22 Sep 2014

Braley for Iowa Launches the Braley Truth Team

By Sam Lau
Truth Team will fight the smears and set the record straight on Bruce's record standing up for Iowa

Des Moines, IA - With just 46 days to go until Election Day and given Bruce Braley's building momentum, Iowans can expect the misleading and false attacks from state Sen. Joni Ernst and her Koch brother allies to ratchet up in the coming weeks. To fight the smears, today Braley for Iowa launched the Braley Truth Team to set the record straight on Bruce's record standing up for Iowa.

Iowans can learn the truth about Bruce Braley's record and find out more about how to join the Truth Team by visiting the following website: http://www.brucebraley.com/truth-team/

The Truth Team will engage Iowans who want to help push back against the distortions of Braley's record and let Iowans know the truth. Through the use of videos, graphics, blogs, and plain and simple facts, the Truth Team will fight against the false attacks coming from Ernst and her allies and ensure Iowans have the facts on Braley's record of delivering results for Iowa.

"While state Sen. Joni Ernst and her Koch brother allies will continue to spend millions of dollars on false and misleading attacks against Bruce Braley, they can't change the truth of Bruce's record standing up for Iowa," said Braley for Iowa campaign manager Sarah Benzing. "The Braley Truth Team will fight these baseless smears and ensure Iowans have the facts on where Bruce stands and what he's accomplished for Iowa."

More than $14 million in outside money has already been spent this cycle to defeat Bruce Braley, including over $8.5 million from the oil billionaire Koch brothers network who want to buy Iowa's U.S. Senate seat to fulfill their anti-Iowa agenda. Time after time, these attacks against Bruce have been rated false by independent fact checkers, and the Truth Team will aggressively make sure the facts on Bruce's record are shared with Iowans.

Yesterday, Braley for Iowa released a new television advertisement that responded to the latest false attacks from Ernst and the Koch brothers on Bruce's voting record. The truth is Bruce Braley has a 95% voting record in Congress, and he has consistently delivered results for Iowa's veterans, like when he stood up to the Pentagon to ensure members of the Iowa National Guard received the benefits they had earned, and worked to get the Department of Defense to change the way they dealt with domestic violence and sexual assault in their ranks. However, excluding the time that she was serving in the National Guard, Ernst missed 36 percent of her votes this year in the Iowa Senate while she was being paid to show up to work.

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22 Sep 2014

KWQC-TV6 sponsors and moderates three live debates in prime time

By Garry Lee Wright

KWQC-TV6, the top-rated NBC affiliate in Eastern Iowa & Western Illinois, is producing three "Decision 2014" debates for critical races in Iowa.  Each debate will air during network prime time.

·         Saturday, September 20th, from 7-8pm: Iowa Gubernatorial candidates Gov. Terry Branstad (R) and State Sen. Jack Hatch (D) debate live from Edward Stone Middle School in Burlington, IA.  Topics of discussion include economic prosperity and job creation.  The debate is presented in partnership with the Burlington Hawk Eye newspaper and Greater Burlington Partnership.  In addition to broadcasting on KWQC-TV 6.1, the debate will be simulcast on kwqc.com, thehawkeye.com and C-Span.

·         Saturday, October 11th, from 7-8pm:  U.S Senate candidates Rep. Bruce Braley (D) and State Sen. Joni Ernst (R).  Live from The Galvin Fine Arts Center in Davenport, hosted by St. Ambrose University and in partnership with The Quad-City Times, this debate has taken on national importance as the outcome may very well decide control of the U.S. Senate.  The debates will stream on kwqc.com and qctimes.com.  KWQC-TV6 is also providing a live feed to Waterloo station KWWL, which will also carry the live broadcast.

·         Saturday, October 11th, from 4-5pm (airing from 8-9pm): The 2nd Congressional District debate between Rep. Dave Loebsack (D) and Dr. Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R) will be recorded live at 4pm from the Galvin Fine Arts Center in Davenport and air at 8 p.m. on KWQC-TV6, following that evening's Senate debate.  The Congressional debate, produced by KWQC-TV6, is also hosted by St. Ambrose University, in partnership with The Quad-City Times.

KWQC-TV6 anchor Gary Metivier will moderate each debate and lead a panel of political experts in asking questions on key issues impacting Eastern Iowa, the state, and the country.

"KWQC is proud and honored to present the candidates in a live forum so close to Election Day," said KWQC-TV6 VP/General Manager Ken Freedman.  "Giving our communities the chance to hear directly from the candidates, addressing issues affecting them in a format other than thirty-second political ads will help create a more informed electorate," Freedman said.

KWQC-TV6 News Director Rich Kurz said, "KWQC covers the issues that affect our region better that anyone and we're pleased the candidates accepted our offer of a prime time forum to speak directly to each other and address the critical issues of our time."

About Media General
Media General, Inc. is a leading local television broadcasting and digital media company, providing top-rated news, information and entertainment in strong markets across the U.S. The company owns or operates 31 network-affiliated broadcast television stations and their associated digital media and mobile platforms, in 28 markets. These stations reach 16.5 million, or 14%, of U.S. TV households. Their network affiliations include CBS (12), NBC (9), ABC (7), Fox (1), MyNetwork TV (1) and CW (1). Sixteen of the 31 stations are located in the top 75 designated market areas. Media General first entered the local television business in 1955 when it launched WFLA in Tampa, Florida as an NBC affiliate. The company subsequently expanded its station portfolio through acquisition. In November of 2013, Media General and Young Broadcasting merged, combining Media General's 18 stations and Young's 13 stations into the 31-member group that exists today. Five of the stations have been on the air since 1949: WCMH in Columbus, Ohio; WVTM in Birmingham, Alabama; WJAR in Providence, Rhode, Island; KWQC in Davenport, Iowa; and KRON in San Francisco.
22 Sep 2014

Loebsack: "Do Nothing" Republican Congress Continues to Do Nothing

By Rick Martin

Washington, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack released the following statement today after Republicans leaders recessed and sent Congress home until after the election while a mountain of critical work remains on the table. Loebsack and his colleagues sent a letter to Speaker Boehner to urge him to keep Congress in session until the issues facing the nation are addressed.

"With the amount of work that remains unaddressed by Republican leaders, it is baffling that they are sending us home. While I will be working, traveling around and meeting with Iowans, I was elected to actually tackle the tough problems that are facing our country, like growing the economy and creating jobs, not play political games. The list of items that remain undone really does go on and on.

"I have called on Congress to remain in session and I remain committed to working with anyone to finish the work that Iowans are demanding. There is too much critical work to get done before sending Congress home."

Among the issues that have not been dealt with include :

  • Comprehensive jobs package,
  • Unemployment insurance,
  • Tax Extenders  (PTC, biodiesel),
  • Elementary and Secondary Education Act (No Child Left Behind),
  • Sustainable Growth Rate,
  • Postal Reform,
  • Higher Education Act Reauthorization,
  • Long-term highway bill,

·         Comprehensive Immigration Reform, to name a few.

###
22 Sep 2014

Iowa Credit Union League Supports Braley for Senate, Branstad for Governor

By Emily Caropreso

Dubuque, Iowa - During its annual convention being held in Dubuque, the Iowa Credit Union League (ICUL) announced that it is supporting Bruce Braley for United States Senate and Terry Branstad for Governor. In addition, ICUL also announced its support of Pat Murphy for Iowa's First Congressional District One and Dave Loebsack for Iowa's Second Congressional District.

"These candidates understand the unique role the credit unions play as non-profit, financial cooperatives. They also have been strong supporters of ensuring credit unions are able to provide their one million Iowa members with needed financial services in a marketplace that is quickly changing. It is with great enthusiasm that we announce our support for these candidates today," said Patrick S. Jury, CEO/President, ICUL.

"Congressman Braley has been supportive of Iowa's credit unions since he was first elected to Congress back in 2006. He understands and supports credit unions' cooperative model and tax structure, and supports providing small businesses with better access to capital by lifting the business lending cap placed on credit unions in federal law. Bruce Braley is a champion for credit union and he will be an outstanding United States Senator," Jury said.

"Governor Branstad has been a credit union member for decades and understands the value Iowa's credit unions provide to more than one million members in Iowa. He has consistently stood with us as we seek to provide our members better services while helping them keep more of their own hard-earned money. Iowa's credit unions have a friend in Governor Terry Branstad," he said.

In addition to making these endorsements, ICUL also announced it has, to date, supported 102 candidates running for the state legislature, a list is provided below. ICUL's Advocacy Committee and its non-partisan political action committee, CUPAC, evaluate candidates solely on their support for credit union issues.

"As the trade association for Iowa's credit unions, we feel it is important to provide this information to our members, so they can make decisions," Jury said. "The endorsements do not reflect the opinions of individual credit union members or staff."

2014 CUPAC Supported Candidates 
Abdul-Samad, Ako (D - Des Moines)
Anderson, Marti (D - Des Moines)
Finkenauer, Abby (D - Dubuque)
Staed, Art (D - Cedar Rapids)
Bacon, Rob (R - Slater)
Baudler, Clel (R - Greenfield)
Bearinger, Bruce (D - Oelwein)
Bennett, Liz (D - Cedar Rapids)
Berry, Deb (D - Waterloo)
Brown Powers, Timi (D - Waterloo)
Byrnes, Josh (R - Osage)
Cohoon, Dennis (D - Burlington)
Costello, Mark (R - Imogene)
Cownie, Peter (R - West Des Moines)
Dawson, David (D - Sioux City)
Deyoe, Dave (R - Nevada)
Dolecheck, Cecil (R - Mount Ayr)
Drake, Jack (R - Griswold)
Forbes, John (D - Urbandale)
Forristall, Greg (R - Macedonia)
Fry, Joel (R -Osceola) 
Gaines, Ruth Ann ( D - Des Moines)
Gaskill, Mary (D - Ottumwa)
Grassley, Pat (R -New Hartford)
Gustafson, Stan (R - Cumming)
Hagenow, Chris (R - Windsor Heights)
Hall, Chris (R - Sioux City)
Hanson, Curt (D - Fairfield)
Hanusa, Mary Ann (D - Council Bluffs)
Heartsill, Greg (R - Chariton)
Heaton, Dave (R- Mt. Pleasant)
Heddens, Lisa (D - Ames)
Hein, Lee (R - Monticello)
Hess, Megan (R - Spencer)
Highfill, Jake (R - Johnston)
Holt, Steve (R - Denison)
Hunter, Bruce (D - Des Moines)
Huseman, Dan (R - Cherokee)
Isenhart, Chuck (D - Dubuque)
Jacoby, Dave (D - Coralville)
Jorgensen, Ron (R - Sioux City)
Kaufmann, Bobby (R - Wilton)
Kearns, Jerry (D - Keokuk)
Kelley, Dan (D - Newton)
Klein, Jarad (R - Keota)
Koester, Kevin (R - Ankeny)
Kressig, Bob (D - Cedar Falls)
Landon, John (R - Ankeny)
Lensing, Vicki (D - Iowa City)
Lundby, Daniel (R - Marion)
Lykam, Jim (D - Davenport)
Mascher, Mary (D - Iowa City)
Maxwell, David (R - Gibson)
McConkey, Charlie (D - Council Bluffs)
Meyer, Brian (D - Des Moines)
Miller, Helen (D - Fort Dodge)
Miller, Linda (R - Bettendorf)
Moore, Brian (R - Bellevue)
Muhlbauer, Dan (D - Manilla)
Oldson, Jo (D - Des Moines)
Olson, Rick (D - Des Moines)
Ourth, Scott (D - Ackworth)
Paulsen, Kraig (R - Hiawatha)
Prichard, Todd (D - Charles City)
Rogers, Walt (D - Waterloo)
Ruff, Patti (D - McGregor)
Running-Marquardt, Kirsten (D- Cedar Rapids)
Sexton, Mike (R - Rockwell City)
Smith, Mark (D - Marshalltown)
Soderberg, Chuck (R - LeMars)
Steckman, Sharon (D - Mason City)
Stutsman, Sally (D - Riverside)
Taylor, Rob (R - West Des Moines)
Taylor, Todd (D - Cedar Rapids)
Thede, Phylis (D - Bettendorf)
Upmeyer, Linda (R - Clear Lake)
Vander Linden, Guy (R - Oskaloosa)
Wessel-Kroeschell, Beth (D - Ames)
Wills, John (R - Spirit Lake)
Winckler, Cindy (D - Davenport)
Wolfe, Mary (D - Clinton)
Wood, Frank (D - Eldridge)
Worthan, Gary (R - Storm Lake)

Senate
Anderson, Bill (R - Pierson)
Beall, Daryl (D - Fort Dodge)
Bertrand, Rick (R - Sioux City)
Bisignano, Tony (D - Des Moines)
Bolkcom, Joe (D - Iowa City)
Bowman, Tod (D - Maquoketa)
Chelgren, Mark (R - Ottumwa)
Dix, Bill (R - Shell Rock)
Dotzler, Bill (D - Waterloo)
Dvorsky, Robert (D - Coralville)
Feenstra, Randy (R - Hull)
Hart, Rita (D - Wheatland)
Hogg, Rob (D - Cedar Rapids)
McCoy, Matt (D - Des Moines)
Quirmbach, Herman (D - Ames)
Ragan, Amanda (D - Mason City)
Schultz, Jason (R -Schleswig)
Smith, Roby (R - Bettendorf)
Whitver, Jack (R - Ankeny)

About the Iowa Credit Union League
The Iowa Credit Union League is the trade association that represents the interests of Iowa credit unions and their more than one million members. Credit unions are not-for-profit, financial cooperatives owned and operated by their members. Iowans use their credit union membership to receive higher interest rates on savings and lower interest rates on loans. For more information on ICUL and Iowa credit unions, visit www.IowaCreditUnions.com. Follow ICUL on Twitter at www.twitter.com/icul or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/iowacreditunions.To learn more about credit unions, visit www.ASmarterChoice.org.

###

19 Sep 2014

Bobby Schilling's upcoming events

By Bobby Schilling
Saturday 9am: Canton Friendship Parade. Line-up at 9am, parade starts at 10am. Bring your Bobby Schilling t-shirt! For more information contact Sean Fitzgerrel at 217-972-2356.

Sunday 11am: Henderson County GOP Picnic at Delbar State Park

Sunday 4pm: Old fashioned BBQ with Aaron Schock and Bobby Schilling, Bush Farms, 6706 78th Ave W, Milan
19 Sep 2014

Sen. Debbie Stabenow Joins Braley for Iowa Conference Call Unveiling Report on Damaging Impacts of Ernst's Reckless Energy Plans

By Braley for Iowa
Des Moines, IA - TODAY, September 16, 2014 at 10:15am, Senator Debbie Stabenow will join a Braley for Iowa conference call that will unveil a new report that details the damaging economic impacts of state Sen. Joni Ernst's reckless ideas on energy policy. State Sen. Ernst is "philosophically opposed" to energy subsidies, and her campaign has confirmed that "in a perfect world, in a free market, she would support doing away with (the RFS)."

A new report released today by Braley for Iowa details the damaging consequences state Sen. Ernst's energy plan would have in Iowa - including jeopardizing jobs, costing Iowa's economy billions of dollars, and reducing private sector business investment in Iowa.
19 Sep 2014

ARA Candidate Forum Sunday September 21st

By Tom Seymour

Center for Active Seniors, 1035 West Kimberly Road, Davenport              2:00pm until 4:00pm

Moderator:  Jim Mertens

The Quad Cities Chapter of the Iowa Alliance for Retired Americans is sponsoring a candidate forum for contested Iowa House and Senate Districts.  Invited candidates include those in:

Iowa House:

HD 92:  Frank Wood and Ross Paustian

HD 93:  Phyllis Thede and Mark Ross

HD 97:  Norlin Mommsen and Jay Saxon

 

Iowa Senate:

SD 47:  Roby Smith and Maria Briebriesco

SD 49:  Rita Hart and Brian Schmidt

 

This will be a professionally moderated forum, with questions related to senior issues at the state level submitted from the audience and selected by moderator Jim Mertens.

 

The purpose of the forum is to allow seniors the opportunity to hear the candidates speak about these issues before the mail balloting begins on September 22.

19 Sep 2014

Braley Crossed Party Divide to Help Boost Small Business Hiring

By Sam Lau
Braley's "Back to Work Act" Helped Businesses Hire Tens of Thousands of Iowans
Des Moines, IA - Today, Braley for Iowa released a new 30 second television advertisement touting Bruce Braley's work delivering results to Iowans, focusing on his efforts to reach across the party divide to cut taxes for small businesses and hire tens of thousands of Iowans.

The ad, titled "Roads," features John Moyna, the owner of C.J. Moyna & Sons in Elkader, IA, whose family has worked to build and fix roads across Iowa for more than 70 years. Moyna details how during the recent recession, when hiring was tough for businesses like his own, Braley reached across the party divide to pass his "Back to Work Act" which provided tax breaks for companies who hired workers who had been unemployed for more than 60 days.

Moyna said, "In the heart of the recession, it was a tough time to try to add employees and grow. But Bruce Braley stepped up and proposed a tax break to help companies hire unemployed workers. Braley's idea actually passed with support of Democrats and Republicans, putting tens of thousands of Iowans back to work. Bruce Braley gets things done for Iowa."

This is the third ad in the past month from Braley for Iowa focused on Braley's record of delivering results for Iowans. In August, the campaign released ads on his efforts to strengthen the military's response to sexual assault and domestic violence and to ensure hundreds of members of the Iowa National Guard received the pay they had earned.

The ad is airing on broadcast and cable television statewide across Iowa, and can be viewed at the following link: http://youtu.be/M2W2XtnVmEU
15 Sep 2014

Did Rep. Bustos Forget She Cut Veterans Benefits By $6 Billion?

By Jon Schweppe
New Bustos ad claims she cares about veterans, but why did she vote to cut their benefits?

And where was Congresswoman Bustos during the VA crisis?

EAST MOLINE, Ill.?In an effort to inoculate herself from her heartless vote to cut veterans benefits by $6 billion, Cheri Bustos is up on air with a new commercial, paid for by liberal special interest groups and wealthy D.C. lobbyists.

Jon Schweppe, communications director at Bobby Schilling for Congress, released the following statement:

"Cheri Bustos voted to cut veterans benefits by $6 billion by voting for the Ryan-Murray budget in 2013. Six. Billion. Dollars. She can run commercials wrapping herself in the American flag all she wants, but veterans haven't forgotten her heartless vote that cut veterans benefits by $6 billion.

"On top of that, Congresswoman Bustos failed to lead when veterans needed her most during the VA scandal. While veterans were dying on wait-lists at a VA hospital in Arizona, Cheri Bustos said and did nothing.

"Bobby Schilling led first on this issue. Schilling introduced the Enhanced Veterans Health Care Experience Act back in 2011, a bill that would solve the VA wait-listing issue by allowing veterans to use their own doctors in their own hometowns. Schilling's bill was included as a provision in this summer's VA reform legislation that passed the House unanimously 426-0 and has now been signed into law.

"Cheri Bustos might say she cares about veterans on TV, but her actions have proven otherwise. It says something about a politician's priorities when they say cutting $6 billion to veterans benefits is 'right for America.' If Cheri Bustos truly cared about veterans, then she should have kept her promise to give back ten percent of her salary and given the $34,800 to a veterans charity?instead, she refused to keep her word and refused to help veterans."

Bobby Schilling (R-Colona) was born and raised in Rock Island, Illinois. He has been married to his wife, Christie for 28 years and together they have 10 children. Schilling represented the Illinois 17th District in the U.S. House of Representatives from 2011-2012, serving on the House Armed Services Committee, the House Agriculture Committee, and the House Small Business Committee. Schilling is seeking another term and is running against incumbent Congresswoman Cheri Bustos.

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11 Sep 2014

PATE PLAN PROMOTES AND STRENGTHENS IOWA ELECTIONS

By Paid for by Pate for Iowa

ENCOURAGE VOTER PARTICIPATION AND ELECTION INTEGRITY

Make it Easy to Vote and Hard to Cheat

(Cedar Rapids, IA)  Today, former Iowa Secretary of State and Mayor of Cedar Rapids, Paul D. Pate has released his plan to encourage voter participation while strengthening the integrity of Iowa's elections.

I traveled all across this great state meeting with county auditors and listening to their advice and concerns which prompted me to host a bi-partisan roundtable summit in Des Moines.  There we discussed many issues including voter participation while maintaining the integrity of the election process.  Today I am sharing a plan to strengthen Iowa elections to make it easy to vote and hard to cheat.

  1. VOTER ID: Like a majority of Iowans, I believe we need a verifiable voter identification tool to be used when voters go to the polls to cast a ballot.  Currently 93% of registered voters in Iowa already have a driver's license with photo ID that includes a bar code on the back which may be scanned.  The information provided in the bar code identifies your residency, citizenship and voter eligibility.  I will seek funding to provide the remaining 7% a non-driver ID card from the Department of Transportation.
  2. TECHNOLOGY: Enhance technology like signature verification for absentee ballots.  Provide an online voter information app so you can easily find where you vote and review a sample ballot.  I support the expanded use of electronic poll books to ease voter check-in, increase accuracy and voter verification.  Currently 68 counties use electronic poll books and I will work to expand this technology to all 99 counties.
  3. ABSENTEE BALLOTS: I propose to eliminate absentee ballot couriers from the election process.  Absentee ballots are one of the highest risks for voter fraud.  I believe no one should be touching your absentee ballot except you, an authorized election official or a postal worker.
  4. POST ELECTION AUDITS: No voting system is perfect and the number of states requiring post election audits has increased over the last few years according to data collected by The PEW Charitable Trust.  Some benefits of post election audits include; finding errors, deterring fraud and promoting public confidence in elections.  Working with county auditors I will implement a post election audit system in Iowa.
  5. YOUTH VOTER REGISTRATION: Work closely with Iowa's high schools to encourage our youth to be active in their government and to ensure every high school student on graduation day has both a diploma and a voter registration card in their hands,
  6. ONLINE VOTER REGISTRATION: As of June 2014 a total of 20 states offer online voter registration and four more states passed legislation to create online voter registration systems while three states offer limited online voter registration.  I will work with the Iowa Legislature and support passage of online voter registration that will be secure, prevent fraud and provide long-term cost savings as well as modernize our voting system.
  7. INTERSTATE EXCHANGE OF VOTER LISTS: Continue to participate in the Interstate Voter Registration Cross Check program which is a plan created to help states maintain accurate and current voter registration rolls.  This program helps ensure voters are correctly registered at one location.  I will also explore being part of the Electronic Registration Information Center organization.

Pate, "During my term as Secretary of State, Iowa had a record number of registered voters and was in the Top 10 nationally in voter participation in a presidential election.  I created bi-partisan programs to encourage voter participation like "Get in the Game" with Iowa Football coach Hayden Fry and Iowa State Coach Dan McCarney as well as "Generation VOTE" with Iowa native Terri Farrell of Deep Space Nine.  With these outreach programs we were able to reach over 65,000 first time voters.  For the youth we worked closely with Iowa's high school government teachers to implement the "Kids Caucus" program to educate over 100,000 students about our unique presidential caucus program.  I will continue making such efforts to best serve the people of Iowa."

A nationally recognized small business leader by the Small Business Administration, Pate is the owner of a paving construction firm in Marion.  His company is recognized as a "Patriotic Employer" by the National Committee for Employer Support for the Guard and Reserve.  Pate recently served as Mayor of Cedar Rapids from 2002 -2006.  While Mayor, Pate was elected President of the non-partisan Iowa League of Cities representing over 870 municipalities.  Previously, he served as Iowa Secretary of State from 1995-1999 and represented NE Cedar Rapids, Marion and parts of Linn, Buchanan and Delaware Counties in the Iowa Senate from 1989-1995.

Pate is a lifelong Iowa resident, born in Ottumwa, growing up in Linn County.

 

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