Ducking for cover
Iowa's congressional delegation plays the odds in Trump-Zelensky dustup
Rarely, do we see anything quite like it.
The extraordinary Oval Office blowup between Volodymyr Zelensky, Donald Trump and JD Vance on Friday was one of those rare moments that set the whole political world to talking.
Except Iowa’s congressional delegation.
I have searched in the roughly 24 hours since the meltdown at the White House to find a reaction from anybody in our state’s congressional delegation, but I have found none.
Give them their due, they’re cagy politicians.
As leaders, they stink.
Eli Lake, the longtime national security columnist, summed up America’s reaction to this extraordinary event pretty well.
For Trump’s base, the 50-minute exchange was proof positive of America First foreign policy—an ungrateful freeloader gets upbraided by the populist tribune.
For Americans who still cling to the now unfashionable notion that the international system should be ruled by rules and not might, Friday’s incident was a horror.
From the perspective of Europe, it’s the beginning of the end of the Trans-Atlantic alliance.
I’d quibble with the idea that, for most of us, an international system of rules is now “unfashionable.” But that’s not the point. Here’s the point: For Iowa’s congressional delegation none of this, apparently, was worth their comment. At least not on their social media feeds, which is how they usually communicate with voters.
I’ve searched news and other websites and found no other evidence of their expressing an opinion, either.
If they did, they’re keeping their voices down.
Apparently, there is too much risk.
Side with American values and expose yourself to the possibility of Trump’s wrath.
Take a stand with Trump, but surrender integrity.
Make no mistake, many in Iowa’s delegation are horrified at what happened on Friday. I don’t believe they are that far gone.
Joni Ernst spent years touting herself as fully in league with Ukraine’s freedom-fighters, egging on Joe Biden to get tougher, faster.
She praised the undeniable bravery of Zelensky and Ukraine’s fighting forces.
But on Friday, Ernst couldn’t be bothered when Trump and Vance berated Ukraine’s president.
Likewise, Chuck Grassley.
In Congress since the dawn of Reagan, his formative years came amid unwavering Republican opposition to the Soviet Union. He was even among a bi-partisan group of senators who met with Zelensky on Friday, according to a video the Ukrainian president released.
Yet, in the face of Donald Trump’s betrayal of Reagan’s legacy afterward, Grassley demurred.
As far as I can tell, among the state’s top Republican elected officials, only Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke up.
On X/Twitter, she said, “God bless - we finally have a President and Vice President that are standing up for America!”
Obviously, Reynolds still feels the need to crawl to Trump to atone for her past apostasy. But at least she spoke up.
This is a lesson to all Iowans.
For those, like me, who saw Trump and Vance’s performance as a betrayal of American ideals, the silence of our congressional delegation is a clear sign they don’t share these ideals, at least not to the point where they could be bothered Friday to stand up for them.
For those who don’t think like me on this issue—and there are many—the silence of the Iowa delegation is equally telling.
What it says is they’re not really with them, either.
Perhaps that should give me some kind of comfort. Unfortunately, it does not.
Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. When Trump tried to overthrow the 2020 presidential election, Republicans in Iowa’s congressional delegation also went underground.
They knew what Trump was doing was wrong, but they calculated the political risks—and, I believe, the potential upside if he was successful—and they chose to remain silent.
I am not naive. Politicians usually put themselves first. They take as few risks as possible.
Except in those rare moments when events demand they take a stand. Friday was one of those moments.
What we saw Trump and Vance do to the cause of freedom and American principles Friday will long be a stain on this country.
The silence of Iowa’s congressional delegation ensures they will share that stain.
If there’s any justice, they’ll pay a political price, too.
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Thank you Ed. I keep hoping that Iowa’s U.S. representation will some day gain courage and integrity. But they apparently do not think enough constituents care about those values these days.
There can be no doubt that Iowa's Congressional delegation and the Republican Iowa legislature are the worst in history.