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.
Controversial Christian radio host Steve Deace and conservative blogger Craig Robinson are teaming up to test the field of potential candidates to take on Gov. Chet Culver in 2010.
WHO-AM host Steve Deace, right, and blogger Craig Robinson
The pair has already winnowed the possible field down to four candidates – former state Sen. Jeff Lamberti, Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, former state House Speaker Christopher Rants and Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats – and is asking their readers and listeners to vote by text message this Thursday. Results will be announced on Deace’s WHO-AM program that night.
Of the group of candidates included in the unscientific poll, only Vander Plaats has officially thrown his hat in the ring, and even he has not made his candidacy “official.” The roster does not include potential candidates like state Rep. Rob Roberts and state Sen. Jerry Behn, who have indicated in recent weeks they are considering entering the race. Robinson said he intentionally left them off the list because he only wanted to include candidates who he believes “have a better than 50 percent shot of being on the ballot on June 8, 2010.” He did not specify the criteria for his assessment.
Deace has hosted a drive-time show on Iowa’s largest radio station since 2006. His show centers on evangelical Christianity and how it shapes his politics. No stranger to controversy, Deace has upped the ante of late, spending time questioning the authenticity of a state senator’s faith, attacking TV personality Oprah Winfrey for being the “high priestess of American paganism,” and most recently for celebrating the death of Kansas doctor George Tiller.
The Tiller comments landed Deace a prominent spot on MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow Show in a segment on the country’s radical anti-abortion movement.
Deace has also been an outspoken critic of leading figures in the state’s Republican Party, including two of the poll’s candidates: McKinley and Rants.
Robinson’s blog, The Iowa Republican, is focused on conservative politics and religion. Other than Robinson, who served as political director for the Republican Party of Iowa in 2007 and who runs his own campaign consulting and fundraising firm, the blog is entirely made up of anonymous bloggers who offer commentary on the day’s news. The site’s team of anonymous writers have been particularly tough on so-called “moderates” within the party, especially 2002 GOP gubernatorial candidate Doug Gross.
Robinson is also a regular commentator on Deace’s show.
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