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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.
Update: In an email to supporters that went out Tuesday afternoon, the Dodd campaign confirmed the IAFF endorsement. The full email is below the fold. The Hill was the first traditional media outlet to pick up the story.
Evidence is mounting to support yesterday’s reports that the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) plans to publicly endorse Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd in the 2008 presidential race this week.
Although when Iowa Independent reached the fire fighters’ Iowa political director Wayne Sawtelle yesterday, he said he “hadn’t heard” about the endorsement and was not sure whether Iowa firefighters would follow their International’s lead, the Dodd campaign seems to know something Sawtelle did not.
Iowa City residents today recieved recorded phone messages (“autocalls”) from Democratic activist and Johnson County Supervisor Pat Harney, on behalf of the Dodd campaign. The message invited its recipients to a public “town hall meeting” this Thursday at — where else? — an Iowa City firehouse. (It is the firehouse near the Sycamore Mall.)
Although the message did not mention an endorsement, given the rumors that an IAFF endorsement would be announced this week, Dodd would not likely organize a firehouse event if he did not expect to get the IAFF’s support.
Dodd’s event is scheduled the same day that Delaware Sen. Joe Biden will “Walk A Day” in the shoes of an SEIU member at an Iowa City hospital a Cedar Rapids middle school. Dodd and Biden, who both struggle for media attention during their swings through Iowa, will likely cut into each other’s coverage.
Update: Dodd’s Iowa Press Secretary Taylor West confirmed to Iowa Independent that Dodd will be in Iowa Thursday for a series of endorsement-related events in Iowa City, Des Moines, and Council Bluffs.
More Updates Below…Flashback: In September of last year, Sen. Dodd campaigned with Gov. Chet Culver during his campaign for governor, and the two stopped at a Des Moines firehouse. Radio Iowa’s Kay Henderson blogged about Dodd’s pitch to firefighters at the time:
During the visit at the fire station, Dodd climbed into an ambulance to look at a piece of equipment purchased with a federal grant, then went into the fire station’s break room and chatted up the firemen on duty. The firemen were making ham and beans in the kitchen, but Dodd noted they were standing blocking the door to the kitchen.
As the two children of one fire fighter watched cartoons (their dad took the control and muted the tv in the middle of Dodd’s short speech), Dodd told the assembled fire fighters that the event “which really sparked my interest” in ensuring fire departments got proper equipment was the fire in Worcester, Massachusetts in which six fire fighters lost their lives. “We’ve got to realize that cake sales and pancake breakfasts just weren’t doing it in terms of what you needed,” Dodd said. Dodd then bragged about the federal grant money he’d attached to a defense authorization bill that gave fire departments federal money to purchase equipment. “That’s how I smuggled it in,” Dodd said.
Dodd took a jibe at Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Nussle, who is currently in congress and chair of the House Budget Committee. Dodd accused Nussle and other Republican leaders of failing to put more money into “The Fire Act” — those federal grants for fire departments Dodd was speaking of earlier. Dodd told the fire fighters they are the “most revered” of public servants. “I wish that those of us who do our job could get just a modicum of what you get,” Dodd lamented.
This is what Dodd told a television reporter about the fire house grants, showing his staff had compiled some numbers for him: “It’s been a terrific program and in Iowa you’ve had almost 780 grants, I think $55 million that came back to this state supporting volunteer departments, paid departments like the ones here in Des Moines as well as combination departments. You’ve got some 30,000 fire fighters in this state…No issue is more important than security so it’s been a great program the problem is it’s been zeroed out, again, by the Bush Administration, by the Republican leadership in congress. They have never supported this program. They do when it comes up, but they never initiate, take charge to make sure that we get the resources.”
Here is the text of the Dodd campaign’s email, which confirms the endorsement:
A MESSAGE FROM SCOTT ARCENEAUX:
Dear Friend:
I wanted to share with you some exciting news. On Wednesday, the International Association of Fire Fighters General President Harold Schaitberger will announce that the Fire Fighters Union, one of the most powerful and politically active unions in America, has endorsed Chris Dodd for President.
The Fire Fighters know that Chris Dodd has what it takes to help keep our communities safe and our families secure. With over 26 years of experience in the United States Senate, they know Chris Dodd offers the proven leadership we need when the unexpected happens and a record of accomplishment we can trust to fight for middle class families.
The International Association of Fire Fighters is one of the most influential labor unions in America. The Fire Fighters have a presence in almost every neighborhood in America and public respect unmatched in politics. As The Seattle Times wrote in 2004, “What [fire fighters] do for politicians include lending their heroic image, a growing campaign fund and a reputation for turning out volunteers from the smallest towns to the biggest cities who are on call to make signs, knock on doors or make telephone calls.”
Their influence was no more evident than in 2004 when their early endorsement and hard work on behalf of John Kerry propelled him to victory in Iowa and then New Hampshire. Senator Dodd and President Schaitberger will be touring Iowa together with fire fighters from across the state celebrating this major endorsement. We are excited to have them on our team.
I encourage you to visit www.chrisdodd.com for updates on the campaign and additional information about this exciting endorsement.
Sincerely,
Scott Arceneaux
National Political Director
Chris Dodd for President
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