Grassley makes campaign stop in FM

FORT MADISON – U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley was in town, albeit delayed by a train that held up traffic on Avenue H for about 30 minutes, for a Republican rally at the Riverfront Pavillion.
Grassley met with constituents and shared a bite of food along with some energy around the upcoming Nov. 3 elections.
The senator from New Hartford carried the GOP mantra this year, calling Democrats communists who want to end capitalism in favor of socialism.
Grassley appeared with his wife Barbara. The two have been married for 72 years.
He was part of a rally for GOP Lee County Supervisor candidate Tom Schulz (R-Fort Madison) and District 100 candidate State Rep. Blaine Watkins (R-Donnellson). Schulz is facing Chris Greenwald (D-Fort Madison) while Watkins is running against Democrat Matt Mohrfeld of Fort Madison.
Watkins said after the event, the two planned to give quick talks with the group, but the train delay pushed the time back, so Grassley was the only one who spoke to the crowd of about 75 people.
Grassley said the party should be proud of the Mesabi Metallics steel project that is proposed for Lee County.
“Its not absolutely been determined to come to Lee County, but that’s what I’ve been led to believe,” he said. “We’d have 6,000 jobs of construction and you have $15 billion investment and 1,700 jobs afterward so you should really be proud of yourselves.”
He said the party now has a responsibility to get everyone out to vote.
He said the Democratic National Committee is out to unseat Marianette Miller-Meeks and other local elected officials in this election cycle.
“I think this is a case of common sense vs craziness,” he said.
He referenced platforms from the Democratic Party including risking capitalism for socialism and government control of corporations, increased taxes, governmental controlled healthcare, open borders, and defunding police.
“This country is the greatest country that has existed in humankind in over 6,000 years,” he said. “And I don’t say that America is better than people in Africa or better than people in Asia. I’m just saying we’ve got a form of government where anybody can be anything anytime, that that person wants to be.”

Grassley said our government says not one person can tell us what to do because we were sick of King George depriving us of the rights they had in England, that we didn’t have here.
“We don’t get our rights from a king, we get our rights from God,” he said.
He said he regularly refers to Washington D.C. as being an “island surrounded by reality”.
He said people need to choose in this election cycle if people want “crazy ideas” or “common sense”.
“I think it’s pretty clear we’re the common sense party,” he said.
During a press gathering prior to his remarks Grassley addressed the $5,000 payment that President Donald Trump has proposed post-election if Republicans maintain control of Congress.
Grassley said the money would either come through taxes or borrowing.
“It’s the same answer with every question people ask about where the money comes from. One of two places, either taxes or borrowing.”
Grassley said the $5,000 checks would amount to $1.2 trillion and would require Congressional approval to be issued.
He said Lee County is a focal point of this year’s Iowa election slate, but he said officials here have always said that.
If you ask them they never get enough attention,” Grassley said.
“I remember my first years in politics, the state legislators here would say ‘you don’t even think we exist’,” he said.
Grassley said he will be spending the rest of the month moving around the state campaigning.
“I’m going to campaign for as many Republicans up and down the ticket as I can campaign for. I’ve been in Cedar Rapids with Republicans, a smaller meeting in Burlington. I’m here, and then I go back to the farm. Monday I’ll be in Webster City and then Des Moines.”