On Friday my husband and I received the latest direct-mail piece from Congressman Leonard Boswell’s campaign. Like his recent mailings about the economy and the Iraq War, this piece portrays Boswell as a fighter.

It’s not very subtle, with five references to Boswell “taking on” the opposition and three references to him fighting or not being afraid of a fight.

I’ve described the layout of the four-page mailer and transcribed its text after the jump.

The first page has a large photo that looks like a woman with her young daughter. In large print near the top of the page, it says

“My daughter has a chronic illness. I work two jobs and still can’t afford her health care.”

Lower down on the page, the text reads:

I’m glad Congressman Leonard Boswell is taking on George Bush to help save health care for 50,000 Iowa kids.

When you open up the mailer, you see this in very large print across the top of pages two and three:

Congressman Leonard Boswell

Fighting to make sure every Iowan has health care

The rest of page two has a photo of Boswell, next to this quotation, which is signed “Leonard”:

“I stood up to President Bush when he tried to cut health care for our kids and took on the drug companies to lower drug prices for Medicare. Every Iowan deserves high-quality, affordable health care and I’m fighting for it every day.”

Page three has a photo of three children, a photo of an older couple, and a photo of a hand holding a container of prescription medications. The text on the left side of the page reads as follows (bolded portions are in larger type as well as bold in the mailer):

Taking on drug companies

There are over 2,000 health care lobbyists in Washington, and all they care about is the bottom line. Congressman Boswell isn’t afraid of a fight–he takes them on at every turn.

Saving health care for 50,000 Iowa children

President Bush vetoed health insurance for thousands of Iowa children. Congressman Boswell voted to override his vetoes and helped push through an extension of the SCHIP program.

Winning lower drug prices for Medicare

Powerful interests worked to prevent Medicare from negotiating lower drug prices. It was costing taxpayers over $40 billion a year. Congressman Boswell put a stop to it.

Taking on George Bush for the Changes We Need

The back page has photos of Boswell with his wife Dody, and Boswell talking with a doctor. The text reads:

Congressman Leonard Boswell

Taking on powerful interests because every Iowan deserves affordable, quality health care

For more information: www.boswellforcongress.com

Democratic Primary – June 3rd

Contact information and “Paid for by Boswell for Congress” are at the bottom of the back page.