IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

The following story officially records the "shot" heard all 'round Iowa folks. This is the start to a war that very well could set back the Republican Party of Iowa for decades. Just when we have the issue set on our side, have the wind at our back, and the ability to mobilize the various "sects" of the Iowa GOP, we uncover a jihadist sleeper cell of so-called GOP leaders who are refusing to work toward post-primary unity and disparaging our very political party. I have posted this story below. See if you don't agree ... this could be huge trouble. ... "Rally to oppose gay marriage morphs into Vander Plaats event. Iowa Family PAC endorses the Sioux City Republican, shuns his chief rival."

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa GOP, Terry_Branstad

There's an old saying that says you can learn a lot about somebody by
looking at who they hang out with. Bob Vander Plaats has used that old
adage as the foundation of his attacks on his GOP primary opponent
Terry Branstad. Vander Plaats has attacked Branstad for the actions of
his former Lt. Governor and for the healthcare vote cast by Nebraska
Democratic Senator Ben Nelson, whom Branstad endorsed in 2000. So if
people's past associations are fair game, couldn't one of Vander
Plaats' opponents make a deal out of Eric Woolson having worked for
Joe Biden? I mean what's worse, having worked for the Vice President
who is part of the most liberal administration ever, or endorsing a
guy who a decade later makes a bad vote? I'll be really honest, I
don't like the assassination by association game. In Iowa we have
people who think Mitt Romney is the anti-Christ. While he is not my
favorite dude, there were a lot of good who supported his campaign
like Vander Plaats campaign co-chair Jodi Tymeson. Do I think less of
Jodi for supporting Romney? Of course not, but I'd bet dollars to
doughnuts that had she endorsed Branstad some people would be playing
the Romney card.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Terry_Branstad

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." A great little
adage that seems to apply to the condition of the Iowa Republican
landscape these days. In 1994 a full-blown primary was brewing between
Governor Terry Branstad and Congressman Fred Grandy that had multiple
motivations, not least that of fighting for the future direction of
the Republican Party in Iowa. Grandy, the scrappy challenger and the
hope of party moderates, stuck it to the established and conservative
Branstad. Just how much has our Grand Ole' Party changed since then?
Well, Branstad is now the "hope" of moderates against the
evangelical/fundamentalist firebrand Bob Vander Plaats. I would say
that is an interesting and ironic change for both Branstad AND the
moderates of the party! A Sioux City journalist describes the
situation like this: "It's the height of irony to consider Branstad is
being urged to return to the political sphere because some see
gubernatorial candidate Vander Plaats as too exclusionary on social
issues and want a moderating voice."

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Terry_Branstad

Bob Vander Plaats was the clear front-runner in the Republican field
of gubernatorial candidates a few months ago. He's been campaigning
for the job longer and more actively than anyone else. He had contacts
statewide from his 2006 campaign for lieutenant governor, and from
Mike Huckabee's presidential campaign. He also had several
endorsements from state legislators and a big lead in a Republican
poll taken in July. During the past six months, various potential
Republican candidates have ruled out a campaign for governor,
including Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey and State Auditor
David Vaudt. Efforts to recruit a business leader (like Mary Andringa)
failed too. Some Iowa politicos believe that these people backed off
not because they thought Governor Chet Culver was unbeatable, but
because they couldn't see a way to defeat Vander Plaats in the
Republican primary.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Terry_Branstad

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats received the
endorsement of Rev. Keith Ratliff yesterday morning. Supporting Vander
Plaats might seem like natural fit for Rev. Ratliff, a strong
proponent of traditional marriage, but this is the first time Rev.
Ratliff will vote for a Republican in his life. In 2006, Rev. Ratliff
voted for Governor Chet Culver. In addition to being the pastor of the
Maple Street Baptist Church in Des Moines, Ratliff is also the
President of the Iowa/Nebraska Conference of the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). While Rev. Ratliff
stated that his support of traditional marriage played a role in his
decision to support Vander Plaats, he also mentioned a number of
issues that Governor Culver has failed to adequately address in his
first term in office.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

This weekend, I went home to my hometown of Centerville for our big annual Pancake Day festival. Although you've probably never heard of it, and it probably didn't bring in as many guests as the Dave Matthews concert in Des Moines, it's still a pretty big event for the southern part of the state. ... This being an odd-numbered year, I wasn't expecting to see any political candidates beyond our statehouse representatives and whoever is running for mayor this year. I was surprised then, to see Bob Vander Plaats round the corner of the parade route, shaking hands. He walked alongside his billboard on a clean, white pickup truck that might have belonged to a local farmer but was too nice to be a true "farm truck". Alongside him walked about six or eight people in crisp, white Team VP t-shirts handing out baseball card-sized campaign cards.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats stopped in Des Moines while on his statewide campaign announcement tour yesterday. Vander Plaats is in the midst of his third attempt to secure the Republican Party's nomination for governor. He made his official announcement in his home town of Sheldon on Monday. Vander Plaats announced that it would be a goal of his administration to repay the $750 million Governor Culver borrowed for his I-Jobs program by the end of his first term as Governor. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald told O. Kay Henderson of Radio Iowa that Vander Plaats' proposal "wouldn't fly." Treasurer Fitzgerald indicated that paying off the bond early would violate the terms of the bond agreements, meaning the state could be assessed a fine for paying off the bonds early.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

If someone follows politics at all they realize that bombshells are not dropped until an election draws near. In that way it will not allow the victim/opposition time to recover in time before voters go to the polls (even if the allegations are false). Christopher Rants and his week long launch of attacks on Bob Vander Plaats record as CEO of Opportunities Unlimited has unusual timing with the Republican gubernatorial primary still being a ways off. Or was the timing unusual? It was no secret that a popular former Iowa Governor was now in the mix of potential rivals for the nomination with a Draft Terry Branstad effort launching. Also, Bob Vander Plaats was going to be a media focus because of his official announcement of his candidacy.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Why is the Iowa Democratic Party so infatuated with the Republican gubernatorial candidates more than nine months away from the primary? I realize that they are probably anything but proud of their standard bearer's performance lately and are trying to distract us from that fact, but come on, accusing Bob Vander Plaats of using "rhetoric of armed extremists" is a bit of a stretch. It's one thing to go after Christian Fong for an ad that the IDP believes is misleading (which might be a fruitful effort if Fong was recognized in more than one area of Iowa) but it's another thing to accuse Vander Plaats of "inflammatory speech" when the issue at hand was about President Obama's health care plan.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, IDP

Sioux City businessman Bob Vander Plaats, the 2006 Republican nominee
for lieutenant governor who is leading the field for the party's 2010
gubernatorial nomination, will officially launch his campaign on
Monday, Sept. 7 in his hometown of Sheldon in northwest Iowa. "Labor
Day is the traditional start of the election season and Sheldon is the
natural place for me to officially kick off the campaign. Sheldon is
where I learned the value of freedom and leadership. It's where my
parents, teachers and neighbors instilled a traditional Iowa work
ethic in me. And, it's where I learned that the family is the
foundation of society and it is government's responsibility to foster
a strong family instead of trying to replace it," Vander Plaats said.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Less than three months after saying he would not run against Governor Chet Culver next year, former governor Terry Branstad now tells the Des Moines Register he is "not ruling it out." ... A Branstad candidacy would force some of the lesser-known Republicans from the race, but the GOP field will not clear for him. Bob Vander Plaats will stay in, and he plays to the social conservative constituency that saved Branstad's bacon in his tough 1994 primary against Congressman Fred Grandy. I think there would be a niche for a third candidate who might emphasize Vander Plaats' poor general election prospects and Branstad's record of fiscal mismanagement as governor.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Terry_Branstad

Yesterday, TheIowaRepublican.com poll showed Bob Vander Plaats with a
commanding lead over his opponents for the Republican gubernatorial
nomination. With plenty of time before the Republican primary on June
8th and an unsettled field of candidates that is just taking shape,
Vander Plaats' lead in the poll can be attributed mainly to one thing,
name recognition. Let’s not kid ourselves though - Vander Plaats is in
a position all of his competitors would love to be in. Today, we look
to see if Vander Plaats' early strength against his primary opponents
correlates to him being the best candidate Republicans can nominate to
take on Governor Chet Culver.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants, polling

All those worries yesterday about the Big Lug's re-election prospects
are tempered somewhat by this Iowa Republican poll: Republican Primary
Voters Bob Vander Plaats: 46%, Don't Know: 27%, Chris Rants: 14% ... We
won't even need my convention scenario; they're ready to nominate
Vander Plaats outright. He's near 50% and the Not Vander Plaats vote
is splintered. All Gay Marriage All The Time will turn off moderates
and Culver wins comfortably. If the GOP unites, quickly, behind one
non-BVP candidate, that candidate might pull it off, but do they even
want to? A GOP They say they're polling general election races
tomorrow, but my guess is they're push-polling those instead. Given
IR's question wording I'm skeptical of anything beyond a Republican
primary poll.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, polling, RPI

Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City
tells the Carroll Daily Times Herald that his party should be held to
a higher standard when it comes to values questions of the sort now
swirling around South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford, an admitted
adulterer. While extra-marital affairs occur in both parties, it is
fair to judge Republicans more harshly on such matters, Vander Plaats
said. "I think its an added dimension for our party," Vander Plaats
said. "The reason I say that is we highlight one man-one woman
marriage. We highlight family values. And if we do that that's where
the trust comes in. Are you going to walk the walk or just talk the
talk."

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats has renewed his
promise to end same-sex marriage with an executive order, even if it
means facing impeachment. Appearing on the show of controversial
Christian radio host Steve Deace, Vander Plaats once again said if
elected governor in 2010 he would issue an executive order stopping
same-sex marriage until the legislature either passes a law legalizing
it or passes a constitutional amendment banning it. "I can't give the
people the right to vote on this, but I think I can mobilize people
like [Senate Majority Leader Mike] Gronstal and [House Speaker Pat]
Murphy by saying no more same-sex marriages until you step up and vote
to make this law," Vander Plaats said.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

A Kinder, Gentler Chris Rants? This past weekend, Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Rants was the guest on Iowa Press. While the show showcased a kinder, gentler Rants, the makeup of the Iowa Press table has changed since Des Moines Register political columnist David Yepsen left the newspaper industry for an academic setting. In his place this weekend was Cedar Rapids Gazette political reporter James Lynch. Rants’ appearance on Iowa Press showed how he has changed as a candidate. Rants said that he has spent a lot of time traveling the state and listening to activists and donors. When pressed about the decision made by the Republican caucus in January not to have him serve as their leader, Rants admitted that it hurt, that he learned from the experience, and that, had he been selected to lead House Republicans again, he wouldn't be running for governor. He also handled questions about his "attack dog" persona with ease.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Bob Vander Plaats fired the opening salvo of the 2010 Republican
gubernatorial campaign yesterday. In his crosshairs was Chris Rants,
the former Speaker of the Iowa House and current member of the Iowa
House of Representatives, who is drumming up support for a
gubernatorial campaign of his own. Vander Plaats launched his attack
while doing an interview with Bill Salier who is filling in for Jan
Mickelson on WHO Radio. Vander Plaats said that, if elected, he would
sign an executive order banning same sex marriage that would allow
people the opportunity to vote on the controversial issue. Rants has
made statements saying that the Governor doesn't have the authority to
overrule the court with just an executive order, but has vowed to
fight to bring a marriage amendment to the people for a vote.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Bob Vander Plaats is coming off a really busy week. On Saturday, June
6th, Vander Plaats spoke at the Network of Christian Home Educators
conference. The following Wednesday, Mike Huckabee was in the state to
help raise money for and endorse his former caucus campaign chairman.
Last Thursday, Vander Plaats won the Iowa Republican Gubernatorial
Straw Poll, and on the same day, he also picked up the endorsement of
Chuck Norris. On one hand, most people might say that Vander Plaats
had a good week. On the other hand, some may wonder why Vander Plaats'
campaign seems to have weeks where there is a ton of activity,
followed by spans of time when his campaign makes little or no news at
all.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Last evening several members of The Iowa Brigade/Iowa Defense Alliance were in attendance at Bob Vander Plaats event at Arnolds Park on the shores of Lake Okoboji. We had volunteered to help set the event up and sign people in as they came through the doors. It would be redundant for me to provide a recount of the event as I live blogged the event last night right here on Iowa Defense Alliance. Instead I will focus on some of the side stories that came from this event. Early on I was concerned that the event would have dismal attendance considering the timing and location. The event was held in the middle of the week in the northwest corner of the state. Not exactly a recipe for an earth shattering turnout.

Labels: 2012_governors_race, Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

While in Iowa to raise money for his former caucus chairman's run for
the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Mike Huckabee also lent his
endorsement to Vander Plaats' campaign. Huckabee had the following to
say about Vander Plaats, "Bob hasn't officially announced his
intentions yet, but I don't mind giving him a little nudge because the
stakes are so high for Iowa. This state desperately needs new
leadership and Bob's determination to make great things happen in
unequaled." Huckabee went on to say, "Bob's committed to leading Iowa
forward by reforming the way the state government works, putting an
end to the Democrats' runaway spending and really opening Iowa for
business so you have an economy that's hitting on all cylinders."

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

Mike Huckabee's decision to openly campaign for likely GOP
gubernatorial hopeful Bob Vander Plaats tonight in Spirit Lake has
some wondering if it means his presidential aspirations are over.
Associated Press political reporter Mike Glover points out that
getting involved in the Republican primary could pose a risk to any
plans Huckabee has to run for president in 2012. Drake University
political science professor Dennis Goldford told Glover that if
Huckabee can help Vander Plaats get the nomination and win the
election, "then he's nicely positioned with a supportive governor who
owes him a favor." But if Vander Plaats is defeated in the Republican
primary, Democratic strategist Mark Daley said Huckabee runs the risk
of alienating other candidates and their supporters, a sentiment
shared by GOP activists.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

Bob Vander Plaats, a Sioux Cityan Republican who is a likely 2010
gubernatorial candidate, will speak at a Woodbury County Republican
Party meeting tonight at the downtown Wilbur Aalfs Library. Vander
Plaats has formed an exploratory candidate campaign, but not
officially announced his bid to unseat Gov. Chet Culver in 2010. And
Vander Plaats will hold a high profile event within the week elsewhere
in Northwest Iowa, as 2008 presidential candidate and Iowa Caucus
winner Mike Huckabee will be on hand in Spirit Lake on June 10. The
event, called An Evening of Politics in the Park, is a fundraiser that
has tickets going for $100.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

Mike Huckabee to Keynote Vander Plaats' Event in Spirit Lake on June
10 ... Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, whose stunning victory in
Iowa's first-in-the-nation caucuses fueled a strong bid for the 2008
Republican presidential nomination, will be the keynote speaker at a
June 10 fundraising event in Spirit Lake for likely 2010 gubernatorial
candidate Bob Vander Plaats. "If the old saying that you're known by
the company you keep is true, I couldn't be more proud than to be
associated with Mike Huckabee," said Vander Plaats, a Sioux City
businessman who served as Iowa chairman for Huckabee's presidential
campaign. "Iowans love Mike Huckabee and they respect his common-sense
approach to politics and public policy that favors Main Street over
Wall Street.”

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

With Bill Northey hiring political operatives Tim Moran and Marcus Branstad, speculation of Northey running for governor is at an all time high. Since none of us really know his true plans and can only speculate, I thought I'd take a look at what a Northey for Governor effort would mean for Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants, and the invisible candidate of Doug Gross. ... Northey also has done an excellent job balancing the Sec. of Agriculture position with appealing to the conservative base. Since BVP has made it his mission to be the most conservative candidate in the race, Northey will have to answer the life and marriage questions with conviction, but since he is trusted by Republicans, he will only have to answer them once. Northey also has a leg up on BVP in many people's view because he's held elected office and has run his department well. Basically, he has experience and BVP does not. ... For Rants I'm afraid a Northey run would all but take him out of the race. I'm not saying he should drop out if Northey runs but I think he will find it hard to find his niche.

Labels: Bill_Northey, Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Nearly every day I see reports on this or that program in Iowa
receiving additional funding thank to the federal economic stimulus
bill, passed in February over loud Republican objections. This news
caught my eye on Monday. Iowa will receive about $7.5 million out of
$100 million appropriated to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development's Lead-Based Paint Hazard Control Program: "Polk County
will receive $3 million to eliminate lead in 206 housing units;
Marshalltown will get nearly $2.6 million to remove lead from 150
housing units; and Sioux City will be awarded nearly $2 million to
create 75 lead-safe housing units." Two potential Republican
candidates for governor next year happen to be from Sioux City:
businessman Bob Vander Plaats and State Representative Chris Rants.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Even though we all know there will be more candidates in the
gubernatorial race than Bob Vander Plaats and Christopher Rants, I
thought it would be good to compare the two candidates at this point.
Many of you know I was fairly rough on Vander Plaats on my old site
and I'm not going down that road again. Now if he or any other
candidate starts bucking the platform, the gloves will be off. But
please try to be civil in this discussion because with this website,
we have a better ability to vet these candidates and educate other
Republican voters on the issues. The nice thing about these two
candidates is that they are well known. I think Rants is better known
on the issues because he's had to put up votes and even decide what
legislation was brought up in the House when he was Speaker of the
House.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants

Republican Doug Gross knows what it's like to lose a race for
governor. Democrat Tom Vilsack beat him in 2002. Gross doesn't want
his party to lose again. By the way, despite rumors circulating that
Gross wants to be his party's nominee again next year, he insists he
is not going to run for governor. Bob Vander Plaats, who has failed
twice before in his attempts to become governor, is the closest person
to a "candidate" for the Republicans. He told me he is running unless
his health or his family's health became a concern. O.K., back to
Gross... Gross and some allies paid for a statewide survey of what
Iowans want in a candidate.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Yesterday I wrote about Christopher Rants continuing to journey the
state as he mulls a bid for the 2010 Iowa governor's race. Today we
have a well thought out column by Carroll's Douglas Burns on why State
Rep. Rod Roberts could do well with the GOP electorate. As said
before, I covered Roberts when he was on the Carroll School Board and
he definitely possesses the skills Burns points out. I spoke downtown
with a political junkie this morning on whether Rants will enter the
field. I suspect he will. I've previously discussed in a post how Iowa
social conservatives might pick among Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City
and Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King if both pursue
gubernatorial campaigns.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Christopher Rants, Iowa GOP, Steve King

Barring a special session the Iowa legislative session has come to a
close. Now Iowa Republicans can turn their attention toward rebuilding
the party in anticipation of the 2010 election cycle. This cycle will
be critical for all Iowans as it will determine whether the state
continues to be saddled with the financially irresponsible incumbent
Chet Culver or if the voters of the state choose to replace him. The
2010 election cycle has already begun with two candidates having
already announced their candidacy. One of which is a Governor Culver.
The other is Republican Bob Vander Plaats. As I see it there will be
several issues that I think will play a role in determining who the
next chief executive of Iowa will be.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Chet_Culver

Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City, who all but certainly will pursue a
2010 Iowa gubernatorial run, will be on the television show this
weekend of good friend Mike Huckabee. Huckabee, the former Arkansas
governor who won the 2008 Iowa Republican Party caucus, has a show
titled, of all things, "Huckabee," on Fox News. Vander Plaats will
appear on the show running three times on the weekend, with the first
one coming at 7 p.m. Saturday. Vander Plaats will talk about the
arrival of same-sex marriage in Iowa, a reality of four days now.
(You don't see us in the media out doublechecking with county
courthouses anymore -- passe.)

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

Iowa Governor Chet Culver often reminds audiences that he is a former
teacher and coach. Bob Vander Plaats was a Republican candidate for
governor in 2002 and 2006; he was the GOP's lieutnenant governor
nominee in 2006 and he is a likely candidate for governor in 2010.
Vander Plaats is also a former teacher and coach. (Vander Plaats also
played on the first boy's basketball team from his high school
(Sheldon) to reach the state tournament.) Today, Vander Plaats held a
statehouse news conference to again urge Governor Chet Culver to issue
an executive order on the gay marriage issue. Culver's deputy chief
of staff, Phil Roeder, issued a statement in response. Governor
Culver, during an improptu news conference following a bill signing
ceremony in his office, had this to say in response to a question
about Vander Plaats' statements today.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Chet_Culver

See above. That's where we have embedded the brand new video of Bob Vander Plaats' Iowa Press appearance this weekend. In the first 10 seconds, you can see an empty suit. At about minute 14, you'll see as he says nothing. Oh! Watch for that zinger 20 minutes in. Plus, if you watch the entire thing, you'll see every single piece of major policy he rolled out. Pretty entertaining video, isn't it? What - you say there is no video there? You don't see a candidate, policy proposals, a zinger or anything of substance? Well, if you want that, you're going to have to make it up. Because there wasn't any.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

So we have a piece in which Iowa 5th District Congressman Steve King
remains coy about a possible run for the governorship before voters in
2010. He's been the subject of speculation about running for governor
for roughly as long as he's been in the U.S. House, and King won't
deny there's a certain appeal. For now, he's saying he's not closing
the door to any political office opportunity. If King runs, that could
put him in the contest with three guys living in the same
congressional district: State Rep. Rod Roberts, just down the road in
Carroll from King's Kiron, business consultant Bob Vander Plaats of
Sioux City and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey of Spirit
Lake.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Steve_King

Politics can be a tough business, but it is especially true for anyone
who has ever put their name on the ballot. Thick skin and resolve are
important attributes for any candidate, but especially true for a
candidate making their 2nd or third attempt at running office. The
question that looms large for them is simple, what's different this
time around the block. For some candidates it can easily answered, but
many candidates struggle and can never find a way to answer such a
simple question. Iowa's political grave yard is littered with the
carcasses of failed two and three time candidates. In fact, I can only
think of one time in which a 2nd time candidate was successful, Jim
Leach in 1976. In 1974 Leach lost to Ed Mezvinsky 56% to 46% but
bounced back in 76 and won 52% to 58%.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Tomorrow morning (Monday) Bob Vander Plaats will announce his 2010
campaign for Governor on the Jan Michelson Show on WHO Radio. Vander
Plaats will also appear on the Steve Deace show in the afternoon. I
have also been told that two special guests will be joining Bob for
his announcement. I think it's safe to say that Mike Huckabee will be
one of those guests. His 2010 campaign marks his third attempt for the
office. In 2002, Vander Plaats finished 3rd (31.6%) in a close
primary race behind Doug Gross (35.8%) and Steve Sukup (32.3%). While
that race was extremely tight with Gross just beating the 35%
threshold, it's also important to know that Gross assembled his
campaign in January of 2002, while Vander Plaats and Sukup dueled it
out between themselves for all of 2001.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

I'd like to get a little competition going here on when Bob Vander
Plaats officially announces his run for governor again. Maybe he
doesn't even need to announce it since everybody knows it is coming.
And what would the world be like without Bob running for governor? I
will make you a deal. Whoever gets closest to the date of his
announcement gets my blog for a day. To make this work just email me
at constitutiondaily@gmail.com with your guess. I will keep the email
address 100 percent private. If you don't want my blog for a day and
just want to guess, feel free to do so in the comments. I'm betting on
January 15, 2009.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa GOP

A leading voice of Republican social conservatives in Iowa makes a
surprising analogy in an op-ed piece from Tuesday's Des Moines
Register: "Jesus Christ, whom many Republicans claim to follow,
summoned his followers to be either hot or cold toward Him, because a
"lukewarm" commitment makes Him want to vomit. ... We have followed the
misguided advice of "experts" to abandon our principles and move to
the middle so we can supposedly win." ... That is no fringe politician
talking. It's Bob Vander Plaats, a businessman from northwest Iowa who
ran for the 2002 gubernatorial nomination, was the Republican nominee
for lieutenant governor in 2006, and chaired Mike Huckabee's
presidential campaign in Iowa.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Iowa GOP

I'm in the the midst of interviewing the six Siouxland persons who
will be going to the Sept. 1-4 Republican Party national convention
as voting delegates. In addition to asking about the excitement level
on participating in the biggest national political stage, I'm also
querying them on the Republican they'd like to see John McCain pick as
a running mate. So far the vice presidential list includes Mike
Huckabee, John Thune and Charles Grassley. The list being debated
nationally has the likes of Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney and Tom Ridge. I
first pitched the veep preference question to Dan Lederman of Dakota
Dunes, S.D., who quickly answered with Thune, the senator representing
South Dakota. Sitting next to Lederman, delegate Bob Vander Plaats
then immediately also used a home state name, Grassley, before saying
he could definitely support Thune on the ticket.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Charles Grassley, John_McCain

The campaign for Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee is
complaining about a bogus e-mail apparently sent out to Iowa activists
claiming that one of his most prominent supporters is now backing
rival Mitt Romney. The e-mail, which purports to be from Sioux City
Republican Bob Vander Plaats, urges others to join him at a news
conference at the State Capitol Wednesday. The phony e-mail says
Vander Plaats no longer is supporting Huckabee after the candidate
failed to meet fund-raising goals. "It's obviously a dirty trick
designed to create doubt among our supporters," said Eric Woolson, a
spokesman for Huckabee's campaign. Vander Plaats said people have
asked him about the e-mail, which appears to come from an e-mail
account with his name, but it did not come from him.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats, Mike_Huckabee

Tonight, I attended an Iowa Christian Alliance dinner event in Orange City tonight and I was very impressed. This certainly isn't the first ICA event I've ever attended, but I was very pleased by the quality of the event and the organization. A major kudos to new ICA organizer Jessica Anderson, a veteran of the Brian Kennedy and Tom Latham campaigns, for recruiting a really good crowd and for a very smooth order of operations. It was a very professional event. Bob Vander Plaats was the emcee of the event and as always, he really is a truly inspiring man. Please Bob, run for something soon again. Eight candidate representatives (in some cases, MANY from each campaign) were there representing Mitt Romney, John McCain, Rudy Giuliani, Tom Tancredo, Duncan Hunter, Tommy Thompson, Mike Huckabee, and Sam Brownback. Nobody from Ron Paul, Jim Gilmore, John Cox, or anybody else. Certainly no Democrats to be found anywhere. Their featured guest this evening was Dr. Laurence White, a pastor from Houston, TX. He truly did give a fire and brimstone speech about the importance of voting and behaving like a Christian. A very talented speaker who truly does have an ability to command an audience. Overall, a nice crowd and a nice event.

Labels: Bob Vander Plaats

Everything that Cillizza writes is correct, however I don't think there is anyway that Latham or King give up their safe seats in congress to run against Tom Harkin. I also don't think that Republican activists in Iowa are excited Jim Nussle running against Harkin. The only way that I can see Nussle running against Harkin is if Rudy Giuliani is the Republican nominee for President. ... Since I'm a kind and generous person, I thought I'd throw out a few names that should be konsidered. Ron Corbett – Former Speaker of the Iowa House, Former Cedar Rapids Chamber President. ... Bob Vander Plaats – Bob is a perennial kandidate, he has spent the last six years running for Governor or Lt. Governor. Part of me thinks that some people might have grown tired of Vander Plaats, he does has a following of social konservatives that can not be ignored. ... Bill Salier – Bill gave Kongressman Ganske a tough primary fight in 2002 even though he was probably outspent 1000 to 1. Salier is another champion of grassroots konservatives and is now reengaged in Iowa politics, after agreeing to chair Kongressman Tom Tancredo's presidential kampaign here in Iowa.

Labels: Bill Salier, Bob Vander Plaats, Ron Corbett, Steve King, Tom Latham, Tom_Harkin