Even in farm country, campaigns not focusing on farm policy
By Amy Mayer
Credit Kathleen Masterson / Harvest Public Media No farm bill for this dairy farm, yet. Or any other farm.
When Congress recessed for the election season without passing a new farm bill, many observers thought farmers would demand explanations as campaign trails blazed through small towns. But despite its importance in farm country, the farm bill and farm policy are largely being overshadowed by other campaign issues.
Voters in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District will vote in the tight election fight between Republican incumbent Rep. Steve King and former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack, a Democrat. It’s one of the many competitive races across the Midwest that will help determine who controls Congress—and its farm-country setting could have given the farm bill prime billing.
Since Republican House leaders stalled the farm bill last summer, many observers thought campaigning Democrats would pressure incumbent Republicans for an explanation. Weeks ago, Iowa State University political science professor Steffen Schmidt predicted the farm bill would play a huge role in election year politics across the Midwest, but that mostly hasn’t happened.
“To me, the big surprise about the farm bill is that Democrats have actually not made more of a case for the farm bill and essentially made that more a part of their campaign against Republicans who are the ones who have blocked it,” Schmidt said.
In farm states like Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and North Dakota, House Republicans face tough competition for re-election or for Senate seats. But with election season reaching its final stage, the candidates—and voters—largely have other priorities.
Mike Holden, a farmer from Scranton, Iowa, is one of the voters who will decide the Vilsack-King race. Like many other farmers, Holden says he cares about the farm bill—especially its crop insurance program.
“This year is a prime example of why we have to have a safety net, when you have drought from the sand hills of Nebraska to the eastern edge of Ohio and down to northern Texas and everywhere in between,” Holden said. “You have to have some sort of a fallback.”
But while Holden was thinking about the farm bill, the candidates in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District haven’t talked about it much. To be sure, in Iowa it’s almost impossible not to talk about ag on the campaign trail. But when Vilsack and King have, it has been largely about politics, not policy.
Vilsack has criticized King for not publicly pressuring the House leadership to get the farm bill passed, saying “He serves on the agriculture committee and I think that sends a strong message to rural Iowa and to the people of his district that he isn’t a leader.”
But King dismissively brushes off her attacks.
“Where the [farm bill] has gone is, it’s gotten intensely more and more political,” King said. “And something that people need to understand is, it’s not Republicans holding up this bill. Republicans want to get a good farm bill.”
The thing is, elections are a numbers game. This year’s divisive presidential election is expected to boost turnout. But Schmidt says there just aren’t enough farmers anymore to drive the agenda—even in the Midwest. Plus, it seems that everywhere concerns about jobs, the so-called fiscal cliff and social issues are overshadowing farm policy.
In Missouri, for instance, where current House Republican Todd Akin is challenging Democratic incumbent Sen. Claire McCaskell, ag issues should be important. But the campaign has largely centered on social issues and personal attacks.
Throughout farm country, Schmidt says, campaign strategists choose carefully what to focus on. And apparently they’ve decided that there’s not much to gain from talking about the farm bill.
“Or else they just overlooked it because there are other issues that are more capturing the attention of the media and the public,” Schmidt said.
Iowa Farmer Holden says that’s largely been true in Greene County.
“I don’t think the farm bill will end up being an issue in the election,” Holden said. “Should it be here? It certainly should be a part of it.”
Even if it’s not on voters’ minds when they cast their ballots, the future of the farm bill and farm policy will be determined by the decisions they make at the polls.
Update: King and Vilsack released statements relating to the farm bill after the publication of this post. Find King's statement .. here and Vilsack's statement here ..
[ my insert from link ]
Rep. Collin Peterson responds to King’s Farm Bill accusations October 29, 2012
AMES, IA – Following Congressman Steve King’s attempt to skirt responsibility for the Farm Bill’s failure, the Ranking Member of the House Agriculture Committee, Congressman Collin Peterson (D-MN, 7th District), released the following statement:
“The statements by Rep. King that the Democrats are holding up the Farm Bill are completely untrue. The President and especially Secretary Vilsack have been our biggest allies. Majority Leader Cantor refused to let us vote on the bi-partisan bill that passed the Ag Committee 35 to 11. The main reason sighted by him was we didn't have the votes. The week before we adjourned early for the election I convened a bi-partisan group to whip the bill - something the Republican's never did. We found we had 100 Democrats and 140 Republicans who said they would support the committee bill. There were some Democrats who said the SNAP cuts were too much, but more Republicans who wanted substantially more. We found the bi-partisan middle on the Committee. I think the SNAP cuts were an excuse for the real problem the Republican's had - and that is the desire by the Republican Study Group to eliminate farm programs and make large cuts to crop insurance. They didn't want their members to have to choose between the Club for Growth, Grover Norquist, the Heritage Foundation and the Farm Bill before the election.”
“Congressman Peterson and the other members of Iowa’s congressional delegation should be applauded for their support of the Farm Bill,” added Christie Vilsack. “Unfortunately, Congressman King once again put the demands of his special interest backers ahead of what’s best for his constituents. As a representative for the 4th District, I will be a strong voice for agriculture and a strong economy in rural America.”
Earlier this year, the Club for Growth warned lawmakers that support for the House Farm Bill would have a negative impact on the Club for Growth’s Congressional Scorecard. Congressman King was the only member of Iowa’s congressional delegation to oppose a discharge petition for the Farm Bill, and has received an additional $104,380 from the Club for Growth since doing so, bringing the total amount he has received from the group to more than $277,000 this election cycle. http://www.christievilsackforiowa.com/press/rep-collin-peterson-responds-king%E2%80%99s-farm-bill-accusations
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