Iowa Hasn't Joined the National Circus...Yet

While midterm campaigns across the country have been serving up two-for-one shots of crazy, Iowa has somehow remained a political pot of strong, black coffee.

Seriously, Iowa's 2010 campaign has been largely serious. We've had a legion of candidates at every level come through our editorial doors over the past several weeks, and it's clear that these are not seekers of frivolity. They're running to be heard, attack problems, balance budgets and change the status quo.

It's heartening, though hardly entertaining.

Maybe it's the relaxing effect of polls depicting our top of the ticket races for governor and U.S. Senate as yawners. Maybe it's just that we're so gosh darn sensible.

Certainly we've had unfair attacks, fudged numbers and unsubstantiated claims. Shadowy groups are pouring in dollars of suspect origin to make scurrilous charges. And there is still ample time left for lunacy.

Still, things are relatively calm. We don't, for example, have a single congressional candidate who dresses up as a Nazi for weekend battle re-enactments, like that guy in Ohio.

Our governor's race, a fight over budgets and bonding, looks staid alongside California, where one candidate is accused of employing an illegal immigrant and the other seemed to embrace the telephonic mutterings of an aide who called his opponent a “whore.” Unlike New York, no candidate for governor of Iowa has threatened to “take out” a journalist. And although our debates have been less than Lincoln-Douglas-like, nobody used an opening statement to practice silent meditation like Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer.

U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley and challenger Roxanne Conlin have sharp disagreements. But neither of them has accused the other of providing Viagra to child molesters, as has been done in Nevada, nor have they had to explain their role in promoting pro wrestling or why they, uh, misspoke about serving in Vietnam, ala Connecticut.

No Iowa candidates made a casting call for “hicky” actors in worn out John Deere caps, as Republicans did in the West Virginia Senate race.  The Democratic candidate, Joe Manchin, answered with an ad where he shoots a copy of the cap and trade bill with a high-powered rifle. You can't make this stuff up, folks.

And no Iowa hopeful had to run any TV ads with the opening line, “I'm not a witch,” as Christine O'Donnell felt the need to do in Delaware.

Unlike our neighbors in Illinois, our Senate candidates don't have to explain making “mob loans” or yet another faux war record.

I suppose we can feel smug, but not for long. We're getting off easy in 2010, but just wait until 2011, when Newt, mama grizzly and the rest of the cast of caucus characters start hitting the cafes. The circus is coming.

Comments: (319) 398-8452 or todd.dorman@sourcemedia.net