Catching up on the week’s news at the statehouse, the Iowa Senate rejected two of Governor Terry Branstad’s nominees for the Board of Regents on Monday, and the governor withdrew two other nominees who were headed for trouble in the upper chamber. Details on the votes and thoughts about the implications are after the jump.

The U.S. Senate voted today to confirm Sally Jewell as the next Secretary of the Interior by 87 votes to 11. Republicans cast all of the votes against Jewell, but Iowa’s Chuck Grassley was among the 34 Republicans who supported her confirmation, along with Senator Tom Harkin and the rest of the Democratic caucus. Bleeding Heartland posted background on Jewell here.

Yesterday, Grassley was one of 34 GOP senators who opposed the confirmation of Patty Shwartz to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. She was confirmed with the support of Senate Democrats and ten Republicans. President Barack Obama nominated Shwartz way back in October 2011. The Senate Judiciary Committee voted in March 2012 to support her confirmation, over Grassley’s objection. I have not seen a statement this week explaining the senator’s vote against Shwartz, but after the jump I’ve posted his remarks from last year, when the Judiciary Committee was considering her nomination. The American Bar Association unanimously gave Shwartz its highest rating, “well qualified.”

This week Grassley claimed Republicans are allowing votes on more of Obama’s judicial nominees than the Senate did during President George W. Bush’s second term. However, Obama’s judicial nominees are waiting much longer for votes than Bush’s did, and at this point during Bush’s presidency, the Senate had confirmed more of his judges. Obama isn’t helping the situation; he has been “slower to nominate” judges than either Bush or President Bill Clinton.

UPDATE: I should have mentioned that Grassley is seeking to reduce the number of judges on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals from eleven to eight. His legislation would prevent President Obama from filling most of the current vacancies on the “second most powerful court” in the country. Last month, Grassley and fellow Republicans filibustered a highly-qualified nominee for the D.C. Circuit court.

President Barack Obama formally presented his draft budget for fiscal year 2014 today. Click through for details, but here are the top numbers:

The $1.058 trillion budget for fiscal year 2014 – which arrived on Capitol Hill about two months late – includes $3.77 trillion in total spending, including entitlements.

It would add $5.3 trillion in new deficit spending over 10 years and increase spending in 2014 by $160 billion compared to current law.

Statements from Representatives Dave Loebsack, Tom Latham, and Steve King are after the jump, along with press releases from several Iowa advocacy groups. I am seeking comment on the president’s budget from all the members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation and will update this post as needed. Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement called attention to the fact that Representative Bruce Braley has not explained his position on changing the Social Security cost of living adjustment to calculate benefits with a chained consumer price index. The president’s budget includes the “chained CPI” proposal, a truly terrible idea. The AARP said today it is “deeply dismayed that President Obama would propose cutting the benefits of current and future Social Security recipients, including children, widows, veterans and people with disabilities, to reduce the deficit.”

Also today, the U.S. Postal Service announced that it has delayed plans to cancel Saturday mail delivery. Comments from Loebsack and Representative Bruce Braley are at the end of this post. Both of them had strongly criticized the idea when floated in February.  

Governor Terry Branstad has invested a lot of political capital in education reform. His staff organized a large conference on the topic in 2011, featuring U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and other nationally-recognized speakers. Later that year, the governor rolled out an ambitious blueprint for education reform, which was a focus of his “Condition of the State” speeches to state lawmakers in 2012 and 2013. Branstad wants something bigger and better than the narrowly-focused education reform deal approved last spring. To encourage legislators to work harder on this issue, the governor has even held up K-12 school funding decisions that should have been made a year ago under Iowa law.

Iowa House and Senate members are now negotiating over education reform bills approved in each chamber on party lines. But Branstad’s past use of his line-item power is standing in the way of broad legislation.  

Preserving battlefield sites from early American history would seem to be promising ground for bipartisan agreement. Don’t we all want future generations to be able to visit and learn about historically important places in this country’s pasts?

Today more than half the Republicans in the U.S. House, including Tom Latham (IA-03) and Steve King (IA-04), voted against a bill designed to preserve Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battlefields. As Pete Kasperowicz reported for The Hill, the vote reflected a call to arms from conservative Heritage Foundation.

Democratic State Senator Jeff Danielson has not ruled out running for Congress in the open first district next year. I contacted Danielson after State Senator Liz Mathis confirmed on Saturday that she will not seek to replace Bruce Braley. Danielson responded on April 7, “I’m not actively seeking any other office at this time. I’m focused on the work of the Cedar Valley in the [legislative] session.” When I asked whether he might consider a Congressional bid after the session ends, Danielson responded yesterday, “I am keeping all options open for 2014.”

Danielson represents Iowa Senate district 30, covering most of Cedar Falls and part of Waterloo in Black Hawk County. He was just re-elected to a third four-year term in 2012, so he would not have to give up his current position to run for Congress next year. If he won the Democratic primary and the general election in IA-01, there would be a special election in Senate district 30 in early 2015. Republicans have a slight voter registration advantage in that district, but no-party voters have a plurality.

Danielson’s district includes the University of Northern Iowa campus, so he has been a vocal advocate for higher education funding in the Iowa Senate. He has also been a leading voice for better disclosure of campaign contributions. He supports a federal constitutional amendment to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision and limit corporate campaign gifts. In Danielson’s latest re-election campaign, he focused on bipartisan work to support main street businesses and fully fund services Iowans depend on. He also emphasized his commitment to “protecting health care choices for women.”

A Democratic challenger to Representative Steve King has emerged for 2014. Citing an unnamed source, Abby Livingston reported for Roll Call today that Jim Mowrer is “all but certain to run” in Iowa’s fourth Congressional district next year.

Some Bleeding Heartland readers will recognize Mowrer’s name. An Iraq War veteran who used to live in Des Moines, Mowrer headed the Iowa Veterans for Joe Biden committee in 2007 and was Midwest Veterans Chair for the Obama-Biden campaign in 2008. Since late 2009, he has worked as special assistant to the Under Secretary of the Army in the U.S. Department of Defense. Mowrer has also been a senior adviser to Vote Vets, a political advocacy group focused on veterans’ issues.

Livingston’s source says Mowrer has met with Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee staff and will run in IA-04 whether or not the seat is open. I am still confident that Steve King will seek a seventh term in the House, but he hasn’t ruled out running for U.S. Senate.

Mowrer could be a strong candidate, but the fourth district is very tough for Democrats. The latest figures from the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office indicate that IA-04 contains 130,864 registered Democrats, 180,410 Republicans, and 178,050 no-party voters.

One of the most influential world leaders of the 20th century died today. Former UK Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher was 87 years old. The BBC posted her obituary and other links about her life, as well as reaction to her passing and a collection of her most famous quotes.

It’s hard to overstate how much Thatcher changed British politics and society during her eleven years as prime minister. On the other hand, she was such a lightning rod that her own Conservative Party replaced her in 1990 rather than face another parliamentary election with her leading the government.

Like her political “soul mate” Ronald Reagan, Thatcher is admired by many conservatives on this side of the pond. But whereas the Tories have moderated their policies under the last few party leaders, the Republican Party has moved much further to the right since Reagan’s presidency. Today’s GOP politicians reject any tax increases (failing to acknowledge Reagan’s many tax hikes) and view compromise on immigration reform as betrayal.

Any memories about Thatcher’s life or thoughts about her legacy are welcome in this thread.

UPDATE: In this speech from 1988, the British actor Ian McKellen lambasted the Thatcher government’s “queer-bashing.”

What’s on your mind this weekend, Bleeding Heartland readers? This is an open thread.

I recently came across a six-minute promotional video Drake University created in 1987. Shorter versions of this pitch aired as commercials on MTV at the time. Fans of 1980s haircuts and vintage computers will enjoy the full-length video, which I’ve posted after the jump. It’s as much an advertisement for the Mac Classic (or are those Mac IIs?) as for Drake.

Speaking of putting your best foot forward, Representative Steve King said in a fundraising e-mail that he’s “living proof conservatives don’t have to sacrifice everything we believe in to win elections.” Of course they don’t, if they’re running in districts like IA-04. A statewide campaign is a different story.

King didn’t care for the recent “autopsy” report from the Republican National Committee. On Friday he told the panel on “Iowa Press,” “I think the [Republican] party would have been significantly better off if that document had never been released.”

Finally, they say that any publicity is good publicity, but State Senator Brad Zaun probably didn’t appreciate his appearance this week on the front page of the Des Moines Register and its website.

Confirming rumors that have circulated for the last two months, State Senator Liz Mathis told the Associated Press this morning that the timing isn’t right for her to run for Congress in 2014.

Appearing on Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” program today, Representative Steve King (IA-04) acknowledged that the open U.S. Senate race will be a “slight uphill battle” for any Republican, but asserted that he can see a “path to victory” if he decides to run.

I am still 100 percent convinced that King will opt out of the Senate race eventually, citing personal reasons (not political reality). Nevertheless, his comments on the Senate race are worth reading closely, so I’ve enclosed them below. You can watch the whole interview or read the full transcript here.

King claimed to be unable to think of any positions he has taken that are “out of step with Iowans.” Near the end of this post, I’ve suggested two issues that would become central features in Bruce Braley’s case against King.

President Barack Obama is taking another stab at the “grand bargain” he wants to strike with Congressional Republicans. Yet again, he wants to cut Social Security benefits for low- and middle-income seniors in exchange for token tax increases on the wealthiest Americans. He is offering this deal despite evidence that Social Security benefits are a growing percentage of retired Americans’ total income.

Obama’s biggest fans need to stop deluding themselves about “eleven-dimensional chess” and acknowledge that for whatever reason, the president wants Social Security cuts to be part of his legacy.

April is designated the “Month of the Military Child,” with many events and activities scheduled to honor the occasion.

A new study from the University of Iowa indicates that children whose parents are deployed have higher rates of drug and alcohol abuse–another reminder of the massive hidden costs associated with U.S. military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan.  

David Vaudt announced today that he is resigning as Iowa’s state auditor to become chairman of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board.  

What’s on your mind, Bleeding Heartland readers? Four years ago today, the Iowa Supreme Court announced its unanimous ruling in Varnum v Brien, striking down our state’s Defense of Marriage Act. After the jump I’ve posted some links about that case, marriage equality in general, and today’s Iowa Governors Conference on LGBTQ Youth.

This is an open thread: all topics welcome.

The return of Iowa wildflower Wednesday is probably still a couple of weeks away. By the first week of April 2012, many spring wildflowers were already in bloom (far earlier than usual), but even the bloodroot isn’t out yet where I live.  

Several Democrats have already announced plans to run for Iowa House district 99 in Dubuque next year. State Representative Pat Murphy has represented part of that city for more than 20 years. He is leaving the state legislature to run for Congress in Iowa’s first district.

After the jump I’ve posted background on Kevin Lynch, Steve Drahozal, Abby Finkenauer and Greg Simpson, along with a map of House district 99 and the latest voter registration totals. More candidates may emerge in this strongly Democratic House seat before the filing deadline in March 2014. One or more of the current candidates may opt out of the race before the filing deadline.

APRIL 5 UPDATE: Erin Murphy of the Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reports that Lynch has decided not to pursue this campaign. According to a Bleeding Heartland reader in Dubuque, both Drahozal and Finkenauer (but not Lynch) addressed county Democrats at the off-year caucus in March.

Representative Bruce Braley’s campaign for U.S. Senate rolled out its largest batch of endorsements today: 71 state legislators. All 26 Iowa Senate Democrats plus 45 of the 47 Iowa House Democrats are named in the press release I’ve posted after the jump. For some reason, Iowa House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and former Iowa House Speaker Pat Murphy are not in this group. Murphy is running for the first Congressional district seat Braley is vacating.

Earlier this week, Braley’s campaign announced that it raised more than $1 million during the first quarter. That is a solid number, and I’ll be interested to see how the numbers break own (contributions from individuals vs PACs, for instance). Bleeding Heartland will publish a detailed roundup of Iowa Congressional fundraising after all the candidates have filed their reports with the Federal Election Commission. Those reports are due April 15.

In an ideal world, evidence that more than half of Midwest rivers and streams can’t support aquatic life would inspire policy-makers to clean up our waterways. Rivers that are suitable for swimming, fishing, and other recreation can be a huge economic engine for Iowa communities.

We live in Iowa, where most of our lawmakers take the Patty Judge view: “Iowa is an agricultural state and anyone who doesn’t like it can leave in any of four directions.”

Yesterday the Iowa House approved a bill to relax manure storage regulations for large confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs). All of the House Republicans and two-thirds of the Democrats supported this bad legislation. Details on the bill and the House vote are below.

Mike Sherzan announced by e-mail this afternoon that he will not run for Congress in Iowa’s third district because of “personal health issues.” His full statement is after the jump. Sherzan says his campaign will return all contributions collected since he launched his candidacy last month.

I’m sure everyone in the Bleeding Heartland community joins me in wishing Sherzan a full recovery from his health problems. Any comments about the IA-03 race are welcome in this thread. Other potential Democratic candidates include former State Senator Staci Appel of Warren County and Dr. Andy McGuire, a health insurance company executive who ran for lieutenant governor in the 2006 Democratic primary.

Whoever takes on ten-term incumbent Tom Latham will face an uphill battle in the district. On paper, it looks like a tossup with 158,877 registered Democrats, 165,134 Republicans, and 156,973 no-party voters as of April 2013. However, Latham has routinely outperformed the top of the Republican ticket in his re-election campaigns.  

The FAMiLY Leader’s strange obsession with the Iowa Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth is well-established. Last year, the socially conservative organization led by Bob Vander Plaats was so focused on getting Governor Terry Branstad to drop his affiliation with this conference that they were too “busy” to protest as the governor wined and dined the future Communist ruler of China (world leader in coerced abortions).

The FAMiLY Leader was at it again last week, throwing a fit over the 8th Annual Governor’s Conference on LGBTQ Youth scheduled for April 3. For this post, I don’t want to focus on the “ludicrous” concerns raised by people like Chuck Hurley (“Stop coming after my kids and other people’s kids with evil propaganda”). I don’t want to focus on how Branstad “ducked rather than draw fire from name-callers” with this weak response to the controversy.

Today I’m more interested in sixteen Republican lawmakers who showed their solidarity with the FAMiLY Leader by making an idiotic promise they can’t possibly keep.