The Week — Judge enters the U.S. Senate fray, and a GOP debate leaves nagging questions

JUDGE JUMPS IN, BUT CAN SHE WIN? --

So your race for the U.S. Senate, Democratic division, just became more interesting.

Former Lt. Gov. Patty Judge is officially in the race for the nomination. This development has caused what astute political professionals call a 'stir.” It even made the New York Times, which, rumor has it, is somewhat popular with the sort of left-leaning easterners who sometimes make political contributions to Midwestern Democrats. They may even wave as they fly over.

Judge is a resume-rich candidate. She's an Iowa family farmer who also worked as a nurse. She served in the state Senate, as Iowa agriculture secretary, the first woman to do so, no less, and was former Gov. Chet Culver's running mate. She's been on a statewide ballot multiple times. She's not a lawyer from Des Moines. And she hasn't given a damning private speech next to a bar cart in Houston, at least that I know of.

And yet, I wonder if Judge is being oversold. Her longtime ties to big agribusiness hardly endear her to the environmental left. Democratic rivals such as state Sen. Rob Hogg, D-Watershed, will be eager to make water quality and other environmental issues central to the primary fight. Judge is a board member with the Iowa Partnership for Clean Water, a Farm Bureau-backed group waging a PR fight against the Des Moines Water Works lawsuit over farm pollution. So Judge may struggle claiming she's not a candidate presented by Monsanto.

She's also tied tightly to arguably the least successful governorship in 50 years, tossed out of office after one term. True, the fault lies mainly with Culver, not Judge. But that's not going to matter to Republicans, who are already hanging the Big Lug around her neck.

Hey, speaking of Republicans, they've got sitting U.S. Sen. Chuck Grassley, who has been pretty fair over the years at winning new terms. He won his first senate term when I was 10, and like my Atari 2600, amazingly, Grassley still works.

Judge's run has Democrats talking about giving Grassley a run for his money for the first time since 'Different Strokes” was America's favorite TV show. Which begs the obvious question, what you talkin' about Dems?

It is true Grassley's decision to hang a big old 'closed for petty partisan obstruction” sign on his Judiciary Committee and refusal to consider any Supreme Court nominee forwarded by President Barack Obama has put the senator in a much hotter seat. It's a very big deal to folks like me who care about the courts and are paying close attention to the saga.

Democrats and some indies think it's tiresome, lousy governing, and they're right. In a perfect world, senators who refuse to do their jobs would lose said jobs.

But the world remains imperfect at this hour. Grassley remains popular, according to the latest Iowa Poll. And I'm skeptical this court fight will damage him enough to make him truly vulnerable in Iowa, where running against Grassley has been sort of like running against sweet corn.

I can see the TV ad now.

'Sweet corn would have Iowans believe it's delicious. But what isn't sweet corn telling us?

'Sweet corn obstructs the gaps in our teeth. Sweet corn dribbles butter down our chins. Sweet corn ruins our best shirts. Cleaning sweet corn leaves silks all over the place.

'Sweet corn, wrong for dinner, wrong for Iowa. I'm organic kale, and I approve this message.”

See, that's a tough sell.

But no politician is invincible. Judge provides a different, much less kale-like profile than the usual Democratic suspects. And Grassley's long-cultivated image as an independent-minded, common-sense, lawn-mowing Iowan has taken some significant hits in recent years. Grannies, plugs, etc.

His swift decision to toe the party line on the SCOTUS vacancy before checking with or hearing from a single common sense Iowan is the latest and perhaps greatest sign the legend no longer matches the lawmaker. If Obama nominates 8th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Jane Kelly of Cedar Rapids and Grassley denies her even a hearing, his stand will look even worse back home.

Judge told The Des Moines Register Friday that Grassley has forgotten his roots:

'I really believe that in recent years and particularly right now he's kind of forgotten he's from Iowa,” Judge said. 'He waited 36 years to become the chairman of the Judiciary Committee and now he's refusing to do his job. That is not the Chuck Grassley that I knew 10 or 15 years ago and it's not the thing Iowans want to see from their senator.”

Voters might notice, or maybe not. And there's sure to be plenty of money spent rebuilding Grassley's persona and tearing down whoever emerges to face him. Pass the butter.

And will Democrats show some guts this time, unlike 2014 when would-be candidates, donors and others ran scared from actually challenging Gov. Terry Branstad?

NAGGING QUESTIONS - Five questions still lingering from Thursday night's GOP presidential debate.

1. Will Donald Trump's 'guarantee” be fact-checked?

2. Can you get a degree in intimate measuring arts at Trump University?

3. Did Trump get totally schlonged on that tax cut question or what?

4. Is there actually a yoga pose called 'Downward-face-palming voter?”

5. During the next debate, will the RNC attempt to improve the substance of exchanges by providing the candidates with pies, paintball guns or water balloons?