Braley steps in it...

The Iowa Republican ^ | 6/6/2014 | Craig Robinson

[iowamark]

It appears that the barnyard theme in the U.S. Senate race will continue into the general election.  Braley found himself in hot water on Wednesday after releasing an ad that referred to Republican U.S. Senate candidate Joni Ernst as a “chick.” It actually got worse for Braley on Thursday when Democrat State Senator Steve Sodders said that the common practice of castrating hogs is equated to “mutilating animals” at a Braley press conference.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey quickly released a statement on the issue.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey today issued the following statement after Bruce Braley’s campaign attacked Joni Ernst and referred to hog castration as “mutilating animals.”  The Des Moines Register reports, “Braley surrogate calls hog castration ‘mutilating animals’”:

“Bruce Braley and his campaign continue to show that he is out of touch and doesn’t understand, respect or appreciate hard working Iowa farmers.  First he insults Sen. Grassley in front of a group of Texas trial lawyers, now he is attacking farmers for a procedure that is a necessary and humane.  Livestock farmers work hard, put in long hours and take great pride in caring for their animals.  To say these farmers are mutilating their animals is an insult.”

Below is the reaction to Braley referring to Ernst as a “chick” in his latest ad.

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BRUCE BRALEY’S SEXIST ATTACKS

DES MOINES REGISTER:  “Democrat Bruce Braley has created a stir for comparing his GOP rival to a chick.  Braley, a U.S. Senate candidate, released a negative ad on Wednesday, the day after Republican Joni Ernst won the five-way race for her party’s nomination.  In the 30-second TV ad, called “Peep,” Braley shows footage of a chick and criticizes Ernst.”  (Jennifer Jacobs, Chick Slam Draws Criticism, The Des Moines Register, 06/05/14)



RADIO IOWA:  “University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle sent a tweet when he first saw the ad.  ‘I think the voice over says Joni Ernst didn’t say a peep and then they show the chick and my first thought because I’m at this point kind of attuned to these sorts of things was, ‘Whoa, referring to a female opponent as a chick could be a problem,’’ Hagle says. ‘And certainly if it was a Republican doing this to a Democratic opponent it would be.’”  (O. Kay Henderson, Braley Criticized For “Chick” Imagery In Ad Against Ernst, Radio Iowa, 06/05/14)

TIME:  “There’s a danger in calling a woman a ‘chick’ in politics.  Rep. Bruce Braley, an Iowa Democrat vying to fill retiring Sen. Tom Harkin’s seat, found that out the hard way on Wednesday. Braley came out swinging within hours of State Sen. Joni Ernst’s GOP surprisingly decisive primary victory to be his opponent.  Braley released a 30-second television ad called “Peep,” in which footage of a baby chicken is shown.  (Jay Newton-Small, Iowa Democratic Senate Candidate Accused of Sexist “Chick” Ad, Time, 06/05/14)

USA TODAY: “Bruce Braley has shown time and time again just how tone deaf, elitist and offensive he is,” said Brook Hougesen, press secretary for the National Republican Senatorial Committee.” (Catalina Camia, Bruce Braley’s ‘chick’ ad criticized as sexist, USA Today, 06/05/14)

BUSINESS INSIDER:  “The campaign of Bruce Braley, the Democratic nominee for Senate in Iowa, released a new ad Wednesday comparing Republican nominee Joni Ernst to a baby chick. Republicans responded to the commercial by pouncing on it as a not-so-subtle indication of sexism. … ‘We’ve all heard the one about pigs squealing, but when Joni Ernst had the chance to something in Iowa, we didn’t hear a peep,’ a narrator says in Braley’s ad, cutting to a photo of a baby chick.”  (Brett Logiurato, Male Democratic Senate Candidate Compares Female Opponent To A ‘Chick’, Business Insider, 06/05/14)

WASHINGTON EXAMINER:  “A chick might be seen as a subtle sexist dig and if you’re still rolling your eyes, think about all the ‘subtle’ sexism the Left finds in every anti-Hillary Clinton argument, or the “subtle” racism supposedly found in every anti-President Obama argument.  Now consider the source of this ad: Braley. This is the same candidate accused of insulting farmers back in April, the same candidate running in an agricultural state who misspelled common farm terms and the same candidate who used a photo of an English farm on his website.”  (Ashe Schow, Male Democratic Senate Candidate Uses A ‘Chick’ In Ad Against Female Opponent, The Washington Examiner, 06/05/14)

@ProfHagle:  Imagine if a GOP candidate had used a “chick” in an ad against a female opponent. MT @TeamBraley: … http://youtu.be/b3lwSSTEvNU #IAsen

@TIMEPolitics:  Bruce Braley misses with sexist ad likening Joni Ernst to a chick | http://ti.me/1mXJEl9  (via @JNSmall)



[joshhiggins]

I doubt Braley would have run that ad if he (or anybody on his staff) knew enough about farming to realize some little chicks get “Caponized”

[bert]

The word on the street is that Braley has started wearing a cup....... he fears he’ll lose his package