Iowa State Senator Ken Rozenboom Loses his Cool
And shows Iowans who he really is...
First, an apology. This piece is going to be a long and wild ride. It will start out slow-ish, then builds. At the bottom, you may have to click through to read the entire piece. Also, sometimes in my response, I am addressing Senator Rozenboom, and at other times the more general readership. The context will provide clarity. Thank you.
Iowa State Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican, is a retired Mahaska County farmer and agribusinessman who serves District 19, which is comprised of parts of Mahaska and Marion Counties, and all of Jasper. He is Chair of the Education Committee, Vice Chair of the Agriculture Committee, and sits on the Natural Resources and Environment and Transportation Committees.
He is one of the most powerful men in Iowa.
In a text and a scorching email to me on August 31 he “took issue” with some things I have written, and with an interview I gave to his Democratic opponent Tyler Stewart before the last election cycle. Tyler is a middle school teacher in the Newton School District. At the time I did the interview I worked for KNIA/KRLS radio in Knoxville/Pella/Indianola, from which I have since retired.
Ken didn’t like my March 18 piece in the Iowa Capital Dispatch titled Drowning Public Schools in the Bathtub to Promote GOP Ideology. But what really got his undies in a bunch was an August 24 piece in the Kansas City Star titled, The Iowa GOP is dismantling water protections: Kansas and Missouri--you’re downstream. In this piece I build on reporting by the Gazette, the Des Moines Register, and the Iowa Capital Dispatch to discuss the fact that the GOP defunded 66-70 water monitoring stations and that Republican members of the Iowa Legislature allegedly pressured the University of Iowa to silence staff member Dr. Chris Jones, the person in charge of the monitors, to quit telling the public about the poor quality of our water in his blog. Chris has since resigned. These are facts.
I took a screenshot of the text Ken sent me and copied his email in full below. I first ramble a little bit about when I learned Ken was upset at me and why, and then discuss and finally annotate those communications.
Here we go. First his text:
Now the email in full:
Bob,
Your absolute hatred for Republicans has exposed you as nothing more than a political hack who tries to masquerade as a journalist.
I chose to ignore your biased interviews with my opponent in last year’s election. I chose to overlook your ignorant diatribe on March 18. You know, the one that blasted Republicans for offering school choice to Iowa families and your bizarre reference to something called the Mohawk Valley Formula from 1936.
But now I’m calling you out. Your August 24 article about water quality is simply pathetic. I’m not going to waste my time refuting all the lies you told in the article. I am going to tell you that using Chris Jones as your source of information reveals just how ignorant you are on this issue. Anyone that knows anything about Chris Jones knows that he hates Iowa farmers, and that he’s never had any interest in the truth. He’s never been a “scientist”, just an activist. He proved that again just a couple of years ago when he weighed in on the beach closure at Red Rock due to high bacteria counts, bacteria that is proven to come from geese and other waterfowl. But Jones told Iowans not to believe the science, just accept his pronouncement that the bacteria comes from Iowa farms.
No one in the Iowa Legislature has worked more on water quality the last 11 years than I have. Because of my efforts, Iowa passed the most significant water quality legislation in our state’s history with SF512, which was the result of 3 years of extensive study and offered the science-based solutions of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This was the first bill signed by Kim Reynolds when she became Governor in 2018. But Bob Leonard never wrote about that. In 11 years, Bob Leonard has never asked me one question about water quality even though I’m regarded (even by Democrats) as the primary driver of water quality efforts in Iowa. But now Bob Leonard has a big mouth about a subject that he clearly has no working knowledge.
I noticed that you took offense earlier this year my observation about our “corrupt” media. Yes, you are one of that crowd. You clowns pat yourselves on the back as the “watchdogs of democracy”. That’s a noble calling. But when the “watchdogs” spend all their time lying about Republicans (think the Russian collusion hoax) while closing their eyes and ears to the corrupt and illegal actions of the other side of the political divide (think Joe Biden), they are worse than useless. They are corrupt.
Now, to top it off, when I ask for your email address you threaten me. You go right ahead Bob. You write what you want. Is that supposed to scare me???
Very intentionally,
Ken Rozenboom
Here is the beginning of my response. I will annotate his email more fully below:
Ken,
Have you ever thought about seeking counseling for your anger management problem? Your rage? And, I have to ask, what are you really angry about? Problems in your personal life? If so, I’m grateful you struck out at me first in a text and an email, rather than someone else in the real world. Happy to help. Yet, there is no way my writing and interview should have triggered this kind of response unless you have other deep-seated issues. And maybe not just anger. A little paranoia maybe? Again, counseling may help.
To those of you reading this who aren’t Ken, I’ve been interviewing him for years. I suspected he was angry with me recently at an event on the topic of energy with the former governor of Arkansas Asa Hutchinson who is running for the Republican nomination for president. Ken, in front of a crowd of about 50 in Pella, and in the preface to a question he asked Hutchinson, called the media corrupt and looked at me. It was supposed to be a civil discussion of Hutchinson’s views on energy, and Ken throws out “corrupt media?” I figured he was just calling names to call names and signal how “powerful” he is. I realize now that Ken’s accusation was also performative in other ways. He wanted to signal to the largely conservative, male audience that he’s a “tough guy,” and is aligned with former President Donald Trump, who regularly maligns the media who rightfully challenge him.
A few minutes later, I stood up and said something like, “Well, as a member of the ‘corrupt’ media, I’d like to ask X.” The moment was tense thanks to Ken, and I realized that I likely had made it worse by addressing his remark, so I added, “Ken and I have been friends for years, so I can say that,” which I think diffused the uncomfortable situation. Some people chuckled, anyway. I certainly wasn’t happy about Ken implying the media, including me, were “corrupt.” It’s tiring, it’s wrong and it’s part of an attempt to discredit the media that has been an integral part of former President Trump’s professional and political life. Trump doesn’t, and neither apparently, does Ken, want you to believe the media when he is challenged, so he tries to undermine us.
Also, given Ken’s text and email, I misspoke when I said Ken and I were “friends.” Clearly, we are not.
When I told a newspaper reporter about the interaction later, he said to me, “Ken is projecting. He does it all the time.”
In a clinical setting, projection is a behavior where people accuse others of their own flaws. It makes sense then that Ken is projecting. Merriam-Webster defines corruption as dishonest or illegal behavior, especially by powerful people (such as government officials). Ken’s the government official, not me. He’s powerful. I’m not. And, Ken takes money from lobbyists to do their bidding, I don’t. One could make the allegation that Ken’s the one who is bought and paid for, and thus corrupt. Sounds like projection to me. Draw your own conclusion.
Do I really think Ken is corrupt? I have no reason to believe so, but it sure is interesting that he accuses others of it so easily and without caution or proof. Sure, I think he is influenced by the money of lobbyists, as are most legislators whether they admit to it or not. It’s a problem with the system. I suggest you look to his donors and his voting record and reach your own conclusions if he is bending to their will. Interestingly, many of his donors and votes align with his own economic self-interests.
Giving Ken the benefit of the doubt (although I am asking myself why?) I think Ken says the media is corrupt because Trump uses it as a bludgeon and Ken mimics him. I don’t think Ken really thinks about what the word “corrupt” means when he hurls the accusation. It’s easy, sloppy, and makes Ken feel closer to Trump. Maybe it gives him goosebumps.
Let me now move to the text exchange. First, Ken, I’m happy you read the Kansas City Star and hope you are a subscriber. It’s a great newspaper that has won eight Pulitzer Prizes since it began publication in 1880. I’m honored to be in it. Seems like you also read the Iowa Capital Dispatch since you didn’t like my piece Drowning Public Schools in the Bathtub to Promote GOP Ideology. They too are a great news organization. I hope you consider a donation.
At the time, the idea that Ken interpreted my caution as a threat was astonishing, and if it were anyone but the apparently straight and narrow Ken Rozenboom, I might have thought it was the whisky talking. Many of us send emails we later regret, and given his public position, I wanted to caution him that I might use what he sent and that he might not like what I did with it. Also, I don’t make email exchanges public without permission. It’s a courtesy, not a threat. Furthermore, he’s the powerful person in this exchange, not me. Again, he’s projecting. He’s threatening. We’ll see more of this soon.
Also, as is common among MAGA Republicans today, Ken positions himself as a victim, providing a rationale for him to strike out. So minimally, two things are going on so far. Projection and the powerful claiming victim status, potentially providing the context for him carrying out the projected threat.
Other factors coming into play seem to be arrogance and privilege. Somehow, I offended Ken’s ego in the Kansas City Star piece, The Iowa GOP is dismantling water protections: Kansas and Missouri--you’re downstream and that is beyond the pale. He apparently is so unused to being challenged it astonishes and angers him from where he sits on high.
Yet, I never mention his name in the Kansas City Star piece. Let me repeat that. I NEVER MENTION HIS NAME. Perhaps because I tell him in my text he might not like what I have to write--that in itself is the outrage. That I even mention we might disagree becomes a “threat.” In Ken’s world, such an utterance is apparently an abomination. Perhaps he is so fragile that the hint he had been involved in something I felt was problematic was too much for him to take. MAGA Republicans call sensitive people like that snowflakes, but I never would.
The phrase “I expect nothing less from you” tells me he thinks little of my character, and that he believes I am a lesser being than he, even though I have done very little if anything to him. This is part of the MAGA playbook, demonizing the other. Immigrants, minorities, the poor, the LGBTQ+ community, the media, whoever they decide they want to make their base fear today.
Apparently, this was supposed to make me feel bad, and inferior and force me to cower in a corner. While it’s not going to happen with me, given Ken’s age, it’s clear that he has had success with this tactic for generations. Also, I should note, that other journalists have told me that he has attempted to intimidate them. I’m not naming them because he would likely retaliate.
Before I begin my annotations, I want to deal with Ken’s insults and accusations against me, the media in general, and Chris Jones in one fell swoop. Here they are, isolated:
(I have) absolute hatred, (I am a) political hack, (I) masquerade as a journalist, biased, ignorant diatribe, bizarre, pathetic, lies, ignorant, (I) have a big mouth, no working knowledge, clowns, lying, corrupt, worse than useless, and threats.
I hadn’t heard the pejorative “big mouth” in years, so immediately sought out its etymology. A bigmouth is a "person who talks too much," and first appeared in American English in 1889, from big + mouth (n.). Earlier as a type of fish and the name of a capable leader of the Oglala people in the 1860s. While I wouldn’t mind being compared to a type of fish, or especially a capable leader of the Oglala people, I think Ken means that I am “a person who talks too much.” I am actually a fairly quiet person, and since the Kansas City Star piece was online and in print, Ken might mean that I write too much, but I think he really means he didn’t like what I wrote.
Names and accusations directed at Chris Jones:
hates Iowa farmers
never interested in the truth
He’s never been a “scientist”, just an activist (comma should be inside the parenthesis, Ken, and in your following usage).
Of course, when you take away the name-calling, there is little substance in Ken’s email. There are many reasons people call others names, including to distract from the issue at hand, or as misdirection, to make themselves feel better by putting someone down, to deal with their frustrations, and sometimes to impress their friends. Ken is doing all of that, and his friends are likely the legislators I mention in the water quality piece. Regardless, name-calling is a form of verbal and emotional abuse. Fortunately, I don’t really care about what Ken says. I care about his actions in the legislature that make Iowa a worse place to live.
Now I’m going to annotate his email. Here, I’m going to put his text in bold, because he is yelling at me. My comments are in normal text. I’m ignoring most of his allegations and all of his name-calling below, as I dealt with it above.
Bob,
Your absolute hatred for Republicans has exposed you as nothing more than a political hack who tries to masquerade as a journalist.
Ken, I don’t hate Republicans, let alone have “absolute hatred” for them. I suspect you are projecting. You must hate Democrats. I have lots of Republican friends who I respect, and they know who they are. I have what I conceive of as a “kitchen cabinet” of several thoughtful Republicans I run ideas by before I publish most pieces critical of elected Republican officials. I drove to Des Moines recently just to have lunch with a Republican friend who works in Governor Kim Reynolds’ administration. We talked about family, the stress of his job, how he feels he is really making a difference, and why he thinks Vivek Ramaswamy is the next president we need. And knowing him, I know he is making Iowa a better place to live, unlike you. He’s a good man and I am proud to call him friend. He does amazing things for kids and not just his own. We disagree about lots of things, but I am better because of my friendship with him and other Republicans.
I’ve recently published a piece on immigration in the New York Times with my friend, David Oman, former co-chair of the Republican Party and Chief of Staff to Iowa’s last great Governor Robert Ray, a man with Republican credentials and integrity--the best Iowa Governor of my lifetime of either party. His virtues can scarcely be found in the Iowa Republican party today (and I’m looking at you, Ken). In a recent article in TIME, I praised some of the work Senator Joni Ernst has been doing on immigration reform and did the same recently in the New York Times piece mentioning Governor Reynolds. I have also been critical of them in other publications. When I recently wrote that Nikki Haley has a path to the White House for TIME magazine, her staff contacted me, thanking me for what I wrote. I told them to please not thank me, I didn’t write the article to help her, I just write what I see.
I’ve been critical of President Joe Biden twice in the New York Times before the 2020 election, and the day before he and I were to do an in-person interview, my father died, and I had to cancel. He wasn’t angry about either the criticism or the cancellation. Instead, he sent me a condolence letter to comfort me on the death of my father:
Contrast Biden’s response to yours Ken. Who’s the better man?
I’ve also lit up the Iowa Democratic Party elite like they have never been lit up before or since.
I chose to ignore your biased interviews with my opponent in last year’s election. I chose to overlook your ignorant diatribe on March 18. You know, the one that blasted Republicans for offering school choice to Iowa families and your bizarre reference to something called the Mohawk Valley Formula from 1936.
My “ignorant diatribe” on March 18 was Drowning Public Schools in the Bathtub to Promote GOP Ideology. That piece has drawn wide acclaim. You choose to call names rather than present an argument as to why I am wrong. This is common practice when someone can’t refute an argument--they resort to name-calling.
Also, it’s not “school choice” for parents. Parents already had school choice--they just had to pay for it. Now the taxpayers do. We wouldn’t want public money to pay for a private road we can’t drive on, a private golf course we can’t play on, or a private pool our kids can’t swim in. And most of us don’t want to pay for a private school that doesn’t have to accept our kids and grandkids. Now it’s the school’s choice. Private schools get to pick the kids they want.
It’s that simple. And, I explain why you are doing it, which must really bother you. You don’t like the truth. Let me rephrase that—you don’t like the public to know the truth.
Ken, the fact is you can’t refute my logic. You just don’t like what the piece says.
Have you ever read what the Iowa Constitution says about using tax money for religious purposes? I have.
“Religion. Section 3. The General Assembly shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; nor shall any person be compelled to attend any place of worship, pay tithes, taxes, or other rates for building or repairing places of worship, or the maintenance of any minister, or ministry.”
School vouchers to religious schools are taxpayer money going to the maintenance of a ministry.
That you find my reference to the Mohawk Valley Formula “bizarre” is interesting and suggests that you don’t understand how things work in the social sciences and journalism. We often look to historical antecedents to understand how and why the contemporary world works the way it does. It’s not bizarre. It’s common and important to some of the best scholarship and reporting. I must admit to being surprised that you didn’t have the intellectual curiosity to figure it out, instead resorting to calling it “bizarre.” It isn’t that difficult to figure out.
This begs the question that if you can’t understand this, or don’t bother to understand it, what else in your job at the legislature do you not understand or refuse to?
Ken, you didn’t ignore my interview with your opponent. You are mistaken. You have mentioned it to me in person before. Note that I didn’t call you a liar. You are simply mistaken. It happens to all of us. You are correct that my interview with your opponent was biased. I agreed with him that the voucher program is a bad idea. I gave you both the chance to say whatever you wanted to, which is objective journalism. My bias on school vouchers wasn’t as much a bias toward your opponent but a bias for the truth. And a bias toward what the Iowa public wants. A 2023 Des Moines Register poll reports that 62% of Iowans are against vouchers.
But my true journalistic “sin” is that the vast majority of my reporting has been biased in your favor. For years I have asked you nothing but softball questions and suggested other staff at the radio station do the same. I have let you blather on, and on, and on, saying anything you wish to say, no matter how ridiculous, with little or no pushback. Other small-town media do the same, and to other Republicans. Why?
One reason is you just can’t take it--as can be seen in your text and email. Another is we need to retain access to lawmakers. If we can’t maintain access, we can’t do our jobs. A third reason is that we little small-town news guys and gals like our jobs, and want to keep them. Most of us have Republican owners and General Managers, and if an elected official or God forbid an advertiser, complains, we can be fired without cause in a heartbeat.
I’ve seen it happen. One of your Republican legislative colleagues once told me you are the “Lion of the Senate.” Maybe you are…
I (and other media) have given you a pass so often that it’s impossible to remember how many times. For example, I didn’t cover any of the allegations regarding animal abuse at one of your facilities that the Des Moines Register and other media did. I didn’t cover the alleged conflict of interest you had in orchestrating the “ag-gag” bill through the legislature. I also didn’t report that an allegation of an ethics violation related to it was dismissed, since I hadn’t covered the allegations earlier.
I didn’t report on the protest above, even though I was there and filmed it.
Would it have changed the outcome of your election(s)? I doubt it, but my lack of reporting of things others were reporting about you was mediocre, if not downright bad, journalism.
But I kept my job because I did reporting that didn’t hold you accountable.
This isn’t the worst part of it to me. The worst part is I didn’t investigate what some of your constituents asked me to investigate about you. I didn’t do a deep dive into your donors and any conflicts of interest you might have. I didn’t look at how you handled the finances of your campaign. I didn’t look at whether or not you or your family were receiving farm payments or PPP loans while you were denying poor people and their children benefits. I also didn’t do what maybe a dozen of your constituents have asked me to do--determine whether or not you actually live in the district you represent. I’m sure they would appreciate proof if you have it. Do you? Thanks in advance for providing it to local media outlets.
I also didn’t report your disrespect for public school boards. At one meeting I attended, the public school board administrators and every single board member save one who remained silent spoke against the voucher plan. You didn’t care what any of them had to say. You sat smugly back in your chair, disagreeing, shaking your head, and effectively mocking them. And this was before we knew you and the Republican legislators eventually plan to give private schools billions of dollars of taxpayer dollars with no accountability.
And you are upset that I agreed with your opponent once publicly. Democrat Tyler Stewart should be chewing my ass, not you.
Here I will add that you are disrespectful to many of your constituents, not just me. I have seen you at many candidate forums, town hall meetings, and other gatherings. Your “kind, grandfatherly” demeanor ends the moment someone disagrees with you. Your smile turns into a snarl at the snap of a finger. Many of the people who ask you questions disagree with you, but rather than engage in a conversation in good faith, you badger them, sometimes raise your voice as you reject their queries, and often refuse to answer their questions because like in your email to me, when challenged, you don’t have any good answers and can’t control your anger.
It seems that you do this in part because you tell us you are guided by God and are apparently infallible. I’ve seen you publicly raise your hands to the skies, seeking the Lord’s guidance, and asking him to use you to do his will. Lots of us seek God’s counsel in rural Iowa, but I’m sure the irony isn’t lost to many that apparently “God’s will” is always perfectly aligned with your ideological and financial interests when you cast your vote in the Iowa Senate.
And Ken, have you seen the “Barbie Movie?” You share many of the attributes the movie Ken does that I’m not going to list. If you have seen the movie, you will know what I am talking about. Or at least other readers will. That you and Barbie Ken share the first name “Ken” is proof the Lord works in mysterious ways. Here’s the trailer for the “I’m Just Ken Song,” for reference.
But now I’m calling you out.
How anachronistic, yet intriguing. Pistols at dawn? That’s illegal. Playing your macho game, I’d offer a wrestling match instead of pistols, but as I’m an old UNI wrestler that wouldn’t be fair. Since we are both on the wrong side of 65, maybe we should just charge admission and bump chests on the Pella or Oskaloosa square until one of us topples onto the grass. Let’s donate the proceeds we earn to the Pella or Oskaloosa public libraries! Here I feel obligated to tell you, Ken, that this is a joke since you are so prone to misinterpretation and overreaction.
Your August 24 article about water quality is simply pathetic. I’m not going to waste my time refuting all the lies you told in the article. I am going to tell you that using Chris Jones as your source of information reveals just how ignorant you are on this issue. Anyone that knows anything about Chris Jones knows that he hates Iowa farmers, and that he’s never had any interest in the truth. He’s never been a “scientist”, just an activist. He proved that again just a couple of years ago when he weighed in on the beach closure at Red Rock due to high bacteria counts, bacteria that is proven to come from geese and other waterfowl. But Jones told Iowans not to believe the science, just accept his pronouncement that the bacteria comes from Iowa farms.
Again, you have nothing but name-calling. I shared this email with Chris Jones, and he can respond if he wishes. Do you really think you are so powerful Ken, that you can “revoke” Chris’ Ph.D. unilaterally with your mind like Trump can declassify classified documents just by thinking so? You ignore Dr. Jones’ many years of service to the scientific community and the public. You just don’t like what he has to say, so you try to diminish the man and his credibility. It’s also more misdirection.
Perhaps you should actually read Chris’ new book, The Swine Republic: Struggles with the Truth about Agriculture and Water Quality. I know you probably won’t want to purchase one, but I could loan you mine. Better yet, I suspect Chris would be happy to gift you an autographed copy.
What do you have against activism, Ken? You do it in the legislature all of the time. Also, take a quick look at your donor list. Plenty of activists there.
Your statement regarding the geese and waterfowl causing high bacteria counts in Lake Red Rock is more misdirection. Sure, birds can cause heightened counts near shorelines, like throwing a bucket of tap water into the lake raises the lake level. The real problem is the turbidity in the lake caused by field runoff. E. coli is killed by sunlight, and the water is now so polluted that E. coli from many sources thrives.
No one in the Iowa Legislature has worked more on water quality the last 11 years than I have. Because of my efforts, Iowa passed the most significant water quality legislation in our state’s history with SF512, which was the result of 3 years of extensive study and offered the science-based solutions of Iowa’s Nutrient Reduction Strategy. This was the first bill signed by Kim Reynolds when she became Governor in 2018. But Bob Leonard never wrote about that. In 11 years, Bob Leonard has never asked me one question about water quality even though I’m regarded (even by Democrats) as the primary driver of water quality efforts in Iowa. But now Bob Leonard has a big mouth about a subject that he clearly has no working knowledge.
I’ve asked you about water quality a number of times over the years. You are mistaken. Again, I don’t call you a liar. You are simply mistaken. Lots of insults here too, because you have nothing else to say. Now, let’s just say your self-reporting on the greatness of your water quality legislation is correct. It’s irrelevant, and more misdirection. My piece, The Iowa GOP is dismantling water protections: Kansas and Missouri--you’re downstream, simply says that you and other Republicans worked to dismantle water monitoring stations. That’s a fact. It has nothing to do with the legislation you sponsored and Kim Reynold signed.
Another reason I wasn’t critical of the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy you sponsored was I truly hoped it would work. Now, let’s ask, is it working? The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports that before the recent Labor Day Weekend, swimming was not recommended at 13 state beaches. Sorry, Ken, you need monitors to know whether or not the efforts are working. It’s not working, which is apparently what you want to hide. Maybe you can clean up our waterways by using your mind.
I noticed that you took offense earlier this year my observation about our “corrupt” media. Yes, you are one of that crowd. You clowns pat yourselves on the back as the “watchdogs of democracy”. That’s a noble calling. But when the “watchdogs” spend all their time lying about Republicans (think the Russian collusion hoax) while closing their eyes and ears to the corrupt and illegal actions of the other side of the political divide (think Joe Biden), they are worse than useless. They are corrupt.
OK, Ken. Pull yourself out of your disgraced Fox News rabbit hole. You don’t like something I write about water quality and this is what you have to say? More misdirection. But since you went in this direction, I feel obligated to respond. Russian collusion was real, and here are some facts for you. Did you read the Mueller report? I did. I hate to tell you this, but just because Trump says something doesn’t mean it’s the truth. Trump lied or provided misinformation over 30,000 times during his administration. Here is a partial list. But you don’t care. You will disparage the source because you don’t like what it has to say, just like in your email to me.
So, Joe Biden is corrupt and guilty of illegal actions. What’s the evidence? Republican investigations haven’t found any.
And what about Trump’s real corruption? Here is what the conservative writer David French has to say:
“It’s also worth mentioning here the sheer extent of Republican hypocrisy. The deep concern that Joe Biden might have profited from his position sounds almost comical after the G.O.P. has spent years trying to divert Americans’ attention from the blatant way that the Trump administration steered federal dollars into Trump properties during his presidency. And if we’re talking about the sleaziness of presidential family members profiting from their access to power, then Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump — who, unlike Hunter, worked in the administration — have benefited to exponentially greater degrees from Saudi Arabian and Chinese largess.”
Now, to be clear, many Republicans, not all, no matter what Trump does, and no matter how illegal it is, they will stand behind him. That’s because the MAGA movement is a cult. To be clear, Trump is just the chaos-maker and others more powerful are using him. And you, Ken.
Contrastingly, if there is evidence Biden broke the law, and a jury finds so, Democrats will want him to pay the consequences. Let the chips fall where they may. It’s not a cult.
Now, to top it off, when I ask for your email address you threaten me. You go right ahead Bob. You write what you want. Is that supposed to scare me???
Again, it was a courtesy. You are projecting. You want to intimidate me, but obviously, it isn’t happening. I’m not scared.
Very intentionally,
Ken Rozenboom
As you typed “very intentionally,” did that make you feel good? Did it make you feel powerful? Did you like that little “twist of the knife?” Did you stand up from your computer feeling better, and more relaxed? I hope so. Or did you want to punch the wall?
I suspect that you shared this email with your Republican buddies in the legislature and they were impressed. Surely, this was at least in part a performance for them. Did you call them on the phone, read it to them, and share some chuckles?
The sad thing is Ken, if you had been able to show me where I was wrong, and wrote to me in a polite manner, I would have written about it. Given the evidence, I would have shared how I was wrong and why, and given you credit, and my thanks.
Instead, this is what you shared, showing a side of you your constituents, and the people of Iowa deserve to know.
Clearly, in your mind, we aren’t your constituents, we are your subjects.
Respond if you wish Ken. But to be clear, you might not like what I have to say, and I may or may not use it. And this isn’t a threat, it’s a courtesy.
Bob
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Your piece is so on point and so truthful. I have moderated forums where Ken’s snide, smirking, disrespectful responses to constituents were standard fare. If there is a bully in the room, it’s Ken. Thank you for calling him out and for being honest enough to say that he has been given a pass for far too long. IF he were able to view himself with any objectivity he might see that the god he so freely invokes has apparently not been a role model Ken chooses to emulate. And I find it incredulous that out of all the citizens of Iowa, Ken is the only one chosen for personal conversations with God. And only Ken sees and speaks the truth. What privilege! This has been so long coming and thank you for having the guts to say it.
These are the sort of people who hate having the bright light of truth shined on them.
Keep fighting the good fight, Bob!