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The history of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley's relationship with deer is a contentious one. Grassley had a famous deadly run-in in 2012:
Fred and I hit a deer on hiway 136 south of Dyersville. After I pulled fender rubbing on tire we continued to farm. Assume deer dead
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) October 26, 2012
The phrase "assume deer dead" went as viral as a politician's joke about deer can go, inspiring its own mini-meme on Twitter:
I'm a Dear Abby guy in an Assume Deer Dead world.
— Josh Greenman (@joshgreenman) January 18, 2013
Guys can we just agree that "assume deer dead" will live on forever
— Abraham Riesman (@abrahamjoseph) December 6, 2012
Next on TCM, Robert Siodmak's classic noir "Assume Deer Dead"
— the beverage hunk (@pareene) October 26, 2012
On Wednesday, Grassley's daughter hit a deer
There's no need to assume anything about the deer. It is dead.
Just got word that my daughter Wendy totaled car She is ok She hit deer Deer dead. No presumption I'm told
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) June 17, 2015
Deer are basically a direct health concern for the Grassley family
This new disaster prompted me to look up tick-related information for Iowa, where about five kinds of ticks usually live. Grassley is on the record as being concerned about deer overpopulation, and as he is a former farmer I assume we can take his word for it.
Seen dead deer on way church. They didn't hit my car Unsafe if u drive in area where deer congregate Iowa needs longer season to kill more
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) November 19, 2012
I was doing morning run at farm. Deer killed by car in ditch. He was dead. I didn't have to"assume" anything about his condition
— ChuckGrassley (@ChuckGrassley) December 1, 2012
