Harkin accuses Ernst of pessimism

IOWA CITY - Sen. Tom Harkin accused Republican state Sen. Joni Ernst, who he doesn't know and has never met, of having a pessimistic view of the nation's future.

Campaigning in Iowa City Tuesday for his preferred successor, Democrat U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley, Harkin said Ernst is proposing 'old tea party kinds of ideas (that) are turning our country back.”

'Her philosophy is one that worries me. It's an attitudinal problem,” he told a couple of dozen people at the Hamburg Inn No. 2.

Referring to one of Ernst's campaign commercials, Harkin said her 'make 'em squeal” attitude she won't be able to get things done.

'You should go with the attitude that not everyone agrees with you, not everyone sees things the way I do, but let's see where the commonalities are,” he said. 'Where can we work together so we can make a little bit of progress?”

Eliminating the departments of education and the EPA 'seems to me do not speak of an optimistic future, but a pessimistic future, that we have to withdraw, that we can't continue to do the things that we've done to build a middle class, to have a clean environment, to have a decent and safe Social Security, to make sure we invest in our young children

'That's a pessimistic view of things,” Harkin said.

Ernst spokeswoman Gretchen Hamel said Harkin has it backwards.

'It's actually the opposite,” she said. 'Joni believes that if Washington was to adopt many of Iowa's policies, the nation would be better off. These same policies would do for the nation what they have done for Iowans -- lessen the tax and regulatory burden, while creating good paying jobs.”

Harkin said he's an optimist who believes that by working together, the public and Congress can rebuild the middle class to provide the best preschool, the best education system and college that is affordable.

Braley is 'going to fight to make sure we don't divide people up,” Harkin said. 'You can have an Environmental Protection Agency, you can have clean water and you can have clean air and you can have good agriculture at the same time.”

Republican Party of Iowa spokesman Jahan Wilcox found Harkin's comments ironic considering Braley's reluctance to side with Iowa ag interests on EPA emissions standards.

'It's stunning that Braley said himself that it's irresponsible for him to protect Iowa farmers from the EPA's regulations against them,” Wilcox said. 'Congressman Braley's admission that he'd rather stand with the EPA over Iowa farmers is proof that we can't trust him.”

Not everyone at what was billed as a conversation about Social Security shared Harkin's optimism for the retirement system

Barbara Primakov, University of Iowa student from Chariton, is 'pretty sure it won't be there” when she reaches retirement age.

'It's going to be kind of devastating if we have to pay into it and we don't get anything,” she said over breakfast.

Primakov hasn't heard any one plan that makes her feel more confident about Social Security's future. Allowing workers her age to set aside some Social Security funds in personal accounts makes sense 'if it would actually happen.”