Free Republic

Three Iowa Democratic congressmen are being targeted in a million-dollar campaign by groups that say the National Labor Relations Board is overstepping its authority by dictating where businesses can and cannot create jobs. U.S. Reps. Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell are among 16 House members who are the focus of the national radio and web video ad campaign sponsored by the National Association of Manufacturers and National Federation of Independent Business. They are being encouraged to vote for HR 2587, the Protecting Jobs from Government Interference Act. The legislation is a response to the NLRB’s “recent wave of...

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Dody Boswell, the wife of Rep. Leonard Boswell, walked through their home Monday and described what happened when a masked man armed with a gun entered their home on Saturday Dody Boswell said their front door was unlocked when the masked man came in their home Saturday night. Dody, Leonard, their daughter Cindy and grandson were home at the time. "He went in and grabbed Cindy by the neck, with the gun in her neck," said Dody Boswell. "She's a fighter, she's spunky. She fought him back and he grabbed her by the throat to choke...

On Thursday March 18th I attended the health care bill protest held in front of Congressman’s Boswell’s office on Locust street in Des Moines. The protest began at 12:30 and as people started showing up to line both sides of the street to protest for and against the bill, workers from Organizing for America were there with a clipboard marking off who was there and placing them in different locations. For those of you unaware, Organizing for America is “the successor organization to Obama for America, building on the movement that elected President Obama by empowering communities across the country...

Leonard Boswell and the Democrats in Washington have force fed the American people more unconstitutional legislation that is bad for Iowa. This takeover of our health insurance system is unconstitutional and infringes on the rights of citizens by mandating the purchase of a service. This legislation as been pushed through behind closed doors and it violates the public trust of each and every citizen, who deserves the chance to see it in the full light of day. The taxes which will start immediately will do more harm to an already weakened economy and do further damage to businesses everywhere. “I...

Republican Jim Gibbons, a former college wrestling coach who is challenging Democratic Rep. Leonard L. Boswell , held a fundraiser with former Speaker J. Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) that some of Gibbons’ opponents say is evidence that he is the choice of GOP political insiders. Gibbons’ campaign said that Hastert, a wrestling enthusiast who represented a district in neighboring Illinois from 1987 through 2006, helped Gibbons raise money from more than 100 people who either attended the event or contributed beforehand. Gibbons’ campaign declined to say how much it raised from the event, which was held at the Des Moines home...

March 16th Leonard Boswell sent out a press release on why he supports health insurance reform quoting President Theodore Roosevelt saying “Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain difficult…” He goes on and says, “[f]or nearly 100 years, we as a country have recognized that there is a need to reform our health care system, but have instead let partisan bickering and politicking trump the health and well-being of our loved ones… “…It will address the fact that medical expenses are the number one cause of bankruptcy in this country… “…My priority...

Dave Funk, retired Airline Captain and Veteran of the Iowa Army National Guard, has filed his papers and is officially a candidate for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District to take on Leonard Bowsell. Dave Funk has been certified by obtaining the required number of signatures and will be on the ballot in the primary election in the 3rd District primary for the Republican nomination on June 8, 2010. “I would like to thank our faithful volunteers who helped me get the needed signatures to get on the ballot for the chance to run against Leonard Boswell in November. With a full...

This past week we started noticing mailers popping up in mailboxes. A digital copy of which can be seen at www.congressneedsfunk.com/news, on the front is a wonderful picture of Leonard Boswell clapping with the words "Congress Leonard Boswell Creating Jobs For Iowa Families." He then goes on to share everything he's done this past year. As a matter of fact, one of his great claims on the mailer is how he put Iowans to work. Boswell said, "The state has disbursed $1.28 billion that has created or maintained 9,095 jobs in the state as of December 31, 2009." This is...

The Republican Party of Iowa sent out a press release on March 01 inquiring what Boswell plans on doing with, what they calculated, the $50,000 he’s received from Charlie Rangel. We followed accordingly sending Twitter updates to @LeonardBoswell asking what his plans were with the money – even mentioned donating it in case he couldn’t think of anything constructive. Yesterday RPI released another press release, again, having given ample time for Boswell to respond, asking why the silence. In case you haven’t followed the Charlie Rangel story, it comes down to this. Last week the “House ethics panel that Representative...

It has only been a week since the Crystal Ball published our most recent comprehensive view of House races across the country, but political news abhors a vacuum and there already many new developments to report. All nine ratings changes this week benefit Republicans, further evidence of the many advantages they face across the country at this time. The Crystal Ball moves five Democratic seats from a “safe” rating onto our list of competitive races: KY-6 (Ben Chandler), MA-10 (Bill Delahunt), OH-13 (Betty Sutton), SC-5 (John Spratt), and VA-9 (Rick Boucher). In addition, two already competitive races for Democrats look...

DES MOINES, Iowa - Democratic U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell is getting a stiff financial challenge from at least one potential Republican opponent fighting for the right to oppose him, according to new contribution disclosures. A report to the Federal Election Commission shows former Iowa State University wrestling coach Jim Gibbons raised $207,310 in the first six weeks of his campaign, and ended 2009 with $205,069.90 in the bank. FEC disclosures, which were due Jan. 31, showed Boswell raised $169,621 in the fourth quarter of 2009, though he posted a bank balance of $462,193 at the end of the year. Though...

House Democrats passed the 2,032-page Pelosicare bill on a near party-line vote Saturday night 220-215 (roll call here). The only Republican voting in favor of the measure was New Orleans-based Joseph Cao who has long ago proven to be a tax and spend (and spend and spend) liberal. After a week of intense arm twisting, threats and promises from party leaders, more than half of the 52 so-called conservative Blue Dog Democrats voted in favor of the over $1.3 trillion measure. These are the 28 Blue Dogs voting in favor of Pelosicare (who apparently fear the wrath of House Speaker...

Rep. Leonard Boswell (D-IA) claims that President Obama told him "he's willing to be a one-term president if that's what it takes to get health care and energy reform," reports Radio Iowa. Said Boswell: "The president (said), 'I'm not going to kick the can down the road.' And he said that and I said, 'Well, that's something I'm kind of used to from southern Iowa, you know. I know about kicking the can down the road.' And he said, 'No, if it makes me a one-term president, I'm going to, we're going to take it on because the country is...

Congressman Leonard Boswell (D-Des Moines, Iowa): "The president (said), 'I'm not going to kick the can down the road.' And he said that and I said, 'Well, that's something I'm kind of used to from southern Iowa, you know. I know about kicking the can down the road.' And he said, 'No, if it makes me a one-term president, I'm going to, we're going to take it on because the country is in need of us taking this on.' I respected that very much."

U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell, D-Iowa, has introduced the Toll Road Prohibition Act, the latest bill designed to prevent tolling on federally built highways. HR 3802, introduced Oct. 10, would require states and cities to repay the U.S. government all federal funds used for construction of highways, bridges or tunnels, along with “reasonable interest,” before introducing tolls. “The American people should not be required to pay for the same highway twice, once through their tax dollars and again through new tolls on federal interstate highways,” Boswell said. The legislation would not prohibit the states from entering into public-private toll agreements, but...