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.
Former Gov. Terry Branstad’s endorsement of Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., in 2000 helped him win his seat and eventually allowed him to join fellow Democrats in moving their health care reform bill forward, GOP gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats said Monday.
“Ben Nelson gave Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid the vote he needed to get the 60 votes to steamroll Republican opposition,” Vander Plaats said, adding: “Whatever happens from here on out, Terry Branstad is going to have to accept some responsibility because he was a very active supporter of Ben Nelson in his first campaign for the Senate.”
Nelson joined his Democratic colleagues on a procedural vote Saturday that allows a health care reform bill to be debated by the full Senate.
Vander Plaats said Branstad’s endorsement of Nelson during his 2000 campaign help the Democrat defeat his Republican opponent. Branstad also donated money to Nelson’s campaign. Branstad and Nelson formed a friendship while both were serving as governor during in the early 1990s.
“We’re all going to pay an extremely high price for that friendship and that’s especially true for thousands of Iowans who work in the insurance industry,” Vander Plaats said. “If Ben Nelson really did think like an Iowa Republican he would’ve voted no this weekend – just like Chuck Grassley did. Once again, this proves that elections have consequences and ideologies have consequences. The Democrats want to control us with our own dollars by taxing us more to pay for their ridiculous health care plan and Terry Branstad helped give them the leverage to do it.”
A spokesman for Branstad told Radio Iowa’s O.Kay Henderson that Republican candidates should not attack each other and instead focus on attacking incumbent Gov. Chet Culver.
Follow Jason Hancock on Twitter
Do you know where to vote on Election Day? Do you know what to bring with you? Get comprehensive voter information for your state here.
Sign up for our email newsletter