Certainly much has already been written about Friday night's joint appearance on IPTV by US Senate candidates Roxanne Conlin and Charles Grassley.  I was struck by a couple of things, but then maybe I see things in a different light than some others. I have tried to rerun the program on my computer, but I can only seem to get about 10 seconds at a time to run. So I will rely on my trusty rusty memory and the transcript provided at IPTV

One overall impression I got was the condescending attitude that Mr. Grassley exhibited toward Ms. Conlin.  This certainly doesn’t come out in the transcript. I commented on this to my wife toward the end of the show. Grassley throughout acted arrogant – as though he was doing Conlin a favor by being there.  Having daughters, I have been very sensitive to condescending attitudes exhibited by males toward females. This was a prime example of such an attitude in my opinion. During the primary season Bob Krause pointed out Grassley’s attitude toward women time after time. Based on Friday’s performance Krause was right on the mark.

A second impression is that Grassley appeared to come in with a series of talking points that he was going to throw out no matter what the question. I know this is hardly unique, but Mr. Grassley threw the talking points in no matter how irrelevant they were to the subject being discussed. Then he would also throw in ludicrous charges against Conlin. Apparently Grassley’s strategy was to put Conlin on the defensive.

Instead, it made him look like an out of touch fool.

There were a couple of points when the panel had to ask Mr. Grassley to answer the question. Near the end Grassley appeared to nearly lose his temper. He seems to have a very thin skin when his version of reality is challenged. I was in attendance in Mechanicsville when he dropped the microphone and walked out. Grassley does not like to have what he says challenged.

Ms. Conlin was direct with her answers and challenged Mr. Grassley’s record at every turn. The issues Ms. Conlin challenged Mr. Grassley on are a matter of public record. He either changed subjects or gave weak responses in all cases. He also acted as though he should not have to be bothered to answer her questions.

It is real easy to see why Mr. Grassley’s staff has kept him away from the public over the break. No open forums, only visits to schools and places where the public can’t get in.

It is also real easy to see why he is avoiding debating Ms. Conlin. The joint appearance turned out to be a preview of the Iowa-Iowa State game, with Conlin playing the role of Iowa.