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Last Wednesday the House of Representatives approved another $70 billion for to continue the combat missions in Iraq. I was surprised to see all 3 of Iowa’s Democratic Representatives vote against this bill. I expected Rep. Braley and Rep. Loebsack to vote against it because they have consistently been in favor of bringing our troops out of Iraq. However, this was the first time that I remember that Rep. Boswell voted in this manner.

I started doing some research on Boswell’s Iraq votes yesterday afternoon and was going to write a post this morning about how rumors of Ed Fallon running against Boswell in a primary next year affected Boswell’s vote on Iraq.

However, Chris Bowers at Open Left beat me to it and posted an article this morning. Bowers quoted this article posted at Iowa Independent about a possible run for Congress by Fallon. Bowers had this to say about the effect Fallon had on Boswell’s vote…

It is something of an open secret that Fallon, a former state legislator and a very strong progressive, is considering a run against Boswell. While Fallon narrowly lost the 2006 gubernatorial primary to Chet Culver, he actually pulled in the most votes the IA-03. Given that Boswell’s neo-conservative voting record on Iraq and civil liberties could easily come back to haunt him in a lean Democratic district like IA-03, especially against a strong campaigner like Fallon, it is also an open secret that Boswell’s first good vote on Iraq is a response to the threat that Fallon poses.

Given that the only two Bush Dogs to flip on Iraq are either facing a serious primary challenge, or facing the possibility of a serious primary challenge, I have to agree with kos. Primary challenges are just about the only power we have to change Democratic congressional behavior.

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Rep. Dave Loebsack endorsed Barack Obama today.

Loebsack, in his first term, said in the release that Obama is the strongest candidate in a field of strong candidates. “What impresses me about Barack is his commitment to changing the way business is done in Washington. He understands that to pass universal health care, make energy independence a reality, and meet the other challenges we face, we need leadership that can bring all Americans to-gether around a shared purpose,” Loebsack’s said in the statement.

Loebsack’s endorsement means Iowa’s 3 Democratic Representatives have endorsed different candidates (Boswell endorsed Clinton, Braley endorsed Edwards).

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I am blogging from the Harkin Steak Fry. The Iowa Congressional Delegation just finished up speaking. I missed Selden Spencer and Leonard Boswell’s speeches, but heard Rep. Loebsack and Rep. Braley speak.

Rep. Loebsack spoke about labor and education issues and discussed a bill the President signed into low to lower the cost of college. Loebsack also stressed the importance of grassroots organizing and thanked everyone for the help getting him elected last year.

Rep. Braley got the crowd going with a great speech. He said in 2006 we cleaned out the US House and in 2008 we need to clean out the White House. He stressed how important it is to reelect Sen. Harkin. If we get the race locked up early then it will only help Democrats in Iowa. Braley talked a lot about Iraq and Bush’s broken promises. He mentioned Rep. Boswell’s Suicide Prevention Bill to prevent suicide in the military that passed in the House, but is on hold in the Senate because Senator Coburn (R-Oklahoma) must think preventing suicide is bad thing.

I am hearing there are over 12,000 people here. Hillary has the most signs out, but I think Obama seems to have the most supporters because they were passing out a ton of t-shits. Edwards and Biden also seem to have sizable group of supporters. One interesting note is Biden has about 20 volunteers down in front of the stage, while Clinton has just as many paid staffers down there.

The presidential candidates just have been introduced, as well as Sen. Harkin. I will be back in a bit with more info.

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Rep. Dave Loebsack has introduced his first bill in Congress called The Reducing Barriers to Learning Act. The bill has 28 co-sponsors.From the Des Moines Register…The longtime professor’s bill aims to expand non- academic services ranging from couns…

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The Iowa City Press Citizen has a story about Rep. Loebsack and No Child Left Behind that is set to expire in September.”I have serious concerns about No Child Left Behind,” said Loebsack, a member of the House Education and Labor Committee, which is w…

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Jane Norman of the Register has a summary of the 2nd quarter fundraising numbers. Here they are…1st DistrictBruce Braley - D $115,000 raised and $220,000 cash on hand2nd DistrictDave Loebsack - D $154,000 raised and $251,000 cash on hand3rd District…

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The House of Representatives will be debating energy policy when they return to Washington next week, which includes many bills that pertain to renewable energy. On his week back in Iowa’s 2nd District Rep. Dave Loebsack embarked on a renewable energy …

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I am at the Progressive Iowa Network/DFIA conference in Iowa City. State Senator Joe Bolkcom (D-Iowa City) was introduced and as soon as he got to the podium Rep. Dave Loebsack came in and bumped Sen. Bolkcom.Loebsack thanks the people in attendanc…

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Political analyst Larry Sabato released a list of 15 Freshman Congressman that are vulnerable in 2008.Sabato writes…The strong anti-GOP waves we witnessed in 2006 may be somewhat tempered by the time of the next slate of elections. So it follows that…

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From my inbox…National legislation to protect the accuracy of our elections is a step closer to becoming law. HR 811, a bill requiring voter-verified paper records, random hand count audits to check electronic tallies, and independent testing of voti…

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