Des Moines Register Endorsement: Bruce Braley is better choice

[cal04]

Source: Des Moines Register

The campaign between Bruce Braley and Joni Ernst for the U.S. Senate has been an exhibition of American politics at its worst. It has been a $28 million parade of dismal attack ads that have reduced the candidates to evil caricatures.

(snip)
The Register endorsed Ernst in the June Republican primary. We described her then as a smart, well-prepared candidate who can wrestle with the details of public policy from a conservative viewpoint without seeming inflexible. Over the months of campaigning against Braley, however, Ernst has taken and defended positions that we do not believe are right for Iowa or the country.

She has said she would abolish the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Education and the federal minimum wage. She suggested partial privatization of Social Security. She calls for nearly unfettered rights to buy and carry weapons. And she would eliminate the Affordable Care Act without offering a serious alternative to provide for those without health care coverage.

Braley, by contrast, supports a federal role in education to help states improve schools and to make college more affordable. He supports enforcement of the Clean Water Act that was signed into law by a Republican president. He reads both a "right to bear arms" and "well regulated" in the Second Amendment. He would maintain the federal minimum wage and raise it. He rightly defends the Affordable Care Act that now provides health care for millions of previously uninsured Americans.

Read more: http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/opinion/editorials/endorsement/2014/10/25/bruce-braley-endorsement-us-senate-better-choice/17907819/

[Cha]

1. They've come along way.. remember when they endorsed mittload!

"..Over the months of campaigning against Braley, however, Ernst has taken and defended positions that we do not believe are right for Iowa or the country."

Ouch!

IOW.. Bruce Braley is sane!

mahalo cal!

[BeyondGeography]

11. Thanks for the reminder

Yikes:

Consumers must feel more confident about their own economic futures to begin spending on the products and services that power the economy. A renewed sense of confidence will spark renewed investment by American companies. Industry will return to full production and hiring will begin again.

That should come with Mitt Romney in the White House.

http://archive.desmoinesregister.com/article/20121027/OPINION03/121026026/The-Des-Moines-Register-endorsement-Mitt-Romney-offers-fresh-economic-vision

That noted, good for Braley. It would be a life saver if he pulled this out.

[Cha]

12. "Fresh start"! Quite obvious their crystal ball was on the fritz that day in 2012.. rofl

This did happen..



Bruce Braley! GOTV2014 Iowa!

[bluestateguy]

2. The media was hysterical when they endorsed Ramney

They wouldn't shut up about it, and how "devastating" it was supposed to be for Obama--who is STILL THE PRESIDENT.

[freshwest]

4. Some days I wish the media would hold its collective breath full of hot air until they turn blue.

And at other times, I wish they would not only do that, but hold it for so long we'd never hear their lies and degrading social messaging again...

[leftieNanner]

3. Ernst is

bat sh*t crazy! I keep waiting for somebody out there to say STOP with the lunatics already! Louie Gomert used to be the end point for this crap, but many of the current Republican candidates go way past him. I'm just glad that my sensible republican Dad is not here to witness this.

[freshwest]

5. Looks like some brain cells have been given new oxygen at the editorial board... Good stuff.

[oldandhappy]

6. Good Job, Register

Thank you for being sensible.

[Iwillnevergiveup]

7. I would really hate to see

the state of my birth elect a rabid right-winger after Tom Harkin. It would be a depressing reminder of Wisconsin - post-Russ Feingold. Good on the DM Register.

K&R

[winstars]

8. Didn't Harkin refuse to give any $ from his coffers to Braley to keep it for his library???

I love me some Tom Harkin but if that is still true... not cool...

[Cha]

13. I know what you mean, Iwillnevergiveup! Good Luck to Bruce Braley!

[CoffeeCat]

9. Koch-funded Joni Ernst is revolting!

I still cannot believe that Joni Ernst holds a slight lead against Braley. She is an extremist tea party nut job. She wants to abolish the EPA and she believes in a personhood amendment that would make birth-control pills illegal. She is a gun nut and she denies climate change.

She's also a Koch-Brothers darling. Her campaign is funded by the Kochs, and they've got her all packaged up and looking slick in her ads that say ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!! "I've got Iowa values and I will protect Social Security."

Bullshit! She wants to privatize Social Security.

The Koch Brothers money obviously provides her with a marketing template: Run to the center, make image and slogans the centerpieces of your campaign and then after you're elected, you'll be beholden to billionaires like us!

The Kochs have been running ads in Iowa, touting how wonderful Koch Industries is. The ads feature people in flannel, standing in front of corn fields, who look like Iowans and are spouting off about how wonderful Koch is.

This is how they're attempting to counter their negative images, in an effort to help Joni Ernst, because everyone knows she is a Koch-funded nimrod.

I am pissed off that this is happening in my state. These weasels come into Iowa, and they think they can buy an election and package up an extremist, crazy, bought-and-paid-for politician as some folksy Iowa gal.

And, she's slightly ahead in the polls. It is infuriating that anyone would buy the slop that Ernst and the Kochs are selling

I keep telling myself that it won't happen and Braley will win. I hope so. Iowans are smart. We weren't afraid to be the first in the nation to pick Obama, during the caucuses. We made gay marriage illegal.

We must stop Joni Ernst and the Kochs and elect Braley!

[6000eliot]

10. Didn't Ernst start out as an evil caricature?