where race is thrown into the card as well. And whether we like it or not, race is an issue." - TPM, 4/8/14
But wait, there's more:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
"Within this generation we went through an impeachment of a president and it didn't end well," Clovis said, "and now we have a situation where race is thrown into the card as well. So whether we like it or not, race is an issue."
Clovis, a retired Air Force colonel, former talk show host and current college professor, suggested there are members of Congress who would approach the situation differently if Obama were white.
"I would say there are people in the House of Representatives right now that would very much like to take the opportunity to start the process," Clovis said of impeaching Obama. "And I think the reason that they're not is because they're concerned about the media."
"They're concerned about the media in the context of how we would cover it because he's a black president?" the Herald asked.
"Yes," Clovis responded. - Huffington Post, 4/8/14
Here's a little more info about Clovis:
http://www.carrollspaper.com/...
Clovis said the Obama administration is guilty of placating Iran, Syria and Egypt. Obama has also "agitated and aggravated" Israel and South Korea, the GOP candidate said.
"Those are all things that I think show that you really don't care about the friendships, the alliances and the long-standing relationships that we've had with a lot of these nations around the world," Clovis said.
Back on the home front, Clovis is a staunch advocate of term limits and said he would serve only two, six-year terms in the Senate. House members should be limited to 12 years as well, he said.
Breaking up the seniority system is central to cutting government spending and limiting federal power, Clovis said.
"I think that system is a system that's fraught with the potential for corruption, and I really do think the special interests, and the seniority system that are applied inside each conference in the Senate, is really something I don't think is appropriate," Clovis said,
Bottom line: It's not right for members of Congress to focus on bringing projects and funding programs in their states, Clovis said.
"If you're no longer concerned about incumbency and re-election, you have the opportunity then to really focus on what's best for the nation and then what's best for the state if you're a U.S. senator," Clovis said.
Sooner or later, he said, members of Congress need to see some of their own pet programs cut or killed for the betterment of the nation.
The Republican U.S. Senate field now includes Clovis; state Sen. Joni Ernst of Red Oak; former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker of Clive; Mark Jacobs of West Des Moines, the retired CEO of Texas-based Reliant Energy; and Ames car salesman Scott Schaben, a Kuemper Catholic High School alum.
U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley of Waterloo is the presumptive Democratic candidate. Veteran U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is retiring at the end of the year.
Clovis said that recent endorsements from Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle Forum, a long-standing conservative organization with roots in the early 1970s battles over the Equal Rights Amendment for women, and the Citizens United Victory Fund, show that while other candidates in the field are getting airtime, he's stoking the grassroots base. - Daily Times Herald, 4/8/14
While Republicans like Clovis are obsessed about talking about impeachment and Obama's race, Iowa Democrats point out there's one thing all of them aren't talking about and that's unemployment insurance:
http://insurancenewsnet.com/...
Since the beginning of the year, more than two million Americans have been fighting to survive without unemployment insurance, costing the national economy $3 billion in January and February alone. Yet while the U.S. Senate today is poised to approve a bipartisan deal to restore the benefits, Sam Clovis, Joni Ernst, Mark Jacobs and Matt Whitaker refuse to offer any comment on how they would vote on this issue or how they would help the thousands of Iowans struggling to get by.
"It appears that if you're not an out-of-state oil billionaire or member of the Tea Party, the GOP Senate candidates have little to say about strengthening your economic opportunities," said Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Scott Brennan. "More than 13,000 Iowans are fighting every day just to survive without unemployment insurance, but Republicans would much rather talk about corporate tax breaks and letting Wall Street run free than restoring a vital lifeline to Iowa's families. Iowans want a Senator who tackles their challenges head on, not someone who pretends these problems don't exist."
The expiration of emergency federal unemployment insurance at the end 2013 has already had a devastating impact on Iowa's families and our economy. Every week, 700 additional Iowans lose their insurance, a weekly average benefit of $325. By the end of the year, more than 35,000 Iowans could be affected. Without action, the Congressional Budget Office has estimated that 200,000 jobs nationwide will be lost. - Insurance News, 4/7/14
Whoever wins the GOP nominee will have the Koch Brothers backing. AFP is already going after Rep. Bruce Braley (D. IA). Braley is fighting back while at the same time looking out for his fellow Iowans:
http://globegazette.com/...
The buzzing whir of chainsaws subsided as U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley approached the felled limb of an ash tree in a Waterloo residential area Monday morning.
Waterloo Mayor Buck Clark and City Councilman Tavis Hall accompanied Braley, D-Iowa, on a brief tour of the damage caused by the emerald ash borer infestation.
Braley is hoping to win federal funding for Iowa as it prepares for the removal of ash trees all across the state. Cutting down a single ash tree can cost up to $1,000, potentially amounting to a $3 billion problem statewide, according to information provided by the representative’s staff.
The invasive beetle hasn't been found in North Central Iowa yet, although officials say it's just a matter of time.
A light rain pattered as Braley inspected the heavy branch lying along the curb, its deadened trunk stripped bare of bark by the destructive feeding of borer larvae. - The Globe Gazette, 4/7/14
If you want to donate and get involved with Braley's campaign, you can do so here:
http://www.brucebraley.com/