Thanks for reminding me again of your Russian knowledge and experience. It amazes me that today so much of Republicans’ campaign strategy is based on demonstrating exceptional loyalty to one man.
Nice work, Laura. The In Person Town hall comment was a succinct self inflicted wound, and she repeated that move with a graveyard scenic double downed sarcastic retort. So insensitive especially when she has heavily subsidized healthcare for life, while Medicaid recipients will be forced to make do with the $88 billion in cuts per year along with $30 billion in SNAP benefits so roughly 1.2 trillion, in total over ten years.
I wish that Democrats would keep hammering the entire U.S. Iowa House and Sen. Delegation- (especially Hinson being on the House Appropriations Committee) that they voted in a budget that would benefit the top ten percent of U.S. taxpayers in tax breaks, through 80% of the (H.R. 1) legislation, while ballooning our national deficit from $39.2 trillion to $59 trillion by 2035.
Sorry Laura, I misspoke. So the 2025 U.S. public debt, rather is currently at $28.8 trillion and is projected to be at $59.2 trillion in 2035. Yes, I don’t see much ‘Fiscal Hawkishness’ with Rep. Hinson especially when she has a seat at the Committee to help control that. Hinson is also in the DOGE caucus along with Miller-Meeks and Grassley, with Ernst being one of the DOGE cochairs. Also Democrats should point to the fact that there already is a ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ oversight committee with the GAO. The DOGE committee was an excuse to suck up information about the American people.
Having read enough obsequious ( sometimes ridiculous) quotes from both of them, I’ve become more convinced that not only has the bar of competence been lowered, it seems to not exist anymore.
I pr omise to never vote for any of these kiss ass phonies. Feenstra would be worse thanReynolds in the Governors office and that is a horrible thought. IA needs some real leaders who actually get something done rather than play kiss up to Trump and his nightmare of a reign.
Question/Article: "Should Democrats hope to face Ernst or Hinson in 2026 Senate Race?"
Answer/Comments: (1) Quotation from Lewis Carroll's book, "Through the Looking Glass":
"She (Alice) went on a long way, but wherever the road divided, there were sure to be two finger-posts pointing the same way, one marked "TO TWEEEDLEDUM'S HOUSE" and the other 'TO THE HOUSE OF TWEEDLEDEE". "I do believe," said Alice at last, "that they live in the same house! I wonder I never thought of that before..."
(2) The "same house", in my view, is Donald Trump's house---the "America First" house!
(3) To Win the 2026 Senate Race, in my view, the Democrat need two things--- first, a new candidate, who the Republican Party cannot label; but who can create his/her own label, and who represents traditional Iowa values; and, second, even more importantly, a new candidate with a new economic-social vision---which can compete against, and has fair chance of winning against, the above, "America First" economic-social agenda!
Trump's "America First" agenda---tariffs, taxes, regulation---is not a winning agenda; but an economic agenda, much like the Democrats' losing NAFTA agenda, which did not create more jobs, but incentivized the "outsourcing" of American jobs by the private sector. Like the losing NAFTA agenda, Trump's "America First" agenda relies primarily upon tariffs (higher, not lower) to incentivize the "insourcing" of American jobs by the private sector.
However, both the NAFTA agenda and the "America First" agenda are inherently ineffective agendas, because they fail to recognize and address a new economic reality in the American Economy, a new, unprecedented, structural change in the American Economy---which has developed since WWII---America's manufacturing, industrial, private sector, in 2025, consist of multinational corporations, which are no longer "American-centered", national corporations, like those existing before WWII. Those multinational corporations, in terms of investment and growth, are "Global-centered" economic entities.
In 2025, America's traditional, historic, "public-private economic partnership", which was created in 1788, with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, no longer exist! The American Economy, in 2025, is much like an "economic train" without any "economic engine"---the traditional, historic, "public-private economic partnership" is now "broken"---because the traditional, historic, "economic engine", namely, an "America Economy-Centered" manufacturing, industrial, private sector base, no longer exist!
Further, Trump's "America First" agenda cannot win the current "high-tech" economic race with China ("Made in China 2025"), because it relies upon the above, private sector for national leadership; when, as indicated above, the private sector is unable/unwilling to provide that national, American-centered leadership!
To conclude, in my view, in the final analysis, to win the U.S. Senate, in Iowa, in 2026, Democrats need to offer a new, voter-appealable candidate, with traditional Iowa values; but, more importantly, a new, economic-social agenda---one which can both challenge and win against the Trump/Republican Party's "America First" agenda itself.
Wake up Democrats---time to start moving again; time to start winning again!
One final comment, in 2025, the U.S. economy, including, the U.S. military ---B2 Bombers, etc.--- is dependent upon Communist China for "rare earth" metals and magnets, which are essential for all high-tech electronics. This "dependency mess" is a direct result of the erosion---since the end of WWII-- of the above, traditional, historic, American Economy-centered, "public-private economic partnership". Enough is Enough!
The democrats can win seats in 2026 if they do a few of things. Continually document and report how many people lose their health insurance, how many hospitals close and how many people suffer from lack of food. Continually remind people why prices are going up due to tariffs. Continually ask the R reps and Ernst to explain again how it is the foreign countries and not consumers who pay these tariffs. Last but not least remind everyone that they all lied through their teeth because they have sold their soul to DJT. The pressure is on the democrat leaders to continually pound these facts home.
It is truly a nest of Maga politicians we have here in Iowa. People voted both Ernst and Hinson into office. It will be difficult to defeat either one, much let alone both. I am not seeing strong democratic strategy or strong enough candidates to challenge either one of these two Republican incumbents.
There are so many parallels Trump 2.0 shares with the Third Reich and fascism in general that it's mind-boggling.
From "America First" ( a stolen slogan from the KKK back in the '20s) to closing out practically every message with "MAGA!" (similar to the Hitler's "Sieg Heil!"), I continue to marvel that more people just don't get it. Throw in the quote, "When fascism comes to America, it will come carrying a cross and wrapped in the flag", and you have a trifecta of fascism staring you in the face.
I remember Republicans accusing Democrats as blindly revering Obama when he was president, that he couldn't do any wrong. Uh, uh. We were admiring him, not worshipping him.
Will the Summit Carbon solutions co2 pipelines become a bigger flashpoint in the 2026 election? Are farmers in NW Iowa as upset as farmers in SD where anti-pipeline candidates won state legislative races?
Yevgeny Prigozhin. Elon may want to consider the relationship between 47's 'ideal leader' and mercenary chieftain Prigozhin, especially given Elon's own left-brained, drug-addled mercenary tendencies. 47 uses people to his own ends, too, and having implemented ( or been used to implement ) a 'budget' that could well wreck the economy and the US dollar; so as to raise the specter of crypto becoming a currency of choice ( or un-choice, in Orwellian trump-speak), and that in the direct control of the rising oligarchy and not under the scrutiny of an appointed Board of Governors; then,
Maybe Elon still 'wins', anyway, since he's in with the PayPal mafia. And this is all in play right here in Iowa. Sen Ernst? Just a bit player in the game, willing to say or do just about anything to have a role. If I were Elon, though, I wouldn't board any aircraft with un- identified luggage. Prigozhin clearly forgot that rule...
Thanks for reminding me again of your Russian knowledge and experience. It amazes me that today so much of Republicans’ campaign strategy is based on demonstrating exceptional loyalty to one man.
Thanks, Laura. Personally I don’t think Ernst will run for reelection. My hope is that Hinson’s complete embrace of trump will be her undoing in 2026.
Nice work, Laura. The In Person Town hall comment was a succinct self inflicted wound, and she repeated that move with a graveyard scenic double downed sarcastic retort. So insensitive especially when she has heavily subsidized healthcare for life, while Medicaid recipients will be forced to make do with the $88 billion in cuts per year along with $30 billion in SNAP benefits so roughly 1.2 trillion, in total over ten years.
I wish that Democrats would keep hammering the entire U.S. Iowa House and Sen. Delegation- (especially Hinson being on the House Appropriations Committee) that they voted in a budget that would benefit the top ten percent of U.S. taxpayers in tax breaks, through 80% of the (H.R. 1) legislation, while ballooning our national deficit from $39.2 trillion to $59 trillion by 2035.
Sorry Laura, I misspoke. So the 2025 U.S. public debt, rather is currently at $28.8 trillion and is projected to be at $59.2 trillion in 2035. Yes, I don’t see much ‘Fiscal Hawkishness’ with Rep. Hinson especially when she has a seat at the Committee to help control that. Hinson is also in the DOGE caucus along with Miller-Meeks and Grassley, with Ernst being one of the DOGE cochairs. Also Democrats should point to the fact that there already is a ‘waste, fraud, and abuse’ oversight committee with the GAO. The DOGE committee was an excuse to suck up information about the American people.
They’re both useless to their constituents, hypocrites and LIARS.
Having read enough obsequious ( sometimes ridiculous) quotes from both of them, I’ve become more convinced that not only has the bar of competence been lowered, it seems to not exist anymore.
I pr omise to never vote for any of these kiss ass phonies. Feenstra would be worse thanReynolds in the Governors office and that is a horrible thought. IA needs some real leaders who actually get something done rather than play kiss up to Trump and his nightmare of a reign.
Question/Article: "Should Democrats hope to face Ernst or Hinson in 2026 Senate Race?"
Answer/Comments: (1) Quotation from Lewis Carroll's book, "Through the Looking Glass":
"She (Alice) went on a long way, but wherever the road divided, there were sure to be two finger-posts pointing the same way, one marked "TO TWEEEDLEDUM'S HOUSE" and the other 'TO THE HOUSE OF TWEEDLEDEE". "I do believe," said Alice at last, "that they live in the same house! I wonder I never thought of that before..."
(2) The "same house", in my view, is Donald Trump's house---the "America First" house!
(3) To Win the 2026 Senate Race, in my view, the Democrat need two things--- first, a new candidate, who the Republican Party cannot label; but who can create his/her own label, and who represents traditional Iowa values; and, second, even more importantly, a new candidate with a new economic-social vision---which can compete against, and has fair chance of winning against, the above, "America First" economic-social agenda!
Trump's "America First" agenda---tariffs, taxes, regulation---is not a winning agenda; but an economic agenda, much like the Democrats' losing NAFTA agenda, which did not create more jobs, but incentivized the "outsourcing" of American jobs by the private sector. Like the losing NAFTA agenda, Trump's "America First" agenda relies primarily upon tariffs (higher, not lower) to incentivize the "insourcing" of American jobs by the private sector.
However, both the NAFTA agenda and the "America First" agenda are inherently ineffective agendas, because they fail to recognize and address a new economic reality in the American Economy, a new, unprecedented, structural change in the American Economy---which has developed since WWII---America's manufacturing, industrial, private sector, in 2025, consist of multinational corporations, which are no longer "American-centered", national corporations, like those existing before WWII. Those multinational corporations, in terms of investment and growth, are "Global-centered" economic entities.
In 2025, America's traditional, historic, "public-private economic partnership", which was created in 1788, with the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, no longer exist! The American Economy, in 2025, is much like an "economic train" without any "economic engine"---the traditional, historic, "public-private economic partnership" is now "broken"---because the traditional, historic, "economic engine", namely, an "America Economy-Centered" manufacturing, industrial, private sector base, no longer exist!
Further, Trump's "America First" agenda cannot win the current "high-tech" economic race with China ("Made in China 2025"), because it relies upon the above, private sector for national leadership; when, as indicated above, the private sector is unable/unwilling to provide that national, American-centered leadership!
To conclude, in my view, in the final analysis, to win the U.S. Senate, in Iowa, in 2026, Democrats need to offer a new, voter-appealable candidate, with traditional Iowa values; but, more importantly, a new, economic-social agenda---one which can both challenge and win against the Trump/Republican Party's "America First" agenda itself.
Wake up Democrats---time to start moving again; time to start winning again!
Richard Sherzan
One final comment, in 2025, the U.S. economy, including, the U.S. military ---B2 Bombers, etc.--- is dependent upon Communist China for "rare earth" metals and magnets, which are essential for all high-tech electronics. This "dependency mess" is a direct result of the erosion---since the end of WWII-- of the above, traditional, historic, American Economy-centered, "public-private economic partnership". Enough is Enough!
The democrats can win seats in 2026 if they do a few of things. Continually document and report how many people lose their health insurance, how many hospitals close and how many people suffer from lack of food. Continually remind people why prices are going up due to tariffs. Continually ask the R reps and Ernst to explain again how it is the foreign countries and not consumers who pay these tariffs. Last but not least remind everyone that they all lied through their teeth because they have sold their soul to DJT. The pressure is on the democrat leaders to continually pound these facts home.
It is truly a nest of Maga politicians we have here in Iowa. People voted both Ernst and Hinson into office. It will be difficult to defeat either one, much let alone both. I am not seeing strong democratic strategy or strong enough candidates to challenge either one of these two Republican incumbents.
There are so many parallels Trump 2.0 shares with the Third Reich and fascism in general that it's mind-boggling.
From "America First" ( a stolen slogan from the KKK back in the '20s) to closing out practically every message with "MAGA!" (similar to the Hitler's "Sieg Heil!"), I continue to marvel that more people just don't get it. Throw in the quote, "When fascism comes to America, it will come carrying a cross and wrapped in the flag", and you have a trifecta of fascism staring you in the face.
I remember Republicans accusing Democrats as blindly revering Obama when he was president, that he couldn't do any wrong. Uh, uh. We were admiring him, not worshipping him.
Will the Summit Carbon solutions co2 pipelines become a bigger flashpoint in the 2026 election? Are farmers in NW Iowa as upset as farmers in SD where anti-pipeline candidates won state legislative races?
I think it will definitely be an issue in some GOP primaries. I don't expect many people to start voting for Democrats because of that, though.
Yevgeny Prigozhin. Elon may want to consider the relationship between 47's 'ideal leader' and mercenary chieftain Prigozhin, especially given Elon's own left-brained, drug-addled mercenary tendencies. 47 uses people to his own ends, too, and having implemented ( or been used to implement ) a 'budget' that could well wreck the economy and the US dollar; so as to raise the specter of crypto becoming a currency of choice ( or un-choice, in Orwellian trump-speak), and that in the direct control of the rising oligarchy and not under the scrutiny of an appointed Board of Governors; then,
Maybe Elon still 'wins', anyway, since he's in with the PayPal mafia. And this is all in play right here in Iowa. Sen Ernst? Just a bit player in the game, willing to say or do just about anything to have a role. If I were Elon, though, I wouldn't board any aircraft with un- identified luggage. Prigozhin clearly forgot that rule...