Boots on the Ground – Notes from the Front III

Battleground: Iowa 

Heating up – feeling the finish line oh-so-close. The so-called ‘War on Women’ has become nonexistent. With front runners like Joni Ernst, who can complain? Instead, her opponents try to slur her by calling her pretty, and nice. Wow. Way to communicate with the voters. She laughed them off tonight, on a whirlwind all-nighter with stops throughout the state of Iowa. She calls it the ‘One Last Thing’ tour, asking voters to do one last thing – go and vote!

Sign the bus!

That’s the real fear of the Republican Party. The battle for public opinion may have been won but the war is not over til the voter gets out of his easy chair and goes to the polls. And even if the expected Republican wave happens, it’s only a midterm election; the real test of voter action will be two years from now when America is asked to choose its next leader.

Back to Ernst. Her hogs have won hearts, that’s for sure. And in a preppy university frat house in Iowa, protestors tried to raise a ruckus. The funny thing was the Ernst-opposers were bedraggled, unkempt, frumpy tshirt wearing complainers, while Joni’s boys were clean cut and solid. Her message was one of strength; Israel-supporters will be glad to know that not only did she give a shout out to this Israeli in the crowd, but her tearful embrace led to a passionate short speech on the importance of understanding the Middle East and its centrality for US interests. ‘Thank you Israel for being our friends,’ she declared to a standing ovation for her candidacy, from the crowd.

Just think, the state of Iowa has never sent a woman to Congress, neither House nor Senate. Wow. Time to make that change, while the press still cant get her opponent’s name right. Probably a good sign.

Almost-Senator-elect Ernst appreciating American-Israeli connection.