Iowa U.S. Dem Senate Candidate: "the invisible thumb of the Democratic Party is on Hillary’s side."

[Fawke Em]

Iowa Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Thomas Fiegen’s support for presidential candidate Bernie Sanders was cut from his introduction at a major party event last month, Fiegen claimed in an online conversation with supporters this week.

Fiegen, an attorney from Clarence, told a supporter during an “Ask Me Anything” session on the social website Reddit on Wednesday that his endorsement for Sanders was “edited out” of the short biographical blurb read by Iowa Democratic Party Chairwoman Andy McGuire during the party’s annual Jefferson-Jackson Dinner on Oct. 24.

The fundraiser is the largest party event of the year and was attended by all three Democratic presidential candidates and thousands of party activists.

Fiegen presented the omitted endorsement in his AMA session and elsewhere as evidence of a divide between a party establishment that supports presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton and a grassroots that backs Sanders. In an interview with the Register Thursday, he described a widespread perception that "the invisible thumb of the Democratic Party is on Hillary’s side" in the presidential nomination race.

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/elections/presidential/caucus/2015/11/19/senate-candidate-tom-fiegen-describes-iowa-democrats-split/76065866/

Pretty obvious to most of us, but glad he said it out loud.

[rurallib]

1. love Tom - he would make a great senator

one of the sharpest economic minds I have ever met

[winter is coming]

2. How's his race going? n/t

[rurallib]

5. Unfortunately Tom is a lesser candidate

There are 4 competing to run against the King of Iowa, Chuck Grassley - Tom Fiegan, Bob Krause, Robb Hogg and I heard recently Ray Zirkleback(sp?).

Hogg is a sitting state senator and well regarded left of middle candidate. Right now I would say he is the favorite. Tom and Bob Krause have become perpetual candidates. Both are quite liberal and their positions are mainstream old Dem, but but both have been out of office for quite a while. IIRC Tom served one term as state senator before he was defeated @ 2004 or 2007.

I worked for time on his last run in 2010. We just couldn't generate any buzz. The state party went out and recruited Roxanne Conlin to run against Grass. This campaign looks very similar, very longshot.

Tom works tirelessly visiting county party events across the state. Everybody loves what he says and his positions. He has a powerful stump speech, but when the voting comes Iowans look for the familiar name, which as of now is Robb Hogg (pronounced hogue, BTW)

Tom's profession is as a bankruptcy lawyer, so he is very, very familiar with the devastation our idiotic (Repug and Dem) economic policies have caused at a personal level. He has saved many many folks from losing it all. He is an everyday hero.

[winter is coming]

6. That's a shame. Still, good on him for working all those events and fighting the good fight. n/t

[rurallib]

7. yeah - he's a great guy and a friend

He and Bernie are almost right down the line in economic outlook.

Wish I had a magic wand - I'd put out a spell that would put him over the top.

[cantbeserious]

3. Obvious For Months Now

eom

[merrily]

4. Wow, he's not even an incumbent yet. This is a real Profile in Courage.

I can't find a donation page really quickly, but here's his facebook page. Give this hero some love!

https://www.facebook.com/tom.felgen.3

[Jarqui]

8. From that article, he went on to say

"My question is: Why is it that my endorsement of Bernie was in essence censored?" he said on Thursday. "In the big scheme of things this a blip, but the perception is that the Democratic machine is trying to tilt this election to the point that people who support an alternative candidate are being silenced.”

[deutsey]

22. Sad, isn't it?

The establishment is really showing just how deeply insecure it is.

Even if they win (and I don't doubt they'll make sure they do), they're building a very flimsy foundation from which to govern.

[Omaha Steve]

9. We have had a DU Act Blue link for Tom Since Nov. 2

https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/page/du4tom-fiegen

[Omaha Steve]

12. Who's supporting Tom Fiegen

We just doubled our amount raised so far.

https://secure.actblue.com/entity/fundraisers/41482

[Babel_17]

10. Yup! nt

[Fawke Em]

14. Welcome to DU!

Just friendly note, but you might want to take out "Hitlery" from your post and just replace it with Hillary.

I get your reasoning for using it in that you were talking about stifling dissent like other dictators did, but since you're new here, I'll let you know that the Hill fans will ding you (alert on your post) for using a term that the right has long used for her even though you're in a protected group. This site sometimes does exactly what your post indicates, but as we are only visiting a site that belongs to another person, we must respect his posting rules.

But I will welcome you to our group!

[Demeter]

13. I think that thumb will get cut off

or at the least, nudged aside.

This is a revolution, rather like an avalanche...the conditions are ideal, the first bit of movement is turning the still, quiet landscape into an eventual cataclysm.

[Fawke Em]

16. I think the polling is way, way off on this election.

Not for the same reasons Romney did, mind you. He honestly thought he was immensely popular with the conservative base and that they would turn out to vote for him. He thought the polls weren't weighting conservative voters correctly.

The difference here is two-fold: first, this is a primary and polling is a bit different, which brings me to the second reason the polls seem to be off: in primaries, pollsters have a method for determining likely primary voters and caucus goers that has worked for years, but don't take into consideration new and disenfranchised voters. It's not a matter of weighting them correctly - the pollsters aren't taking them into consideration at all. I normally would agree with this method, but this year is different.

Romney was drawing crowds of up to 14,000 by October 2012, but he was the NOMINEE, not just another candidate in a pack. Bernie packs whatever room he's in and then some and we haven't had the first vote, yet. That's a huge difference the naysayers don't seem to get.

Bernie IS popular with Millennials, many of whom have never voted before or voted enough to be considered a likely primary voter. If they turn out - and all indications from their enthusiasm seem to suggest that the will - then the regular methodology simply won't work.

My only caveat is that, historically, young people don't vote. I hope that isn't true this primary season. If the Millennials show up, Bernie wins. Period.

[in_cog_ni_to]

15. Not really very invisible. They've been pretty blatant with their Wall St. candidate support.

It started with the debate schedule and has progressively (pun Definitely not intended) gotten worse. They're not even trying to be subtle about who they support.

[MisterP]

18. HAMhanded, really: they're damaging themselves more than anyone

and damaging the party, I'd add

[Lorien]

20. Yep. I see more and more people no longer calling themselves "Democrats"

but becoming independents instead because of the corrupt DNC and Little Debbie. They'll vote in the primaries as Dems, but they'll no longer give a dime to the party. DWS and Clinton only have themselves to blame for it.

[MisterP]

21. it's frankly shocking a lot of Dems and indeps (and the non-Jim Jones Pubs)

especially when an informed Dem or indep lays it all out: the constant deck-stacking, the subtle threats of retaliation, the otherwise-inexplicable endorsements, the expulsion of anyone going outside the sacred debate protocol, etc.

but more than anything specific, there's this tremendous atmosphere that we commoners are there to be kept in line, that we're being punished for trying to get into politics instead of leaving it up to the experts

[druidity33]

25. I've helped 4 people

so far change their registration from Independent to either Undeclared (3) or Democrat (1) here in MA. You cannot vote in the Dem primary here if you're registered otherwise. They all are Bernie supporters and want to see him as the nominee... none of them knew they couldn't vote in the primary for him. I worry about this. I found this website and tell as many people as i can...

http://voteforbernie.org/

Cheers

[SoapBox]

17. Gee, Free Speech appears to be under threat...

And that threat is the DNC and it's minions.

Who really would have ever thought!

...wow.

[zentrum]

19. Yup. Well said.

[Scuba]

23. K&R

[rhett o rick]

24. I think the Oligarchy better not underestimate the millions supporting Sen Sanders.

We are fighting the corruption that they are exercising and will not lightly go into the night if they continue to lie, and cheat.

The more shenanigans they pull the fewer progressives will vote for HRC in the general. There already is a move to write Sen Sanders in if he loses the nomination. (for my stalkers, I don't support a write in for Sanders)