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IA-03, IA-04: DCCC robocalling against King and Latham

by: desmoinesdem

Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 11:45:00 AM CST

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is paying for robocalls in Iowa's third and fourth Congressional districts accusing Republicans Tom Latham and Steve King of "holding the middle class hostage."

desmoinesdem :: IA-03, IA-04: DCCC robocalling against King and Latham

IA-03 and IA-04 are among 35 House districts where the DCCC is using robocalls to pressure GOP incumbents over the so-called "fiscal cliff" negotiations. The committee sent out this press release and an identical version about Latham on December 10.

Congressman King Called A "Hostage Taker" in DCCC Automated Phone Calls About Fiscal Cliff
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) today launched automated phone calls in Congressman Steve King's district demanding he stop holding the middle class hostage and force a vote to extend middle class tax cuts and avoid the fiscal cliff. Congressman King's Republican leaders are holding middle class tax cuts hostage and threatening to send the economy over the fiscal cliff in order to get more budget-busting tax breaks for millionaires.
Congressman King can sign the discharge petition forcing this vote to extend middle class tax cuts. 178 Members of Congress have signed the discharge petition toward the 218 signatures needed to force the vote and over 400,000 people have signed at www.GOPHostageTakers.com demanding Congressman King act.
The text of the script for the automated phone call targeting Congressman Steve King (IA-04) follows:
Hi this is Julie calling on behalf of the DCCC. Did you know Congressman Steve King could make sure Congress votes to extend tax cuts for the middle class and avoids the fiscal cliff, but he refuses. If Congressman King doesn't act, the average middle class family will be stuck with a crushing $2,200 tax hike.
Why? Because Congressman King is holding the middle class hostage to get more reckless, budget-busting tax cuts for millionaires. It's wrong.
It's critical you make your voice heard. Demand that Congressman King get a vote to extend tax cuts for the middle class immediately, not hold the middle class hostage to get more tax cuts for millionaires. Go to GOPHostageTakers.com to demand that Congressman King force the vote and avoid the fiscal cliff.
Paid for by the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, (202) 741-1350. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Nationwide, opinion polls show that most Americans support letting the Bush tax cuts for the top income levels expire. But I doubt King or Latham feel vulnerable on this issue, since both were just re-elected by comfortable margins. Latham greatly outperformed the top of the Republican ticket, and King represents a district with a huge GOP voter registration advantage. Neither IA-03 nor IA-04 are prime targets for Democrats as they look for ways to pick up the 17 House seats to regain the majority.

The DCCC may see little downside to taking a shot at King and Latham, since robocalls are cheap. But I don't see this strategy increasing their leverage against Republican incumbents.

Speaking of which, I share Howie Klein's opinion of DCCC leader Steve Israel's skill set. Why House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi gave this clown the chance to lead the DCCC into another election cycle is beyond me.

Tags: Taxes, federal budget, Congress, U.S. House, IA-03, IA-04, Tom Latham, Steve King, 2014 elections, DCCC, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, (All Tags)

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IA-03, IA-04: DCCC robocalling against King and Latham | 10 comments

Latham overperformed? (4.00 / 1)

Another way to put that = Leonard Boswell underperformed.

by: jdeeth @ Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 18:02:26 PM UTC

by: you @ soon

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both/and (4.00 / 1)

Boswell underperformed Obama, and Latham outpolled Romney.

Latham has a history of doing better than the top of the ticket. He won his D+0 district in 2008 by more than 20 points.

Invite other Iowa political junkies to join us at Bleeding Heartland.

by: desmoinesdem @ Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 18:43:25 PM UTC

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House 03 (4.00 / 1)

is in play, with the right candidate. Don't know who that is, yet, but Latham can be had.

by: rockm @ Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 19:52:09 PM UTC

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that's what we all thought (4.00 / 1)

about IA-04 in 2002, 2006, and 2008.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Wed Dec 12, 2012 at 20:49:20 PM UTC

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Boswell/Vilsack (0.00 / 0)

John always has to backhand Leonard Boswell. Did someone threaten Christie Vilsack to force her to run in the 4th? Do we have another candidacy related lawsuit involving Leonard Boswell?

I like Christie Vilsack, I spoke with her twice here in Keokuk. Once was at Keokuk High School and the other time was at a house party/fundraiser. She didn't take detailed positions, she just avoided as many questions as she could. I don't think she was doing it to be perceived as more moderate, she looked like she simply didn't want to go script like all of the other cookie cutter candidates that we now have.

I think she may have lost to Latham by a wider margin than she did to King in some ways, Latham doesn't leave the door open like King.

What fabulous angle would she have been able to play against Latham? Or are we saying that Democratic leaning Independent women held it against Leonard Boswell because he's a man?

by: ModerateIADem @ Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 06:38:53 AM UTC

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N/A (0.00 / 0)

off script

The fundraiser that I speak of was for Culver/Judge.

by: ModerateIADem @ Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 06:40:53 AM UTC

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she consistently gave that impression (4.00 / 1)

of not wanting to go off script.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 14:14:56 PM UTC

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her whole campaign against King (4.00 / 1)

was that he was a jerk who didn't deliver anything for his district because he was so busy rushing to the tv cameras. She would have had to devise an entirely different message against Latham.

I agree with what blooding h said in this thread about Vilsack losing fewer votes to third-party candidates than Boswell did. However, I also think she gained votes from Republicans and conservative-leaning independents in IA-04 who are embarrassed by King but would not have the same feelings about Latham.

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by: desmoinesdem @ Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 14:14:21 PM UTC

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Boswell (0.00 / 0)

Some people prefer the blame Leonard Boswell approach for Vilsack's the poor gets kicked around for not being a progressive when people could have run against him every cycle. If the district that Leonard was supposedly betraying every year why didn't they kick him out on his ear? Could it be that some of those large corporate interests that he went to bat for were employers in his district?

The flood of 2008? Blame Leonard Boswell! The fact that the state of Iowa is underfunding public education. Blame Leonard Boswell! When all else fails what should we do? Blame Leonard Boswell! I'm sick of it and I'm glad that these people won't have Leonard to kick around anymore and they can whine about Latham for eight years.

by: ModerateIADem @ Thu Dec 13, 2012 at 23:53:42 PM UTC

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I can't think of anyone (0.00 / 0)

who would have had a better chance of beating Latham in the new IA-03 this year than Boswell. As you know, I am not Leonard's biggest fan, but that district is not friendly for Democrats. He was better-positioned than most.

He did get a bit lucky in 2010 by drawing a weak opponent. I never would have guessed that he would survive in a year when Democrats lost dozens of seats.

Invite other Iowa political junkies to join us at Bleeding Heartland.

by: desmoinesdem @ Fri Dec 14, 2012 at 02:53:14 AM UTC

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