Senator Grassley’s Disconcerting Harkin Tribute

A few days ago Senator Chuck Grassley took to the Senate floor to speak in tribute to retiring Senator Tom Harkin. If it was somehow considered  necessary or protocol for Grassley, as Harkin’s Senate counterpart from the state,  to wish him well — why couldn’t it have been left at that? A few words is one thing, a virtual paean, given Harkin’s full record, from the usually less than loquacious conservative Senator Grassley, was disconcerting.

It is not as if Harkin’s progressive Democrat compatriots would not fall all over themselves to sing praises of him. Take for example the Sunday, November 30th, front page of the Quad Cities Times complete with a quarter page sized picture.

We also found Grassley’s comments disconcerting because we have supported Harkin’s Republican opponents, heard Harkin’s campaign vilifications of Republicans (that includes you Senator Grassley), experienced Harkin’s nastiness up close and personal and most importantly do not gloss over or downplay the overall effect of Harkin’s voting record on the good of this country, the things Grassley found common cause with notwithstanding.

We also worked for Senator Grassley’s election and reelections and we do not remember him vilifying his opponents, any snideness, any lying about his opponents or his own record in order to garner votes. Nay, the term “do not remember” is too uncertain. Chuck Grassley did not. Tom Harkin did. Practitioners of such “politics” do not deserve the pass that theirs is just a different way of playing the game. Harkin sullied the “game, ” the office and the country repeatedly.

Harkin made a career of insulting causes Grassley supported, Grassley’s supporters, and our country with relish and even for profit. Grassley and Harkin never ran against one another.  It is something other than magnanimity for Grassley to honor someone of Harkin’s ilk when Harkin may have had the political discretion not to attack Grassley by name but had his trademark snarl for so much of what Grassley holds dear and so many of Grassley’s support network and objectively what is good for the country.  No politician, including Chuck Grassley, can presume to gloss over,  forgive or forget for causes bigger than him.  That is not statesmanship. What it is I do not know. But it was disconcerting.

Here are some links to articles about Harkin along with some comments and questions to consider. Following that is a link to Senator Grassley’s tribute from the floor of the Senate and a transcript of the speech with our annotations.

The Bark of Tom Harkin  by Lowell Ponte

This is the best single article to read setting forth a number of things about Harkin that Senator Grassley declined to incorporate into his speech — Harkin’s stolen valor, his ethics, his disparaging distortions about “Tiger cages” in Vietnam, his sympathies with the Sandinistas, and more

Tom Harkin Fake War Hero   – a 2004 Instapundit article

The Elbert Files Iowa’s ugly senate campaign

The first time Harkin ran for the U.S. Senate was a particularly nasty campaign against Republican incumbent Roger Jepsen in 1984. For that race, Register cartoonist Brian Duffy drew a Halloween cartoon showing both Harkin and Jepsen dressed as skunks. Duffy reprised various versions of that cartoon for just about every Harkin race that followed. 

Marco Rubio Tees Off on Cuba, Venezuela and Tom Harkin  — Powerline article

(Rubio) rose to respond to Tom Harkin’s paean to the wonders of socialist Cuba. For twelve minutes or so, Rubio ripped into the corrupt socialist governments of Cuba and Venezuela, and their enablers here in the U.S.

Harkin’s extreme pro-abortion record –  the exact opposite of Senator Grassley

Voted NO on restricting UN funding for population control policies. Voted NO on defining unborn child as eligible for SCHIP. Voted NO on prohibiting minors crossing state lines for abortion. Voted NO on barring HHS grants to organizations that perform abortions. Voted YES on expanding research to more embryonic stem cell lines. Voted NO on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions. Voted NO on criminal penalty for harming unborn fetus during other crime. Voted NO on banning partial birth abortions except for maternal life. Rated 100% by NARAL, indicating a pro-choice voting record. Rated 0% by the NRLC, indicating a pro-choice stance.

Rated the 33rd most wealthy member of Congress.

How is it that Tom Harkin the dirt poor coal miners son gets to be a multi-millionaire while in Congress? Funny how that seems to work so well for most of them. Harkin says he doesn’t know squat about investing money – it is all his wife’s doing.  The one who has sat on the Board of Conoco-Phillips.  We are sure any influence with her husband was not even considered in placing her on the board.  And the company’s relationship to ADM ethanol plans had nothing to do with anything.

Harkin castigates Joni Ernst as another Michelle Bachmann. Senator Grassley you have always rated high on the American Conservative Unions (ACU) scale, something we appreciate immensely. Indeed in  2007 the ACU rated both you and Michelle Bachmann 100%.  Harkin said a Senator like Michelle Bachmann, which is how he described Joni Ernst, would be a bad thing for America. How do you feel about that Harkin attitude? Does castigating your friends reflect any deep seated feelings toward you?  Just wondering.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Republican Chuck Grassley’s voice grew ragged with emotion when Tom Harkin walked into the U.S. Senate chamber in the midst of his farewell tribute to his Democratic friend.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Senate allows floor speeches of “members” to be “revised and extended” for the official record less what senators actually say be officially set forth for posterity.  Set forth below are Senator Grassley’s full remarks as delivered. We took the liberty of adding some suggestions in parenthesis in red regular typeface that the Good Senator might want to consider including for posterity, his delivered comments being such a whitewash of Harkin.

“Mr. President, I rise today to celebrate the 75th birthday of my friend (fiend)  and long-time colleague from our home state of Iowa, Tom Harkin. As you know, Mr. President, Senator Harkin will be retiring from public office in just a few weeks. (transcription unintelligible until applause from gallery died down).

At the end of the 113th Congress, Senator Harkin will close a chapter on public service that spans more than a half-century, including four decades in Congress. He served 27 years in the United States Navy and U.S. Naval Reserves. Ten years in the House of Representatives. And 30 years here in the United States Senate. (Mr. President  given the evil a man can do in that much time that is of course a strong argument for term limits)

I think anybody looking at that would say that’s a remarkable and distinguished record of public service. (or in other words Iowans can be that stupid)

After 40 years of representing Iowans in Congress, my friend  Tom soon will leave behind the halls of the U.S. Capitol. He also will leave behind a legacy of fiery floor speeches, passionately delivered on behalf of individuals with disabilities. Also for Iowa farmers. Also for the elderly. Also for child laborers. Also for the many causes he championed, such as early childhood education, nutrition and wellness, conservation, renewable energy and the environment (early, middle, and late term abortion and at taxpayer expense,  Herba-Life, Sandinistas, communists and other thugs the world over, disarmament, gay marriage,  doing away with gun rights)  and probably lots of others. But those are things that everybody knows he has worked hard on.

Through the years, Tom and I have served side-by-side in Washington for the good of our home state. For three terms, we worked together in the U.S. House of Representatives. It was here our shared commitment to give rural America a voice at the policymaking table was sown. And for the many years we have worked together on the Senate Agriculture Committee, looking out for the millions of Americans who choose to work and earn a living in rural America. We worked together to advocate for rural infrastructure and investment and access to health care, housing, technology and transportation. (we know that no good things are possible unless a lot of money is cycled through Warshington)

For the last three decades we have served alongside one another in the United States Senate, an institution that both of us hold near and dear to our hearts. (which is why my friend Tom tried to eliminate my role, and my party’s ability to protect the Constitution, by eliminating the filibuster)  Although some of our silver-tongued critics over the years may have ascribed Tom’s views as those of a bleeding heart liberal or mine mischaracterized as that of a cold-hearted conservative, we both Tom and I know that our hearts have always been in the right place (mine in my chest cavity, Toms at all times on his sleeve).  Neither of us was born with a silver spoon in our mouths.  (Although Tom has a lot more spoons than I do now ) And we learned early on to appreciate the work ethic of our parents and grandparents. Each of us raised our families with the hopes that our children and grandchildren would achieve the promise of America’s prosperity and grow up to enjoy the pursuit of happiness. As Iowa’s U.S. senators, we have worked to keep alive that dream of hardworking Iowa families. (If this is insufficient as an “aren’t we wonderful moment” add transcripts from Academy Award presentations)

Now, of course it’s true we have vastly different views on the government’s influence on America’s ladder of opportunity. However, we do whole-heartedly agree that it is an honor and a privilege to serve the people of our state.  (while he lives in Bahamas and seeks to eliminate minority rights, thereby allowing us both to phone in our votes)  For some reason, our respective re-elections every six years have actually confounded political observers. Many couldn’t seem to square the notion that Iowans would continue to elect two U.S. senators from opposite sides of the political spectrum for the last three decades.

So, Mr. President, to explain – I think I don’t have to, because I think it is widely understood that Iowans aren’t casual political observers. Our electorate takes pride in retail politicking and its first-in-the-nation political caucuses. We certainly have given Iowa voters a night-and-day choice between these two U.S. senators.  (OK it’s goofy, I can’t explain it either)

So while we may not see eye to eye on politics and ideology, we do see eye to eye when it came to working for Iowa’s best interests. (ignoring any effect on national policy needs in service to Iowa’s special interest stuff, like the insanity of ethanol mandates relying on Iowa corn and productive land )  Although our voting records may reflect night and day positions on some public policy, (those are small potatoes and should not figure in to this little love fest)  you wouldn’t see the light of day between us when we worked together on matters that are of the most importance to Iowa, including but not limited to the natural disasters of 1993 and 2008 floods. Iowa farmers and agriculture, notably recovering from the farm crisis. Renewable energy and rural infrastructure have been our mutual interest. We also enjoy welcoming economic development leaders and constituents to the nation’s capital. (In his case a lot of communists, Sandinistas, and other third world thugs)  Between the famous Siouxland Steak Dinner here in Washington and the Harkin Steak Fry in Indianola, there’s no doubt Tom will miss staking out Iowans to discuss politics and policy.

However, I have no doubt my home state colleague will continue to champion the causes for which he has devoted a lifetime of service (communism, mendacity, abortion,  confiscatory tax policies, denigrating America, etc.)

In fact I’ve read in news media about his retirement of what he intends to pursue and so I have no doubt that he’s going to pursue out of the Senate what he’s pursued in the Senate. (once again:communism, mendacity, abortion,  confiscatory tax policies, denigrating America, etc.)   To his credit, my colleague’s legacy reflects the priorities he set out to achieve decades ago: to make a difference for those on the down side of advantage. (he made a difference alright, being a player in inhibiting  economic growth, locking people into a welfare dependency, ruining the greatest health care delivery system in the world,  increasing food prices, and more)

So, Mr. President, my wife Barbara and this senator extend our warmest wishes to Tom and his wife Ruth, (by warmest wishes”  we mean for the good of the country stay in the “warm” Bahamas) and of course to the entire Harkin family. As you start life’s next chapter, and I see my colleague’s here so I can look at him, as you start life’s next chapter, may you enjoy the blessings of hearth and home, health and happiness. Although Tom is retiring from public office, I’m confident he is not retiring from serving the public interest.

From one constituent to another, I thank you for a lifetime of  public service. (richly compensated — #33 you dog you)   And I wish you good luck and Godspeed. I yield the floor.”   

R Mall

0

0