No time for a long post now, but you can read the Register’s endorsement of Fallon here.
The same editorial board that picked Hillary Clinton because of her experience and knowledge of the issues wasn’t impressed by Leonard Boswell.
Time for new energy in Congress.
The Register will endorse a candidate in the fourth district primary tomorrow.
11 Comments
What about rural Iowa?
But I don’t live in the 3rd district, so it’s not really my business. But I used to be in the 3rd, and Boswell used to be my legislator–so I’ve got some experience there. And I really feel like there’s no one speaking for rural Iowa in this debate–places like my hometown.
I don’t really like either.
Fallon: While I admire his energy and many of his ideas, I question his effectiveness as a representative for the ENTIRE district–rural places and small towns close to my hometown like Chariton and Albia. He and his campaign seem very much Des Moines centric. How can he be a good legislator for rural Iowa when he doesn’t know anything about the Farm Bill? And for as many worthless earmarks as there are, there are places in his potential district that are hurting, and could really use the funds. Newton immediately comes to mind.
Boswell: I think he is becoming less and less effective of a legislator as time goes by, and I really don’t like how often he comes down on the wrong side of the issue. However, he is knowledgeable on rural issues, and to the best of my knowledge he has made a point to visit and be open to the concerns of the rural places in his district throughout his congressional career. (At least he did when I was part of the district.)
So I don’t know. But I do know that the rural parts of the district are getting shortchanged in this debate.
american007 Tue 27 May 2:22 PM
Fallon has talked about agricultural issues
quite a bit. He wants to change the focus of our current farm policies, so there is more support for diversity of crops, sustainable agriculture, and local food networks. He wants a national moratorium on CAFOs, because state governments have proven to be unwilling to address this issue.
Fallon also has a long record of supporting Main Street economic development as opposed to corporate welfare.
desmoinesdem Tue 27 May 2:28 PM
From reading that...
I think they planned on endorsing Boswell but it sounds like he really blew the interview.
amcsepboe Tue 27 May 7:24 PM
I suspect you are right
I was definitely surprised by the endorsement. With likely a low-turnout primary, this cannot hurt Fallon.
rf Tue 27 May 8:53 PM
that was my hunch as well
but John Deeth advances an interesting alternative theory:
http://www.iowaindependent.com…
desmoinesdem Tue 27 May 9:26 PM
Register Endorsed King Too
And we all know how wrong they were about that. Don’t you get it? They do it to create a story so they can sell more of those little squares of toilet paper that masquerades as a newspaper.
Fallon is still going to lose.
the-demo-memo Tue 27 May 9:34 PM
no one ever said Fallon had an easy task
It’s a huge longshot taking on an incumbent, which is why almost no one ever does, even when the incumbent is as mediocre and unreliable as Boswell.
I have to laugh if you really think the Register endorsed Fallon in order to sell newspapers. That’s what they put the fluff on the front page for. No one is buying a newspaper based on what’s on the opinion page.
desmoinesdem Tue 27 May 9:46 PM
Great to see an enthusiastic Boz supporter
Especially here in the blogosphere you are a rare breed. But as I commented on Deeth’s blog, I suspcet progressive activists of various kinds (heavily Fallon) outnumber party activists. Thus, my prediction is that Fallon will provide us with a June surprise.
I don’t want to boast, but I was one of the very few people in the blogosphere who called the O’Brien-Terry SOA primary race correctly. I see a lot of similarities in this race.
rf Tue 27 May 9:55 PM
wow, I don't know anyone
who called that race correctly. What was your reasoning at the time?
I think the odds are still with Boswell next Tuesday, but it will be a lot closer than the polls suggest. The Fallon voters are very committed and will show up for this primary.
I don’t know how many absentee ballots Boswell has gotten in, though–that could be his trump card, since he does better with the older voters.
desmoinesdem Tue 27 May 10:29 PM
I have to admit
it was partially wishful thinking due to the fact that I was pretty involved in the campaign. But if any of my comments still appear on any blogs, they prove that I did make the right call. My two main reasons for having faith in Denise were: 1) Dusky was not really qualified by most people’s standards for the SOA job, no matter how many glossy mailers he sent, and 2) Denise’s 30 years of grassroots work and connections paid off in lots of grassroots support.
Still, my feelings at the time were very similar to the current Fallon/Boz race. I knew Dusky was favored, but I felt Denise had a good chance to surprise. But like you said in another thread, I think deep down Denise was surprised even herself that she won. The barrage of direct mail and robo calls in the last couple of weeks made it seem like there was only one person in the race.
rf Tue 27 May 10:52 PM
They endorsed King in 2004, but not in 2006
noneed4thneed Tue 27 May 11:41 PM