Joni Ernst reeks of elitism
Really, Joni Ernst, “We all are going to die”? Do you realize how arrogant that sounds, especially to someone who would be in the position of losing their health insurance or living paycheck to paycheck and struggling to make ends meet?
I have been thinking the Democratic Party was at fault this last election for coming off as elitist. You just moved well beyond elitist. Especially for someone who does not need to worry about losing her health insurance. Shame on you. But, then again ,the GOP really does not mind calling names and making people feel like they are second class. Iowa deserves better!
Bill Denner, Osage
Joni Ernst has come a long way from bread bags over her shoes
Whatever happened to the little girl who had to wear bread bags over her shoes as she tramped through the snow to school — too poor to afford boots? She somehow was lost spending too many years in the halls of power and wealth.
Yes, Senator, I bring this to Iowa’s attention as a registered member of the Democratic Party. I do hold dear some age-old Republican values, however. Among them, free trade, limited industrial policy, and plenty of sarcasm to boot.
Myrt Levin, Des Moines
Bruce Braley gaffe helped Joni Ernst. Will she suffer now?
In March 2014, video footage was discovered from a January 2014 fundraising event of trial lawyers in Texas in which Bruce Braley assured the audience that he would be a spokesman in Congress for trial lawyers, and commented that Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley could become the next chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee if Democrats lost control of the Senate majority.
In the video, Braley criticized Grassley as “a farmer from Iowa, who never went to law school.” Some people thought it cost him the election.
Now that we know the rest of the story, will Joni Ernst suffer the same fate as Bruce Braley? Yes, a farmer was a head of the judiciary, that became a political tool instead of a check and balance.
And, yes, we all are going to die? Braley was right. Will Ernst prove to be right?
It is up to us, as voters, to decide. If you are not awake, you are either asleep or dead.
Kevin M Hansen, Indianola
I thought Joni Ernst was pro-life
Senator, for most of your constituents, it is not a surprise to learn that humans eventually die. What is a surprise is that anyone who has influence over policy that affects basic human needs would joke about taking them away. Since you bring up your relationship with Jesus, what do you think he would tell you to do about this pro-life issue? And, how do you think he would weigh in about your flippancy?
Cheri Doane, Des Moines
Joni Ernst seems to think Iowans are stupid
I watched about 10 minutes of Sen. Joni Ernst’s May 30 town hall. Her whole demeanor in this admittedly short clip was one of disagreeing with and dismissing her constituents’ concerns.
At one point, Ernst exasperatedly admonished someone for having concerns about cuts to Medicaid. “Well, we all are going to die,” was her response to a shouted statement from the crowd. It was clear to me that this constituent believed that the loss of Medicaid could result in premature death for some. And the research backs this up.
Ernst “die” response seemed a willful misunderstanding. She chose to believe that one of her constituents thought that Medicaid meant life eternal. Ernst’s interpretation may have reflected a shocking lack of knowledge about the life-extending effects of insurance for hardworking and disabled Iowans. Either that or she really believes that the Iowan who shouted “people will die” without Medicaid is stupid. Her so-called, snarky apology noting that at least she didn’t have to explain the Tooth Fairy to this person indicates that it is the latter.
Why would she jump to the most ridiculous interpretation of “people are going to die” because they lost health care? She sounded like a middle-schooler trying to redirect an argument that she was losing.
Listen, it takes guts to disagree with your senator in public. I, for one, would like to have a senator that gave us a little grace when we disagree with her and didn’t punch down on her constituents with snarky remarks and non-apologies.
T.C. Loving, Humboldt
Joni Ernst knows the rule: Don’t cross the boss
Snarky and sarcastic, Sen. Joni Ernst sent a message out to Iowans that her constituents are not worthy of her respect. Her Instagram message, recorded in a cemetery, set us all straight. She is a solid Trumper now and her constituents are a distant third place, right behind Pete Hegseth. Obviously she learned her lesson: Don’t cross the boss.
And sacrilegious to boot, conflating Trumpism with religion in her Instagram “apology.”
For me, I’m relieved to know the facts. What is the saying? Knowledge is power.
Deborah Lechtenberg, Johnston
Joni Ernst apology video was a baffling choice
I am curious why, after offending so many Iowans with her “We all are going to die” comment, Sen. Joni Ernst felt compelled to give a disingenuous apology video in a cemetery for a backdrop.
Her Tooth Fairy reference in the video apology was just pure snark.
I hope Iowans remember Ernst and the four Iowa representatives when they vote in the next election. Clearly they have placed billionaire tax cuts ahead of Iowans on Medicare and Medicaid.
Mike Triggs, Urbandale
We’ll all die, and clearly the poor will die first
Sen. Joni Ernst’s response to a concern about people who may lose their Medicaid health care as a result of the Big Beautiful Bill during her town hall in Parkersburg was breathtakingly heartless and cruel. The concern voiced was that people may die, to which she responded, “We all are going to die!” She spoke in a bloodless, matter-of-fact tone seemingly completely unconcerned that Iowans would die as a result of her actions in the Senate.
So, Senator, a vote for you is a vote for our fellow Iowans to die? Is that your new campaign slogan?
It is surely the theme of the current Republican Party leadership in the Congress and the White House. Never mind the constant chaos, tariffs on/tariffs off game of chicken that is playing havoc with the economy and creating sleepless nights for so many who are trying to plan for the future. No, the real theme is “we all are going to die … you get to go first because you are poor.”
The Rev. Deb Hill-Davis, Des Moines
What does Joni Ernst need with health insurance?
Sen. Joni Ernst defends Medicaid cuts, stating, “We all are going to die.” By that logic, Ernst should also discard the taxpayer-funded federal health insurance for her coverage as a senator.
John Clayton, Brooklyn
Senator Joni Ernst dismisses the poor
“We all are going to die.” That was Sen. Joni Ernst’s reply during a town hall meeting in Parkersburg when questioned about President Donald Trump’s plans to make cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. Her statement was in response to someone in attendance that such cuts would cause people to die.
She sounds like Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens’ “Christmas Carol.” Scrooge is confronted by two gentlemen to contribute money to help the poor who are insufficiently served through institutions. Only charity may ease their impoverished conditions and some would rather die than live in such squalor. Scrooge’s response to this dire situation is, “If they would rather die they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.”
My response to Ernst is “bah humbug.”
Kevin Pokorny, Des Moines
Joni Ernst reassurances do not pass muster
In response to Sen. Joni Ernst’s “apology” for her “we all are going to die” comment: Senators don’t die unnecessarily early due to lack of health insurance. Additional, I don’t believe they have a required number of hours worked per month to qualify for insurance. Not to worry, though, there is a heavenly reward after you die. That should comfort your loved ones for their loss.
Ellen Grimes, Des Moines
This story was updated to add a gallery.
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowans’ responses to Joni Ernst: ‘You just moved well beyond elitist’ | Letters
Reporting by The Register’s readers / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
