IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

It is increasingly unlikely that Ed Fallon will win the Third District
Primary as his campaign is both broke and languishing far behind
Leonard Boswell in the polls. The question now arises what will
professional candidate Ed Fallon run for next? Fallon is a
professional candidate at this point (and, thanks to the still open
Fallon Loophole, can still make a good living running for office).
There are several possibilities for Fallon. The first is running for
Mayor of Des Moines against Frank Cownie in 2011. Cownie is a leading
environmentalist, which makes him a prime target for Fallon who
actively worked to defeat Al Gore in 2000. However, that election is
three years away and the Mayor of Des Moines only makes $31,500 a
year.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

An envelope from the Boswell campaign arrived in the mail today.
Inside was a letter from Al Gore asking me to donate $20.00 to
Boswell's campaign, symbolizing the 2000 election "when Leonard stood
by my side". The text was identical to a recent e-mail Gore sent out
on Boswell's behalf, which I reproduced at the end of this post.
Unlike Matt Stoller, who is mad that Gore is helping Boswell's
campaign, I can't fault him for getting involved. It won't change the
minds of many Gore voters like myself, who favor Fallon, but it might
activate other Gore supporters who are unreliable primary voters.
Frankly, I'm more annoyed at Gore for sitting out this presidential
election.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

Despite being a city slicker from Sherman Hill, Ed Fallon displayed
his agricultural expertise last week when he reaped what he sowed with
Al Gore's endorsement of Leonard Boswell. To paraphrase what Fallon
said about the former Vice President, Gore can't support Fallon, won't
support Fallon and thinks Democratic primary voters in the 3rd
District shouldn't support Fallon either. Fallon notoriously betrayed
the Democratic Party and stabbed Gore in the back and is now facing
the consequences of his actions. This endorsement came the same day as
a KCCI poll came out that showed Boswell thumping Fallon by nearly 25
points. Even if every undecided voter broke for Fallon, Boswell would
still win 52-48. In addition, national publications such as the
Hotline and Real Clear Politics are counting Fallon out.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon attacked a mailing by Leonard Boswell today that criticized
Fallon for his support of Ralph Nader as "very cynical [and] very
deceptive" today. While Iowa Progress has previously addressed
Fallon's support for Nader, including stating "I can't, I won't and
you shouldn't [vote for Al Gore] either" in a speech that was
reproduced nationally. As a result of the strong Nader organizing in
Iowa, in which Ed Fallon was actively involved, the Gore campaign had
to devote a disproportionate amount of resources to a state that
Michael Dukakis won handily in 1988 and that Bill Clinton won twice.
Gore even was in Iowa the day before the election in 2000. If Al Gore
instead could have paid an extra visit to Florida or was able to run a
few more ads there, it certainly would have shifted 500 votes and
changed history.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

My husband dumped this in the recycling bin today, thinking it was the
same mailing we got from Congressman Leonard Boswell's campaign
yesterday. But no, although it uses the same color scheme and the same
"scary font," this is indeed a separate mailing emphasizing Ed
Fallon's support for Ralph Nader in 2000. I've transcribed the piece
that arrived today after the jump. This is one 8 1/2 by 11 piece,
front and back with a flap that folds out from the front side. On the
front, there are large black and white photos of George W. Bush and
Ralph Nader. Below that, in black "scary font" on a Hawkeye gold
background, it says "Which Iowa candidate helped Ralph Nader elect
George Bush..."

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

I still don't have any information about Congressman Leonard Boswell's
internal polling, and six weeks before the June 3 primary, there are
still no public polls on this race. However, it's notable that the
Boswell campaign has sent out a negative direct-mail piece focusing on
Ed Fallon's support for Ralph Nader's 2000 presidential campaign. My
husband and I received the latest mailing today. Most of the text is
in a bizarre font, in which the letters are not aligned properly and
each letter looks as if a tiny piece has been broken off or torn away.
The effect is to make the text look unstable, somewhat like a ransom
note.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon has attacked the attempt to close the "Fallon Loophole," the
practice of professional politicians paying themselves salaries with
campaign funds, as "status quo politics at its worst." As laughable as
this statement may be, Fallon's own reprehensible actions show why the
legislature must take action. While Fallon defend paying himself from
campaign funds by stating "Most candidates aren't as fiscally
responsible as I am. They finish in the red. I managed to finish in
the black," Fallon was lying at the time. According to an amended
campaign finance report filed by his gubernatorial campaign the very
same day his quote appeared in the Des Moines Register, Fallon for
Governor was $21,225.51 in debt.

Labels: campaign finance, Ed_Fallon

While the top of Ed Fallon's balance sheet shows a very solid
fundraising quarter, the details hide a sad truth. Fallon's ethics
woes have hurt him badly among potential donors. Fallon's credibility
gap over issues related to I'M for Iowa has led to fewer and fewer
donors trusting him. While Fallon claimed 2,082 total donors for the
quarter, almost 80% of them wrote their checks before mid-February. In
the last six weeks of the quarter, Fallon's fundraising slowed to a
trickle. The result is that Fallon has already spent nine out of every
ten dollars that he has raised and, after counting for outstanding
debts, he has less than $3000 available to spend on the last 90 days
of his campaign. If Fallon's fundraising continues to dry up, he won't
have enough money to meet his payroll, let alone pay himself through
"the Fallon loophole."

Labels: campaign finance, Ed_Fallon

Ed Fallon has always cut a Not Just Another Politician image, from his
refusal to wear neckties during his legislative tenure to his
deliberately modest earthy-crunchy lifestyle. Leonard Boswell, on the
other hand, even looks like he could have been sent from central
casting to play the part of good old boy politician. And his campaign
finance course has been traditional, too. He hauled in over $540,000
in PAC contributions during 2007. So how come Fallon is losing ground
on, of all issues, campaign finance? Campaign finance was supposed to
be one of Fallon's signature issues in his primary challenge to
incumbent Boswell in the 3rd Congressional District. Fallon has long
refused PAC and lobbyist donations, and during his legislative
campaigns turned down donations of over $100.

Labels: campaign finance, Ed_Fallon

Although we find it a bit repetitive and dull writing about Ed Fallon,
one would think that the Fallon campaign would feel the same way about
lying. Unfortunately, Fallon's now endemic dishonesty was exposed
again. A Fallon press release that claimed the FEC had given Fallon a
clean bill of ethical health after mounting evidence of Fallon
committing campaign finance violations. Unfortunately, the FEC didn't.
According to FEC spokesman George Smaragdis, "no Commission employee
made any determination relative to the specific circumstances of any
campaign. Only the Commission can make such a determination." Even
prior to the FEC disavowing Fallon's claims, suspicions were raised
due to the fact Fallon never used a direct quote or cited a specific
FEC employee by name in his press release.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

As I've noted recently, the primary to represent Iowa's third
Congressional district has taken a strange turn, whereby the incumbent
seems to be trying to make the race primarily about the challenger's
faults rather than the incumbent's record of service. I've been too
busy in non-blog life to write up the day to day sparring following a
recent e-mail from Leonard Boswell's campaign, which attacked Ed
Fallon on several fronts. The criticism of Fallon by Boswell's
surrogates and supporters has focused on four issues in particular: 1.
alleged ethical questions related to Fallon's work for the
Independence Movement for Iowa (I'M for Iowa).

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon today attacked a bill that would ban politicians paying
themselves with campaign funds as "status quo politics at its worst."
The bill was introduced because Fallon had paid himself nearly $14,000
with campaign funds after the end of his 2006 gubernatorial bid,
making Fallon one of the most notable politicians to line his own
pockets with campaign funds since Alan Keyes paid himself $8500 a
month to run for Senate in 1992. Although Fallon claimed there was
leftover money in his campaign account because "most candidates aren't
as fiscally responsible as I am," Fallon had nearly $40,000 still in
the bank at the end of his gubernatorial campaign. In a close
three-race where you being outspent, saving that much money isn't
exactly fiscally responsible.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

I didn't see this last week, because despite my requests, the Boswell
campaign is still not sending their press releases to me. But on
Friday the United Auto Workers came out for Boswell in the Democratic
primary to represent Iowa's third Congressional district. Via Iowa
True Blue, here is the release from the campaign: "Des Moines, IA -
Congressman Leonard Boswell received the support of the Iowa United
Auto Workers State Community Action League (CAP) today."... It's not
clear how many UAW members in Iowa live in the third district. There
used to be a sizable number in Jasper County, but that was before
Maytag closed.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell, unions

Iowa Independent just published a story that reveals that
congressional candidate Ed Fallon has been hiding contributions to his
political organization, IM For Iowa. Although IM for Iowa's goal is
"further develop a broad movement committed to progressive reform in
state and local politics," it is legally a for-profit partnership
between Fallon and his campaign manager and girlfriend Lynn Heuss. As
a result, IM for Iowa can take an unlimited amount of contributions
and does not have to reveal its contributors or how it spends its
money. However, it is highly questionable how a building a grassroots
movement in Iowa for causes like advocating Clean Elections can be a
moneymaking, for-profit entity. IM for Iowa does not sell any product
or produce anything of tangible commercial value.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

Ed Fallon is being accused by Leonard Boswell's campaign of being hypocritical about receiving support through PACs. At issue is that Democracy for America, which is a PAC has encouraged its members to support Ed Fallon, who has not received a SINGLE dime from DFA, but did receive direct contributions from 730 DFA members to the tune of about $20,000. Many people are members of organizations that encourage supporting candidates, the National Board of Realtors as an example encourages its membership to choose pro-real estate candidates, but that doesn't mean the same thing as the NBR cutting a check for a candidate.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Democrat Ed Fallon, who endorsed Ralph Nader in the 2000 presidential
race, doesn't have kind words for Nader now that he has announced he
will run again in 2008. Fallon is challenging Congressman Leonard
Boswell in Democratic primary in Iowa's 3rd Congressional District.
Fallon's support for Nader already has been an issue in the campaign.
"Ralph Nader has done great things in his life for the consumers, for
the average American, and this makes no sense," Fallon said this week.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

Republican Representatives Jodi Tymeson, Pat Grassley and Jeff
Kaufmann were joined today by Democrat Congressional candidate Ed
Fallon in presenting a well conceived response to Gov. Culver and the
legislative Democrats' attempts to circumvent existing limitations on
the eminent domain power of condemnation. Put another way, the
Democrat machines ability to seize your property in biased
condemnation procedures and give it to their donors. The bi-partisan
proposal is set out in the left margin under our General Assembly
section. Click the link, its well worth the read. Limitation of
condemnation powers is the genetic default position of every
Republican not involved in municipal development.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

I got an e-mail today from Democracy for America, confirming that they are backing Ed Fallon in the primary to represent Iowa's third Congressional district. Excerpt: "Last Tuesday, our Primaries Matter campaign delivered results and helped lead Donna Edwards to a resounding 24-point victory over Bush-Democrat Al Wynn in MD-04. Ed Fallon is the next DFA-List endorsement and he's taking on Bush-Democrat, Rep. Leonard Boswell in IA-03. Contribute $20.08 right now and support a Democrat with the backbone to stand up for progressive values. ..." I don't know how many members Democracy for America has, but it will be interesting to see how much money this appeal raises for Fallon's campaign. Donna Edwards' convincing victory may make people more willing to invest in another primary challenger. ... As of 10:30 pm, this appeal has raised $20,024 for Fallon from 582 donors. That's an average of just under $35 per donor. Looks like a lot of those people will be willing and able to donate again before this race is over.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell

Ed Fallon was a Ralph Nader supporter in 2000. He described Al Gore as
"to the right of Bill Clinton" and said that "I can't, I won't and you
shouldn't [vote for Al Gore] either." So what was the platform of the
far-right wing, DLC Democrat that Ed Fallon refused to support? In
Gore's acceptance speech, he stated that "campaign finance reform will
be the very first bill that I send to the United States Congress,"
that "free trade... must be fair trade" and reaffirmed his commitment to
a federal law banning discrimination based on sexual orientation. In
fact, in that very same speech, Gore reiterated the basic theme of his
campaign-representing the people versus the powerful...

Labels: Ed_Fallon

As Chase Martyn reported for Iowa Independent, Ed Fallon officially
announced on Wednesday that he will challenge Leonard Boswell for the
Democratic nomination in Iowa's third Congressional district.
Populista put up a diary here urging people to vote for Ed as
Democracy for America's "All-Star" candidate. I have already done so,
and I hope you will too. I'll be writing more about this race in the
coming months. For now, I want to briefly lay out the case for
supporting Fallon's challenge. Leonard Boswell is a good person. I
have voted for him every time and have contributed to his
Congressional campaigns.

Labels: Ed_Fallon

Incumbent Democratic U.S. Congressman Leonard Boswell officially got his primary opponent today when former State Representative Ed Fallon announced his intentions to take on Boswell. ... Remember back to the 1992 Presidential contest when Iowa's ultra-liberal U.S. Senator Tom Harkin actually ran for the nation's top job? One of his campaign gimmicks was to put little collar type signs around dogs that read "Barkin' for Harkin". It was so people who walked their dog could also advertise on behalf of their buddy Tom. ... I cannot wait for this Boswell v. Fallon race to unfold more. I'm definitely pulling for Fallon to take out Boswell or at least make it really close. Expect Boswell to swerve to the left rather abruptly when it comes to his votes in Congress.

Labels: Ed_Fallon, Leonard_Boswell