Joni Ernst was the second sign of the coming Trumpification of the GOP (the first was Sarah Palin). When she ran, no one took her seriously, including herself. So, she just threw crap against the wall to see what would stick. What really helped her though, was that her Democratic opponent, Bruce Br…
Joni Ernst was the second sign of the coming Trumpification of the GOP (the first was Sarah Palin). When she ran, no one took her seriously, including herself. So, she just threw crap against the wall to see what would stick. What really helped her though, was that her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley, made several gaffes: the first one, was suggesting that Chuck Grassley, a non-lawyer, should not be the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The GOP attacked him as being a snob; and like a good Democrat, he backtracked and apologized. His second was trying to make issue of the fact that Ernst had no experience and was a hog farmer. Okay, besides the fact that this statement is extremely snobbish, it is stupid for a more important reason: Iowa is an agricultural state and is the largest hog farming state in the Country!! Of course, Braley lost by 10.
The biggest difference between Dems and Republicans is this: the Democrats see people as they are and want to make them better, while the GOP sees people as they are and tells them that there is nothing wrong with them and its those other people that are the problem. This is ironic on many levels, as the GOP, which sells itself as the "morals party", basically have none, while the Dems, who sell themselves as the party of "personal freedom" is seen as trying to tell people what to do. Americans abhor busy bodies and snobs.
Former Iowa resident here (Go Hawkeyes!)
Joni Ernst was the second sign of the coming Trumpification of the GOP (the first was Sarah Palin). When she ran, no one took her seriously, including herself. So, she just threw crap against the wall to see what would stick. What really helped her though, was that her Democratic opponent, Bruce Braley, made several gaffes: the first one, was suggesting that Chuck Grassley, a non-lawyer, should not be the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The GOP attacked him as being a snob; and like a good Democrat, he backtracked and apologized. His second was trying to make issue of the fact that Ernst had no experience and was a hog farmer. Okay, besides the fact that this statement is extremely snobbish, it is stupid for a more important reason: Iowa is an agricultural state and is the largest hog farming state in the Country!! Of course, Braley lost by 10.
The biggest difference between Dems and Republicans is this: the Democrats see people as they are and want to make them better, while the GOP sees people as they are and tells them that there is nothing wrong with them and its those other people that are the problem. This is ironic on many levels, as the GOP, which sells itself as the "morals party", basically have none, while the Dems, who sell themselves as the party of "personal freedom" is seen as trying to tell people what to do. Americans abhor busy bodies and snobs.