Lange Releases 12-Page Policy Promise; Braley Demands His Position on the Ryan Budget

The constant back and forth between 1st District Representative Bruce Braley and his Republican opponent Ben Lange can often seem like bickering.

The formula goes: Lange or Braley make a statement, the other campaign challenges that statement within hours and an immediate response is given to the challenging statement.

This time, Lange published a 12-page "glossy" handbook on policies he'd support and actions he'd take if elected, according to the Des Moines Register.

The document is titled "A Compact with Iowans: My Promise and Plan." It offers six bullet points to reduce the national debt, including voting down debt-ceiling increases "until a debt-reduction strategy is established."

It lays out eight points for "Unleashing the Economy," including simplifying federal income taxes, repealing the "death tax;" nine points to reforming health care "the right way," the first of which is repealing "Obamacare." Lastly, the "Preserving the Safety Net" section promises no changes to Medicare benefits to those older than 55.

The plan's final pages offer a critique to Braley on his handling of these four topics and repeats the above bullet point policy prescriptions.

Braley took no time to react. In fact, his campaign made an accusal of Lange before Lange's confrence on his "compact" began.

Braley's campaign manager and volunteers publicly criticized Lange's silence on U.S. Representative Paul Ryan's budget, according to the Des Moines Register, which makes significant changes to Medicare, which may stand in contrast to Lange's plan of "Preserving the Safety Net." 

Lange later responded to a question by the Des Moines Reigister on the press conference and declined to make an opinion on the budget. He said he hadn't read it.