Braley's Chickens Come Home to Roost

Bruce Braley is the Democrat running for the senate from Iowa this year.  He is in a very close race with Joni Ernst, the Republican.  Believe it or not, Braley's attacks on his neighbors chickens may turn out to be the item that swings the race against him.  Braley has a vacation home at a lake community in Iowa.  His neighbor has a few chickens that she keeps on her property.  On a few occasions, one or two of the chickens have crossed the property line and ended up on Braley's land.  This has led to complaints from Mrs. Braley and Braley himself to the homeowners association at the lake.  It has also led to threats of litigation by Braley against both his neighbor and the homeowners association.  Despite attempts by the neighbor and the association to resolve the dispute, Braley is still threatening legal action.

This may all sound like something silly.  It certainly does to me.  But this is Iowa.  Many people live on farms and raise livestock of some sort.  The idea that four chickens give rise to threats of litigation is outside the realm of normal behavior in much of Iowa.  Four months ago, Braley hurt himself by being caught on tape telling a group of trial lawyers that he stood with them against tort reform and that if he did not win an "Iowa farmer" could end up chairman of the senate judiciary committee.  That slap at senator Chuck Grassley did not play well in Iowa and Braley dipped in the polls.  Now he is attacking chickens and folks who raise them.  It seems hard to imagine, but these chickens could be the item that swings the state's voters firmly against Braley.