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.
He may not be officially in the 2010 gubernatorial race yet, but former Gov. Terry Branstad‘s voice is officially on an automated call being received this week in eastern Iowa.
Former Gov. Terry Branstad (file photo)
On the call, Branstad appears to be angling for support from both fiscal and social conservatives in Iowa, first touting his “proven record” of income tax cuts and then indicating he will “fight for traditional marriage.” The call also highlights that Branstad has stepped down from his position as president of Des Moines University in order to once again run for governor.
After the brief speech on these various policy positions, Branstad asks the person receiving the call to press a key if he has their support during the Republican gubernatorial primary. If the person does not indicate support, the call ends. If support is indicated, there is a pitch for campaign funds.
The call has been received by individuals around the Cedar Rapids area both in advance of and following an appearance by Branstad at a local Rotary Club. At that meeting, Branstad indicated that he would be making an official announcement that he was entering the gubernatorial race next month. The call, however, was described as “generic” and did not promote the Cedar Rapids appearance or any other stops in the area.
As with many recent politically based automated calls into Iowa, this call appears to originate from the Washington, D.C., area. Recipients report that caller ID information shows the number 202-870-5892, which has also been linked to possible push-poll political calls on taxpayer-funded abortion and death panels in “Obamacare.” One of the questions on the anti-health care reform call asked if it was more important to support Israel or to support HIV-infected infants in Africa. At least one automated call from this number has been paid for by the Family Research Council, a conservative group that promotes strict Christian values in public policy.
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