Wednesday, October 22, 2008

"Why, Congressman Latham?"

This year, Democrat Becky Greenwald is challenging incumbent Republican Tom Latham in Iowa's 4th Congressional District.

Here's a new Greenwald ad attacking Latham on veterans' issues:


(Via Bleeding Heartland.)

I'll make my prediction now: Given the enthusiasm for Obama in the state, Latham is going to be out of a job on Nov. 5.

It's unfortunate that the 5th District's Steve King is far less likely to lose his seat. But Democratic challenger Rob Hubler is certainly putting up a spirited fight nonetheless.

So, removing the quotation marks and the comma, why Congressman Latham?

Though Latham isn't the obscene embarrassment to our state that King is, he's far more likely to suffer from the generalized anger at the Republican Party that is a major dynamic in this election. But that's just the way US House seats work--the most extreme candidates are in the safest districts. Hence, the eminently respectable Jim Leach's tragic defeat to the less than impressive Dave Loebsack in 2006. Leach was a far better Republican than Latham. And King isn't worthy of shining Leach's shoes. Politics just isn't fair.

1 comment:

taco said...

Not only are politics in these United States unfair, they're not right.

As a savvy blogger stated in response to the David Sedaris item, so many voters lock in their decision on a candidate months or years or decades before this election. The current climate polarizes our country and encourages the emergence of highly partisan, uncompromising candidates who don't believe in our ideals so much as hate the other guy as much as we do.

I really, really wish I could think of a way that the tide of politics in this country could be turned to make people reconsider their own self-interests again. I totally agree with you on past comments you have made in that regard.