Politically Rational

  • Senator Ernst Says Nothing

    I’ve had some reach out to me about sharing my posts; they should be set to public and easily sharable if anyone wants to do so. As always, please be civil with any comments you post and please reach out to your elected representation with your own opinions, in addition to any discussion here.
    As I mentioned before, I am on the distribution list for the congress members who represent me: Joni Ernst, Chuck Grassley, and Zach Nunn. Today, I went back through my emails since the start of 2024, specifically from “Joni on the Job” to see what she had been saying throughout the past year and in the beginning of the second Trump Administration. I will start with what I think was a very powerful quote from Senator Ernst, and one that I thoroughly respect:
    “𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐰𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐮𝐧𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬, 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐡𝐲 𝐈’𝐦 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐮𝐭-𝐨𝐟-𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐮𝐜𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐬’ 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐮𝐧𝐥𝐚𝐰𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐬.” 𝐉𝐨𝐧𝐢 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭, 𝐉𝐮𝐥𝐲 𝟏𝟐𝐭𝐡, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒
    This statement was made around the time the Supreme Court overturned Chevron Deference, which removed a lot of power from Federal Agencies unless Congress was explicit in their area of control.
    Let me look back on some of the key items Senator Ernst mentioned over the past year, all of which I support and can still be found on the news section of her website:
    • Transparency from the Executive (1/26/24, 3/15/24, 5/17/24, 6/21/24, 12/20/24)
    • Timely FAFSA Support (1/26/24, 2/2/24, 3/29/24, 4/26/24, 5/3/24, 9/27/24, 11/22/24, 12/13/24)
    • Disaster Relief / FEMA (5/3/24, 5/24/24, 5/31/24, 6/28/24, 7/12/24, 11/22/24)
    • Strengthening Avian Flu Outbreak Response (5/10/24, 6/8/24, 6/28/24)
    • Strengthening American Leadership / standing with NATO (7/12/24, 12/20/24)
    • Restoring Free Speech on College Campuses (4/12/24)
    We have seen a lot happen in the past three weeks which touch on many of these topics – so what is Senator Ernst saying through her typical “Joni on the Job” platform:
    • DOGE, an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy, has reportedly taken over the Federal Workers payment system, taking a lot of data with them and removing thousands of federal websites. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    • DOGE, an unelected and unaccountable bureaucracy, is reportedly working its way through the Department of Education to dismantle it, which includes grants to FAFSA. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    • The President has insisted on concessions from states in order to provide FEMA funding, indicating further that he is considering privatizing it into insurance programs entirely. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    • The President has chosen to shut down much of the Federal Government’s research and reporting ability pertaining to Avian Flu. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    • The President has chosen his method of leadership – tariffs on allies. He is pushing our closest trade partners away from the United States through threats of tariffs and large-scale destabilization of the world economy. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    • The President has demanded foreign students who attend colleges in the United States and protested in support of Palestinians on college campuses to be deported, despite being here legally and exercising their first amendment rights. He has further asked Universities to “Monitor and Report” protestors. What is Senator Ernst saying about this? 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠.
    Senator Ernst has appeared in some recent interviews in which she defended the President’s decision to attempt a total freeze on Federal Spending, and she has voiced her support for eliminating USAID, but I was unable to find any further information from her about her current work and nothing from the above topics are listed on her website. She has not yet responded to my email sent through her website on January 29th. Edit: As I posted this I did receive a reply to one of my requests to her and she simply explained why she supported Pete Hegseth (I had requested she not support RFK Jr.). I imagine my message was mislabeled somewhere along the line.
    Senator Ernst is the chair of the Senate’s DOGE Caucus, but I am unclear what input she has in that role (or if it is even truly a formal position) as it seems we are letting Elon Musk take complete control of the department which was created purely via executive order. 𝐏𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐫𝐧𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐬 𝐬𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐝 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧.
    Thank you.
    Note: This was originally posted to Facebook on February 4th, 2025.

  • This is Not Normal

    Once again, I have written more than anticipated and I hope you read it all.
    I received and appreciated quite a bit of positive feedback from my prior post regarding the presidency not existing in a vacuum. I have almost always been on the mailing list for all Congress members who represent me regardless of whether I supported their candidacy or not and I have been curious how those for whom I am a constituent would react to the current White House.
    Donald Trump has signed an executive order demanding Guantanamo Bay be ready to hold 30,000 immigrants while some in Texas have called to build another detention facility there. This is not normal.
    Elon Musk has been given significant discretion to seemingly do whatever he wants and has taken over the payment systems for the federal government. The position he took over (DOGE was renamed from the U.S. Digital Service) is supposed to give advice to federal agencies on digital security, not take over such systems. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    The President has signed numerous executive orders significantly impacting foreign partnerships via tariffs, including effectively ripping up the trade pact he himself negotiated with Mexico and Canada (USMCA) by placing tariffs on some of our biggest trade partners. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    The President has attempted to overturn the birthright citizenship section of the 14th amendment, which is clearly a part of the U.S. Constitution and has been approved and ratified by the states. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    The President has fired many federal workers across numerous agencies, including related to aviation security, and after casting blame for a tragic crash he proceeded to request further resignations from Air Traffic Controllers less than 24 hours later. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    The President has pardoned thousands who were convicted for breaching the capitol on January 6th, 2020, including many who had also previously been convicted for other violent crimes. This is not normal.
    The new administration has announced investigations of NPR and PBS, two news stations that have been critical of Donald Trump, which is well within their first amendment right and a signal to other news outlets to stay away from criticizing him. 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    So what are my congressional representatives doing? Zach Nunn has sent standard emails about legislation he is trying to pass. Joni Ernst is celebrating her initiative in passing Sarah’s Law. Chuck Grassley is praising the Laken Riley Act. They are simply acting like everything is business as usual.
    𝐈 𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥.
    I understand the counterpoint that there were issues with the federal government and significant changes were necessary. I don’t understand pushing such drastic measures from the executive and I cannot fathom why Congress is willingly ceding their constitutional authority.
    Why aren’t those who represent me standing up to this administration? I have heard all three of these members of Congress stand up and argue against almost literally every action of the prior administration and yet, they are too scared to speak up against Donald Trump. I know not everyone reading is represented by the same politicians I am, but I encourage you all to research what your representation is saying and doing and please share your thoughts with them. While the courts are a check on the presidency, it is ultimately Congress that has the power to legislate and truly curb the power of the presidency.
    Once again, I welcome civil responses to my post and would like to promote a return to calm, bipartisan discussion.
    Note: This was originally posted to Facebook on Feburary 2nd, 2025.

  • The Presidency Does Not Exist in a Vacuum

    This post turned out much longer than I had anticipated; I hope you take the time to read it all.
    I hesitate to post anything political on social media, but I think I have reached the point that I simply cannot resist. Over the past twenty years, my eligible voting history, I have voted for members of both parties; I try to always vote in municipal and state elections and inform myself on all candidates for each office. That task can be overwhelming, but I consider it my civic duty to remain engaged with what is going on in the world, the country, and in my community.
    In this environment, we desperately need a return to bipartisan politics and civil discussion between politicians. Rhetoric has grown more and more divisive over time, and we have reached a point where it is difficult to even open dialogue with others in our personal lives because of anxiety regarding the reaction we may receive.
    That said, here is my two cents:
    𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦.
    Executive orders signed by any President must fit within the existing legal framework in the United States – the Constitution and laws passed by Congress – to actually be enacted. The determination of legality (both of the laws passed by Congress and actions of the Executive) of course being made by the Supreme Court. I will not touch on the ethics of the Supreme Court at this moment.
    I easily understand the desire to curb illegal immigration. But I have not spoken to a single parent who wants their children to witness ICE handcuff and potentially drag people they know out of their schools or pull them away from bus stops. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦.
    I can understand not agreeing with the past administration regarding how they allowed migrants to claim asylum due to general violence in their home countries (Haiti, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Cuba, primarily) but to forcibly deport the millions of migrants who followed the instructions our executive branch gave them, doing their best to follow United States guidance, and do the best they can for their families I cannot understand. Discontinuing the program I would understand but not agree with; retroactively imposing new rules I find unconscionable. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦.
    I can understand wanting to put your own leadership in place via cabinet appointments. However, some of the cabinet selections seems to me to be designed as a test. A test of loyalty of the Senate which has the power to approve such appointments. Particularly, the appointments of Matt Gaetz, Pete Hegseth, and Robert F Kennedy Jr. seem to me to clearly lack the traditional experience and qualifications we have come to expect and demand from such offices and the incoming President wanted to see which members would support these nominees in spite of evident shortcomings. The presidency does not exist in a vacuum.
    It is only with the support of enough members of Congress and the Supreme Court that the presidency can act unrestrained. I write today in hopes that my Representative, Zach Nunn, and my Senators, Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley, will work tirelessly to ensure we maintain civility and compassion. That they work to ensure the powers of the presidency do not become too significant and when the president acts to put actions in place that do not meet midwestern common sense that they reach across the aisle and implement laws that will balance the power of the presidency and do what is right for Iowa and the United States of America.
    𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦.
    Please codify schools as a place where ICE officials cannot detain people. Please allow the process to continue for people with existing asylum claims. It is too late for Pete Hegseth, and Matt Gaetz of course withdrew his nomination, but please do not vote to confirm RFK Jr. as Health Secretary. Please work to ensure the basic human civil rights of all people.
    Again, 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐚 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐮𝐮𝐦. I call on every one of us to stay informed and vote in local and state elections – many of which are not in line with the presidential cycle. These offices are the ones that check the presidency to create balance and we must be diligent to elect common sense leaders who will reach across the aisle and work together with civility.
    I encourage 𝐜𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐥 discussion on this post.
    Thank you.
    Note: This was originally posted to Facebook on January 25th, 2025.