Steve Braley telephone poll.

In Iowa, Cong. Bruce Braley is the Democrat candidate in the race for the U.S. Senate seat to be vacated by Democrat Tom Harkin.

Braley's opposed by the energetic, pro-American, hugely competent, down-to-earth state Sen. Joni Ernst who was a former Ms. Universe when she was young.

I am fervently hoping she will take Cong. Braley to the woodshed and soundly thrash him Of course, I am maintaining strict neutrality where these two excellent candidates are concerned.

I just can't NOT mention, however, that Cong. Braley is an actual lawyer and so has intellectual gifts that other U.S. Senators and citizens just don't have. How many other states have candidates for office who are actual lawyers? This is just something that bears keeping in mind.

Well, for the first time ever in my life I was able to be a respondent in an actual telephone poll tonight that was commissioned by Cong. Braley. From the questions asked, I surmise that Cong. Braley:

1. is interested in firming up his message on ethanol;
2. is interested in knowing how to approach the issues of alternative energy sources;
3. wants to know what position to take on the question of fossil fuels; and
4. wants to know what position to take on the issue of global warming and global warming deniers.

Apparently, Cong. Braley thinks there's a chance that ethanol is strongly opposed by the majority of Iowans and that it is a hugely touchy subject with them.

It's interesting that I was asked what I would think it if a large out-of-state hedge fund were to contribute to a candidate's campaign and what I would think if Beelzebub and the Anti-Christ the Koch brothers were also to contribute to an Iowa candidate's campaign.

From this I infer that Cong. Braley wants to accept money from that out-of-state hedge fund so badly he can taste it and that he wants to know if he can cripple Ernst down the road

1. if the Koch brothers contribute to her, as they most likely will;
2. if she comes out in support of the XL Pipeline; and
3. if Ernst is a global warming "denier." (Pronounced "duh-NEE-ur" by the nice young lady who conducted the poll.)

Look for the hedge fund to be focused on bio-fuels and alternative energy boondoggles. Iowa has no significant connection with the fossil fuel industry and Cong. Braley's unlikely to poison his chances of success by alienating rocket-fuel-from-rose-petals whack jobs in Fairfield, Iowa City, and Ankeny.