Reader: Washington won’t change, Ernst will

 The contest is over and Joni Ernst was said to have won; however, that is yet to be determined in her first term in the US Senate. Now that the oil-rich, billionaire, Koch brothers have paid her way,

Joni has a hard task to prove she can accomplish anything on her own merit.  There are many mothers and fathers in this state who love this country,  who have also served in the military, and no doubt a number of them would have been better qualified candidates to serve in Iowa’s US Senate seat.

Throughout her campaign and in the debates, it was obvious that Joni was flip-flopping on the issues depending on the audience.  She was quick to deny anything that she had previously said and to reverse her position when she realized she didn’t get it right.  After running many negative ads about her opponent, Democrat, Bruce Braley, she decided to campaign, “in general” in an attempt to clean up her political stances.  Washington won’t change but Joni Ernst will.

There was a news commentary in The Daily Beast on October 13, 2014 about  Red Oak, IA., and Joni Ernst and how she made her way into local politics to become the Montgomery County Auditor in 2004.  (Google).  After that, everything fell into place for Joni Ernst.  State Senator, Kim Reynolds, from Osceola decided to run for  Lt. Gov. with Gov. Terry Branstad and her state senate seat was open.  Joni Ernst ran in a special election with no opponent and won, of course.  She also won in this election mainly by big money contributors due to the Citizens United fiasco passed by the Supreme Court.  Having read the Koch family biography, I am certain this extreme right wing family is laughing at all of the passive Iowa voters.  No doubt they know there is no genuine democracy in Iowa, especially in the southern and western tiers of the state where people tend to be like-minded.

It is not going to improve Iowa nor this nation to have more extreme right wing obstructionists in the House and Senate.  I have seen numerous elections from Truman to present day and many mistakes were made in this midterm election.  When I voted in the June primary and on November 4th in Stanton, the clerks asked to see our voter ID or driver license.  They know who we are; we have voted there since we moved here in 2001 and the election clerks are virtually the same locals.  I refused because it is not currently an Iowa law.  I asked why they requested voter ID and one said they were doing it in case they have to in the future.  It is understandable why some citizens, particularly in the southern states, are vulnerable when they attempt to vote.

Ruth Marsh

Stanton