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.
The new deputy communications director for the Fred Thompson campaign suggested last month on a prominent political website that America might be better off if Iowa didn’t play host to the first-in-the-nation caucus.
Karen Hanretty wrote on The Hill’s Political Pundit blog that the move would help to end expensive ethanol subsidies and would save the country millions of dollars. Hanretty wrote her comments on Aug. 10.
“Perhaps it’s time to put America first and make Iowa go last,” Hanretty wrote. (Link: http://pundits.thehi…)
Thompson is already susceptible to criticism from Iowans for choosing not to participate in the Iowa Straw Poll, a decision that was seem by some as a snub to the state’s importance in the election cycle. Thompson campaign officials didn’t return telephone calls seeking comment on Hanretty’s piece.
Hanretty was appointed deputy communications director this week, an announcement that was quickly followed by news on Wednesday that another prominent hire by the campaign – former Fox News producer Jim Mills – had resigned his position as Thompson spokesman. Mills was hired by the campaign July 27 but said he is leaving because of strategic differences with his superiors.
Hanretty gained attention in political circles in 2003 when she worked as a press aide in Arnold Schwarzenegger’s successful campaign to recall then California Gov. Gray Davis. Hanretty is also a national political commentator who regularly appears on MSNBC and the Fox News Channel and has been a regular on programs such as Hardball with Chris Matthews, The O’Reilly Factor and Hannity & Colmes.
In her piece on the web site, Hanretty said she began mulling the value of ethanol after reading comments by U.S. Sen. Diane Feinstein, a California Democrat, complaining about the subsidies.
“And that got me to thinking about infrastructure spending and how many roads and highways could be built or repaired each year with $600 million. And that got me to imagining there’s no first-in-the-nation Iowa caucus. Perhaps it’s time to put America first and make Iowa go last.”
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