Roxanne Conlin, the Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate, says the federal budget deficit and the national debt are “serious problems” that require “common sense” solutions.
Conlin has been calling for an end to $45 billion in federal subsidies for oil companies, for example, as well as an end to the Bush era tax cuts for American houseolds with an annual income above a quarter-of-a-million dollars.
“While Senator Grassley talks to Iowans about Twitter, I want to talk about how we get out of the mess that he and President Bush left us with,” Conlin says.
Republican Senator Chuck Grassley is Conlin’s opponent and his latest campaign ad touts the senator’s use of “social media” like Twitter.
Conlin is accusing Grassley of being “born-again” on the issue of fiscal responsibility. Conlin cites past Grassley votes for a variety of bills that added to the deficit, including what she called Grassley’s “reckless” support of the $700 billion bailout for Wall Street. “He created the problem and now he’s trying to look for somebody else to blame,” Conlin says. “All (Grassley) needs to do is look in the mirror.”
According to Conlin, there are still plenty of examples of “waste, fraud and abuse” in the federal government. “One that simply sets my hair on fire is that convicted sex offenders who are in treatment…have received thousands of dollars in Pell Grants,” Conlin says. “…Why in the world hasn’t congress acted?” Conlin says those grants are supposed to be for law-abiding poor kids who can’t afford to go to college on their own.
A spokesman for Grassley says Conlin’s deficit reduction plan doesn’t square with her other “budget-busting” proposals.
“What does he propose? You know, what is his plan?” Conlin shot back. “For goodness sakes, (Grassley) has been there (in the senate) for 30 years.”
Grassley spokesman Eric Woolson says Conlin would support “Harry Reid-Nancy Pelosi agenda lock, stock and barrel” if she’s elected and he accused Conlin of failing to explain how she’s pay for the additional federal spending she supports.