Raising money from Texas trial lawyers for his current campaign, Rep. Bruce Braley (D, IA) disparaged Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley as a benighted farmer who had not received the enlightenment afforded by a law school education. Braley conjured the nightmare scenario that would attend a GOP Senate majority: that boob Grassley would chair the Senate Judiciary Committee. Horrors!
The disparagement took place behind closed doors. It wasn’t intended for public consumption as Braley runs for Iowa’s open Senate seat and it hasn’t served Braley well in Iowa. It revealed something (several things) authentically distasteful about him and his ilk.
Debating Republican candidate Joni Ernst last night, Braley demonstrated the temerity of a trial lawyer with a bad case. Asked whom he would first call for advice if he were to win the election, Braley named Senator Grassley (video below).
I’m thinking Braley may not have gotten all he should have out of his law school education. You usually don’t want to remind the jury of one of the weakest features of your case.
Ernst reacted perfectly. She laughed. She also, and more believably, named Senator Grassley as the man she would call first for advice.
James Hohmann reports on the debate for Politico here.
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