Hubler blasts King at Labor Council picnic
By Michele Linck, Journal staff writer | Posted: Tuesday, September 02, 2008
Rob Hubler, Democratic candidate for Iowa’s 5th District seat in Congress, speaks during the Labor Day picnic Monday at Riverside Park. (Staff photo by Jim Lee)
SIOUX CITY -- Democratic challenger Rob Hubler made hay Monday of Republican 5th District Congressman Steve King's refusal to debate him before the November election.
"King has a real responsibility to debate," Hubler told an audience of hundreds of labor union members and their families, speaking at the Labor Day Picnic at Riverside Park hosted by the Northwest Iowa Labor Council and Local 222 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. "Real representatives debate. Chickens cluck. He should come defend his record and how he represents you."
Earlier in the campaign season King refused an invitation from the Journal and the League of Women Voters to debate Hubler in an October forum, citing quotes from a Monona County Democrat which were reported by the Journal. Hubler said King "has to accept the offer" to debate.
"If King were brave enough to come here today," Hubler said, he would call labor "a weapon of mass destruction, destroying business in America. But we know you are the foundation of America." Hubler said the labor movement has brought American workers the eight-hour work day, health benefits, a safe working environment, equal pay and livable wages.
He said King should be made to explain his stands on immigration policy, how he can say al Qaida is defeated and why he's not calling for "big oil" to increase production, among other positions.
He said he himself had traveled 195,000 miles campaigning in the district and attended hundreds of meetings.
Hubler told the audience they should vote for him because he has: been a union member, is a military veteran, is a minister, has faced personal battles such as cancer and alcoholism, from which he is respectively cured and 25 years sober and has faced financial insecurity. In other words, he said, he understands their lives.
He laid out some of his own plans: offering "health insurance like Congress gets"; closing the income gap between the rich and middle class; a national energy policy that includes alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and "wind, wind and more wind," and higher-paying jobs in the 5th District. He also said he would support better health care and education benefits for veterans.
He won applause when he declared that should he be elected, he would not vote himself a single pay raise.
"You can count on me to stop the assault -- by Washington, D.C., by Bush, McCain and King -- on organized labor," Hubler pledged. "I will listen to you and advocate for you."
Then he asked for campaign contributions and passed the cardboard "Chicken a la King" buckets to collect them.
Paul Prather, sporting an AFSCME union T-shirt and noting his son had been deployed to Iraq, said of Hubler, "I like the fact he wants to work on immigration reform and get the military turned around. I think he touched a lot of different bases."
Bruce Lear, Sioux City education association director, said, "It's time Steve King debates Rob (Hubler.) He called King's refusal "a great embarrassment for a district that was represented by Berkley Bedell and Fred Grandy."
Jo Lear, his wife, said she likes Hubler just for the fact he's running against King.
Hubler was the keynote speaker on a program that contained at least 10 other Democratic candidates who stepped to the microphone during the picnic program, running for offices ranging from the state legislature and county board of commissioners to sheriff and the board of directors for Western Iowa Tech Community College.
This year's picnic had a markedly more local focus compared to last year's at which speakers included former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dick Durbin and Joe Biden. Iowa state Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, spoke on Obama's behalf this year.
John Hamm, president of the Northwest Iowa Labor Council, served as master of ceremonies.
"King has a real responsibility to debate," Hubler told an audience of hundreds of labor union members and their families, speaking at the Labor Day Picnic at Riverside Park hosted by the Northwest Iowa Labor Council and Local 222 of the United Food and Commercial Workers union. "Real representatives debate. Chickens cluck. He should come defend his record and how he represents you."
Earlier in the campaign season King refused an invitation from the Journal and the League of Women Voters to debate Hubler in an October forum, citing quotes from a Monona County Democrat which were reported by the Journal. Hubler said King "has to accept the offer" to debate.
"If King were brave enough to come here today," Hubler said, he would call labor "a weapon of mass destruction, destroying business in America. But we know you are the foundation of America." Hubler said the labor movement has brought American workers the eight-hour work day, health benefits, a safe working environment, equal pay and livable wages.
He said King should be made to explain his stands on immigration policy, how he can say al Qaida is defeated and why he's not calling for "big oil" to increase production, among other positions.
He said he himself had traveled 195,000 miles campaigning in the district and attended hundreds of meetings.
Hubler told the audience they should vote for him because he has: been a union member, is a military veteran, is a minister, has faced personal battles such as cancer and alcoholism, from which he is respectively cured and 25 years sober and has faced financial insecurity. In other words, he said, he understands their lives.
He laid out some of his own plans: offering "health insurance like Congress gets"; closing the income gap between the rich and middle class; a national energy policy that includes alternative fuels such as ethanol, biodiesel and "wind, wind and more wind," and higher-paying jobs in the 5th District. He also said he would support better health care and education benefits for veterans.
He won applause when he declared that should he be elected, he would not vote himself a single pay raise.
"You can count on me to stop the assault -- by Washington, D.C., by Bush, McCain and King -- on organized labor," Hubler pledged. "I will listen to you and advocate for you."
Then he asked for campaign contributions and passed the cardboard "Chicken a la King" buckets to collect them.
Paul Prather, sporting an AFSCME union T-shirt and noting his son had been deployed to Iraq, said of Hubler, "I like the fact he wants to work on immigration reform and get the military turned around. I think he touched a lot of different bases."
Bruce Lear, Sioux City education association director, said, "It's time Steve King debates Rob (Hubler.) He called King's refusal "a great embarrassment for a district that was represented by Berkley Bedell and Fred Grandy."
Jo Lear, his wife, said she likes Hubler just for the fact he's running against King.
Hubler was the keynote speaker on a program that contained at least 10 other Democratic candidates who stepped to the microphone during the picnic program, running for offices ranging from the state legislature and county board of commissioners to sheriff and the board of directors for Western Iowa Tech Community College.
This year's picnic had a markedly more local focus compared to last year's at which speakers included former President Bill Clinton and U.S. Sens. Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Dick Durbin and Joe Biden. Iowa state Sen. Steve Warnstadt, D-Sioux City, spoke on Obama's behalf this year.
John Hamm, president of the Northwest Iowa Labor Council, served as master of ceremonies.
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Peggy wrote on Sep 16, 2008 9:40 AM:
What you're doing now would qualify as nit-picking.
Enough with your whining and lies about Congressman King. "
Thomas R wrote on Sep 9, 2008 3:26 PM:
Those aren't campaign offices. Those are offices paid for by citizens of the United States of America. Those are offices he's not legally allowed to campaign from.
I know where his congressional offices are, but apparently his only campaign office is in Early? Population: 605. Where is that, Sac County?
Enough with your excuses for Mr. King: www.tomlatham.com/mediaarchive.asp "
Peggy wrote on Sep 7, 2008 7:56 PM:
You can check the websites of all five Iowa congressmen and see that NONE of them has a schedule of upcoming events or appearances. My guess is that no U.S. rep posts such info on their website.
It's baffling that you obviously have a computer and Internet access but can't find where King's offices are. Get a pencil and write these down: Council Bluffs, Creston, Sioux City, Spencer and Storm Lake. And Congressman King's YEAR ROUND campaign office is in Early.
In addition to Congressman King's "campaign staff", he has 32 county chairs and leadership teams.
And he just finished a round of town hall meetings held throughout the district, which runs counter to your fabrication that you have to pay to see him.
Let me know if you need the phone numbers to King's offices - if you can formulate a legitimate question about a relevant issue, I'm sure they'd be glad to help you. "
Thomas R wrote on Sep 7, 2008 5:47 PM:
My point is that if you go to Mr. King's website, there's not a single public event listed for me to attend between now and the election. There's not even a calendar option for me to look at.
There is an e-newsletter that invites me to house parties that have already happened, and its $50 per person to attend.
I really don't expect to have to pay to visit with my congressman.
You still haven't told me where I can find his campaign offices that you expected me to just magically know.
It looks like I'm voting for Rob Hubler this year, because Steve King doesn't want to give voters the time of day. "
Peggy wrote on Sep 6, 2008 8:49 PM:
You forgot to put scare quotes around the word optics.
Thomas R,
Obviously, my statement that Hubler is not a legitimate candidate is subjective but I honestly believe it so you can't call that a lie.
Why would anyone be "afraid to admit" that Steve King has been in Iraq the last couple weeks? Do you know he traveled there with a bipartisan delegation of congressmen, including Democrat Dave Loebsack? What's your point? "