Wednesday was a difficult day for The American Independent News Network, which is the larger entity that operates The Iowa Independent. Our chief executive and founder announced two of our sister sites would close and their content would be moved to The American Independent.
A recently introduced bill could have far-reaching impact on the U.S. sugar industry, including American Crystal Sugar, a farmer-owned cooperative that locked out 1,300 Midwest workers on Aug. 1.
The chairman for Herman Cain’s Iowa effort says the campaign “relied more on the word of farmers than Washington regulators” in deciding to run an ad containing claims the Environmental Protection Agency says are false.
The Iowa Senate will remain under the control of a slim 26-25 Democratic majority when it reconvenes in January 2012.
[Commentary] In tonight’s GOP presidential debate, or “Epic Battle for the Conservative Voter’s Seal of Approval,” the candidates will be vying to establish themselves as The Conservative of the GOP. In order to gauge an accurate reading, it looks like we’ll have to break out the Official Sam Brownback Christian Conservative Values Scale (Compassion Not Included). Although this scale only works on religious and some social conservatives, it will be a good tool for beginning the conservative vetting process. With all the different sects and branches of conservatism popping up underneath God’s umbrella (e.g. fiscal, cultural, neo-, etc.) it would be impossible to get an exact reading.
I hope the debate moderators hit upon the conservative labeling quagmire from the very beginning, just so the audience can rest assured that all of the candidates are indeed conservatives. I imagine a lightning round of introductions playing out like this:Moderator: “Will the real conservative candidate please stand up?”
Top Tier Conservatives
Sam Brownback: “I’m God’s Senator, and I’m a Full-Scale Conservative.”
Mike Huckabee: “I’m a Genuine Conservative with genuine convictions.”
Second Tier Conservatives
Tommy Thompson: “Unlike others who say they’re conservatives, yet don’t act conservatively, I’m your Reliable Conservative.”
Jim Gilmore: “I’m not just your ordinary, willy-nilly conservative. Why, I’m a Faithful Conservative.”
Duncan Hunter: “I hope to be the Most Conservative.”
Born-Again Conservatives
Mitt Romney: “Not only am I a Conservative, I’m a Conservative Republican.”
Conservative Flavor of the Week (formerly the Neoconservative Special)
John McCain: “I was a Conservative when it was cool not being Conservative and not a Conservative when it was cool, but now I assure you that I am indeed a Conservative. For now anyway.”
Non-Practicing Conservatives (formerly L*beral Conservatives)
Rudy Giuliani: “I’m a Conservative (pause) no, really, I am.”
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