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    Lawyer seeks Democratic nomination to challenge Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley

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January 27, 2010

Lawyer seeks Democratic nomination to challenge Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley

Des Moines lawyer Roxanne Conlin takes aim at Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley and former President Bush during a campaign stop in Centerville Sunday afternoon.

By Michael Schaffer - Managing editor

A Democrat who ran against Terry Branstad to be Iowa's governor in the early 1980s is now seeking the nomination to challenge an iconic Congressional figure in the upcoming mid-term election this November.

Roxanne Conlin was in Centerville Sunday on her 99 Iowa counties "Fight To Fix It" tour to explain why she would be a better fit for Iowa than Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has been a fixture in the U.S. Senate for nearly 30 years.

"Don't you think he needs a rest?" Conlin asked a partisan audience of 25 at the 18-80 Club. "Give him some time off."

Grassley was responsible for the Medicare Part D Donut Hole gap and he wrote legislation to prevent the federal government from bargaining with pharmaceutical companies to get lower costs on prescription drugs, Conlin said. And he wanted to privatize Social Security, she said.

"I think Iowans need and deserve a United States senator who will preserve and protect Social Security and not try to privatize it," Conlin said. "Imagine if Sen. Grassley had had his way and Social Security had been privatized. And then when the economy fell off a cliff, our seniors would have been utterly unprotected."

Conlin said she was, and most people are, fed up with double digit unemployment, endless war, Wall Street bailouts and nothing for Main Street, debts and deficits.

The too big to fail mentality led to the bank bailouts, Conlin said, and was caused by a lack of regulation. One remedy she did offer, was to reinstate the Glass-Steagall Act, which prohibited depository banks from playing in the stock market, she said.

She blamed the Bush administration for the country's dire situation.

"I'd like to remember how we got to this point. When Republicans talk about the debt and what a serious problem it is and how horrible it is, I think their pants should start on fire," Conlin said. "Because it's the Bush administration that drove us to this with tax cuts for the very, very wealthy," endless, unnecessary war and scandalous Haliburton contracts.

Conlin was responsible for the massive Microsoft class-action lawsuit pay out and vowed to do the same with Wall Street.

"We need to get our money back. I got you your money back from Microsoft," Conlin said. "I'll get you your money back from Wall Street. I'll get you your money back from Blackwater.

"The special interests have had their turn, now it's our turn. I hope that you all will join me and my effort to go to Washington and fight to fix it," she said.

Conlin is giving Iowans an opportunity to be a “Rox” star by either donating to her campaign or volunteering at www.roxanneforiowa.com and do something that has never been done before in Iowa — send a woman to Congress.

"And that's a shame," Conlin said. "But it feels a lot different to me. It seems to me at least that there is a real hunger for something different."

She vowed to not take Political Action Contribution money and instead her campaign would rely entirely on donations from supporters.

"Washington is a mess and I want to fight to fix it," Conlin said. "And I'm going to do that."

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This week the Iowegian wants readers to think about the recent decision by the Centerville Municipal Waterworks Board of Directors to increase the fee for late payment of water bills. In a story published in Wednesday's Ad Express, board members announced a 10 percent late fee after two days late, a $50 red tag fee for accounts unpaid after seven days late and a $25 shut off fee, water service terminated after two weeks late. The board said the decision to increase the fees associated with late payment is to encourage customers to pay their bills on time. So, the question this week is, "Are these fees too much to ask for?"

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