Campaign Ads, Rent is Too Damn High

Down and Dirty: Two weeks left. For better or worse, two weeks left until the election. One race has drawn my attention recently. It is also featured in this morning's Des Moines Register. It is Senate District 37, which covers parts of Madison, Dallas and Warren Counties. And this one isn't for the weak-stomached. One candidate bought a website with the domain of the other candidate. And that candidate is running ads alleging that her opponent is dangerous to children.

Democrat Staci Appel, the wife of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Brent Appel, is running for her second term. She is running an ad. I guess you would have to call it a "scare" ad. I'm not sure what else to call it. In the ad, the announcer says her opponent voted to let abusers buy guns that can be used to kill people while the video shows a child sitting on the floor. I would like to attach the ad, so you can see it. But I can't find it anywhere on-line. It isn't on Appel's website. I also noticed her site doesn't list any events at all for the month of October. Surely, she is holding events, right? Anyone seen the ad anywhere, so I can post it here?

Republican Kent Sorenson is giving up his house seat to run against Appel. He bought www.StaciAppel.com and then let a friend take it over. The Register reports he actually bought about a dozen sites with variations of Appel's name i them. The one anti-Appel site doesn't say anywhere on the site that he bought the domain name for it. The site give its take on Appel's positions on the issues.

What do you think of the race? I'm not really concerned which candidate you like. Here's what I want to know: Does Appel's ad go too far with its scare tactics? And does Sorenson go too far in its deception buying a website with his opponent's name? Do you think one is fine, but not the other? Or are both appropriate in love and politics? O.K, just politics. Probably not much love here:)

Rent is Too Damn High!: Who says politics is boring? Have you seen any of the highlights from the New York governor's debate last night? Democrat Chet Culver and Republican Terry Branstad will REALLY have to work in their final televised debate in Iowa to top New York!

In New York, a candidate (and karate master) named Jimmy McMillan is running as a candidate of the Rent is Too Damn High Party. No, I'm not making this up. And he stole the show during the debate last night. Not only did he keep coming back to his theme that, of course, the rent is too damn high. But when asked if he supports same-sex marriage, he said "If you want to marry a shoe, I'll marry you." I assume that means, yes? Here are some highlights for your viewing pleasure...