Colette Klier’s letter to the editor claims that if you don’t support Dan Kelley, you are dividing the Democratic Party. I couldn’t disagree more.
Dan Kelley has divided our party with his votes and actions over the past six years. Having a Democrat representative vote against veterans divides the party. Kelley’s votes against medical cannabis, which would help ailing children and Iowans, divides the party. Letting Larry Cleverley lose his family farm through eminent domain and refusing to help him in the fight divides the party. Blocking everyone but your closest supporters from your Facebook feed because they dared to ask a question divides the party. Walking out of public meetings that you yourself scheduled because you don’t like the people there divides the party. Banning the media from your public events divides the party. Constantly being in the negative in your campaign fund and writing yourself expense checks from your donations divides the party.
The last point is the biggest. I heard Rep. Kelley has leaked he is considering running as an independent if/when he is defeated in the Democratic primary. He is still asking for campaign contributions from good zfemocrats and according to his own site has raised more than $2,000 dollars online. But, if you notice, he isn’t running newspaper ads, he isn’t running radio ads and he obviously isn ‘t spending any money on yard signs . So that tells you one of two things. He is saving his campaign donations from good Democrats to fund an independent run in the fall or he plans to reimburse himself for personal “expenses” as he has done in the past.
That behavior divides the party. So, I agree that you know what you are getting with Dan Kelley but the majority of citizens don’t like it. The nasty, negative personal attacks by Cindy Pollard, Gene Bryant (a former minister for goodness sakes) and now Colette Klier show the level of the Kelley campaigns desperation. People are tired of the Kelley campaigns continued negative tone and yes, that divides the party. Wes may not be able to bring us back together, but he is a far cry more responsive and positive than who we have now. Dan has burnt way too many bridges. Wes will win in the fall, Dan won’t. It’s that simple.
Melissa Strand
Newton