Sunday, October 19, 2014

Outgoing Democrat Sticks It To His Own Party


by Robert Janicki

In a perverse way, you have to love Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa).  Harkin, a liar and all around mean spirited human being, has managed to stick it to his own party on his way out of the senate as he retires on January 3, 2015, with the new congressional term.

"Retiring Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, has angered his fellow Democrats by keeping the nearly $2.4 million in his personal campaign account rather than donating it to the campaign of Bruce Braley, the party's nominee to succeed him.
Harkin, who is retiring after five terms in office, plans to instead donate most of the funds to Drake University to help create a political institute in his own name...."
A couple of things about Harkin stand out in my memory.  The most egregious was Harkin's claim that he was a combat pilot during the Vietnam War.  The fact is that Harking ferried in aircraft from Japan to Vietnam.  He never saw combat.  That's what I call an "act of stolen valor", trying to ride the coattails of those who actually flew and put their lives at risk in combat air missions over Vietnam.

Another act of Harkin's was purely political and involved ridiculous pork barrel spending.  Harkin entered a bill costing several million dollars to create an indoor jungle in Iowa to study tropical agriculture.  How this would equate to Iowa agriculture never was explained, but it would have had Harkin's name on it.

Harkin's withholding his campaign war chest to donate to Drake University is Harkin's last egotistical act to burnish his name and reputation in Iowa.  Although Harkin may have campaigned and held fundraisers for Senate Democrat candidate Bruce Braley, Harkin's campaign war chest might be what it would take for Braley to defeat feisty and talented Senate Republican candidate Joni Ernst.  

Braley is cut from the same cloth as Harkin, in that he will do or say anything to smear his opponent.  Like Harkin, Braley has an ego as large as all outdoors.  Unfortunately for Iowans, Braley's talent in no way matches his inordinately overblown ego.

*Editors Note - We'll end with saying something nice - "Thanks Tom,  for helping turn Iowa Red."
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Rob Janicki is a retired educator, strong supporter of the 2nd amendment and all around good guy,
as well as owner/operator of the website Wired Right  and owes me 20 bucks.