'Perfect storm' of issues powers up 'politikspeak'
Posted: Saturday, October 01, 2005
Bret Hayworth
It was a day made for political pitbulls.
Politically-charged statements were flying around Iowa as a host of state and national issues came to a head Wednesday.
The indictment of the U.S. House of Representatives' majority leader, the pronouncements of how senators would vote Thursday on John Roberts' Supreme Court nomination, the Iowa governor's race, and recent actions by Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King all prompted barbed responses.
With a perfect-storm alignment of issues, the summer doldrums of an off-election year ended with a flourish.
The day began with a caller from California advising that King had made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle. King on Tuesday called Sen. Joe McCarthy, censured by the Senate for his 1950s investigations into alleged Communist sympathizers, "a hero for America."
That followed King's action in leading House Republican opposition to the naming of a Berkeley, Calif., post office after 94-year-old Democrat City Councilwoman Maudelle Shirek. King said Shirek, a granddaughter of slaves and peace and civil rights activist, had an "affiliation with the Communist Party."
The renaming of a post office via request by a home district congressperson is usually allowed without debate. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., brought the Shirek post office renaming forward, and raised the specter of McCarthy after King's opposition. In an interview, King said if Lee "would read the history of Joe McCarthy, she would realize he was a hero for America."
King also upset fellow House member Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat. During a Tuesday rules committee meeting regarding the Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, King offered an amendment to remove the Violence Against Women Act from the justice reauthorization. Unless extended, VAWA was due to sunset after 10 years Friday.
The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women contends the law has dramatically enhanced services for victims of sexual assault, that reauthorization of the law would aid the civil and criminal prosecution of sexual assault. However, ifeminist.com, touted as "the home for individualist feminism," contends VAWA is "a hand-me-down from the Clinton administration based on gender myths, anti-male bias and an infatuation with Big Government" that pits the sexes against each other.
King's amendment was not ruled in order, so it couldn't be debated on the floor. But staffers in the rules committee hearing reported King wanted to strike VAWA funding until such time as Congress could have a debate on the efficacy of the act. He contended VAWA federalizes issues that should be the province of states, that state laws can protect women from abusers. King also said the act funds groups "with a certain hostility, particularly against men," which chapped Slaughter.
The pace started to pick up.
Later in the morning, the Iowa Democratic Party wanted to know whether Congressman Jim Nussle (a 2006 Iowa governor candidate) would "continue to champion tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans" since $200 billion is needed to pay for hurricane relief.
Three hours later, the Iowa Republican Party referenced the governor's race, saying the sharp statements of candidate Ed Fallon of Des Moines against his fellow Democrats "exposes the Iowa Democratic Party while they continue their baseless attacks."
A flurry of press secretary activity began shortly after the news that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted on criminal conspiracy associated with a political action committee.
First came a defense of DeLay, the first House leader to be indicted while in office in at least a century. The National Republican Congressional Committee accused Travis County District Attorney "Democrat Ronnie Earl" of using "his investigatory powers to energize Democrat activists, and Democrat activists have, in turn, fueled the zeal with which he has pursued DeLay."
Within minutes came barbs from Democrats. The IDP insisted Nussle return $15,000 in campaign funds from DeLay's PAC. Then Mike Blouin, yet to officially announce for governor, also asked Nussle to return the PAC money.
The first sitting legislator to weigh in on DeLay's dilemma was Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth, a South Dakota Democrat. Herseth said DeLay should resign his leadership position -- which he did that afternoon -- saying, "These kinds of allegations, involving corruption at the highest levels of government, are exactly what turn people away from politics."
Unless they're paid to keep the mill churning. Then it's email, phone call, email.
Late in the afternoon, the Iowa Democratic Party caught up to King's McCarthy statements. The McCarthy comment perhaps rivals his most controversial to date -- the May 2004 contention that the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was the equivalent of college "hazing."
IDP executive director Mike Milligan said McCarthy "conducted infamous witch hunts in the 1950s which led to false convictions of many innocent people. His actions aren't what most Americans would consider the values of a hero."
Thus ended another day in the breathless world of politikspeak. The world was right again in the political trenches.
Bret Hayworth is the Journal's political reporter. He may be reached at (712) 293-4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
It was a day made for political pitbulls.
Politically-charged statements were flying around Iowa as a host of state and national issues came to a head Wednesday.
The indictment of the U.S. House of Representatives' majority leader, the pronouncements of how senators would vote Thursday on John Roberts' Supreme Court nomination, the Iowa governor's race, and recent actions by Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King all prompted barbed responses.
With a perfect-storm alignment of issues, the summer doldrums of an off-election year ended with a flourish.
The day began with a caller from California advising that King had made the front page of the San Francisco Chronicle. King on Tuesday called Sen. Joe McCarthy, censured by the Senate for his 1950s investigations into alleged Communist sympathizers, "a hero for America."
That followed King's action in leading House Republican opposition to the naming of a Berkeley, Calif., post office after 94-year-old Democrat City Councilwoman Maudelle Shirek. King said Shirek, a granddaughter of slaves and peace and civil rights activist, had an "affiliation with the Communist Party."
The renaming of a post office via request by a home district congressperson is usually allowed without debate. U.S. Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., brought the Shirek post office renaming forward, and raised the specter of McCarthy after King's opposition. In an interview, King said if Lee "would read the history of Joe McCarthy, she would realize he was a hero for America."
King also upset fellow House member Louise Slaughter, a New York Democrat. During a Tuesday rules committee meeting regarding the Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act, King offered an amendment to remove the Violence Against Women Act from the justice reauthorization. Unless extended, VAWA was due to sunset after 10 years Friday.
The National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women contends the law has dramatically enhanced services for victims of sexual assault, that reauthorization of the law would aid the civil and criminal prosecution of sexual assault. However, ifeminist.com, touted as "the home for individualist feminism," contends VAWA is "a hand-me-down from the Clinton administration based on gender myths, anti-male bias and an infatuation with Big Government" that pits the sexes against each other.
King's amendment was not ruled in order, so it couldn't be debated on the floor. But staffers in the rules committee hearing reported King wanted to strike VAWA funding until such time as Congress could have a debate on the efficacy of the act. He contended VAWA federalizes issues that should be the province of states, that state laws can protect women from abusers. King also said the act funds groups "with a certain hostility, particularly against men," which chapped Slaughter.
The pace started to pick up.
Later in the morning, the Iowa Democratic Party wanted to know whether Congressman Jim Nussle (a 2006 Iowa governor candidate) would "continue to champion tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans" since $200 billion is needed to pay for hurricane relief.
Three hours later, the Iowa Republican Party referenced the governor's race, saying the sharp statements of candidate Ed Fallon of Des Moines against his fellow Democrats "exposes the Iowa Democratic Party while they continue their baseless attacks."
A flurry of press secretary activity began shortly after the news that House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted on criminal conspiracy associated with a political action committee.
First came a defense of DeLay, the first House leader to be indicted while in office in at least a century. The National Republican Congressional Committee accused Travis County District Attorney "Democrat Ronnie Earl" of using "his investigatory powers to energize Democrat activists, and Democrat activists have, in turn, fueled the zeal with which he has pursued DeLay."
Within minutes came barbs from Democrats. The IDP insisted Nussle return $15,000 in campaign funds from DeLay's PAC. Then Mike Blouin, yet to officially announce for governor, also asked Nussle to return the PAC money.
The first sitting legislator to weigh in on DeLay's dilemma was Congresswoman Stephanie Herseth, a South Dakota Democrat. Herseth said DeLay should resign his leadership position -- which he did that afternoon -- saying, "These kinds of allegations, involving corruption at the highest levels of government, are exactly what turn people away from politics."
Unless they're paid to keep the mill churning. Then it's email, phone call, email.
Late in the afternoon, the Iowa Democratic Party caught up to King's McCarthy statements. The McCarthy comment perhaps rivals his most controversial to date -- the May 2004 contention that the Abu Ghraib prison scandal was the equivalent of college "hazing."
IDP executive director Mike Milligan said McCarthy "conducted infamous witch hunts in the 1950s which led to false convictions of many innocent people. His actions aren't what most Americans would consider the values of a hero."
Thus ended another day in the breathless world of politikspeak. The world was right again in the political trenches.
Bret Hayworth is the Journal's political reporter. He may be reached at (712) 293-4203 or brethayworth@siouxcityjournal.com
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