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Fallon seeks to unseat Boswell after six terms in Congress
Saturday, May 31, 2008(Quad City Times)
DES MOINES — Democratic voters in Iowa’s
3rd Congressional District will have a distinct
choice when they head to the polls Tuesday
between veteran U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell and
former state lawmaker Ed Fallon.
As he seeks re-election to his seventh term, Boswell is touting his seniority in the House, while challenger Fallon is positioning himself as a reformer intent on changing the status quo in Washington.
Boswell, who describes himself as a moderate Democrat, said he is a fit for the district, which includes both rural and urban areas in a 12-county stretch of central and east central Iowa.
As an example of how he’s helped the district, Boswell points to his help in securing millions of dollars for Iowa in local road projects. He sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“It’s very important that I have a senior position on there, and we want to be sure that Iowa gets its fair share of these moneys,” Boswell said.
But Fallon argues Boswell has voted the wrong way on many issues Democrats care deeply about, including his vote in favor of the authorization of force in Iraq, and on issues of civil liberties, the environment, immigration and health care.
“I think our country needs more energetic, more visionary leadership that will help take the U.S. Congress in a new direction,” Fallon said.
Fallon, who also ran an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2006, has refused to take money from political action committees. He said he wants to be a voice for campaign finance reform as well as ending the war in Iraq, addressing global warming and fighting poverty.
“Those aren’t campaign issues that I just took a poll on and found out what people care about — those are things that I have cared about for a long time and have worked on for a long time,” Fallon said.
The accusations between the Democrats have grown increasingly sharp in the days before Tuesday’s primary election.
Boswell calls Fallon a “maverick” and “radical,” pointing to Fallon’s career in the Iowa Legislature.
“I find it hard to find anybody up on Capitol Hill that has very much good to say about my opponent, and that’s kind of sad,” Boswell said.
Boswell points to his own tenure in the Iowa Legislature, where he was elected Senate president twice, as proof he can work with others.
He’s proud of his part in helping pass federal legislation that requires Veterans Administration workers to have mental health training and requires a suicide prevention counselor at all VA medical facilities. The legislation was spurred by the 2005 suicide of Army Spc. Joshua Omvig, a 22-year-old Iraq veteran from Grundy Center.
Boswell, who chairs the Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, also served on the conference committee for the recently passed farm bill along with U.S Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
“We think that we passed a good farm bill—not perfect to satisfy everybody, but certainly much needed, and we did a lot of good things,” Boswell said.
Fallon has hammered Boswell’s vote in favor of a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.
In answer to the criticism on the Iraq vote, Boswell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, recalls being invited to the White House before the vote came up.
President Bush told him he had hard intelligence that weapons of mass destruction were going to be used against Americans, Boswell said.
“What we found out as time passed on, that wasn’t the case, and I have regretted that very much,” Boswell said.
Boswell now supports an “orderly withdrawal” in Iraq.
Voters won’t get a chance to see the difference between the candidates on a televised debate. Boswell has cited scheduling conflicts as a reason for declining invitations, as well as what he calls Fallon’s misrepresentations during the campaign.
Fallon attributes Boswell’s reluctance to debate to his positions being out of step with voters.
“Voters deserve a choice, and the contrast between Congressman Boswell and me is significant, and a lot of people are thanking me for finally having an opportunity to vote for somebody that they believe truly represents their way of thinking,” Fallon said.
As he seeks re-election to his seventh term, Boswell is touting his seniority in the House, while challenger Fallon is positioning himself as a reformer intent on changing the status quo in Washington.
Boswell, who describes himself as a moderate Democrat, said he is a fit for the district, which includes both rural and urban areas in a 12-county stretch of central and east central Iowa.
As an example of how he’s helped the district, Boswell points to his help in securing millions of dollars for Iowa in local road projects. He sits on the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
“It’s very important that I have a senior position on there, and we want to be sure that Iowa gets its fair share of these moneys,” Boswell said.
But Fallon argues Boswell has voted the wrong way on many issues Democrats care deeply about, including his vote in favor of the authorization of force in Iraq, and on issues of civil liberties, the environment, immigration and health care.
“I think our country needs more energetic, more visionary leadership that will help take the U.S. Congress in a new direction,” Fallon said.
Fallon, who also ran an unsuccessful bid for governor in 2006, has refused to take money from political action committees. He said he wants to be a voice for campaign finance reform as well as ending the war in Iraq, addressing global warming and fighting poverty.
“Those aren’t campaign issues that I just took a poll on and found out what people care about — those are things that I have cared about for a long time and have worked on for a long time,” Fallon said.
The accusations between the Democrats have grown increasingly sharp in the days before Tuesday’s primary election.
Boswell calls Fallon a “maverick” and “radical,” pointing to Fallon’s career in the Iowa Legislature.
“I find it hard to find anybody up on Capitol Hill that has very much good to say about my opponent, and that’s kind of sad,” Boswell said.
Boswell points to his own tenure in the Iowa Legislature, where he was elected Senate president twice, as proof he can work with others.
He’s proud of his part in helping pass federal legislation that requires Veterans Administration workers to have mental health training and requires a suicide prevention counselor at all VA medical facilities. The legislation was spurred by the 2005 suicide of Army Spc. Joshua Omvig, a 22-year-old Iraq veteran from Grundy Center.
Boswell, who chairs the Agriculture Subcommittee on Livestock, Dairy and Poultry, also served on the conference committee for the recently passed farm bill along with U.S Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa.
“We think that we passed a good farm bill—not perfect to satisfy everybody, but certainly much needed, and we did a lot of good things,” Boswell said.
Fallon has hammered Boswell’s vote in favor of a resolution authorizing the use of force in Iraq.
In answer to the criticism on the Iraq vote, Boswell, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, recalls being invited to the White House before the vote came up.
President Bush told him he had hard intelligence that weapons of mass destruction were going to be used against Americans, Boswell said.
“What we found out as time passed on, that wasn’t the case, and I have regretted that very much,” Boswell said.
Boswell now supports an “orderly withdrawal” in Iraq.
Voters won’t get a chance to see the difference between the candidates on a televised debate. Boswell has cited scheduling conflicts as a reason for declining invitations, as well as what he calls Fallon’s misrepresentations during the campaign.
Fallon attributes Boswell’s reluctance to debate to his positions being out of step with voters.
“Voters deserve a choice, and the contrast between Congressman Boswell and me is significant, and a lot of people are thanking me for finally having an opportunity to vote for somebody that they believe truly represents their way of thinking,” Fallon said.