Seven days and it will be over, for now

By Jeff Orvis

One week away. Seven long days. While I'm at an age when I marvel how fast time flies, I suspect this next seven days will creep by like that lava flow in Hawaii before we can put the 2014 election campaign in our rear view mirror.

Many of our daily newspapers in this state have endorsed various candidates. I've often read these endorsements in the past, considering the points the editorial writers make favoring or opposing a particular candidate. But I have never based my vote solely on what these endorsements say.

An informed voter is one who gathers as much factual information he or she can find, while filtering out all the noise we have been hit with via ads for it seems like forever.

Some of my friends have drifted toward the right over the years. But for a variety of reasons, I have become even more liberal than I was in younger years. So it might be surprising to learn that I don't plan on voting a straight Democratic ticket next week. I've nearly made up my mind on who I will vote for in each office, but these are just my opinions and you should make up your own mind. I will admit that in times of total exasperation with these sometimes awful TV ads, I've considered watching TV until I'm ready to leave for the polls. Then when I hear an ad calling a candidate a liar, I would vote for the “liar” as a personal protest. But this election is too important to use a vote as a protest.

The two positions in Iowa receiving the most national attention are for U.S. Senator and governor. The senate seat is up for grabs following the announced retirement of Tom Harkin, a longtime tireless advocate for the underprivileged, especially the handicapped. Republican Joni Ernst is facing Democrat Bruce Braley. If the Republicans win this seat, they may seize control of the Senate. This would all but ensure a national deadlock for the next two years, where nothing gets done and the president wears out his veto pen.

Braley has several years of experience in the U.S. House. He's been roasted by the other side as a trial lawyer. And as much as I would like to see lawyers in the minority in our government to help simplify things, he knows the ropes in Washington.

Ernst scares me. She is backed by a couple of ultra conservative rich brothers, the Koch brothers. She has experience in the military and I would hope that she would be a strong advocate for support of our veterans. But I fear her support would wane when actual dollars were needed. The Koch brothers have not only spent hundreds of thousands of dollars for political advertising, they have also bought some ads in this market attempting to indicate what great guys they are and how their business interests extend to this area. That's good news for local TV stations, but is it a reason to elect a person?

Braley is a known quantity. I sense he would be a bit more moderate than Harkin has been. Besides, he's from just down the road in Brooklyn.

One of the great things about living in a state the size of Iowa, especially if you have worked in the small town news business, is the opportunity to get up close and personal with a number of candidates and elected officials. I first interviewed Terry Branstad when he was running for lieutenant governor and I was an editor in Independence. I had a couple more informal meetings with him in later years when he was in town for a 5K run and for another appearance. For a career politician, he's very approachable. In my opinion, he's affiliated with the wrong political party, but he seems to have the ability to downplay party affiliations for the good of the state. I certainly don't agree with every position he's taken, but there's little doubt that he has been good for this state's economic development.

Unfortunately, I don't believe Jack Hatch, Branstad's opponent, has been well served by his campaign staff. The only thing that I remember about Hatch is that he shaved off his mustache and he thinks Branstad has been in office too long.

Chris Branstad apparently likes living in Terrace Hill and as long as her husband's health holds on, this state would be in good hands if he had another term.

This might be the first time I've been able to say I'm on a first name basis with candidates vying for the same position. In Iowa House District 75, Republican incumbent Dawn Pettengill is opposed by Democrat Steve Beck. Both are Facebook friends and I have respect for both of them. For that reason, I'm going to take the easy way out and not say who I will vote for. So I will offer a heartfelt “good luck” to both and thank them for agreeing to run.

It would be so easy to get so fed up with all the negative ads and the empty promises that you decide to stay home and not vote. This decision would appear to favor the Republicans. The Democratic party is known for voter campaigns. So send a message to those who would attempt to buy an election through the checkbook and get out and vote. And take a look at each race before you mark your ballot. Straight ticket voting may not be the best way to go this time.

And finally, regardless of who wins on Tuesday, plan on spending Wednesday celebrating the end of the election commercials – at least for a few days before they start up again for 2016.