A “Tweak” of a Tom Harkin interview

Tom Harkin is getting out and about these days. Giving a few interviews, making some noise on the campaign trail. Harkin is counting on Iowans sending him back to the Senate because…. His “seniority is useful” to us. For your reading pleasure here are parts of the interview:

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/10/14/news/local/1b43bef4ad2e8f2c862574e2001080a3.txt

Harkin: My seniority is useful to Iowans
By Bret Hayworth
bhayworth@siouxcityjournal.com

“As Iowa voters consider the U.S. Senate race three weeks from now, U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin pointed to his 24-year tenure and continuing ability to produce for Iowans back home.

Democrat Harkin cited his role in leading the 1990 Americans With Disabilities Act into passage, an idea he’d had back when he served in the U.S House of Representatives. He also mentioned his leadership as the Senate Agriculture Committee chairman in passing the 2001 and 2008 federal farm bills, and delivering money back to the state, including $127 million for Iowa school buildings over the last 10 years.

“The Congress, like or not, runs on seniority, especially in the Senate,” Harkin, a four-term senator, told the Journal’s editorial board Monday.

“There are good things you can do, if you are willing to work across the aisle. I’ve done those — I did that on my appropriations bill, on the stem-cell (research) bill.”

“I have a great concern and care for people, working-class people,” he said.
“There are people in life who get dealt a bad hand … and, my gosh, the government ought to be there.”

Harkin said Americans are greatly concerned about stagnant wages, energy costs, the weak economy and eroding pensions. He acknowledged Congress has a low approval rating of about 10 percent, and said it was because of few legislative achievements.

But he contended that’s because since Democrats took control of the Senate two years ago, a few Republican senators, enabled by Republican leadership, have filibustered legislation 90 times.

Harkin said this fiscal quarter will probably be designated a recession. He said the financial market problems were aided by hands-off regulators and the unchecked growth of mortgage-backed security derivatives.

There was talk Monday about the $700 billion bailout passed a week ago not being sufficient and about Congress coming back into session to approve stimulus checks to aid struggling Americans. Harkin said he wouldn’t support just issuing more checks, like the rebate checks earlier this year. However, he said it could be defensible with a new Congress in 2009 to relook at the bailout and tweak the legislation in a broader way.”

From CMC:
I have some news for Tom Harkin. Christopher Reed is ready for your place in the Senate. It’s his turn to start racking up seniority! As for “producing” for Iowans – sure you did, Harkin, you cheerfully voted for the Great American Sellout when the Iowans who actually live in Iowa beseeched you not to vote for it. A 10 percent approval rating for Congress (including you) is about 9 points too high as far as many voters are concerned.

And while I am at it “my gosh” the government ought to “be there”???? Get the memo Tom- too much government has gotten us in the mess we are in today. It has been your years of seniority that has helped get us in this financial crisis.

Go ahead and blame the Republican Leadership for the lack of progress that Congress has produced. Many of us are not buying your blame game. You sound as bad as all of your Liberal peers from D.C. Your words about the financial market/mortgage-backed derivatives fall totally flat. And, while I am at it- I don’t trust you to “tweak” the bailout legislation, let alone anything else to do with financial issues.

I sure am glad I happened upon this news article. Reading your words reinforced my conviction that Iowa deserves better than you. We do not need for you to have a return flight to D.C. Iowa has a better choice in Christopher Reed. Thank goodness!