Bi-partisan criticism

Sometimes, life just works out.

I don't like either candidate for governor, as many of you probably know. It's part of the reason I don't write about the race very often. I also worry about balance. Every time I write about Culver, I feel like someone could break out their whiniest voice and say "But Nussle (insert negative)" and they'd be right. The same is true in reverse.

But today, it just so happens that they both did something dumb enough to merit mention.

First, I got an email from the Culver camp this morning, subject line "Chet Culver needs your help for the final debate!" I chuckled, then I opened it. Here are the three things they'd like me to do:

Visibility:

Join the Chet Culver Campaign Staff and volunteers at IPTV studios in Johnston to show your support of Chet Culver by waving signs as he arrives. We will be meeting at IPTV studios at 11:00am.

I'm not sure how many of my readers attended the IPTV debate before the primary, but if you did, you probably remember how ridiculous the yard signs were. Apparently both Blouin and Culver had decided they had nothing better for their volunteers to do, so they put out literally thousands of yard signs along Corporate Drive in Johnston. (Yes, the IPTV headquarters in Johnston are on Corporate Drive. It's ironic, I know.) I hope they were proud of themselves, because I know what the Fallon staff was thinking: "Wow, what a substanceless, pointless, shamefully self-promoting waste of time."

So when I got the invitation this morning to help smother IPTV in Culver signs, I once again thought, "Wow, what a substanceless, pointless, shamefully self-promoting waste of time."

Debate Watch Party:

Join the Chet Culver Campaign staff and volunteers at a debate watching party to cheer on Chet Culver. The party begins at 12:30 at the North End Diner.

North End Diner
October 21, 2006
12:30pm – 2:30pm
5055 Merle Hay Rd.
Johnston

I don't do hyperpartisanship well. I'll pass.

Watch The Debate:

If you are unable to join us at the debate watch party in Des Moines, you can watch it live on your local Iowa Public Television Station. The Debate will be broadcast live statewide beginning at 1:00pm on IPTV.

So wait a second...this list is supposed to be full of things I can do to help Chet in the debate. Is he going to somehow feel better knowing I'm watching? Is he going to absorb my intelligence through the TV like The Riddler?



Probably not. So again, I'll pass. And I can't believe the Culver staff sent out a mass email just based on those three things.

Then I found this story at Radio Iowa:

Nussle says Values Fund "pretty good idea"

The Values Fund is a $50 million annual giveaway to companies hand-picked by a board in Des Moines. It's not proven to be successful. In fact, the Department of Economic Development has frequently refused to comply with requests to show its results. Even if it is working, at its best it's a $50 million dollar state expense used to lure and subsidize competitors for existing taxpaying businesses.

I very rarely agree with Iowans for Tax Relief, but in this case, I'm with them. Using tax dollars to lure and subsidize hand-picked winners and losers and calling it economic development is a waste of tax dollars. And Jim Nussle just came out in favor of it.

KL