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Former GOP Congressman Leach endorses Obama

August 12, 2008 By

Jim Leach Former Iowa Congressman Jim Leach, a Republican, endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama this morning.

 "Like many, I’m astounded at Barack Obama’s meteoric rise as a candidate, but I have no doubt that his is the leadership we need and that the world is crying out for," Leach said during a telephone conference call with reporters, arranged by the Obama campaign.

"I also have no doubt that a lot of Republicans and independents are going to be attracted to his call for a new era of nonideological, bipartisan decision-making."

Leach, a Davenport native who moved to Iowa City in 2002, lost his bid for reelection in 2006 after three decades representing portions of eastern Iowa in congress. Leach is considered a "moderate" Republican.

 "Basically from my perspective, this is simply not a time for politics as usual," Leach said. "The portfolio of issues that are going to be passed on to the next president will be as daunting as any since the Great Depression and World War II and that means that the case for inspiring new political leadership and a social ethic has seldom been more self-evident."

Leach’s wife, Debra, has contributed the maximum amount allowed to Obama’s campaign. Jim Leach was an early critic of the Bush Administration’s decision to invade Iraq. Leach has said it likely would rank as one of the greatest foreign policy "blunders" in U.S. history.  "I’m convinced that the national interest requires a new approach to our interactions with the world," Leach said this morning, "including a recognition that a longterm occupation of Iraq is likely to be dangerously destabilizing and that it’s preferable to speak with rather than shun potential adversaries."

Leach is now part of a group of Republicans who are actively encouraging other Republicans to back Obama. "Barack Obama’s platform is a call for change, but the change that he is so gracefully articulating is more renewal than departure," Leach said. "…It is rooted in very old American values that are as much a part of the Republican as the Democratic tradition. There’s an emphasis on individual rights, fairness and balance at home and progressive internationalism."

Senator Tom Harkin, a Democrat, says Leach’s decision mirrors that of many Iowa Republicans who’ve left their party, as there are now 90,000 more Democrats in Iowa than Republicans on the voter registration record. "It seems to me that there are some big shifts going on in this state," Harkin says. "…The people of Iowa are saying that they want to give the Democrats a chance."

Harkin spoke with reporters this morning to mark the opening of six Obama campaign offices in what the Obama campaign described as rural areas of the state. The offices are in Carroll, Grinnell, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Muscatine and Spencer. "I can tell you Senator Obama is not taking this state for granted," Harkin said. "…We’re going to have to work for it and we intend to do so and we intend to earn every vote."

Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Republican Charles Grassley, says Leach has always been an independent sort. "I’m a little surprised that Jim would do that. I know Jim’s been very moderate and not always in tune with the party and that’s one of the reasons for his success," Grassley said this morning during a telephone conference call with Iowa reporters. "(Leach) has a reputation for being very independent, but I don’t think it’s going to make much difference in the election beyond Iowa."

According to Grassley, McCain appeals to "moderate" Republicans in the same way Leach appealed to those voters during his 30 years in congress. Grassley endorsed Bob Dole in 1995 and campaigned extensively for Dole before Dole’s 1996 Iowa Caucus win, but Grassley did not endorse a candidate in advance of the 2008 Caucuses.

Leach has been the interim director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics at the Kennedy School of Government. He’ll be returning to Princeton this fall to teach at his alma mater. During a conference call with reporters this morning, Leach shot down the idea that his endorsement may mean he’s being considered for a post in an Obama administration.

"That would be totally and completely inappropriate for anyone to conjecture about position in a new government," Leach said. "A, it’s inappropriate and B, it may be against the law." Leach expressed hope, though, that Nebraska Senator Chuck Hagel — another Republican — is on Obama’s list of potential running mates.

AUDIO: Leach opening statement (mp3 runs 3 min 30 sec)

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Offensive line a key to Iowa turning around record

August 12, 2008 By

If the Iowa Hawkeyes regain their winning ways this season the offensive line will play a major factor. Several starters are back from an interior line that struggled with injuries and inconsistencies during a 6-6 season in 2007. Bryan Bulaga anchors the left tackle spot after seeing extensive time as a true freshman. 

Bulaga says Iowa has a right tradition of top offensive linemen and that is something they want to maintain and work on. Iowa gave up 46 sacks last season and Bulaga says they need to learn from that experience and not just forget about it. He says they have to look back to learn from their mistakes, and can’t just throw out the tape.

It is unusual for a true freshman to get playing time on the offensive line Bulaga feels that experience will help him this season. Bulaga says he thinks he has improved, and says the experience of the entire line makes him a better player, as they all push each other.

Offensive coordinator Ken O’Keefe says good offensive line play sets up their entire offense. He says the pro-style attack depends on being efficient and good blocking to be successful.

O’Keefe says the first priority is to upgrade the running game. He says they want to hang their hat on their ability to run the ball. O’Keefe says you have to run the ball to keep the defense honest, and anyone who competes for a championship has run the ball. Iowa opens the season on August 30th at home against Maine.

 

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UNI will look to defense early

August 12, 2008 By

UNI football coach Mark Farley says a veteran defense will be counted on early in the season as the offense matures. Seven starters are back from a defense that ranked in the top ten nationally by yielding just 91 yards of rushing per game.

Farley says this defense can get better. He says last year’s defense was very good and he thinks they can use the players that are back and add to them. Farley says with added speed the defense will be more aggressive this season.

Farley says it’s a double-edged sword where you can either create a turnover with your aggressiveness, or give up a big play to the other team. The Panthers open the season August 30th at BYU. 

 

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Iowa hosts National Christmas Tree Association convention

August 12, 2008 By

Iowa is hosting its first-ever convention of the National Christmas Tree Association this week. Mark Steelhammer, the group’s president and a tree farmer in Washington state, says the Des Moines event is attracting some 400 growers from all across the U.S. and four other countries.

Steelhammer says more than 50 companies are exhibiting their wares in the trade show while there are 15 hours of educational workshops on topics including marketing, business management and production. The convention also includes tours of several Iowa tree farms in: Madison, Polk, Warren and Wright counties. Steelhammer says the trade show is not open to the public as it’s more for people in the industry.

"It’s anywhere from seedlings that you buy when you plant that tree on to fertilizing, shearing knives, culturing, clippers that you use to trim them with, stands to stand them in, lights — just from day one when you start it to bringing it into your home and setting it up," Steelhammer says.

On his 300-acre farm in Washington state, Steelhammer says they produce up to 50,000 trees per year and ship them as far away as Florida. He says the number of artificial tree buyers is rising every year. Steelhammer says, "We’re staying pretty much what we used to sell but we’re working very hard at trying to get our message out that we think a farm-grown real tree is the green choice. We replant, we recycle, chip ‘em up for mulch, provide a lot of jobs, provide a lot of wildlife habitat."

One highlight of the convention is when the National Grand Champion Christmas Tree growers will be chosen, the ones who will represent the industry in presenting real Christmas trees to the White House later this year. For more information visit the National Christmas Tree Association’s website or the Iowa Christmas Tree Association  website.

 

Filed Under: Agriculture, Business

Two appear in court on cocaine charges

August 12, 2008 By

Two men charged in connection with cocaine trafficking in southwestern Iowa made an initial appearance Monday in front of a federal magistrate in Council Bluffs. Judge Ross A. Walters presided over the hearing for 58-year old Bernardino Rivera and Daniel Tavizon via the Iowa Communications Network from Des Moines.

Rivera and Tavizon face charges of possession with the intent to deliver 108-pounds of cocaine, with a street value of nearly 1 million 37,000 dollars. Tavizon faces an additional charge of conspiracy to deliver cocaine. The arrests were made following a traffic stop on Interstate 80 in Cass County, during the evening of August 5th.

Officials say when an Iowa State Patrol trooper pulled over — for several moving violations — a recreational vehicle with Arizona license plates, being driven by Rivera, he reportedly began acting nervous. The trooper asked, and was given permission to search the vehicle.

Inside, he discovered several containers of a substance believed to be cocaine. The R-V and its contents were brought to the fire station in Atlantic, where an inventory was conducted. In addition to the drugs, officials recovered approximately $3,000 dollars cash. The judge set August 29th as the date for Rivera’s preliminary and detention hearings. Authorities are also looking into whether he entered the country illegally.

Because of a language barrier and the lack of an interpreter during Monday’s proceedings, Tavizon was ordered transported to Des Moines, where he is scheduled to appear today in federal court, in front of Judge Harold Vietor. Authorities say the investigation into the incident is on-going and additional arrests are possible.  

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Challenger says Boswell didn’t do enough to pass flood relief

August 12, 2008 By

Republican congressional candidate Kim Schmett says third district incumbent Leonard Boswell, a Democrat, didn’t do enough to convince his fellow Democrats to stay in session and deal with flood relief.

"They just took off on a vacation for five weeks. They had votes to adjourn. Some of our Iowa congressmen fought that adjournment because it was a really bad time for us to adjourn here in Iowa. You know, we’ve had floods and congress hasn’t appropriated money for that flood relief," Schmett said.

"If they would have stayed one more day, we could have had a vote in to help all of those people." Schmett, chief of staff to former Iowa Congressman Greg Ganske, says Washington is broken. "Some people ask me, ‘Why, Kim, would you ever want to run for congress?’ he said. "And I guess I started thinking about the race several months ago and I’m really, really disappointed in what congress, not what they’re doing — actually what they aren’t doing."

Schmett says it’s time for congress to tackle major issues like Social Security and Medicare. "Everybody agrees that Social Security and Medicare have huge funding problems. We’re going to run out of money if we don’t do something, so what’s congress done the last two or three years on it? They’d talked a lot, but they’ve done absolutely nothing. Don’t you think we ought to be able to expect a little bit more out of our congressman on that?" Schmett says. "…If you want to change congress, you’ve got to change your congressman."

Schmett made his comments Monday afternoon at The Des Moines Register’s Soap Box on the Iowa State Fairgrounds.

 

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Study finds shortage of healthcare providers in Iowa

August 12, 2008 By

A new study finds that the state is at least 250 healthcare providers short of what is needed in underserved communities. Michelle Holst is a community health consultant with the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Holst says the national study confirms a problem the state has know its had for a long time — they’re short on health care providers in underserved areas of rural Iowa. Holst says finding the doctors and other healthcare providers to fill the gaps won’t be easy.

Holst says they know other states are in the same situation and Iowa is in competition with those others states, and it will take an investment to get the healthcare providers here. She attended a national conference recently and found that young doctors are looking for help repaying their loans as an incentive to come to rural areas.

Holst says getting young doctors into Iowa is a similar problem to getting young people to stay in the state after graduation. Holst says the efforts to recruit and retain doctors and other healthcare professionals would coincide with efforts to keep other young people here. She says increasing pay is another incentive that’s needed.

Holst says there’s not a lot of time to waste. She says the recruiting of doctors and nurse practitioners needs to start immediately, along with talking to young students about entering the health profession. The study conducted by the National Association of Community Health Centers estimates that nearly 242-thousand Iowans will be without reliable access to care by 2015.

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