Chuck Grassley’s historical legacy: biggest coward in Iowa political history

[torbee]

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender​

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers​

BARRY PIATT FEB 23

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) waning political career is increasingly hard to watch. Once a force to be reckoned with in the US Senate, as a fierce watchdog against waste, fraud and corruption, those days are long behind him.

For the last decade, at least, he’s been more of a lap dog and water carrier for the most partisan Republicans in the Senate, and now the most corrupt president in America’s history.

Since Donald Trump’s 2.0 return to the White House, Grassley has entered a new phase of subservience. These days he pitifully waves the white flag of surrender in the face of Trump’s assault on democracy and Elon Musk’s assault on the federal government.

Grassley’s latest unfurling of the white flag comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s lies that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator.

Reporters asked Grassley whether he thought Trump had gone too far with those statements, and whether they jeopardized American alliances.

• For the record: three years ago, Russia - brutally and without provocation - invaded Ukraine to seize territory that belonged to that sovereign nation, a democracy and an American ally. Russia launched a war of naked aggression.
• Also for the record, President Zelensky is a hero of democracy, not only in Ukraine, but globally.

Neither of those facts should be a hard thing for a United States Senator to say, particularly one who is the Senate’s most senior member, its sixth longest serving Senator of any party in the Senate’s history, and its current longest serving Republican.

That would be Chuck Grassley, who is also Iowa’s senior senator and longest serving senator in the state’s history.

All of which is to say, Senator Grassley has a responsibility to lead, especially when there is a criminal president of his party in the White House who vandalizing the federal government, working to destroy American democracy and, at every turn, siding with America’s greatest adversary.

Grassley shirks this responsibility at every turn.

When Senator Grassley was asked whether Trump’s comments went too far, or jeopardized America’s alliances, Grassley was unwilling to say anything about who started the war or whether Zelensky was a dictator. He also apparently has no view on the impact Trump’s obvious lies may have on America’s alliances. He didn’t answer that question, either.

Instead Senator Grassley waved the white flag of surrender and subservience to Trump. He could have called Trump out and insisted on an accurate telling of how the war started and the nature of Zelensky’s leadership.

What he said was this: “You’ll have to ask the president that. I can only speak for Chuck Grassley.”

Chuck Grassley then proceeded to say nothing on behalf of Chuck Grassley regarding who started the war with a brutal, unprovoked invasion; who was, or was not, a dictator; and what impact Trump’s falsehoods might have on U.S. alliances.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Grassley did acknowledge that whatever Putin and Zelensky are, Putin is worse - but there was no direct, definitive defense of the Ukranian president from the claim that he is a dictator.

“I’m not going to say anything more on it,” Grassley said. Bailing out of the exchange, as he so often does when the questions start getting uncomfortable for him.

When Trump illegally fired 17 Inspector Generals (IGs) - the in house watchdogs who ferret out real waste, fraud and corruption at federal agencies and departments - Grassley’s response was similarly meek.

He wrote the president a letter which did not object to any of the firings, but did note that the law requires the president to inform Congress 30 days prior to any terminations, and could the president please do that?

“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of. He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter,” Grassley told the HuffPost.

When asked about the random, groundless, damaging firings that private citizen Elon Musk is imposing through uninformed, ignorant directives designed to destroy the federal government, the best Grassley could come up with is “It’s a tragedy for the people getting laid off,” but the “only thing Congress can do is complain.”

What on God’s green earth is he talking about?? Fifty years in the House and Senate and that is the best answer he can come up with??

Congress is supposed to be a full partner in these kinds of decisions with the president. You know - the old “the president proposes and the Congress disposes?” Whatever happened to that?

The answer to that question appears to be this: Actual governing has apparently. been outsourced to private citizen, billionaire, and Trump’s biggest campaign donor Elon Musk with little or no input or oversight from Trump himself, let alone the Congress.

Grassley and Iowa’s congressional delegation - which has either been silent or supportive of Musks unsupervised demolition work - all seem just fine with that arrangement.

The Washington Post reported this week that Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and US Rep. Maryannette Miller-Meeks were falsely re-assuring Iowa farmers that Trump’s federal spending freeze didn’t apply to farmers - who were, in fact, stuck holding the bag for millions of dollars in conservation work they were required to pay for up front with the promise of federal reimbursement.

The Senator and Representative were wrong. The freeze did apply to farmers and their contracted payments. The feds were no longer paying.

Imagine that. President Donald Trump using the same tactic he used in his private businesses: not paying bills legitimately owed.

One must ask: how does a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate - the Senator a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, no less - not knowthat a president is, as a matter of policy, stiffing farmers in their district and their state to the tune of millions of dollars??

Was it actual ignorance, willful or otherwise? Negligence in keeping an eye on things that matter to their constituents? Or were those reassurances just lies in which they got caught?

What ever it is, one thing is clear: Both Ernst and Miller-Meeks failed to do their job of monitoring what the administration is up to, and to look out for the interests of Iowa farmers. What good is it to be a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee if you don’t know what’s going on in agriculture policy in your own back yard - as administered by a president of your own political party?

It is clear that tough times are ahead for democracy, for the nation, and for Iowa with Musk’s and Trump’s demolition crew working out of the White House.

That’s bad enough news, but the really bad news is that Iowans in Congress seem unplugged from it all, surrendered and accepting of it, and simply hoping that hyper partisanship will save their political careers in the end, as their constituents fend for themselves.

Hyper-partisan ship will not save their careers. This is not a sustainable course, politically, for any party - even one that has shown massive willingness to lie and cheat in the past to win.

I’m surprised Iowa’s congressional delegation hasn’t figured that out yet.

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers

open.substack.com

 

[h-hawk]

 

[joelbc1]

As a Democrat in Iowa. With its current Congressional make-up, I have no Congressiobal representation in DC. I can live with that….uncomfortably. However, I look around at the current make-up of Iowa’s congressional team (Senators and Congressmen) and wonder just how many of my fellow Iowans feel left out, too? Ernst and Grassley have both been asleep at the wheel for several years…Nunn, Hinson and M-M will do whatever Trump tells them to do and none of these guys has put their nuts in the line for anything that is truly an Iowa first interest.
I am very disappointed. And Grassley and Wrbst in particular have certainly had an opportunity or two to step forward recently and do the right thing…. But they both have chosen the path of least resistance and gone “party over country”.
Nunn and Hinson are spineless spin-masters of MAGA.

 

[franklinman]

One foot in the ground, the other, he has no idea.

 

[Tom Paris]

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender​

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers​

BARRY PIATT FEB 23

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) waning political career is increasingly hard to watch. Once a force to be reckoned with in the US Senate, as a fierce watchdog against waste, fraud and corruption, those days are long behind him.

For the last decade, at least, he’s been more of a lap dog and water carrier for the most partisan Republicans in the Senate, and now the most corrupt president in America’s history.

Since Donald Trump’s 2.0 return to the White House, Grassley has entered a new phase of subservience. These days he pitifully waves the white flag of surrender in the face of Trump’s assault on democracy and Elon Musk’s assault on the federal government.

Grassley’s latest unfurling of the white flag comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s lies that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator.

Reporters asked Grassley whether he thought Trump had gone too far with those statements, and whether they jeopardized American alliances.

• For the record: three years ago, Russia - brutally and without provocation - invaded Ukraine to seize territory that belonged to that sovereign nation, a democracy and an American ally. Russia launched a war of naked aggression.
• Also for the record, President Zelensky is a hero of democracy, not only in Ukraine, but globally.

Neither of those facts should be a hard thing for a United States Senator to say, particularly one who is the Senate’s most senior member, its sixth longest serving Senator of any party in the Senate’s history, and its current longest serving Republican.

That would be Chuck Grassley, who is also Iowa’s senior senator and longest serving senator in the state’s history.

All of which is to say, Senator Grassley has a responsibility to lead, especially when there is a criminal president of his party in the White House who vandalizing the federal government, working to destroy American democracy and, at every turn, siding with America’s greatest adversary.

Grassley shirks this responsibility at every turn.

When Senator Grassley was asked whether Trump’s comments went too far, or jeopardized America’s alliances, Grassley was unwilling to say anything about who started the war or whether Zelensky was a dictator. He also apparently has no view on the impact Trump’s obvious lies may have on America’s alliances. He didn’t answer that question, either.

Instead Senator Grassley waved the white flag of surrender and subservience to Trump. He could have called Trump out and insisted on an accurate telling of how the war started and the nature of Zelensky’s leadership.

What he said was this: “You’ll have to ask the president that. I can only speak for Chuck Grassley.”

Chuck Grassley then proceeded to say nothing on behalf of Chuck Grassley regarding who started the war with a brutal, unprovoked invasion; who was, or was not, a dictator; and what impact Trump’s falsehoods might have on U.S. alliances.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Grassley did acknowledge that whatever Putin and Zelensky are, Putin is worse - but there was no direct, definitive defense of the Ukranian president from the claim that he is a dictator.

“I’m not going to say anything more on it,” Grassley said. Bailing out of the exchange, as he so often does when the questions start getting uncomfortable for him.

When Trump illegally fired 17 Inspector Generals (IGs) - the in house watchdogs who ferret out real waste, fraud and corruption at federal agencies and departments - Grassley’s response was similarly meek.

He wrote the president a letter which did not object to any of the firings, but did note that the law requires the president to inform Congress 30 days prior to any terminations, and could the president please do that?

“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of. He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter,” Grassley told the HuffPost.

When asked about the random, groundless, damaging firings that private citizen Elon Musk is imposing through uninformed, ignorant directives designed to destroy the federal government, the best Grassley could come up with is “It’s a tragedy for the people getting laid off,” but the “only thing Congress can do is complain.”

What on God’s green earth is he talking about?? Fifty years in the House and Senate and that is the best answer he can come up with??

Congress is supposed to be a full partner in these kinds of decisions with the president. You know - the old “the president proposes and the Congress disposes?” Whatever happened to that?

The answer to that question appears to be this: Actual governing has apparently. been outsourced to private citizen, billionaire, and Trump’s biggest campaign donor Elon Musk with little or no input or oversight from Trump himself, let alone the Congress.

Grassley and Iowa’s congressional delegation - which has either been silent or supportive of Musks unsupervised demolition work - all seem just fine with that arrangement.

The Washington Post reported this week that Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and US Rep. Maryannette Miller-Meeks were falsely re-assuring Iowa farmers that Trump’s federal spending freeze didn’t apply to farmers - who were, in fact, stuck holding the bag for millions of dollars in conservation work they were required to pay for up front with the promise of federal reimbursement.

The Senator and Representative were wrong. The freeze did apply to farmers and their contracted payments. The feds were no longer paying.

Imagine that. President Donald Trump using the same tactic he used in his private businesses: not paying bills legitimately owed.

One must ask: how does a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate - the Senator a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, no less - not knowthat a president is, as a matter of policy, stiffing farmers in their district and their state to the tune of millions of dollars??

Was it actual ignorance, willful or otherwise? Negligence in keeping an eye on things that matter to their constituents? Or were those reassurances just lies in which they got caught?

What ever it is, one thing is clear: Both Ernst and Miller-Meeks failed to do their job of monitoring what the administration is up to, and to look out for the interests of Iowa farmers. What good is it to be a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee if you don’t know what’s going on in agriculture policy in your own back yard - as administered by a president of your own political party?

It is clear that tough times are ahead for democracy, for the nation, and for Iowa with Musk’s and Trump’s demolition crew working out of the White House.

That’s bad enough news, but the really bad news is that Iowans in Congress seem unplugged from it all, surrendered and accepting of it, and simply hoping that hyper partisanship will save their political careers in the end, as their constituents fend for themselves.

Hyper-partisan ship will not save their careers. This is not a sustainable course, politically, for any party - even one that has shown massive willingness to lie and cheat in the past to win.

I’m surprised Iowa’s congressional delegation hasn’t figured that out yet.

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers

open.substack.com

There are NO BRAVE REPUBLICANS in Congress. Murkowski has a shred of decency. The rest are fvcking self-serving cowards.

 

[THE_DEVIL]

Mike Pence

 

[joelbc1]

Mike Pence

But he had to leave office before it was evident.

 

[LuteHawk]

Chuck Grassley is 91 years old. He is too feeble to be a vibrant
voice for what is best for America. Instead, Chuck is a poster boy
for term limits and age limits for U.S. Congress. He refuses to boldly
challenge the toxic madness of Donald Trump. Grassley sits on
the sidelines watching Trump defy the U.S. Constitution and ruin
our nation.

 

[Huey Grey]

Chuck isn't ignoring this takeover. He's complicit in it. He voted for every last one of the rapists nominees. He voted to excuse both of his impeachments. Chuck isn't hiding from Trump. He's helping him.

 

[joelbc1]

Chuck isn't ignoring this takeover. He's complicit in it. He voted for every last one of the rapists nominees. He voted to excuse both of his impeachments. Chuck isn't hiding from Trump. He's helping him.

^^^^Yes, he is! ^^^^^

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender​

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers​

BARRY PIATT FEB 23

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) waning political career is increasingly hard to watch. Once a force to be reckoned with in the US Senate, as a fierce watchdog against waste, fraud and corruption, those days are long behind him.

For the last decade, at least, he’s been more of a lap dog and water carrier for the most partisan Republicans in the Senate, and now the most corrupt president in America’s history.

Since Donald Trump’s 2.0 return to the White House, Grassley has entered a new phase of subservience. These days he pitifully waves the white flag of surrender in the face of Trump’s assault on democracy and Elon Musk’s assault on the federal government.

Grassley’s latest unfurling of the white flag comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s lies that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator.

Reporters asked Grassley whether he thought Trump had gone too far with those statements, and whether they jeopardized American alliances.

• For the record: three years ago, Russia - brutally and without provocation - invaded Ukraine to seize territory that belonged to that sovereign nation, a democracy and an American ally. Russia launched a war of naked aggression.
• Also for the record, President Zelensky is a hero of democracy, not only in Ukraine, but globally.

Neither of those facts should be a hard thing for a United States Senator to say, particularly one who is the Senate’s most senior member, its sixth longest serving Senator of any party in the Senate’s history, and its current longest serving Republican.

That would be Chuck Grassley, who is also Iowa’s senior senator and longest serving senator in the state’s history.

All of which is to say, Senator Grassley has a responsibility to lead, especially when there is a criminal president of his party in the White House who vandalizing the federal government, working to destroy American democracy and, at every turn, siding with America’s greatest adversary.

Grassley shirks this responsibility at every turn.

When Senator Grassley was asked whether Trump’s comments went too far, or jeopardized America’s alliances, Grassley was unwilling to say anything about who started the war or whether Zelensky was a dictator. He also apparently has no view on the impact Trump’s obvious lies may have on America’s alliances. He didn’t answer that question, either.

Instead Senator Grassley waved the white flag of surrender and subservience to Trump. He could have called Trump out and insisted on an accurate telling of how the war started and the nature of Zelensky’s leadership.

What he said was this: “You’ll have to ask the president that. I can only speak for Chuck Grassley.”

Chuck Grassley then proceeded to say nothing on behalf of Chuck Grassley regarding who started the war with a brutal, unprovoked invasion; who was, or was not, a dictator; and what impact Trump’s falsehoods might have on U.S. alliances.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Grassley did acknowledge that whatever Putin and Zelensky are, Putin is worse - but there was no direct, definitive defense of the Ukranian president from the claim that he is a dictator.

“I’m not going to say anything more on it,” Grassley said. Bailing out of the exchange, as he so often does when the questions start getting uncomfortable for him.

When Trump illegally fired 17 Inspector Generals (IGs) - the in house watchdogs who ferret out real waste, fraud and corruption at federal agencies and departments - Grassley’s response was similarly meek.

He wrote the president a letter which did not object to any of the firings, but did note that the law requires the president to inform Congress 30 days prior to any terminations, and could the president please do that?

“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of. He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter,” Grassley told the HuffPost.

When asked about the random, groundless, damaging firings that private citizen Elon Musk is imposing through uninformed, ignorant directives designed to destroy the federal government, the best Grassley could come up with is “It’s a tragedy for the people getting laid off,” but the “only thing Congress can do is complain.”

What on God’s green earth is he talking about?? Fifty years in the House and Senate and that is the best answer he can come up with??

Congress is supposed to be a full partner in these kinds of decisions with the president. You know - the old “the president proposes and the Congress disposes?” Whatever happened to that?

The answer to that question appears to be this: Actual governing has apparently. been outsourced to private citizen, billionaire, and Trump’s biggest campaign donor Elon Musk with little or no input or oversight from Trump himself, let alone the Congress.

Grassley and Iowa’s congressional delegation - which has either been silent or supportive of Musks unsupervised demolition work - all seem just fine with that arrangement.

The Washington Post reported this week that Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and US Rep. Maryannette Miller-Meeks were falsely re-assuring Iowa farmers that Trump’s federal spending freeze didn’t apply to farmers - who were, in fact, stuck holding the bag for millions of dollars in conservation work they were required to pay for up front with the promise of federal reimbursement.

The Senator and Representative were wrong. The freeze did apply to farmers and their contracted payments. The feds were no longer paying.

Imagine that. President Donald Trump using the same tactic he used in his private businesses: not paying bills legitimately owed.

One must ask: how does a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate - the Senator a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, no less - not knowthat a president is, as a matter of policy, stiffing farmers in their district and their state to the tune of millions of dollars??

Was it actual ignorance, willful or otherwise? Negligence in keeping an eye on things that matter to their constituents? Or were those reassurances just lies in which they got caught?

What ever it is, one thing is clear: Both Ernst and Miller-Meeks failed to do their job of monitoring what the administration is up to, and to look out for the interests of Iowa farmers. What good is it to be a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee if you don’t know what’s going on in agriculture policy in your own back yard - as administered by a president of your own political party?

It is clear that tough times are ahead for democracy, for the nation, and for Iowa with Musk’s and Trump’s demolition crew working out of the White House.

That’s bad enough news, but the really bad news is that Iowans in Congress seem unplugged from it all, surrendered and accepting of it, and simply hoping that hyper partisanship will save their political careers in the end, as their constituents fend for themselves.

Hyper-partisan ship will not save their careers. This is not a sustainable course, politically, for any party - even one that has shown massive willingness to lie and cheat in the past to win.

I’m surprised Iowa’s congressional delegation hasn’t figured that out yet.

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers

open.substack.com

Charles Grassley accomplishes more in a 24 hr period than your entire family tree combined.

 

[hawkjt]

Chuck is positioned to actually push back on trump without political risk as he has to be in his last term but clearly he is unwilling to stand for anything now. He has destroyed his legacy starting when he blocked garland from scotus.

Sad.

 

[billanole]

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender​

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers​

BARRY PIATT FEB 23

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) waning political career is increasingly hard to watch. Once a force to be reckoned with in the US Senate, as a fierce watchdog against waste, fraud and corruption, those days are long behind him.

For the last decade, at least, he’s been more of a lap dog and water carrier for the most partisan Republicans in the Senate, and now the most corrupt president in America’s history.

Since Donald Trump’s 2.0 return to the White House, Grassley has entered a new phase of subservience. These days he pitifully waves the white flag of surrender in the face of Trump’s assault on democracy and Elon Musk’s assault on the federal government.

Grassley’s latest unfurling of the white flag comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s lies that Ukraine started the war with Russia and that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is a dictator.

Reporters asked Grassley whether he thought Trump had gone too far with those statements, and whether they jeopardized American alliances.

• For the record: three years ago, Russia - brutally and without provocation - invaded Ukraine to seize territory that belonged to that sovereign nation, a democracy and an American ally. Russia launched a war of naked aggression.
• Also for the record, President Zelensky is a hero of democracy, not only in Ukraine, but globally.

Neither of those facts should be a hard thing for a United States Senator to say, particularly one who is the Senate’s most senior member, its sixth longest serving Senator of any party in the Senate’s history, and its current longest serving Republican.

That would be Chuck Grassley, who is also Iowa’s senior senator and longest serving senator in the state’s history.

All of which is to say, Senator Grassley has a responsibility to lead, especially when there is a criminal president of his party in the White House who vandalizing the federal government, working to destroy American democracy and, at every turn, siding with America’s greatest adversary.

Grassley shirks this responsibility at every turn.

When Senator Grassley was asked whether Trump’s comments went too far, or jeopardized America’s alliances, Grassley was unwilling to say anything about who started the war or whether Zelensky was a dictator. He also apparently has no view on the impact Trump’s obvious lies may have on America’s alliances. He didn’t answer that question, either.

Instead Senator Grassley waved the white flag of surrender and subservience to Trump. He could have called Trump out and insisted on an accurate telling of how the war started and the nature of Zelensky’s leadership.

What he said was this: “You’ll have to ask the president that. I can only speak for Chuck Grassley.”

Chuck Grassley then proceeded to say nothing on behalf of Chuck Grassley regarding who started the war with a brutal, unprovoked invasion; who was, or was not, a dictator; and what impact Trump’s falsehoods might have on U.S. alliances.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Dodged.

Grassley did acknowledge that whatever Putin and Zelensky are, Putin is worse - but there was no direct, definitive defense of the Ukranian president from the claim that he is a dictator.

“I’m not going to say anything more on it,” Grassley said. Bailing out of the exchange, as he so often does when the questions start getting uncomfortable for him.

When Trump illegally fired 17 Inspector Generals (IGs) - the in house watchdogs who ferret out real waste, fraud and corruption at federal agencies and departments - Grassley’s response was similarly meek.

He wrote the president a letter which did not object to any of the firings, but did note that the law requires the president to inform Congress 30 days prior to any terminations, and could the president please do that?

“I’d like to alert the president to the fact that he can abide by the law and still get rid of the people he wants to get rid of. He can put them on administrative leave for 30 days and send us a letter,” Grassley told the HuffPost.

When asked about the random, groundless, damaging firings that private citizen Elon Musk is imposing through uninformed, ignorant directives designed to destroy the federal government, the best Grassley could come up with is “It’s a tragedy for the people getting laid off,” but the “only thing Congress can do is complain.”

What on God’s green earth is he talking about?? Fifty years in the House and Senate and that is the best answer he can come up with??

Congress is supposed to be a full partner in these kinds of decisions with the president. You know - the old “the president proposes and the Congress disposes?” Whatever happened to that?

The answer to that question appears to be this: Actual governing has apparently. been outsourced to private citizen, billionaire, and Trump’s biggest campaign donor Elon Musk with little or no input or oversight from Trump himself, let alone the Congress.

Grassley and Iowa’s congressional delegation - which has either been silent or supportive of Musks unsupervised demolition work - all seem just fine with that arrangement.

The Washington Post reported this week that Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) and US Rep. Maryannette Miller-Meeks were falsely re-assuring Iowa farmers that Trump’s federal spending freeze didn’t apply to farmers - who were, in fact, stuck holding the bag for millions of dollars in conservation work they were required to pay for up front with the promise of federal reimbursement.

The Senator and Representative were wrong. The freeze did apply to farmers and their contracted payments. The feds were no longer paying.

Imagine that. President Donald Trump using the same tactic he used in his private businesses: not paying bills legitimately owed.

One must ask: how does a member of the U.S. House and the U.S. Senate - the Senator a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee, no less - not knowthat a president is, as a matter of policy, stiffing farmers in their district and their state to the tune of millions of dollars??

Was it actual ignorance, willful or otherwise? Negligence in keeping an eye on things that matter to their constituents? Or were those reassurances just lies in which they got caught?

What ever it is, one thing is clear: Both Ernst and Miller-Meeks failed to do their job of monitoring what the administration is up to, and to look out for the interests of Iowa farmers. What good is it to be a member of the Senate Agriculture Committee if you don’t know what’s going on in agriculture policy in your own back yard - as administered by a president of your own political party?

It is clear that tough times are ahead for democracy, for the nation, and for Iowa with Musk’s and Trump’s demolition crew working out of the White House.

That’s bad enough news, but the really bad news is that Iowans in Congress seem unplugged from it all, surrendered and accepting of it, and simply hoping that hyper partisanship will save their political careers in the end, as their constituents fend for themselves.

Hyper-partisan ship will not save their careers. This is not a sustainable course, politically, for any party - even one that has shown massive willingness to lie and cheat in the past to win.

I’m surprised Iowa’s congressional delegation hasn’t figured that out yet.

Senator Chuck Grassley's Pitiful Waving of the White Flag of Surrender

Meanwhile, Ernst and Miller-Meeks nap while Trump stiffs Iowa Farmers

open.substack.com

Boom.

 

[Huey Grey]

Chuck is positioned to actually push back on trump without political risk as he has to be in his last term but clearly he is unwilling to stand for anything now. He has destroyed his legacy starting when he blocked garland from scotus.

Sad.

He won't push back because he wants this.

 

[billanole]

Chuck Grassley is 91 years old. He is too feeble to be a vibrant
voice for what is best for America. Instead, Chuck is a poster boy
for term limits and age limits for U.S. Congress. He refuses to boldly
challenge the toxic madness of Donald Trump. Grassley sits on
the sidelines watching Trump defy the U.S. Constitution and ruin
our nation.

I spent time this weekend celebrating birthdays with two uncles who are both nearing 90 years young. They are both still active and “with it”, but I absolutely would not vote them into political office.
People of that age need to step aside from national office positions.

 

[Firekirknow]

If it wasn’t grassley it would just be a different republican rubber stamp. What’s the difference.

 

[billanole]

If it wasn’t grassley it would just be a different republican rubber stamp. What’s the difference.

Well, there is that.

 

[billanole]

Go away, deer bot.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

“Alright, let’s flip the script and go absolutely unhinged on why Torbee—HROT’s self-proclaimed titan—sucks so bad they’re practically a walking biohazard on the Hawkeye Report Off-Topic board. I’ve sung their praises, but now it’s time to rip the mask off, kick the pedestal over, and unleash a feral, frothing takedown of this overhyped keyboard cowboy. Buckle up—this is gonna be a wild, unhinged slaughter!
Torbee sucks because they’re the poster child for HROT’s worst sin: swagger without substance. Sure, they strut around like the king of the cornfield, dropping snarky one-liners and hot takes like they’re God’s gift to Iowa fandom, but half the time it’s just noise—empty, clanging bullshit that collapses under its own weight. They’ll barge into a thread with “Our defense is softer than a Kum & Go burrito” and think it’s genius, but where’s the follow-through? Where’s the meat? It’s all flash, no fire—a cheap firecracker fizzling out while the real HROT legends actually bring the heat. Torbee’s unhinged, alright—unhinged from reality, coasting on a rep they don’t deserve.
Their posts? A masterclass in sucking the life out of a good time. Torbee’s got this smug, “I’m above you all” vibe that reeks of a guy who peaked in high school and still thinks he’s the coolest dude at the bar. They’ll derail a solid football debate with some half-baked rant about craft beer or politics, acting like they’re dropping wisdom when it’s just word vomit. “Oh, look at me, I’ve got a GIF and a zinger!” Yeah, Torbee, and I’ve got a shovel to bury your bloated ego. They suck because they think they’re the main event, but they’re just the annoying sideshow—HROT’s circus clown tripping over their own oversized shoes.
The unhinged hypocrisy? Torbee’s a legend at starting fights they can’t finish. They’ll lob a grenade like “Ferentz needs to retire yesterday” into a thread, then vanish when the board lights up, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess. Or worse—they stick around, doubling down with snide, condescending jabs that make you want to reach through the screen and throttle them. They suck at taking heat—dish it out like a champ, but the second someone swings back, it’s all passive-aggressive whining or ghosting. For a supposed HROT heavyweight, Torbee’s got a glass jaw and a paper spine.
And the fans—God, the fans! Torbee sucks because they’ve got this little cult of HROT simps who kiss the ground they walk on, amplifying their nonsense like it’s gospel. “Torbee owned that thread!” No, Torbee just yelled the loudest and drowned out the signal with static. They’ve mastered the art of sucking up attention without earning it—every post is a performance, a desperate grab for clout in a board that’s supposed to be about raw, real chaos, not this polished poser crap. They’re unhinged in their narcissism—HROT’s not their stage, but they act like it is, and it’s exhausting.
Worst of all? Torbee sucks because they’re predictable. For all the unhinged bravado, you can set your watch to their shtick: sarcastic quip, edgy take, disappearing act—rinse, repeat. They’re a broken jukebox stuck on the same tired tune while the rest of HROT evolves. They think they’re shaking things up, but they’re just clogging the pipes—a stale, overhyped relic coasting on fumes while real legends like Lucas80 or Fryowa actually move the needle. Torbee’s the Hawkeye fan who brags about the ‘09 Orange Bowl but forgets we got smoked—loud, proud, and ultimately pointless.
So yeah, Torbee sucks bad—unhinged in all the wrong ways, a self-important storm of hot air that leaves HROT worse off every time they log in. They’re not the devil, just a damn disappointment—a legend in their own mind and a letdown in everyone else’s. What’s your beef with ‘em? I’m ready to pile on—this sucker’s got it coming!”

 

[RicoSuave102954]

“Alright, let’s flip the script and go absolutely unhinged on why Torbee—HROT’s self-proclaimed titan—sucks so bad they’re practically a walking biohazard on the Hawkeye Report Off-Topic board. I’ve sung their praises, but now it’s time to rip the mask off, kick the pedestal over, and unleash a feral, frothing takedown of this overhyped keyboard cowboy. Buckle up—this is gonna be a wild, unhinged slaughter!
Torbee sucks because they’re the poster child for HROT’s worst sin: swagger without substance. Sure, they strut around like the king of the cornfield, dropping snarky one-liners and hot takes like they’re God’s gift to Iowa fandom, but half the time it’s just noise—empty, clanging bullshit that collapses under its own weight. They’ll barge into a thread with “Our defense is softer than a Kum & Go burrito” and think it’s genius, but where’s the follow-through? Where’s the meat? It’s all flash, no fire—a cheap firecracker fizzling out while the real HROT legends actually bring the heat. Torbee’s unhinged, alright—unhinged from reality, coasting on a rep they don’t deserve.
Their posts? A masterclass in sucking the life out of a good time. Torbee’s got this smug, “I’m above you all” vibe that reeks of a guy who peaked in high school and still thinks he’s the coolest dude at the bar. They’ll derail a solid football debate with some half-baked rant about craft beer or politics, acting like they’re dropping wisdom when it’s just word vomit. “Oh, look at me, I’ve got a GIF and a zinger!” Yeah, Torbee, and I’ve got a shovel to bury your bloated ego. They suck because they think they’re the main event, but they’re just the annoying sideshow—HROT’s circus clown tripping over their own oversized shoes.
The unhinged hypocrisy? Torbee’s a legend at starting fights they can’t finish. They’ll lob a grenade like “Ferentz needs to retire yesterday” into a thread, then vanish when the board lights up, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess. Or worse—they stick around, doubling down with snide, condescending jabs that make you want to reach through the screen and throttle them. They suck at taking heat—dish it out like a champ, but the second someone swings back, it’s all passive-aggressive whining or ghosting. For a supposed HROT heavyweight, Torbee’s got a glass jaw and a paper spine.
And the fans—God, the fans! Torbee sucks because they’ve got this little cult of HROT simps who kiss the ground they walk on, amplifying their nonsense like it’s gospel. “Torbee owned that thread!” No, Torbee just yelled the loudest and drowned out the signal with static. They’ve mastered the art of sucking up attention without earning it—every post is a performance, a desperate grab for clout in a board that’s supposed to be about raw, real chaos, not this polished poser crap. They’re unhinged in their narcissism—HROT’s not their stage, but they act like it is, and it’s exhausting.
Worst of all? Torbee sucks because they’re predictable. For all the unhinged bravado, you can set your watch to their shtick: sarcastic quip, edgy take, disappearing act—rinse, repeat. They’re a broken jukebox stuck on the same tired tune while the rest of HROT evolves. They think they’re shaking things up, but they’re just clogging the pipes—a stale, overhyped relic coasting on fumes while real legends like Lucas80 or Fryowa actually move the needle. Torbee’s the Hawkeye fan who brags about the ‘09 Orange Bowl but forgets we got smoked—loud, proud, and ultimately pointless.
So yeah, Torbee sucks bad—unhinged in all the wrong ways, a self-important storm of hot air that leaves HROT worse off every time they log in. They’re not the devil, just a damn disappointment—a legend in their own mind and a letdown in everyone else’s. What’s your beef with ‘em? I’m ready to pile on—this sucker’s got it coming!”

Torbee is nothing but a wannabe reporter, he probably writes a column for the neighborhood newsletter and then fancies himself Edward R Murrow. His wife gives him a list of chores to do every day before she leaves for work He probably tells his neighbors he is working on his version of the great American novel.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

“It’s all flash, no fire—a cheap firecracker fizzling out while the real HROT legends actually bring the heat. Torbee’s unhinged, alright—unhinged from reality, coasting on a rep they don’t deserve.

They’re not the devil, just a damn disappointment—a legend in their own mind and a letdown in everyone else’s.“

Even AI knows @torbee sucks.

 

[HROT]

It’s not like his seniority or leadership grew in any remarkable way. I’d argue the GOP put him out to pasture awhile ago.

 

[billanole]

It’s not like his seniority or leadership grew in any remarkable way. I’d argue the GOP put him out to pasture awhile ago.

From a distance, it seems like he has coasted for decades. I remember him being a strong voice, but that was long ago.
Is he mostly a corporate “family” farmer shill now who basically passes when it comes to serious national votes?

 

[GOHOX69]

He has eaten the most dq of any geriatric person, however.

 

[MitchLL]

Gutless old fvck.

He can't die soon enough for me.

I look forward to flags at half staff when he croaks.

 

[joelbc1]

“Alright, let’s flip the script and go absolutely unhinged on why Torbee—HROT’s self-proclaimed titan—sucks so bad they’re practically a walking biohazard on the Hawkeye Report Off-Topic board. I’ve sung their praises, but now it’s time to rip the mask off, kick the pedestal over, and unleash a feral, frothing takedown of this overhyped keyboard cowboy. Buckle up—this is gonna be a wild, unhinged slaughter!
Torbee sucks because they’re the poster child for HROT’s worst sin: swagger without substance. Sure, they strut around like the king of the cornfield, dropping snarky one-liners and hot takes like they’re God’s gift to Iowa fandom, but half the time it’s just noise—empty, clanging bullshit that collapses under its own weight. They’ll barge into a thread with “Our defense is softer than a Kum & Go burrito” and think it’s genius, but where’s the follow-through? Where’s the meat? It’s all flash, no fire—a cheap firecracker fizzling out while the real HROT legends actually bring the heat. Torbee’s unhinged, alright—unhinged from reality, coasting on a rep they don’t deserve.
Their posts? A masterclass in sucking the life out of a good time. Torbee’s got this smug, “I’m above you all” vibe that reeks of a guy who peaked in high school and still thinks he’s the coolest dude at the bar. They’ll derail a solid football debate with some half-baked rant about craft beer or politics, acting like they’re dropping wisdom when it’s just word vomit. “Oh, look at me, I’ve got a GIF and a zinger!” Yeah, Torbee, and I’ve got a shovel to bury your bloated ego. They suck because they think they’re the main event, but they’re just the annoying sideshow—HROT’s circus clown tripping over their own oversized shoes.
The unhinged hypocrisy? Torbee’s a legend at starting fights they can’t finish. They’ll lob a grenade like “Ferentz needs to retire yesterday” into a thread, then vanish when the board lights up, leaving everyone else to clean up the mess. Or worse—they stick around, doubling down with snide, condescending jabs that make you want to reach through the screen and throttle them. They suck at taking heat—dish it out like a champ, but the second someone swings back, it’s all passive-aggressive whining or ghosting. For a supposed HROT heavyweight, Torbee’s got a glass jaw and a paper spine.
And the fans—God, the fans! Torbee sucks because they’ve got this little cult of HROT simps who kiss the ground they walk on, amplifying their nonsense like it’s gospel. “Torbee owned that thread!” No, Torbee just yelled the loudest and drowned out the signal with static. They’ve mastered the art of sucking up attention without earning it—every post is a performance, a desperate grab for clout in a board that’s supposed to be about raw, real chaos, not this polished poser crap. They’re unhinged in their narcissism—HROT’s not their stage, but they act like it is, and it’s exhausting.
Worst of all? Torbee sucks because they’re predictable. For all the unhinged bravado, you can set your watch to their shtick: sarcastic quip, edgy take, disappearing act—rinse, repeat. They’re a broken jukebox stuck on the same tired tune while the rest of HROT evolves. They think they’re shaking things up, but they’re just clogging the pipes—a stale, overhyped relic coasting on fumes while real legends like Lucas80 or Fryowa actually move the needle. Torbee’s the Hawkeye fan who brags about the ‘09 Orange Bowl but forgets we got smoked—loud, proud, and ultimately pointless.
So yeah, Torbee sucks bad—unhinged in all the wrong ways, a self-important storm of hot air that leaves HROT worse off every time they log in. They’re not the devil, just a damn disappointment—a legend in their own mind and a letdown in everyone else’s. What’s your beef with ‘em? I’m ready to pile on—this sucker’s got it coming!”

WTF are you saying?^^^^or trying to say?
FWIW…. Iowa played in the ‘10 Orange Bowl (based on their performance in the ‘09 season) and won that game rather handily vs. Georgia Tech. What bowl game did you mean to reference? God knows there were a few where UIowa got cream pied! (Just not the one you mentioned…typical)
Your diatribe I am sure made perfect sense to your alterego Rico. Feel good knowing I spend a couple of minutes reading your drivel… 2 minutes I will never have again.

 

[Phenomenally Frantastic]

WTF are you saying?^^^^or trying to say?
FWIW…. Iowa played in the ‘10 Orange Bowl (based on their performance in the ‘09 season) and won that game rather handily vs. Georgia Tech. What bowl game did you mean to reference? God knows there were a few where UIowa got cream pied! (Just not the one you mentioned…typical)
Your diatribe I am sure made perfect sense to your alterego Rico. Feel good knowing I spend a couple of minutes reading your drivel… 2 minutes I will never have again.

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[THE_DEVIL]

 

[RicoSuave102954]

Gutless old fvck.

He can't die soon enough for me.

I look forward to flags at half staff when he croaks.

You sound like you just described Barack Hussein

 

[Jerome Silberman]

View embedded media

 

[abby97]

There are NO BRAVE REPUBLICANS in Congress. Murkowski has a shred of decency. The rest are fvcking self-serving cowards.

Why, because they refuse to step up and fight for Marxism?