The day after I received a misleading hit piece on Ed Fallon, a second mailer from the 527 group Independent Voices arrived in the mail.
This one shows a cornfield on one side, with these words in large print:
Why Doesn’t Ed Fallon
Support Iowa’s
Ethanol Industry?
At the bottom of that side, it says, “Paid for By Independent Voices, Red Brannan Chair”
The other side has corn kernels in the background, as well as a photo of Fallon and a graphic of a container for gasoline with corn flowing out of the spout. The text on this page says,
CORN
Helping Us Become Independent of Foreign OilIowa’s ability to produce corn efficiently has helped us become the national leader for ethanol production.
Alternative fuels are one way to end our dependence on Middle East oil. Ending that oil dependence could also revitalize Iowa’s economy if we are able to continue our national leadership in alternative fuel production.
So why did Ed Fallon say he wouldn’t support subsidies for ethanol production right here in Iowa?
Call Ed at 515.277.0420
Tell Ed Fallon he should quit supporting policies that cost us money at the pump.
Of course, this direct-mail piece doesn’t tell the whole story. Many people think subsidies to support corn-based ethanol production are no longer needed. Fallon advocates moving toward producing ethanol from cellulosic sources other than corn, and there are strong arguments in favor of doing so.
I mentioned in my earlier post that Fallon’s position on other issues (besides the ones mentioned in these mailers) run counter to the interests of Brannan, a developer.
If anyone has information about other donors who are funding the Independent Voices group, please either put up a comment in this thread or e-mail me confidentially at desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com.
UPDATE: The fliers sent by Independent Voices are discussed in this article from Thursday’s Des Moines Register:
Fallon supports ethanol subsidies, although he has said corn-based ethanol is not a permanent solution to weaning the United States off imported petroleum. “Corn-based ethanol is a step in the right direction, but it’s not the end of that journey,” Fallon said.The mailers list the group’s chairman as Red Brannan, an Ankeny Democrat and former member of the Polk County Board of Supervisors. Aides to Boswell said Brannan has not made financial contributions to the campaign. Attempts to reach Brannan Wednesday evening were unsuccessful.
I believe that Brannan has not donated directly to Boswell’s campaign, because I couldn’t find his name when I searched for it at Open Secrets.
Remember, a person can make unlimited donations to a group like Independent Voices, whereas contributions to a Congressional campaign are capped at $2,300 for the primary and $2,300 for the general election.
The Des Moines Register’s editorial board slammed the first mailing from Independent Voices as “the cheapest of cheap shots” and has called on Boswell to reject the tactics used by Brannan’s group.
4 Comments
Disgusting
I am just disgusted by the kind of campaign Boz and his supporters have run. Honestly, I’m starting to regret for not voting for Lamberti the last time around. Hell, he’s an R and he ran a much more honorable campaign. And Lamberti’s voting record probably would not have been much different from Boz’s.
rf Wed 28 May 10:27 PM
I am a yellow-dog Democrat
so would never vote for Lamberti.
But Boswell and his supporters have run a fairly despicable campaign against Fallon.
Later tonight I will write up the latest mailer from Boswell, which again mentions Nader.
My hope is that the flood of negative direct-mail pieces on Fallon will backfire, but who knows?
desmoinesdem Wed 28 May 10:35 PM
Yes, likely to backfire
Considering that only hardcore people who follow things pretty closely are likely to show up June 3, my gut feeling is that Boz’s gutter campaign will backfire and he will go down.
Re: voting for Lamberti, the longer I observe politics and politicians up close, the more I start to realize that a good R can be much better than a bad D. There was a time I thought I could never vote for an R for any office, but I no longer hold that view. If Boz wins the primary, I’m certainly leaving all my options open. I am that disturbed by the campaign he has run.
rf Thu 29 May 1:31 PM
I am just the opposite
Maybe 15 years ago, I would have voted for a Republican like Jim Leach.
However, the moderate Republicans at the state and federal level no longer stand up to the hardcore conservatives who dominate the leadership. As long as a person like Lamberti would vote for a Republican House speaker, I cannot vote for any Republican for any legislative position.
That said, there are certainly some excellent elected and appointed Republicans (case in point being Darrell Hanson on the Iowa Utilities Board).
I serve and have served on non-profit boards with some great Republicans as well. Even if we don’t agree on every issue, I know that these people are committed and do a lot of good work in our state.
As for Boswell, you may recall that the Des Moines Register endorsed Lamberti in 2006. If Boswell does beat Fallon in the primary, I bet the newspaper will endorse Kim Schmett this fall.
desmoinesdem Thu 29 May 5:43 PM