Harkin (D-Ia.) to kick off campaign for fifth term in U.S. Senate

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Omaha World Herald

BY JOSEPH MORTON
WORLD-HERALD BUREAU

WASHINGTON — Tom Harkin will make if official Monday that he is seeking a fifth term in the U.S. Senate.

The Iowa Democrat has scheduled nearly 20 fundraising events and rallies around the state this weekend leading up to Monday's campaign kickoff in his hometown of Cumming, Iowa.

Republican Rep. Steve King, who represents western Iowa's 5th Congressional District, has been mentioned as a possible challenger. King is scheduled to announce his plans today.

Harkin has been a champion of numerous liberal causes, including withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq. He chuckled when asked Thursday about the prospect of squaring off against King, who has been a conservative voice on numerous issues, including immigration.


Read more: http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_page=2835&u_sid=10276828

[IowaGuy]

1. King....????? LOL

Oh it's good to be Harkin....the backlash amongst Iowa moderate and business type rethugs against the Christian wingnuts in this state is palpable and growing. Harkin is generally pretty liberal for the kind of state this is....but a fruitcake like King is going to make things easy on him. King will say something incredibly stupid every week of the campaign...count on it. King will probably carry the western third of the state, but lose big everywhere else.

[roody]

2. How does Harkin explain his vote for the invasion

of Iraq?

[High Plains]

3. I'm starting to think ol' Tom should retire

I think marijuana has destroyed his brain--not using the herb, just thinking about it. He sent out a horrible, Reefer Madness-style letter last week that was just pathetically laughable. Talking about people selling their kids for drugs and all the marijuana-associated hospital ER visits.

But even more pernicious is his championing of the Byrne Justice Action Grant (JAG) program. These ar the grants that fund all those cowboy anti-drug task forces all around the country. You know, the guys who brought you Tulia, the guys who are kicking in doors across the land. In one of its rare acts of wisdom, the Bush administration has been trying to zero out this program for the past three years, but Democratic senators like Harkin, who think they can score tough on crime points, keep sucking up to all those cops and sheriffs screaming for more money and trying to restore the funding.

Fuck them. And fuck Harkin. Tom, if y'all in Iowa want to spend your tax dollars chasing down dopers, spend your own goddamned dollars to do it, not mine.