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.
“It’s a mess and we need someone who can take over and lead on the first day,” former Mike Blouin running mate Andy McGuire told two dozen supporters at the grand opening of Iowa City’s Hillary Clinton office.
Andy McGuire, Rep. Vicki Lensing.
Also speaking at the HQ (familiar to local Dems as the 2006 Johnson County Democrats/Iowa Democratic Party office) were local endorsers Rep. Vicki Lensing and Supervisor Sally Stutsman, and neutral Congressman Dave Loebsack.Hillary supporters repeatedly cited her intelligence and experience as reasons they’re backing her. McGuire, a doctor, said “she knows more about health care than I do.”
“She has the ability to talk to many nations, to get our standing in the world back to where we were,” said Carol Pilcher, a longtime Washington County activist now living in Iowa City. She and her husband Don (a former Washington County chair) have been supporting the Senator since her first Senate race in 2000. “And Bill can give some good advice too,” added Don, echoing the two-for-one deal Bill Clinton offered in 1992.
“We need the best candidate – it doesn’t matter what gender or where they’re from,” said Lensing, now serving her 4th state house term from Iowa City’s east side. “And Senator Clinton is that candidate.” “She’s intelligent, articulate, and experienced,” added Stutsman.
McGuire with Congressman Dave Loebsack.
Loebsack offered a general overview of current House events, focusing on the recently passed hate crimes bill. He said before the vote the House Democrats had a deeply moving meeting, chaired by Barney Frank and featuring a speech from the mother of hate crimes victim Matthew Shephard.
“I’m in a relatively good district, but a lot of the other freshmen are from districts that are less friendly, that voted for Bush. I told them if Iowa can do it, Congress can do it. It’s the right thing to do.”
Loebsack expressed some concern about Florida moving its primary to January 29 and the possibility of moving Iowa’s caucus to an earlier date.
“I want college students to be part of the process, unfortunately we’re having the caucuses at a time that makes that difficult.” The current date – January 14 – is during the University of Iowa’s break. “And moving it even earlier would make it even more difficult.”
The congressman set the Johnson County bar high for 2008, noting John Kerry’s 20,000 vote win in 2004 and hoping for the same for himself and for “Hillary, or whoever.”
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