On the Campaign Trail with Ed Tibbetts

Des Moines lawyer Roxanne Conlin apparently is getting ready to join the Democratic field wanting to run against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

Tom Beaumont of the Des Moines Register has the story here.

Conlin tells the Register it’s “more likely than not” she’ll run.

Already, Bob Krause of Fairfield and Tom Fiegen of Clarence are seeking the Democratic nomination.

There’s been growing speculation a well known Democrat would join the race ever since party chair Michael Kiernan said a high powered “first round draft pick” was waiting to run.

Not sure if Conlin was the person Kiernan was speaking of, but she’s certainly a well known Democrat in political circles, and she does bring an ability to raise money.

Of course, it’s been 27 years since she’s been on a statewide ballot. She ran for governor in 1982 against another familiar pol who appears to be looking to make a comeback next year, Terry Branstad.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley is complaining the Obama administration may be breaking the law with a web site that has a button asking visitors to “state your support” for passing heath insurance reform this year.

The button leads to a form letter expressing support for a series of reform principles and lets them leave their names and contact information.

Grassley sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, saying, “the use of the official HHS.gov Web site for activities that seem to be nothing more than government propaganda raises many serious questions,” according to a story posted last night on Roll Call’s web site.

An HHS spokesman, Nick Papas responed: “Healthreform.gov is a valuable resource for the American people and we look forward to discussing this resource with the Senator,” Roll Call says.

A few things to come across my desk today:

* Iowa Gov. Chet Culver’s re-election campaign has a new web site. It’s at www.chetculver.com. Among the highlights: The governor took a 10 percent pay cut and his new TV commercial explaining his decision to implement across the board 10 percent cuts.

* U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, reports raising nearly $833,000 between July 1 and Sept. 30. He had $4.4 million in the bank, according to a report filed with the Federal Election Commission. Go here for a list of Grassley’s reports. (The FEC says they’ll post Grassley’s 3rd quarter report as soon as they get the report from the Secretary of the Senate’s office.)

* An aspiring Grassley opponent, Democrat Bob Krause of Fairfield, is pushing for extension of the $8,000 tax credit for first time home buyers.

“Without the extension, I am concerned that the economy will relapse in the months ahead as housing problems compound,” Krause said in a news release today.

Former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack got asked yesterday about whether she’s the “mystery candidate” who’s planning to run against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley.

(Recall, Michael Kiernan, the state Democratic Party chair, said a couple weeks ago there’s a “first round draft pick” waiting in the wings to run against Grassley. So far, there’s been a big guessing game about who it is.)

Vilsack, when asked directly, didn’t really say whether she’s the mystery candidate. But she did call herself qualified to run and to serve.

Dave Price of Des Moines’ WHO-TV talked to the former Iowa First Lady when she was in Ames yesterday.

You can see the video here. (The discussion is about 4 minutes in).

Some highlights:

Vilsack said she’s qualified to run and to serve. And she says people in both parties have asked her to think about running.

She says she has no timetable, but interestingly she notes during the conversation that her husband just sent her word that Sen. Olympia Snowe, a Maine Republican, was voting for the health care reform bill on the Finance Committee.

Vilsack said she was pleased with that.

“You don’t make history by voting no,” she added.

Sounds like it could be a campaign line, doesn’t it?

As expected, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley voted against the health care reform bill that went before the Senate Finance Committee today.

Grassley’s reasons are stated elsewhere on our web site. But I found this little tidbit interesting.

Before the vote, Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, told reporters on a conference call, “It’ll pass on a — probably a party-line vote of 13-10.”

Of course, it mostly was. But apparently, Grassley figured Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, would vote with the rest of the GOP, too.

She didn’t, which of course has Democrats hoping she does the same thing on the floor.

Bob Krause, the Fairfield Democrat seeking the party’s nomination to run against U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, is objecting to Michael Kiernan’s comments last week raising the prospect of a third candidate.

Kiernan, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, said on IPTV’s “Iowa Press” last Friday that there is a “first round draft pick” waiting to announce, and that Grassley would be “in for the race of his life.”

Today, Krause challenged the mystery candidate to raise his head. He also objected to Kiernan’s teaser. He said it harkens back to “the era of the king makers.”

“Kingmaking politics just doesn’t work in a state that is this small,” he added.

The other candidate, Tom Fiegen, a Clarance lawyer, was more subdued. He said Monday that Kiernan “got carried away.” But he adds he wasn’t offended. He acknowledged that, like everybody, Kiernan is concerned about a challenger’s ability to raise money.

Grassley had $3.8 million in the bank at the end of June. The Democrats had raised hardly any money.

UPDATE (3:45 p.m.): Kiernan issued a statement this afternoon. He praised Krause and Fiegen and said while it’s his job to recruit the best candidates possible, the party has been neutral in the Senate race.

“I am absolutely certain the party will have a very strong nominee with a real chance to be elected to the U.S. Senate. I am excited about that,” he said.

Iowa Gov. Chet Culver, U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa, also expressed their condolences over Sen. Edward Kennedy’s death.

The governor said:

“This is a very sad day for America. My prayers are with the Senator’s wife Vicki, his children, family members and all of those who loved him.

“Senator Kennedy was truly the lion and leader of the U.S. Senate, regardless of one’s party affiliation. His record of accomplishment is unmatched. Ted Kennedy was a kind and gentle public servant who cared passionately about people across the country and around the world, especially those without a voice. He fought every day for 47 years in the Senate to improve lives and help people achieve their hopes and dreams.

“Senator Kennedy had a wonderful sense of humor, he was always there for his family and friends, and he had an unwavering faith and a generosity of spirit. These qualities and his record in public service will continue to serve as an example to all of us.”

Grassley said:

“The United States Senate will never be the same without Ted Kennedy.  His presence was enormous.  He fought hard, debated intensely and worked tirelessly for what he thought was right.  Senator Kennedy and I had a different point of view on most every issue, but he was an ally like few others when he was on your side.  Senator Kennedy leaves a legacy as a public servant and policy maker, and my wife Barbara joins me in sending our deepest sympathy to his family.”

Braley issued this statement:

“With the passing of Senator Ted Kennedy, our nation has lost a great leader.  Senator Kennedy fought for what he believed in and cared deeply for our country.  He never stopped fighting for working families and those less fortunate than himself.  Respected by leaders from both sides of the aisle and people from all walks of life, his tremendous legacy will live on in the Democratic Party and in the Senate.”

Earlier, I posted on the ongoing feud between Rep. Bruce Braley and Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Here’s the text of Braley’s Huffington Post piece that kicked things off today. Following that is Grassley spokeperson Jill Kozeny’s response:

As the important health care debate in Congress moves forward, certain members of the Senate insist on moving backwards. One of those Senators is my friend and constituent, Chuck Grassley.

Grassley used scare tactics last week at a town hall meeting in Iowa to convince voters that optional coverage for end-of-life counseling in the House health care reform bill would force people to “pull the plug on grandma” (even though he supported a nearly identical end-of-life counseling provision in a 2003). Earlier this week, Grassley told reporters that even if a health care plan included the changes he’s been pushing for, he likely wouldn’t support it if it didn’t attract the support of more than a few of his GOP colleagues. Today, the Washington Post reported that Senator Grassley has begun calling for “scaled back” health care reform.

For someone who claims he wants to help forge a bipartisan health care plan, Senator Grassley sure isn’t acting very bipartisan. In fact, he’s been behaving like someone who wants to see meaningful health care reform defeated.

During his nearly thirty years serving in the Senate, Senator Grassley has earned a reputation as a “straight shooter” — someone who has been willing to take on powerful special interests even when his party has supported those special interests. He’s also been someone who may disagree with with you on policy, but has not resorted to playing loose with the facts to fit his point of view.

That’s why his recent behavior has been so disappointing. He should know that real leadership in Congress means putting the facts before fiction (no matter how difficult that might be), finding common ground, and persuading your colleagues to do the right thing. Grassley certainly didn’t ignore the facts when he pushed the Pentagon to cut wasteful defense programs. He certainly put facts before the Bush administration’s fiction when he stood up against reckless tax cuts for millionaires and broke with his party to support increased funding for children’s health insurance.

So when Chuck Grassley stands up in front of a crowd of anxious Iowa seniors and pushes a myth about the federal government “pulling the plug on Grandma” that’s been debunked by dozens of media outlets and fact-check groups (even Republican Senator Johnny Isakson of Georgia called the claim “nuts”), when he questions the health care reform legislation’s “motivations,” you’ve got to wonder what’s changed about his motivations.

Senator Grassley is in a stronger position than just about anyone to bring Republicans on board with Democrats to achieve the health care reform we need. But when he uses the same rhetoric as pundits advising Republicans to “just kill it” and a Republican Senator who wants to make health care President Obama’s “Waterloo,” why would the President or Senator Baucus think he is their ally in achieving meaningful health care reform?

Sadly, it appears that Senator Grassley has decided to put his party before what’s best for the people of this country.

Here’s Kozeny’s response:

“Congressman Braley is the one who might like to go backwards and change his vote for Speaker Pelosi’s fatally flawed health care bill.  It does nothing to reduce health care costs, piles on deficit spending and sets in motion a government takeover of the health care system.  The Pelosi bill, which Congressman Braley voted for in the House Energy and Commerce Committee, has been rejected loud and clear at the grass roots.  Unfortunately, it looks like Congressman Braley put his party duties as Vice Chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee ahead of Iowans.  Meanwhile, Senator Grassley is moving forward by working for a viable alternative that would actually lower health care costs for employers, employees and families.  He’s working to stop reform that would bankrupt the next generation and put government bureaucrats between you and your doctor.  Bruce Braley can stand with Nancy Pelosi.  Senator Grassley is standing with Iowans.”

The conservative Club for Growth says it will begin airing a new television ad in Iowa targeting Sen. Chuck Grassley. The ad, slated to begin Thursday, urges Grassley not to “cave in” to Democrats on health care reform.

Similar ads are running in Wyoming and Maine, the home states of two other Republican senators involved in bipartisan health care reform talk.

Sen. Chuck Grassley just put out a statement saying it’s not time to give up on bi-partisan health care talks.

He’s apparently referring to a spate of reports suggesting the White House and congressional Democrats are willing to go it alone. Here’s the New York Times story. There’s also a report on CNN.

Here’s Grassley’s statement:

“I’ve said all year that something as big and important as health care legislation should have broad-based support. So far, no one has developed that kind of support, either in Congress or at the White House. That doesn’t mean we should quit. It means we should keep working until we can put something together that gets widespread support.”

Democrats say it’s Grassley who’s ditching the bi-partisanship. In particular, they point to his statement Monday on MSNBC indicating he wouldn’t vote for a health care bill if it didn’t have broad Republican support.

Many Democrats have doubts whether they’ll be able to draw significant Republican support under any circumstances.