Is experience of Grassley, Harkin good or bad for Iowa?
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After decades of sending Republican Chuck Grassley and Democrat Tom Harkin to represent them in the U.S. Senate, Iowans are seeing their power team reach a milestone in public service.
A study this month by the University of Minnesota finds the two senators from opposing parties have racked up more side-by-side experience than any other state’s current senatorial delegation — by far. Harkin and Grassley have served together for 21,925 days, or just over 60 years, far ahead of second-place Michigan, whose senators Carl Levin and Debbie Stabenow have served a combined total of 16,812 days, or about 46 years.
When Congress’s entire history is included, Harkin and Grassley place fifth on the all-time list, behind past Senate delegations from South Carolina (1), Mississippi (2), Arkansas (3) and Maine (4).
Both Grassley and Harkin say the real benefit of their tenure is their ability to influence the agenda in a town where seniority is sacrosanct and legislation is nearly impossible without relationships. Recent legislation with far-reaching effects on Iowa such as the federal farm bill, wind energy tax credits and dairy programs, for example, all have been heavily influenced by the two men.
What do you think of their long-term tenures of Grassley and Harkin? Is their experience a positive or a negative for Iowa in the big picture?
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Retire them both. Their records as porkmeisters have been adequate, which no doubt keeps them in office, but to call either of them “statesmen” is to make a very bad joke, as they both put slavish allegiance to their Parties above the interests of Iowans and the nation as a whole. In this last respect Grassley has long since eclipsed Harkin; but Harkin (particularly in his early years in office) was hardly a model of independent integrity, either.
I say gut the whole system. Congress and Senators. To many life long politicians on Board that arent doing Americans any good! They all seem to be in it for there own good! Look at the pathetic direction this countries taken the last several years!
I have voted for both Grassley and Harkin many times in the past but as far as Grassley is concerned I think that’s very unlikely in the future. Just two examples: 1. His repeating the Health Insurance Industry propaganda slogan “don’t pull the plug on grandma” ( campaign contributions by the industry well spent !). 2. His reprehensible vote against Senate ratification of the UN treaty on the rights of persons with disabilities ( pretty clearly appealing to the ultra conservative paranoid base that fears takeover of US sovereignty by the UN (watch for those black helicopters ! )). Either “statesman” ? Nah — certainly not compared to someone like Jim Leach.
Early in their respective Senate careers, I voted for Grassley, and for Harkin’s opponent. My early impression of Grassley in office was that he was a down-to-earth guy who sincerely desired to rein in the absurd spending excesses of the 1980′s Pentagon. My early impression of Harkin prior to his election to the Senate was that he was a populist panderer (not unlike Grifter Bob) who was more interested in self-aggrandizement than public service. These poles have largely swapped over the decades, with Grassley seeming to me to undergo the bigger (and more negative) transformation of the two, to a burned-out party hack who seems only capable of feebly strewing tacks on the highway of progressivism. Harkin will probably be ever associated with the Ameicans with Disabilities Act- and not much since them. His principal function now seems to be to serve as the political counterweight to our Other Senator.
Surely, Iowa can do better.
I guess it’s too much to ask that a reasoned and informative response be posted in response to what is essentially a bumper sticker slogan prompt on term limits
I’m willing to bet that neither Hagen or Lorenz can list five issues that matter to them and talk about either Grassly or Harkin in relation to those issues.
Throw da bums out. Yeah I guess that about covers everything.
Ask too much? Perhaps. I know enough about Lorenz to know his intellect and knowledge base is far superior to the average. Whether or not he has, or chooses to spend, the time to respond remains to be seen. If he doesn’t I’d speculate it’s not high enough on his priority list.
Roberta,I will say this. They both support and voted for the NDAA bill! That alone puts up a big white flag for me! As far as your request. Im not on here to argue against a supporter of proffesional politicians! Im here to make comments and start conversation.
Hagen,
I think you meant “red flag” A white flag means surrender.
I assume you’re referring to the National Defense Authorization Act, indefinite detention. I pulled this from the Huffington Post:
“In November, a bipartisan group of Senators affixed an amendment to the NDAA that would have explicitly prohibited the military from detaining American citizens on US soil. But earlier this week, a House-Senate conference committee led by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) stripped away that measure”
There’s a difference between voting for a large appropriations bill with a provision you don’t like and actively promoting that provision. Do you know the positions of Grassley and Harken on that provision?
Of course the provision is an abomination. Any decent person would regard it as such. But to assume that a 100% turn-over in both houses over the next couple of elections is going to fix it is, at best, naive.
It’s been a long tough fight through the courts to get Gitmo detainees even the minimal rights they have now. And it’s going to be more of the same to get rid of this abomination. There are times when democracy fails us and we have to depend on the law. Just ask members of the LGBT community.
Although it’s nice to have the seniority, I can’t see where either of these two have done any bang-up job getting our federal tax dollars back home. Once elected, however, you can re-elect any old dog incumbent in Iowa, and I’d bet either of them can hold the seat as long as they choose. With the U.S. Congress being the peoples branch of government it’s plain that we get the government we deserve. Nowhere more true than here.
Yes, it’s an old observation that people seldom get the government that they need; but the always get the government that they deserve.
Haulover,
Google makes this way too easy.
In 2005, Iowa sent $17,830,000 in taxes to Washington and got $20,345,000 back. In other words Iowans got $1.10 back for every $1 sent. Iowa ranked 24th in amount received vs sent.
Source:
Center for Tax Policy: Federal tax paid vs Federal Spending 1981-2005
The majority get the government they deserve. The rest get the government the majority deserves.