tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194661012009-07-02T10:20:18.075-05:00Administratornoreply@blogger.comBlogger2823125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-612462092333255152009-07-02T10:16:00.001-05:002009-07-02T10:20:18.083-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Bleeding HeartlandBob Krause, who is running for U.S. Senate next year against five-termincumbent Chuck Grassley, was in the news last week with some sensiblecomments about health care reform. He encouraged Grassley to demandhigher reimbursement rates for Iowa health care providers in exchangefor dropping his opposition to a public option in the Senate bill ...Krause

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-64494016438497253732009-07-02T10:15:00.001-05:002009-07-02T10:16:23.559-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Iowa Political AlertRepublican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux Citytells the Carroll Daily Times Herald that his party should be held toa higher standard when it comes to values questions of the sort nowswirling around South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, an admittedadulterer. While extra-marital affairs occur in both parties, it isfair to judge

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-15685763680192724062009-07-02T10:12:00.000-05:002009-07-02T10:13:21.923-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogI've ranted recently about crossover voting crossover voting inprimaries. As anyone who reads a site like mine should know, Iowa is a"closed" (sic) primary state, meaning you have to be registered in aparty to vote in a primary, and you vote only in one party's primaryat a time. You can't for example participate in a Republican primaryfor governor and a

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-57175803341454808372009-07-02T10:09:00.001-05:002009-07-02T10:09:59.742-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Radio IowaA friend of mine in Des Moines, Iowa, got a phone call last night,testing out the names of potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates.It was an automated survey and did not indicate who the sponsor of thecall might be, "but it was quite apparent it was a GOP call," myfriend reports. "...The survey started off by asking what I thoughtthe most important issue

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-74269452903622038632009-07-01T10:20:00.001-05:002009-07-01T10:20:53.383-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Hawkeye ReviewWhat an honor it is to have my good friend and contributor ChristianFong writing regularly at Hawkeyereview.com. Now that Christian hasannounced his candidacy to run for Governor of the great state ofIowa, I wanted to make all of Christian's work available for you toread. Instead of requiring you to troll through the last severalmonths of archives, I've

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-80711577005899525402009-07-01T10:19:00.001-05:002009-07-01T11:12:22.122-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Krusty KonservativeThe chatter surrounding Christian Fong running for governor continues.What disturbs me regarding this matter isn't Fong as a potentialcandidate for some office, but the complete lack of a foundation forhim to mount a gubernatorial campaign. I know a lot of people seemimpressed that Fong is the chair of the Generation Iowa Commission, aprogram of the

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-54198822579170700212009-07-01T10:17:00.000-05:002009-07-01T10:18:29.292-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogThe National Republican Congressional Committee is launching a roundof ads bashing Democrats who voted for last week's energy bill -- andCNN reports, surprisingly, Bruce Braley is on the list. Braley's spoton the list is probably due more to his position as a key ally toHouse Energy and Commerce chair Henry Waxman than to any perceivedvulnerability in

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-57519856850734398252009-06-30T10:25:00.000-05:002009-06-30T10:26:33.316-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Iowa IndependentRepublican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats has renewed hispromise to end same-sex marriage with an executive order, even if itmeans facing impeachment. Appearing on the show of controversialChristian radio host Steve Deace, Vander Plaats once again said ifelected governor in 2010 he would issue an executive order stoppingsame-sex marriage until

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Excerpted from this post at The Iowa RepublicanAfter the news of Senator Randy Feenstra and Story County TreasurerDave Jamison looking at running for State Treasurer, we have more goodnews about possible candidates for other seats. Christian Fong, ayoung Cedar Rapids businessman, is seriously considering a run forGovernor. Krusty hit on this last Friday and didn't think it was agood move for Fong

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-6194218134977421002009-06-30T10:18:00.001-05:002009-06-30T10:23:48.778-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Bleeding HeartlandJune 29 was exactly 120 days since the federal government releasedhighway funds to the states as part of the economic stimulus bill(American Recovery and Reinvestment Act). Smart Growth America markedthe occasion by releasing a review on how wisely states are spendingthe transportation money. ... I've been concerned that Iowa would spendtoo much money

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-18380788600440451042009-06-30T10:16:00.000-05:002009-06-30T10:17:21.014-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogHistory lesson: It was ten years ago today that Iowans went to thepolls in a statewide special election, as Republicans overplayed theirhand in the dawning days of the Vilsack Administration. The GOP stillcontrolled both halves of the Legislature, despite Vilsack's win, andthe governor plays no role in the constitutional amendment process. Sothey rushed

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-45200680919105739242009-06-29T10:51:00.001-05:002009-06-29T10:57:59.796-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Blog for IowaDemocrats in Iowa should be glad we have an Iowa Democratic Party Hall of Fame and that Sally Pederson and Tom and Christie Vilsack were inducted into it last night [Saturday]. In many ways, the successful Vilsack-Pederson campaign in 1998 was a turning point in a process that is changing the long Republican history of Iowa into something more relevant to

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-76148625020144106292009-06-29T10:50:00.001-05:002009-06-29T10:50:58.215-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Essential EstrogenLast night I attended the Republican Party of Iowa's Rising Star event. On a scale of one to four stars (like a hotel), I would give the event one star. ... The bar. A folding table with young ladies handing out bottles of beer, water, soda and glasses of wine. The surprising thing about the bar, you had to pay dearly for everything. A bottle of

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-63810032886803282922009-06-29T10:45:00.000-05:002009-06-29T10:47:09.667-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Iowa Defense AllianceAs I was sitting here this evening contemplating the passage of the Waxman-Markey Cap and Trade bill yesterday evening I continued to get more and more irate. Sure I have been opposed to any form of cap and trade legislation because I firmly understand that it is a job killer, an economy killer. I understand that it is nothing more than a massive

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-89456784774061166062009-06-26T10:09:00.001-05:002009-06-26T10:09:53.493-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Bleeding HeartlandThe Republican Party of Iowa is celebrating its "rising stars" tonightat an event featuring Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Judging bywhat we've heard lately from Iowa GOP leaders, they're gonna partylike it's 1929. Case in point: Iowa Senate Minority leader PaulMcKinley. The possible gubernatorial candidate's weekly memos continueto whine about

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-48551982662165185292009-06-26T10:08:00.001-05:002009-06-26T10:08:59.528-05:00

Excerpted from this post at The Iowa RepublicanI was shocked, saddened, and disgusted once again to hear of SouthCarolina Gov. Mark Sanford's admission that he is the latestpolitician to cheat on his wife. Of course, there has been intensemedia scrutiny on this situation over the last several days given thathis staff had no clue where he was. I suspected there was a problemwhen his wife told the

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-25418325920794295172009-06-26T10:03:00.000-05:002009-06-26T10:04:29.288-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogIs Christopher "Not Tom Harkin" Reed looking for a new nickname: NotDave Loebsack? Reed, the Republican's 2008 Senate nominee, is tellinghis Facebook friends that he's running for Loebsack's 2nd Districtseat. Reed sparked a fair amount of controversy late in the campaignin the Iowa rightosphere, charging that the Iowa Republican Party wasundercutting his

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-38528823862131941852009-06-26T10:01:00.000-05:002009-06-26T10:02:06.052-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Iowa IndependentThe Des Moines Register announced today that Kathie Obradovich will bethe paper's next political columnist. Obradovich, 44, has been theRegister's political editor since 2003, and she was a state governmentreporter and statehouse bureau chief before that. Notably, thoughObradovich's CV certainly qualifies her for the new title, thisannouncement should

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-52726563226439471432009-06-25T10:13:00.002-05:002009-06-25T10:45:01.869-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Krusty Konservative60% of the Midwesterners surveyed in a recent Washington Post-ABC Newspoll think that President Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan is crap.I'm not surprised. This is what happens when government gives billionsof taxpayer dollars to huge corporations, and does nothing for thelittle guy. Seriously, give me one example of how these stimulusdollars have

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-63139282576229738642009-06-25T10:12:00.001-05:002009-06-25T10:12:59.762-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogWith Chris Rants joining Bob Vander Plaats as an officially announcedcandidate, the 2010 primary season is beginning in earnest. Now is asgood a time as any to look at an aspect of the race that won't be onthe ballot: lieutenant governor. 2006 was unusual in that threecandidates named running mates before the primary. It was the firsttime anyone had done

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-74125951088717409562009-06-25T10:08:00.001-05:002009-06-25T10:11:03.731-05:00

Excerpted from this post at FromDC2IowaWhere Do They Get This Stuff? ... To cut to the chase, and remove anyquestion about my own position, I'm siding with one of my favoritetheology doctors: "Let he who has no bad health habits cast the firstbed pan." If what I mean by that is ambiguous, let me try again. Irecall years ago reading about a British doctor who simply refused totreat patients'

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-90322333276261559802009-06-25T10:06:00.000-05:002009-06-25T10:08:17.901-05:00

Excerpted from this post at 24-Hour DormanSo the Nazis have goose-stepped back into our politics. Swell. ... Instead of simply dismissing this as an obviously warped and overwrought viewpoint, Democrats issued a statement calling it "hate speech." Oh brother. What do we call it when liberals fling "Nazi" at conservatives? And they do. Iowa Republican wonders why Democrats areso much more incensed

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-41797786874951307912009-06-24T10:16:00.000-05:002009-06-24T10:17:20.203-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Huffington PostIn late April, the U.S. Senate rejected an amendment to the housingbill that would have allowed bankruptcy judges to provide relief fortroubled homeowners by modifying mortgage payments. Among those whoopposed the measure, which was known as "cramdown," was Sen. ChuckGrassley, the ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee. "It willcause interest

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-75000958554845246342009-06-24T10:14:00.000-05:002009-06-24T10:15:14.334-05:00

Excerpted from this post at John Deeth BlogIt's not an Official re-election announcement, but an email fromGovernor Chet Culver's campaign committee landed in in-boxes thismorning announcing a campaign swing via train through the western endof the state tomorrow. The vehicle, of course, has been a Democraticicon since way before Joe Biden. Harry Truman rode the very sametracks in his upset 1948

Andy Szalhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11231075093580470496noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19466101.post-43498180566849780892009-06-24T10:10:00.002-05:002009-06-24T10:19:11.837-05:00

Excerpted from this post at Radio IowaMuch has been written and said about the vanishing act SouthCarolina's governor pulled over the weekend. Lest you worry aboutIowa's governor, his staff issued a statement late yesterdayannouncing Governor Chet Culver would be going to St. Louis today fora conference on biotechnology and life sciences hosted by theDemocratic Governors Association. ... "The

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