Questions on Nussle - his divorce and voting record

[rurallib]

I've tried googling and am not coming up with much on the Nussle divorce, just that it happened.
Also, is there a synopsis of his voting record anywhere?
While we are at it, what's his connection to Tom DeLay besides DeLay's money?

[pnorman]

1. I'm not from Iowa.

but I'll follow this thread with considerable interest. I know of Nussle ONLY because of the following:

“My biggest fear is going to be going to the funeral of some young Iowa man or woman who dies in this conflict and having their mother or father come up to me and ask whether or not their son or daughter died for America, or died to save Bill Clinton's presidency. I don't know what I would say to those grieving parents. For that reason I believe the President must resign immediately.” – Rep. Jim Nussle (R-IA), Congressional Record, December 18, 1998

pnorman

[rurallib]

2. Interesting quote, I'm sure it no longer applies

I went to his kickoff in Muscatine yesterday. His wife was a nice bit of eye-candy. I'd heard she was a staffer. Also heard she was a lobbyist and he was seeing her on the side. Just like to know what is true. I just hate these 'holier than thou' hypocrits.

[pnorman]

4. That " it no longer applies" was my point of course.

Blatant hypocricy is as LEAST as good a talking point as hanky-panky in high places.

pnorman

[9119495]

3. Good questions--you're on the right track.

He used his first wife and child as props in his first campaign for congress. He later had an affair with a staffer whom he later married. Originally, he campaigned on family values, term limits (HA!), and get this, fiscal responsibility.

He alligned himself with Gingrich before that was a cool thing to do. This is how he got to powerful committees like the budget. He distance himself from Gingrich in the purge and realligned with Tom Delay--but I don't know about his connection to the money.

Nussel things of himself as a big fish. I believe he will find out otherwise as he goes for gov. His record is not one to be proud of--He renegged on term limits, voided his own family, and of course presided over a DANGEROUS budget situation. How will he answer this question; "Representative Nussle, Iowa has spending limits of 99% of projected revenues, how will someone like you that has contriubuted to the largest budget deficit in history hold yourself within those boundaries?"

He is a dick for sure, but I think we should hope as dems that he gets the nomination as I belive him to be beatable. I also think we can pick up his seat in congress with a good candidate--but where are they?

[Debi]

6. I don't think attacking his personal life will work since it's been tried

in the past and he's still in D.C.

I think the budget/DeLay/'Washington Ethics'/Gingrich are all things to talk about. Do we really want his Washington Values in the state of Iowa?

Here's some links to Dems running for his Congressional seat:

https://www.brucebraley.com/default.asp
http://www.rickdickinson.org/
http://www.glubaforcongress.com/

and links to Dems running for Governor:

http://www.chetculver.com/
http://www.fallonforgovernor.org/

(State Sen. Mike Gronstal,Sec. of Ag Patty Judge and Economic Director Mike Blouin are also looking into the race)

[9119495]

7. NIce work Debi. I've been (and will be) too busy to research this

stuff my self for a while so thanks for the links.

I agree the personal stuff will not work---but it should function to limit personal attacks on Dems running for governor.

[Debi]

8. Wish that were true..

Nussle's whisper machine is the best in the state. His team will jump if the candidate and spouse have even a nanosecond of unhappiness or financial woe or disagreement on raising kids (and rumors will fly true or not)

Don't expect a pleasant campaign, he's dirty!

[Debi]

5. Links

Link to House of Scandal web site linking REP. to DeLay by $$ and votes

http://www.houseofscandal.org/members/JimNussleIA-1.html

Nussle voted w/DeLay 93% of the time while receiving $$ from his PAC

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Link to Iowa Court Information Systems on Nussle divorce (type in his last/first name and you'll see his history w/the Iowa Courts)

http://www.iowacourts.state.ia.us/ESAWebApp/TrialSimpFrame

Yes, he used his disabled daughter and his family to promote Family Values and then got divorced. He also (and still) uses his daughter to promote funding for IDEA which he still hasn't accomplished even though he's been in Congress since 1990!

Not much to run against (the reason I say that is that he got divorced in 1996 and continued to win elections and got remarried to a former Gingrich staffer turned lobbyist who contributed to his campaigns in 2002 and continued to win elections) why beat a dead horse?

Edit: Nussle/his father.....comparison?

Moving to the back benches, one finds Jim Nussle, a Republican House member from Iowa, dealing with his anger over an absent father. "I have a deadbeat father I have never met," Nussle said on the House floor in 1995, arguing for a provision to compel states to get tougher on child-support collection or risk losing federal aid. "I don't want to have anybody else go through it."

http://slate.msn.com/id/2269/

[pnorman]

9. On the off chance that you missed it, here's another such DU discussion

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=152x2061

pnorman

[CoffeeCat]

10. Regarding Nussle's divorce...

Nussle's children and his first wife live in Iowa while Nussle remains in DC. What kind of man dumps his children several states away? His oldest daughter, a disabled child, was 8 at the time of their divorce. His son was 5.

I find this really repulsive. It's cold.

Combine all of that, with the fact that Nussle touts "family values" and kow tows to the Christian Coalition--and we've got quite the hypocrite here.

These people are scum. They live like scum. They treat their wives and children like chattel--but at the end of the day they wear the "family values" moniker--and all is supposed to be ok.

I think all of this is really sad. I feel bad for his throw-away family.

[Debi]

11. I'm not disagreeing with you, I'm just saying that this card

has been played before any nobody seemed to care.

His new wife walked with his children in the parades in 2002 and 2004 and it was a big Republican lovefest.

He's dispicable and a cad....but it's like Bush's war record, the media and voters just don't care.

[rurallib]

12. I think the voters don't care because they don't know

The media says nothing because that is in their (the media's) "best interest" - electing friendly congress critters. I would think that if enough of a stink is made some media may actually make it a story again.
Any other details like was he cheating with #2 while #1 was back in Iowa? My impression of Nussle is that he is the consumate Republican - cold and calculating with all the accompanying appearances of being "one of us".
I also have no doubt he is running for Governor only as a stepping stone to the White House in 2012 or 2016.

[Debi]

14. I agree that he pretends to be one of us and yet his record is one of THEM

He is a hardcore conservative, just look at his record, but at all his town hall meetings and press interviews (even campaign material) he comes off as a moderate.

I also agree that Terrace Hill is just a resting point for the Presidential race at some time. That thought is just scary.

[yellowdog]

13. I don't know much about his divorce

but if you go www.vote-smart.org and plug in his name it will give you his voting record for the past 3 or 4 years. Been there, done that, and it ain't pretty.