Attendee at Chuck Grassley’s town hall asks him why we are against Putin since he is fighting the problems of Nazis, biolabs, pedophelia, and Deep State corruption in Ukraine. No John McCain moment correcting him coming from Grassley. Of course. pic.twitter.com/ukQgaC8ydl
— Ron Filipkowski ???? (@RonFilipkowski) April 13, 2022
Assuming you still can…
Iowa Democrat Abby Finkenauer’s hopes of running against Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley this fall may hinge on a state Supreme Court ruling on three petition signatures. Here's why.https://t.co/ylItlGC4No
— The Associated Press (@AP) April 12, 2022
… Finkenauer’s campaign was thrown into turmoil this week after a judge overturned a panel’s decision that she had qualified for the ballot. Finkenauer, a former one-term congresswoman, called the ruling “deeply partisan” and appealed to the Iowa Supreme Court.
The court, under pressure to rule quickly to meet deadlines to mail ballots to Iowa residents who live out of the country, will hear arguments Wednesday and likely will issue a decision within days. The state’s primary is June 7…
Two Republicans who have served as county election officials in Iowa challenged several signatures on Finkenauer’s nomination petitions. They claimed that three signatures out of the 5,000 obtained by Finkenauer’s campaign were not properly dated, as required by state law. Without the signatures from rural Allamakee and Cedar counties, Finkenauer didn’t meet a requirement that at least 100 signatures come from at least 19 counties.
A three-member State Objections Panel voted 2-1 last week to reject the arguments, saying the panel has historically favored ballot access and given campaigns deference if they substantially complied with the nomination petitions law. Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, voted against Finkenauer, but Attorney General Tom Miller and state Auditor Rob Sand, both Democrats, voted in favor of placing her on the ballot.
In 2020, the same three officials rejected challenges to the nomination petitions of four Republicans running for Congress that also included at least one case of a missing date. The panel’s decision was not challenged further, and all four candidates, including then-state Sen. Randy Feenstra and then-U.S. Rep. Steve King, stayed on the ballot. Feenstra ultimately won the election.
This year, the panel’s 2-1 decision was challenged, and the case ended up before District Judge Scott Beattie, a 2018 appointee of Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds. He disagreed with the panel, abiding by a strict reading of the law that requires each signature line to also have the date the petition was signed. His ruling eliminated the three signatures, leaving Finkenauer two counties short of the 19-county requirement.
ARE PARTISAN POLITICS TO BLAME FOR THE JUDGE’S RULING?
Finkenauer and other Democrats think so. Finkenauer, who in 2018 at age 29 became the second-youngest woman ever elected to Congress, said Judge Beattie “did the bidding of Chuck Grassley and his allies in Washington.” Iowa Democratic Senate leader Zach Wahls called the ruling a “dangerous injection of partisan politics into the ballot qualification process.”…
Finkenauer’s top Democratic competitor is Mike Franken, a retired vice admiral and 36-year naval veteran. He ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination to face Republican Sen. Joni Ernst in 2020.
Since then, Franken has kept pace with Finkenauer’s fundraising, taking in $1.8 million, just behind Finkenauer’s $1.9 million. Franken also reported having $1 million in his campaign account as of March, compared to Finkenauer’s roughly $724,000.
“I do think Franken has broader appeal and would be a stronger candidate in Iowa against Grassley,” said Nancy Bobo, a longtime Des Moines area Democratic activist and Franken’s Polk County campaign chair. “He’s just as strong as he can be.”
Grassley, who will turn 89 in September, is seeking his eighth term in office. He had $3.7 million in the bank as of March and is viewed favorably by 47% of Iowans and unfavorably by 41%, according to The Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, conducted in late February and early March.
Ed Kilgore, at NYMag, is not hopeful:
Dear Iowans: I love you, but have to be honest about the declining relevance of your Democratic politics. https://t.co/IOAT0LEIt8
— Ed Kilgore (@ed_kilgore) April 11, 2022
NotMax
One little noticed consequence of D control of the Senate was removal of Grassley from the line of succession.
Another Scott
Gradually, and then suddenly…
Grassley needs to go. Here’s hoping the state Supreme Court keeps her on the ballot.
In other news, …
[ womp, womp ]
Cheers,
Scott.
Mike in NC
Gotta go with my old 1980s Navy shipmate VADM Mike Franken. He will easily take down the senile Chuck Grassley.
debbie
How did this country become so stupid?
dmsilev
@Another Scott: Russian warship fucked itself.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mike in NC:
I somehow ended up on Mike Franken’s mailing list. So far, haven’t sent his campaign any money, but am considering it. I take it you think that would be a good investment, yes?
delk
89
What nutcase is waiting to be appointed to the seat after grassley retires two weeks after his re-election?
sdhays
@Another Scott: Sinking the Black Sea Fleet is one way to solve the Crimean question – Russia doesn’t “need” a warm water port if it doesn’t have a fleet to dock there.
I assume Putin’s delusions will continue until he gets a bullet in the head or drinks some special tea, but other people below him are shitting themselves right now.
sdhays
@debbie: Rupert Murdoch, among others. He had a lot to work with, but without him or someone like him, I really don’t think the world would be in this bad of shape.
sdhays
@delk: Probably a grandchild or someone close to Grassley.
Another Scott
@sdhays: Yup, supposedly he wants his grandson to take the spot.
Grr…,
Scott.
Gin & Tonic
@dmsilev: One of my friends in Ternopil is sending me several sheets of the GFY postage stamps.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Rachel Maddow just reported that trump allegedly gave his blessing to Cipollone and his deputy to speak to— apparently not “testify”? I’m not clear on that, were they under oath– the 1/6 committee. My first thought was, “I strongly wanted that to happen, it was very bigly my idea, not that I’ll get credit for it, but that’s okay…”
Jeffro
The problem of these decrepit Senators being “run” by their staff for yet another term…I dunno how to solve it other than term and/or age limits. It’s a problem for both parties and our democracy in general.
Another Scott
We were discussing polls earlier…
We can’t worry about polls now. We have to fight to move the country forward while we can, while calling out the monsters trying to drag us all down into the crab bucket.
(via nycsouthpaw)
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Another Scott: Patrick Grassley, 38, currently speaker of the Iowa state House of Reps
debbie
@Gin & Tonic:
Congratulations on your daughter-in-law’s belated arrival!
japa21
@Gin & Tonic: I have a hunch they will sell out quickly.
Ishiyama
A story about Iowa that doesn’t mention Glenn Hurst. He is also running for the Democratic nomination for Senate. I’m curious what this forum thinks of him and his chances, please.
gene108
The video of Grassley is just sad.
He’s not up on the conspiracy theories that are important to Republican voters, and can’t think fast enough on his feat anymore to not seem like a confused old man.
Another Scott
@sdhays:
Cheers,
Scott.
dmsilev
@Gin & Tonic: Definitely a collectable.
Mike in NC
@SiubhanDuinne: The campaign hits me with emails 4-5 times a day. I send a quarterly donation.
Gin & Tonic
@debbie: Thank you. My son is, as you can imagine, ecstatic that this is behind them.
japa21
@Another Scott: As you say, whomp, whomp
Dangerman
@debbie: I wonder if he would contribute to a campaign to get Trump on Mount Rushmore; I bet these stupid fuckers are ripe for some picking.
japa21
@Gin & Tonic: As is she and you. I will also throw in my heartiest congratulations to all three of you.
dmsilev
@Another Scott: Worth noting that the “flagship” is a 46 year old Soviet-era holdover. Put another way, it’s something that modern-era Russia can’t easily replace.
O. Felix Culpa
I don’t understand the Finkenauer filing failure. Standard wisdom is to collect at least 50% more signatures than needed for any candidate petition, knowing that a certain number of signatures will be challenged. That her campaign collected the bare minimum is malpractice and doesn’t reflect well on the candidate, either.
Sure Lurkalot
@Gin & Tonic: Would love a good picture of the GFY stamp…make decals for the cars!
delk
@O. Felix Culpa: I read somewhere that she had 1500 signatures tossed.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
You and Lawrence O’Donnell (during the handover from Rachel).
Omnes Omnibus
@delk: That’s also problematic. Either for her campaign or as a sign of how Iowa operates.
Cameron
And now Kentucky is going to go for the abortion finish line:
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/kentucky-lawmakers-block-abortion-access-with-new-law-effective-immediately-2022-04-13/
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@delk: unless I’m scrolling too fast, which I often do, I don’t see hat in the linked AP write up
Nelle
@Mike in NC: I’m weary of the fundraising emails too, but I have my Franken sign ready to put in the yard. I’ve heard Glenn Hurst speak once and I quite liked him, but I don’t think he has a chance. I don’t know enough about Finkenhauer, but I think that Franken might have a greater chance of picking up the seat.
Ohio Mom
@japa21: I suspect Ukraine will keep printing them, there’s some money to be made in stamps that are never used and these stamps are great publicity.
You’ll forgive me, I am married to a philatelist. By all means, collect these stamps — I’d like to have one myself because I love the back story — but they aren’t going to be sought after by serious stamp collectors — at least not in this century. The market for these stamps are people rooting for Ukraine.
Another Scott
@O. Felix Culpa: It looks like the process is designed for rat-copulation.
IowaCapitalDispatch.com (from March):
They’re ridiculous objections. The presumption should be that the signatures are valid, and professionals should be doing the investigation – not yahoos who think that lizard people are running the world.
Cheers,
Scott.
O. Felix Culpa
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s what I saw too. I can understand that meeting the minimum requirement of 100 signatures in 19 mostly rural counties is hard, but if you can’t manage that, what are your chances of winning a statewide election?
O. Felix Culpa
@Another Scott: While rat copulation may well be in play, a competent campaign factors that in and (1) ensures that the petition collectors know the requirements so they can make sure the signers fill them out correctly; and (2) collects way more signatures than needed to compensate for the inevitable number that will be disqualified. Review of signatures after filing is standard practice, and candidates will scrutinize rivals’ petitions to see if they can get them disqualified. You have to prepare for that.
Mai Naem mobile
@Jeffro: its a family business for Grassley. IIRC his daughter is a lobbyist and the son is also involved in some fashion. Might as well call him Grassley Inc. It is on both sides and I don’t know how you stop it. Rand Paul’s extended family makes money off the campaign funds in consulting and ads etc. TFG makes money renting out his resort facilities.
Another Scott
@O. Felix Culpa: Sure, but the incumbent Attorney General (who presumably won a state-wide race) being caught up in the same process indicates that it’s not about
integrity in online gamingfiguring out who can get enough support to be a viable candidate on the ballot. It’s yet another way that the GQP tries to remain in power by breaking democracy whenever they have the chance.Yes, campaigns should do their best to overcome these obstacles. But I’m not going to fault the candidates in this instance – the Iowa system is broken (by allowing bad-faith actors to break it) and people there should be outraged about it.
Cheers,
Scott.
prostratedragon
@SiubhanDuinne: Somewhere amid the spheres is a space where several million of us are trying to decide whether to sing that in unison, or as a fugue.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Another Scott:
Can GOP candidates be hurt with the same process?
Urza
@Jeffro: How about a constitutional amendment requiring representation of the American public by age and race. If there’s more than a couple 80+ then no others are allowed to run. Let some 18-30 be brought in with fresh ideas. And hell, let Florida and Arizona have the geezers since they have lots of old people.
Another Scott
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Yes.
Cheers,
Scott.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: On Cipollone and Philbin
this article doesn’t offer any explanation (speculation) about this arrangement. I’m wondering if the committee thought the news that they were cooperating might make some other witnesses, and their lawyers, a little nervous. I think this committee is very strategic.
Also this is funny, more hollow claims of being in full control:
I see trump as Kevin Bacon in his own head, “REMAIN CALM! ALL IS WELL!”
I offered them privilege, total privilege, which is my absolute right to do, but they didn’t want it, they didn’t want it.
delk
Link
mrmoshpotato
Son of a bitch, Iowa! Is this white (trash) state still the first primary (? Caucus caucus caucus ??) for the 2024 election slog?
Cameron
@mrmoshpotato: Nazis, biolabs, and pedos – oh my!
Alison Rose ???
@debbie: practice
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Another Scott: Moskva– not surprised it sunk from a fire, the thing is a missile farm. It’s deck is covered with huge 70s era soviet anti ship missiles.
prostratedragon
@mrmoshpotato:
Not yet decided:
ABC
Brookings
Another Scott
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: There was a tweet of this table in this Wikipedia page where the status column said “On Fire”.
Cheers,
Scott.
O. Felix Culpa
@delk: @Another Scott:
Hmm, after reading the Des Moines Register article, it does sound like there might indeed be f*ckery afoot. Thank you for the additional information.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
a lot of people on TV and twitter talking about this trial, in which the defense is “trump made me do it”
sdhays
@Another Scott: It turns out this is a very, very big deal for the liberation of Kherson. This shuts down Russian air interference in the south, just as the Ukrainian Army is gearing up to kick the Russians out of Kherson. Now Ukrainians will have air superiority going into that battle.
The Russians may have been expecting to make a bigger fight for Kherson, but after this, you have to figure that they may decide to high-tail it out of there before the hammer really comes down.
sdhays
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: “I will not post bail.”
How did that woman end up with an idiot like him?
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@sdhays: They were using Moskva for shore bombardment? That’s crazy, that thing is just 12,000 ton missile boat and meant to do kamikaze runs against US carriers.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Cheri Beasley’s first TV ad
No One of Consequence
@delk: his grandson. In the Iowa House
sdhays
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: They thought they were untouchable.
To quote Rick Perry, “Oops”.
phdesmond
@mrmoshpotato:
one might call it a Caucasian caucus.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@sdhays: Rick Perry is about right lol
Yes, well if you cover your ship with telephone pole size rockets, fire is a serious issue.
prostratedragon
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: The part that survived, I suppose.
Felanius Kootea
I’ll probably have to come back tomorrow to repost this because I don’t want to put this in the Ukraine thread, but I was reading an article in the Washington Post about the CROWN Act. It had many people who are normally reasonable and empathetic in the comments sneering and agreeing with conservatives about the absurdity of needing a law to protect “hairstyles.” This drives me absolutely crazy.
I’m 100% Nigerian. My natural hair grows out of my head in tight coils that point skyward and will reach higher and higher towards the heavens, the longer my hair grows. I can rock a 14-inch Afro with absolutely no floppiness and gravity has little to no effect. Many African Americans share this hair texture, but it appears that after over 300 years of living together, very few non-Black people are aware that a substantial percentage of their fellow citizens naturally have a different hair texture.
What this means is that I show up for a job in the US with my 14-inch Afro and I am deemed “unprofessional” unless I:
Unsurprisingly, many American workplaces prefer option (b) because it makes originally tightly coiled hair look more like European hair, which is what they are used to. I can get away with wearing my natural hair in Nigeria because everyone understands my hair texture. It’s been a battle in the US because after I seriously burned an ear thirty years ago, I vowed to never again have a relaxer touch my hair.
One day I will have to persuade a colleague to apply for an NIH grant to study the long-term effects of using relaxers on Black women’s health. In the meantime, if you’re in a position to hire people, please don’t dismiss them because of the way their hair naturally grows out of their head and please explain to those who would that they wouldn’t like to be forced to get a weekly perm so their hair could conform to a particular curly look favored by management.
mrmoshpotato
@prostratedragon: Thanks.
Barbara
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: You go to war with the army you have . . .
Betty
@gene108: The same situation exists for Feinstein. There is a big story out about the level of her confusion. One would hope their families would protect them from this embarrassment.
Betty
@Felanius Kootea: You may want to check out the documentary on Black women and their hair that Chris Rock did. He addressed the problem with straightening. It’s clear that his jibe at Jada was hair-related was no accident. He knew better. I hope you find a welcoming work environment for you and your hair. I live in the Caribbean where attitudes about natural hair have changed a lot in recent years.
Matt
@Jeffro: I dunno if it’s exactly a “problem” for the GOP – you could train a brighter-than-average parrot to peck the “YES” and “NO” voting buttons at McConnell’s orders, and then have it make “constituent calls” where it chirps “CRT CRT CRT CRT”. Replacement-level Republican elected, no worries…
Soprano2
@Felanius Kootea: It’s stunning to me that people are discriminated against because of the way their hair grows in 2022. I understand a corporate environment not wanting an executive to have rainbow colored hair, but that’s not the same thing as how your hair grows.
Paul in KY
@O. Felix Culpa: If they did just collect ‘the bare minimum’, then that is stupid/reckless.
Felanius Kootea
@Betty: I watched “Good Hair” when it came out. Chris Rock definitely knew better.
Felanius Kootea
@Soprano2: It’s really sad. I’m in academia now, so my teeny weeny Afros and Sisterlocks don’t get a second look.
catclub
@Dangerman:
The Terry Gross interview today was on how Trump monetizes his suckers. All ways. They had to refund $130M to people who complained that the Trump website auto- signed them up for multiple donations – when they only intended one. The increasing amounts stolen that way matched up with how they made the opt-out box more and more difficult to understand.
I am only surprised they were smart enough to complain.