41 Comments

Thank you, Bob. It seems like stating the obvious, but Democrats should be shouting this from the rooftops!

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Polls . . . those results always bother me because sensible people like me don't answer phone calls from numbers I don't recognize. That tells me that those polls are not including sensible opinions.

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Biden's been an acceptable President. And he's been blamed unfairly for such things such as the exit from Afghanistan. However, as one who traditionally has identified with his party, and a Trump hater who can never vote for that creature, I will be leaving the Presidential portion of my November ballot unmarked. I can never vote for a person who is enabling genocide and using my tax dollars to help pay the costs. Even though I realize that most of those tax dollars are intended to feed the needs of our military/industrial complex. It's also upsetting that NATO's war in Ukraine has brought the world horrible inflation that has extraordinary harmful impact in the poorer countries. Whereas in the USA, it has been simply a major inconvenience.

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I understand and appreciate your perspective. I just fear a protest vote by leaving the presidential portion of the ballot unmarked will only help Trump.

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Funny thing - I posted your column about the weather service on Facebook with the caption, I think Chicken Little was right the sky IS falling. And we need to VOTE.

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(Before I read this.)

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We need to make the progress visible, tangible and local. One can go to websites like these to report on Biden funded projects and how they impact local areas. I believe counties, like Delaware, have even circulated posters on this. Other areas have written letters to the editor listing local projects funded over past 4 years.

1. invest.gov

2. Invest.gov. -- Iowa page. https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Iowa-IIA-State-Fact-Sheet.pdfbuild.gov

3. IowaAtWork.com You can drill down to get county level projects at his side.

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great ideas Ralph!

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good job. I think the NDC needs some new more positive members.

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Democrats are afflicted with a terminal case of The Curse of the Quiche Eaters.

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Thanks, Robert! I somehow had missed both of these articles in the Register that are clearly, in the aggregate, to Nunn's advantage. The 3rd is a tough district and even with the described clever manipulations, perceived by the locals as advantageous in the district, the Ds are unlikely to succeed.

But hey! At least we have two military veterans in the ring--this is unlikely to occur again as only 1% of current high school graduates enter the military.

That the Ds are fractionated (national staff mis-directing the local?) is more evidence that our political incompetence continues and is dismaying. When will we ever learn. . . . ? When will we ever. . . .learn?

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Bob, you hit one nerve for me, among a few others however I think you need to research the debt forgiveness part a little further as that has Not happened. Believe me as one who co-signed for 6 years of student loans. There have been high hopes but no definitive action. The loan repayments are all still there charging unheard of 7.5 percent interest.

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Your point is well taken but you do need to recognize or acknowledge that Biden has done everything in his power to relieve student debt. While his actions may have not helped you, he has helped many and his hands were tied by the SCOTUS.

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There are considerable stipulations to any student loan debt forgiveness. One mentioned is they have to had borrowed through Biden’s SAVE program. Then they have had to pay on the loan for 10 years it says. I know this is not all it says. I also know it probably doesn’t cover all student loans like for trade schools or associate degrees etc. I paid on my student loan for 10 years and know many who paid on their student loans for years. It is indeed a touchy subject with many who had no help or relief with their student loans.

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Understood Carolyn. Thank you.

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Let's grant that the 41 mil with student debt have one other loved one invested in their obligatio--that still leaves 250 mil who never borrowed, paid off their loan or did not attend advanced schooling. The "forgiven" debt does not just disappear--it is that much less money collected by the feds that must be made up for by the second demographic above. How that transfers to an advantage for D's I do not know--the rage of the non-loaners will come home to roost in the next election. Can't we D's see that coming?

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I understand your concern Bob and I have struggled with this as well. However, having known so many people with crushing student debt (including myself) and the crazy interest rates being charged, I don't begrudge them their loans being forgiven. It's more complex than simple "student loan forgiveness" and this article in Forbes helped convince me it was a net positive. Thanks! https://www.forbes.com/sites/adamminsky/2024/04/18/25-million-people-could-get-student-loan-forgiveness-under-new-plan-whos-eligible-how-to-apply/?sh=764206b77823

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The people that are outraged with the student loan forgiveness are the same people that are fine with “business” write offs. My brother in law has a business and bought an airplane. It’s a complete write off even though it’s used for personal travel and not business. Where is the outrage for this stuff?

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This is such a great comment Nancy! Thank you. Let's demonize the student loan forgiveness people, and ignore the corporate overreach. like getting the poor whites to hate the freed slaves after the civil war while the rich southerners took it to the bank.

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Thanks much Carolyn! Sorry that happened. Crazy...

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I forgive you, this time…. Also on the prescription drug costs… not many are seeing lower prices as a matter of fact some of us have seen a number of medications we have taken for years either cost more or when automatically switched to the Medicare drug plan, a number of the medications are now considered non formulary thus taking care of their higher costs. Sorry, you can’t have them until after they have at least retried cheaper medications you already had tried that weren’t as effective to treat a specific condition and then that doesn’t mean they will be approved. I’ll try to get off my soap box now …..

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No, we need you on your soapbox Carolyn!

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Totally agree Biden has done well and proved himself under difficult circumstances. He respects and understands the organization and vital functions of the US government and has the knowledge and experience and staff to gather good people with the skills and desire to maintain the complex services we all value and use daily. Trump now has his own twisted mind and the support of ultra conservative groups that would stock the government from top to bottom with incompetent self-serving scalawags all in line to kiss his (their) ass for a price. That may sound like fun to the average Republican looking for the next laugh, but when the country ceases to function and grinds to a messy halt - who will they blame?

As for the yard full of the repulsive flags and signs, I pity the neighbors.

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Tell it, Bob!!! You're spot on!!

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Republicans always vilify Democratic candidates. They take one issue, usually a non-issue, and pound it for months at a time. Remember Bruce Braley having the audacity to say that if Republicans took control of the Senate in 2014, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa farmer, would be chair of the Judiciary Committee? One would have thought Braley personally insulted every Iowa farmer the way GOP ads attacked him for month after month.

And the disaster Braley predicted came true. Grassley became chair and helped steal a Supreme Court pick from Obama.

Same deal with Cindy Axne, who wrote a letter to strip mall tenants as part of her private-sector job. Republicans pounded that for months, too.

If Baccam is the nominee, they will make him out to be a horrible puppet controlled by Nancy Pelosi. What WE should be doing is hammering Zach Nunn for enabling Marjorie Taylor Greene, Goetz, Gosar and the rest of the dysfunctional circus in the House GOP.

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Excellent thoughts Dave. Thanks for the reminder on Braley. He should have doubled down. He should have said Grassley would be great on the ag committee, but we need someone experienced in law on Justice. Yes. Nunn is a clown enabler. Only he may be worse than them because he is in hiding while supporting them.

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Yes, Dr. Bob! You are telling the story we need to hear I’m so glad you speak it.

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All of us should be proud of what the Biden administration has accomplished and the dignity that he has restored. When the Biden signs arrive, display one in your yard (or help your county Democratic Party deliver them) along with the American flag--the GOP has for years branded themselves as the patriots, and we need to change that. When I read that article about Baccam's campaign, I was disappointed in their actions to scrub references to Biden.

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I so agree and would add that this is undoubtedly the most important Presidential election of my lifetime and yours because of not only what you say so well here but this: Our Constitution and democracy are at stake. What Trump stands for and what he's done are unprecedented in any former election when, as one example, tears in Edmund Muskie's eye eliminated him from the race. Let us compare what is now at stake and what Trump has done--not only January 6th that must not be forgotten, but also the fact that Trump—along with his allies in Congress, his tribe of red-tie supporters who show up at the New York trial—still does not accept the result of the Biden/Trump 2020 election and that he and they say they will not accept the result of the 2024 election unless he wins and what he plans to do, not excluding a dictatorship if he wins.

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That was a much needed wake up call. It is so easy for the MAGA to categorically shred Biden on everything with falsehoods while we feel the need to give truthful testimony as to the facts of his success. That’s harder and maybe less compelling so we (I) step aside. But you just shared how it can be done.

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