Analysis · Floor speech · beta

Chuck Grassley

Republican on Caitlin Clark 2026-07-22

287 words · 20 sentences · 24 clauses

Statement grade

B+

Average 84 / 100

A score under 50 is red. Choose a measurement to see where it lost points and why; choose it again to clear.

Procedure 10%Claims 73%Promise 6%Positioning 8%Aside 3%

This view breaks the statement into its steps and names what each one does.

Mr. President, Procedure · 18 wordson a second matter, I want to talk about Caitlin Clark, a native of West Des Moines, IA.¹Procedure Claims · 154 wordsCaitlin Clark played basketball at the University of Iowa.² She changed women’s college basketball but also inspired athletes of all ages across all sports. She plays professionally for the Indiana Fever.³ Since joining the professional ranks 3 years ago, Caitlin has been the subject of very unfair treatment on the basketball court, and the referees are not doing their job. Recently, she got a fist to her throat by a player.⁴ Yet, the refs at the time did not call a foul.⁵ I am glad that the WNBA corrected this matter a few days later by charging a foul and suspending the player, ⁶but the unfair treatment of Caitlin and others in the WNBA has got to stop.Vague promise Officials are human, but we have seen time after time where Caitlin has suffered physically--beyond what you would expect in competitive professional sports--with little accountability from the people that run the WNBA or from the referees. Promise · 17 wordsSo I hope for Caitlin--and for the growth of women’s basketball-- things improve quickly in the WNBA. Claims · 5 wordsCaitlin is a generational talent. Positioning · 10 wordsHer hard work and dedication should be rewarded, not penalized.Positioning Claims · 51 wordsShe has revolutionized WNBA. Attendance has shot up since she has been with the Indiana Fever, ⁷and income has shot up for the league and their teams.⁸ Salaries for players went from five figures to six figures, all because of her playing.⁹ So every player of all teams are better off. Positioning · 13 wordsThey should be thanking Caitlin as opposed to mistreating her on the floor.Positioning Aside · 8 wordsSomeday I would like to meet Caitlin Clark.Aside Procedure · 4 wordsI yield the floor.Procedure Mr. President, Procedure · 7 wordsI suggest the absence of a quorum.Procedure

At a glance

Lost points for

Switch Claims on to list the checkable claims here.

What the tags mean

Signal · 76

6 of 7 deductions are Signal

Signal checks whether every part makes a point, gives a reason, or asks for action. A low score means the speaker filled time with fluff, pleasantries, or attacks.

Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “on a second matter, I want to talk about Caitlin Clark, a native of West Des Moines, IA.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “Her hard work and dedication should be rewarded, not penalized.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
Praise, blame or attack with no claim, reason or ask in it.What the tags mean “They should be thanking Caitlin as opposed to mistreating her on the floor.”Positioning: praise, blame or attack. No claim, reason or ask.
A remark off to the side of the point.What the tags mean “Someday I would like to meet Caitlin Clark.”An aside: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I yield the floor.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.
Throat-clearing: announcing what you are about to say, or the House’s routine business.What the tags mean “I suggest the absence of a quorum.”Procedure or throat-clearing: no claim, reason or ask.

Relevance · no score

Not applicable: nothing to answer. Excluded from the average.

Relevance checks whether the speaker stays on topic and answers the question asked. A low score means the speaker dodged the issue.

Respect · no score

Not checked: graded before this measurement existed. Excluded from the average.

Respect checks whether the speaker argued with people’s positions and records rather than attacking the people: insults, mockery, or bad motives assigned to them. Criticism of what someone did, however strong, is not marked.

Clarity · 93

1 of 7 deductions are Clarity

Clarity checks for plain speaking, clear ownership of actions, and honest limits on certainty. A low score means vague promises or evasive language.

A promise with no date, no measure and no one responsible.What the tags mean “has got to stop”A demand with no actor, date, measure, or success condition to hold anyone to.

Claims · 9

This list shows the factual statements you can check for yourself: the words as said, and the claim restated to stand on its own.

1“a native of West Des Moines, IA”Caitlin Clark is a native of West Des Moines, Iowa.search
2“Caitlin Clark played basketball at the University of Iowa”Caitlin Clark played college basketball at the University of Iowa.search
3“She plays professionally for the Indiana Fever”Caitlin Clark plays professionally for the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.search
4“she got a fist to her throat by a player”In a recent WNBA game, an opposing player struck Caitlin Clark in the throat with a fist.search
5“the refs at the time did not call a foul”No foul was called by the referees on the play in which Caitlin Clark was struck in the throat.search
6“charging a foul and suspending the player”The WNBA retroactively charged a foul and suspended the player who struck Caitlin Clark a few days after the incident.search
7“Attendance has shot up since she has been with the Indiana Fever”WNBA attendance has risen sharply since Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever.search
8“income has shot up for the league and their teams”League and team revenue in the WNBA has risen sharply since Caitlin Clark joined the Indiana Fever.search
9“Salaries for players went from five figures to six figures”WNBA player salaries have risen from the five-figure range to the six-figure range during Caitlin Clark’s time in the league.search

Analyzed on 2026-09-15