IowaPolitics.com BlogWatch

The Iowa legislature just began what is supposed to be its shortest regular session since the 1970s. Big issues need to be resolved, including a government reorganization, a rethink of state tax credits, and a budget that preserves as much money as possible for key priorities (education, health care, public safety) despite declining state revenues. Iowa Republicans will weigh in on fiscal issues but are already trying to put Democrats on the defensive regarding the classic "culture war" issues: God, gays and guns. This post covers the latest Republican effort to score political points in God's name. On Saturday State Representative Dawn Pettengill posted this complaint to her Twitter feed: The 1st two times I said the oath of office, "SO HELP ME GOD" was there & now it isn't. Kevlar on, loins girded & reporting for duty, God!" It took me about 30 seconds to find the relevant passage in the state constitution.

Labels: Iowa GOP

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

I view last year's "tea party" activism primarily as a corporate-funded "astroturf" movement hyped by Fox News and conservative talk radio, but some Republicans insist the tea partiers are a real grassroots force to be reckoned with. This year's Republican primary in Iowa's third Congressional district will give some indication of who's right. Five GOP candidates are competing for the chance to run against seven-term incumbent Leonard Boswell. Two of them have significant backing in the Republican establishment: various elected officials are supporting State Senator Brad Zaun, while a bunch of major donors are supporting Jim Gibbons. Long-shot candidate Dave Funk was the first Republican to enter this race, and he announced yesterday that "Iowa Tea Party Chairman Ryan Rhodes has joined the campaign team as Political Director" ... I'm guessing that the forces funding and publicizing the national "tea party" movement won't weigh in against two establishment candidates in this Republican primary, and Funk will therefore not be able to compete with the front-runners.

Labels: 3rd CD, Iowa GOP

If I could have a Christmas miracle it would be that the Iowa GOP would begin to listen to those of us who don't put social issues as the most important issue to be focused on in the next legislative session. So many of us are hurting. Our families are suffering. We are putting on a brave face. When others ask us if we have our Christmas shopping done we might smile and say, "not yet" or "yes, it's all done." because we have no money for gifts and know that our artificial Christmas tree is up and decorated but underneath is bare. Our families understand, it's not the first time we've stood together and encouraged one another. Money is so tight. Some of us have lost our jobs, unexpected bills, the costs of health care, taxes, student loans and the lists goes on and on. Do we care about social issues? Sure, but that is not what we want our leaders to focus on when we are facing this economic crisis.

Labels: Iowa GOP

When Christian Fong suspended his campaign for governor, the
Republican primary field shrunk to a four man contest. Yes, five
candidates still remain, but State Senator Jerry Behn isn't a serious
candidate like the other four are. Behn has only attended a handful of
events in central Iowa and has been absent from the campaign trail for
most of the fall. Still, while he may not have a legitimate shot at
winning the nomination, he can influence the race by his presence and
what he says when he does show up at events or forums. As the end of
the year approaches and people are preparing for the holidays, the
gubernatorial candidates are in a mad dash to raise money before the
end-of-the-year filing deadline. Candidates will have to report how
much money they have raised in 2009 on January 19, 2010. On that
Tuesday, we will have a better idea of how these candidates stack up
against one another.

Labels: Iowa GOP

There has certainly been a great deal of discussion about litmus tests
and Party Leaders supporting (or not supporting) Republican
Candidates. Here in Iowa, the Pocahontas County Central Committee is
working on amending their constitution to direct the committee to: ...
reject a nominee we find too liberal ... The Constitution and Bylaws
of the Republican Party of Iowa do not prohibit members of the State
Central Committee from endorsing or even even serving on the staff of
campaigns during primary elections. Just as I want to keep the RNC out
of our local primaries, I also want to keep RPI out of our primaries.
I resigned my position on the SCC to keep my promise to my district. I
did not want my support for Christian Fong to become a conflict of
interest. Even though, Fong has dropped out of the race I have no
regrets about keeping my word. In September, I went to the District
Executive Committee meeting that elected my successor on the SCC. I
thought that all three candidates had promised to follow my lead and
remain neutral in primaries.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Despite the reality of the world around him, Governor Chet Culver
always seems to find a way to be optimistic when talking about the
condition of the state or his campaign. When the state ended the FY
2009 budget year with a $161 million deficit, Culver remained calm and
refused to call a special session to deal with the unbalanced budget.
Instead, Culver opted to transfer $45.3 million from the state's
economic emergency fund and withheld paying $30 million in corporate
tax refunds until the next fiscal year to balance last year's budget.
When the Revenue Estimating Conference met at the end of the fiscal
year in July, Governor Culver ignored the warning signs in hopes that
revenues would rebound in the second half of the year. They didn't,
and since Governor Culver once again failed to call back the
legislature to deal with the state's overspending, he was forced to
implement a reckless ten-percent across-the-board budget cut.

Labels: Chet_Culver, Iowa GOP

We are offering a set of bold, state-based initiatives to make health care more accessible, affordable, and portable. Health care reform solutions need not come from Washington, DC. In fact, the best reforms are often those developed closest to the people. Iowans do not need to wait for national politicians to act. Instead, they can join with us in pursuit of a set of common sense Iowa Health Care Initiatives and solve Iowa problems with Iowa solutions. ... As with any product or service, the more information consumers can access to compare the costs and quality of that product or service, the lower the cost and the higher the quality of the products and services they ultimately consume.

Labels: health_care, Iowa GOP

Iowa's second Congressional district is the most Democratic-leaning of
our five districts. It has a partisan voting index of D+7, which means
that in any given year, we would expect this district to vote about 7
point more Democratic than the country as a whole. In 2008, Dave
Loebsack won re-election in IA-02 with about 57 percent of the vote
against Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who couldn't crack 40 percent. Today
Republican blogger Craig Robinson previews the GOP primary to take on
Loebsack. His piece is a good reminder of how small the Republican
tent has become in a district once represented by Jim Leach. ... Let's
review a few salient facts. The most Democratic-leaning House district
held by a Republican is Louisiana's second (D+25), but Joseph Cao won
that seat primarily because of incumbent William Jefferson's massive
corruption.

Labels: 2nd CD, Iowa GOP

Up and down the ballot, Republicans have favorable matchups in next
fall's general elections. The top of Republican ballot will feature
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley and a gubernatorial candidate who will
emerge from a hard fought primary to face the unpopular and weak
incumbent governor, Chet Culver. While the gubernatorial primary
captures the most attention across the state, Republicans will have
healthy primaries in a number of races. Three-way primaries are likely
in Iowa's first and second congressional districts. Another race which
could have a three candidate primary is the Republican primary for
Secretary of State. Currently two candidates have been traveling to
events around the state. Council Bluffs City Councilman Matt Schultz
announced his candidacy a couple of weeks ago, and former State
Representative George Eichhorn is set to formally announce his
candidacy later today.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Saturday's Republican Party of Iowa fall fundraiser provided the first
opportunity to see all six Republican gubernatorial candidates share
the same stage and make their case to the assembled audience. While
former governor Terry Branstad has been in the race for almost a month
now, this was the first time he has joined the other candidates at an
event. By now, you have probably read various media accounts of the
event. Branstad's speech was good on content, but his delivery was
lackluster to say the least. Branstad's primary opponents took the
stage without prepared remarks, but he was scripted, and it was
obvious that he was not prepared to deliver the remarks as his
campaign would have hoped.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty headlined the Republican Party of
Iowa's fall fundraising dinner on Saturday night, but I was more
interested in the remarks by Republican candidates for governor. O.Kay
Henderson and Craig Robinson live-blogged the proceedings, and the
video is available at C-SPAN's site. Former Governor Terry Branstad
wasn't at the top of his game, stumbling at times, reading from notes
and messing up his applause lines. Kathie Obradovich observed, "The
audience of about 500 at the Republican Party of Iowa's "Leadership
for Iowa" dinner was polite. But there was no sense of excitement for
the candidate who many believe is the favorite for the nomination."
... State Senator Jerry Behn was first up, and he still looks like a
candidate for lieutenant governor to me. He wants to create jobs, get
back to basics in education, and remove the Supreme Court justices who
cleared the way for same-sex marriage in Iowa. What makes him
different from the other Republicans in this race?

Labels: Iowa GOP

Just over a decade ago, Republicans held eight of the nine legislative seats in Scott County, today Republicans only control three of those seats. The difficulties that Republicans have recently experienced in Scott County are not confined to one county; it is something that ails Republicans in all of eastern Iowa. Currently, Republicans control only five senate seats and sixteen house seats east of Polk County. If you want to understand why Republicans have lost their majorities, one need to look at what has happened to the state of the Republican Party in eastern Iowa. In January of 2000, there were almost 5,000 more registered Republicans in Scott County than there were registered Democrats. Today, Democrats enjoy a registered voter advantage of 8,622 over Republicans.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Former governor Terry Branstad has added to his campaign team.
Branstad has hired long-time Republican operative Tim Albrecht to lead
his gubernatorial campaign's communications department. Albrecht, who
most recently served as the American Future Funds communication
director, brings a wealth of campaign and legislative experience to
his new position with Branstad's 2010 gubernatorial campaign. Like
many political operatives in Iowa, Albrecht got his start at a young
age volunteering for a presidential campaign (Pat Buchanan) in advance
of the Iowa caucuses. During the 2000 caucuses, Albrecht organized 33
counties for Steve Forbes in the northwest corner of the state.
Following the 2000 caucuses, Albrecht worked on Dick Johnson's
congressional campaign, Steve Sukup's gubernatorial campaign, and Greg
Ganske's U.S. Senate campaign.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Terry_Branstad

While activists may debate the credentials of the Republican candidates for Governor, it seems "conservative values voters" are the focus of the candidates in advance of the primary. At the most recent debate, held in Sioux City on October 27th, the four candidates emphasized their conservative credentials before a large and engaging crowd of 250 to 300 people. Candidates Christian Fong, Rob Roberts, Chris Rants and Bob Vander Plaats impressed many in the crowd with their professionalism and grasp of the issues. Said Linda Holub, a well-known conservative activist, "I was very impressed with all of the candidates. All four gentlemen present a stark contrast to Governor Culver, and I was pleased they championed conservative values that resonate with voters."

Labels: Iowa GOP

It's never too early to talk about the next election and Marc Ambinder
is looking to handicap the Iowa caucuses 27 months before they will
happen. (Imagine doing this analysis in October 2005. How many would
have predicted Barack Obama would win the Iowa caucuses? Anybody? Oh
well, let's go on with the charade.) His main point is that if Palin
and Huckabee are both in Romney may try in Iowa. Reasoning: The first
two will split the evangelical wing of the party and Romney could win
with the remainders. If Palin stays out Romney will stay out... opting
for the McCain "skip Iowa" strategy. The reason writes Ambinder: "Mitt
Romney won't attribute his loss in Iowa to anti-Mormon bias, but
plenty of his advisers are willing to go there." Really? Iowa has an
anti-Mormon bias? The only thing negative comment I heard in the 40
years I lived in Iowa was a prayer that they wouldn't come to your
door.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Mitt_Romney

In addition to the article about the growing possibility that Mitt
Romney may skip the 2012 Iowa Caucuses which appeared on this website
yesterday, Marc Ambinder of The Atlantic also wrote a story about
lessons learned in Iowa during the 2008 caucuses. The point that
Ambinder makes in his article is that, unless you are beloved by
conservative Christians, candidates would be better off skipping the
first in the nation caucuses. These types of articles are nothing new.
It just seems as if they are occurring much earlier than in previous
years. The problem I have with articles like Ambinder's is that the
data doesn't back up the claim his story makes. We all know that Mike
Huckabee won the 2008 caucuses, but he didn't win it with 50 percent
of the vote. He won with less than 35 percent. After reading stories
like this, one would think that more establishment candidates like
Mitt Romney, Fred Thompson, John McCain, and Rudy Giuliani have no
base of support in Iowa. Yet, those four candidates combined made up
55 percent of the total vote in the 2008 Iowa caucuses.

Labels: caucus, Iowa GOP

Governor Culver finally did something to show Iowans that he cares
about the state's budget crisis. He cut his $130,000 salary by 10%.
The liberal news media has called the move a sign of bold leadership.
The reason why the move was politically wise is because he did it on
the same day that Rep. Kraig Paulsen called for across-the-board pay
cuts for state employees. More on Paulsen's proposal in a moment. I
kinda laughed when I heard that Culver was going to take one for the
team and cut his salary by $13,000. We must not forget that in
addition to his salary, Culver is provided free housing,
transportation, and utilities. He doesn't have to pay property taxes,
purchase gas, or even own a vehicle. He doesn't even pay for his food
and beer. The state picks up the tab when he entertains at Terrace
Hill. I'm sure they buy a little extra food and beverage that the
first family can snack on.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Kraig_Paulsen

At noon on Friday, former Governor Terry Branstad will address the
students, faculty, staff, and board members of Des Moines University.
The speech, which will be held in the Student Education Center, is
expected to Branstad's farewell to the university that he has spent
the previous six years leading, but it is also expected to be the
beginning of his quest to take back control of Terrace Hill.
Regardless of what Branstad says in his speech, the media will only
focus on what Branstad says about his gubernatorial aspirations. It's
hard to blame the media for wanting to focus on the start of his
campaign. For months, Branstad has played a cat and mouse game with
the media in regards to his political future, so when he does finally
go on the record for the first time as a gubernatorial candidate, it
will undoubtedly be a big deal.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Terry_Branstad

Is this an Iowa GOP version of the popular movie, "Back to the future?" ... It's no secret inside Republican circles that Governor Terry Branstad has been orchestrating a political comeback behind closed doors since mid summer when a poll commissioned by Doug Gross identified several metrics indicating the race was Brandstad's to lose were he to announce his candidacy. Brandstad publicly commented back in June of this year that he wasn't intending to run for political office: "I have people ask me about that every day, but that's not my focus. My focus is Des Moines University and what I can do there," Branstad said. Gross, who served as Brandstad's chief of staff, is attempting to play the role of Iowa "kingmaker" along with a consortium of GOP donors and activists. We're told via reliable sources that Gross had narrowed the field to 3 viable candidates and then conducted his poll to determine the relative strength and weakness of each before arriving at a final selection.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Terry_Branstad

I must be living under a rock. I and every other Republican observer
in the district have known that we were going to have a three-way
primary between 2008 nominee, Dr. Marianette Miller-Meeks, 2008 Senate
nominee Christopher Reed and 2008 Senate primary 3rd place finisher,
Steve Rathje. I just didn't know that any but Rathje made mad it
official. ... The die is cast -- look for a spirited primary campaign
in district two. I have recently been talking with my high school age
daughter about her American history class. She is studying the
Articles of Confederation and the Constitution. It is interesting that
the issues facing the founders: a Bill of Rights, the role of the
Judiciary, the scope and reach of the federal government and many
others -- are still facing us today. Knowing the individuals involved
-- I am looking forward to the debate.

Labels: 2nd CD, Iowa GOP

Last week started much like it ended the Friday before, with a
potentially huge political scandal involving the Culver
administration's mishandling of the Film, Television, and Video
Project Promotion Program. With so much attention on this scandal,
I've decided to grade our GOP gubernatorial candidates on how they
performed last week. Just like in our struggling schools, I had to
grade on a curve because if I didn't, everyone would fail. Before we
get started, I've decided not to include Paul McKinley in these
ratings because he is not a candidate for Governor. He's made that
very clear, and he should do us all a favor and just make the
announcement. I hope he is having a good time in Italy. I'm sure
Culver wishes he was out of the country.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Paul_McKinley

Now that we're done with the Joe "You Lie" Wilson sideshow, I want to talk about a different kind of Republican disrespect for normal political disagreement. Having been raised by a Republican of the now-extinct Rockefeller variety, I am often struck by how extreme the GOP has become. Chuck Grassley and Terry Branstad were on the far right in the early 1980s, but many Iowa conservatives now consider them "moderate" or even "liberal." Mainstream extremism in the Republican Party is depressing on many levels.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Many people have speculated that once former Governor Terry Branstad
enters the gubernatorial race, the current field of Republican
candidates will shrink substantially. Some speculate that a Branstad
candidacy would clear the entire field except for Bob Vander Plaats.
The chances of a two person primary between Branstad and Vander Plaats
are slim. While a Branstad candidacy will winnow the field, I believe
that at least three candidates will remain throughout the remainder of
the primary. Both Branstad and Vander Plaats should be considered top
tier candidates in the Republican gubernatorial primary. If Branstad
enters the race, he will bring with him a large, dedicated group of
supporters.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Over at the Campaign Diaries blog, Taniel wrote a good post on
Thursday debunking the "unsubstantiated myth" of a pending primary
challenge against Senator Chuck Grassley. Bill "crazier than Steve
King" Salier got this speculation going in the spring, when many among
the religious right were disappointed by Grassley's reaction to the
Iowa Supreme Court's Varnum v Brien ruling. This summer, Grassley
continued to disappoint the right by negotiating with other Senate
Finance Committee members on health care reform. State Representative
Kent Sorenson wrote an open letter to Grassley, pleading with him to
provide "principled and bold leadership". Sorenson's letter is the
most-viewed post ever published on The Iowa Republican blog, where
Craig Robinson warned last month,

Labels: Charles_Grassley, Iowa GOP

Iowa's Second Congressional District has another GOP addition to represent it on the State GOP Central Committee - Joni Scotter, Republican Activist Extrodianaire from Marion, Iowa. Joni was my second best supporter, next to Mary Lundby, during my campaign for Linn County Supervisor. Joni is a one of a kind personality that bucks everyone up around her because of her jovial and upbeat personality. Joni loves the Republican Party and ALL Republicans...she works for the most liberal of Republicans and the most conservative of Republicans...she is a Republican first and you definitely want her on your team... she is the equivalent to 20 "normal" volunteers. She was so great during my campaign and daily inspired me to keep on doing the hard work that lead to my victory.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The loss that Republicans suffered in House District 90 on Tuesday was
a bitter one. Despite being a legislative district that Governor
Culver carried in 2006 and President Obama won by over 1000 votes in
the last election, Iowa Republicans were optimistic about their
chances to elect Stephen Burgmeier to the Iowa House. While hundreds
of volunteers flocked to the rural southeast Iowa district and
organizational and financial help flowed in from a number of
influential interest groups, Republicans came up short by 107 votes.
What Republicans hoped would have been a momentum builder, now has
many people wondering what Iowa Republicans need to do to win
elections. The loss is inexcusable. Never have Republicans had a
better environment to run a campaign, and the Iowa Democratic Party
has never been in more disarray.

Labels: elections, Iowa GOP

I will break my analysis of this special election into two posts. This
will serve as the first and by intention it is nothing but
complimentary. In the second piece, I may offer some critical
feedback... but in fairness to all involved, I don't subscribe to the
tenants of "Ready-Fire-Aim" journalism which some of my fellow
bloggers have been notorious for as of late. It truly requires more
information and careful study before one can and should speak with
helpful and meaningful criticism. Stephen Burgmeier is a class act.
It's as simple as that. He worked hard and was completely gracious
last night, making sure to work the room and offer his sincere thanks
to everyone present for all their hard work and dedication to this
campaign. This was a "symbolic" victory for the GOP/RPI.

Labels: elections, Iowa GOP

Doug Gross' recent poll demonstrates the distinction between a boxer and a puncher. The whole premise of the poll assumes that we Republicans are a one punch palooka whose only chance is the haymaker from Hell. Given the economic collapse our nation faces, and Iowa's role as arguably the worst business climate in the nation, there really cannot be any argument that the economy is our best punch. To require polling data to confirm the foregoing tautology bespeaks a level of either or both political or ideological insecurity that is almost in itself disqualifying from leadership. This insecurity has caused us defeat, followed by even greater defeat because it has afflicted so much of our Republican leadership. So, like a smart boxer, let us lead with our best punch. The next question is to decide on precisely what is that punch.

Labels: Iowa GOP, RPI

I have been putting off writing about the 2012 Republican presidential
campaign for some time now. Even though I got my start in Iowa
politics back in 1999 with Steve Forbes' presidential campaign and
have continued to make my living in Iowa politics since then, I have
to admit that all the presidential chatter starts way too early in
Iowa. If I had my way, we would focus making sure Governor Culver is
the first incumbent Governor to lose re-election since 1962. I also
wouldn't mind letting people know that there is a government program
out there that allows you to trade in your clunker of a congressman
for fresh new leadership. The best part of that program is that it
doesn't cost you a dime and could actually end up saving thousands of
tax dollars, but like many things in life, things don't always go my
way.

Labels: caucus, Iowa GOP

When your party suffers a net loss of seats in the state House and Senate for four elections in a row, it's time to try something different. In the case of the Republican Party of Iowa, that apparently means outsourcing operations for the September 1 special election in Iowa House district 90. In a July 31 e-mail blast, Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn encouraged activists to contact "Matt Gronewald, our Legislative Majority Fund Director," if they would like to volunteer for Stephen Burgmeier, the Republican candidate in district 90. However, Burgmeier's campaign website tells the real story.

Labels: Iowa GOP, state House

Shortly into President George W. Bush's second term, by mid/late-2005
the possibility of the Republican Party seeing electoral losses in
2006 began to be discussed. That's what happened. In 2007, the
perception that the 2008 elections would again be favorable for
Democrats took hold, and lo, it occurred. We're hearing a lot now
that, with the dropping national approval rate of President Obama at a
time of energy and health care reform measures and some unease with
Iowa Gov. Chet Culver here over the state budget, 2010 is tracking
well for Republicans. After all, history has shown presidents
typically see a paring back in the number of federal seats held by his
party.

Labels: Iowa GOP

... Anyone who served with me on the platform committee knew that I was a conservative. A social conservative, a fiscal conservative and a constitutionalist. However because of my self-imposed neutrality in our conventions most in our district did not really know that I was a conservative. That changed one year at the district convention. ... Our proposed platform, in the section on Republican Party and Commendations contained the following plank: "We support a ban on party funds, including soft money, at all levels for candidates who support abortion." ... The motion to remove the plank had prevailed by one vote. I don't remember the exact number but let's say it was 300 yea to 299 nay. Well, I had been looking for a way to make a statement for my principles within what I considered my ethical duty as chair. I announced the vote as follows: "The vote is three hundred in favor to two hundred ninety-nine opposed. The chair casts a NO vote creating a tie. Therefore, failing to achieve a majority, the amendment fails — the plank shall be retained." I had taken a stand on my principles and cast the deciding vote. At that point the place erupted. It was about as close to a riot as we Republicans get.

Labels: Iowa GOP

David Chung, author of Hawkeye GOP, has announced that he is resigning
his elected position on the Iowa Republican State Central Committee so
that he can freely volunteer for the gubernatorial campaign of
Christian Fong. This move was done, he said, both because of promises
he made to be neutral in primaries and perceived conflicts of
interest. In reading his letter, however, I was reminded of another
case of conflict of interest that has yet to be addressed by Iowa
Republicans. In the fall of 2008, Iowa Right to Life published their
pre-election newsletter. In that newsletter, the organization attacked
a Republican candidate for U.S. House, labeling her "a great
pretender" on anti-abortion issues.

Labels: Iowa GOP

As summer's heat brings dehydration to so many riparian landscapes the
catastrophic reality of the "change" for which they voted in 2006 and
2008. The Obama Labor/Socialist/Democrat agenda is therapeutically
baking America's delusion producing symptoms of BDS (Bush Derangement
Syndrome) out of the body politic. With its improved lucidity the body
politic is, in turn, returning to the party of reality and reason, the
GOP. Rasmussen reported yesterday that Republicans are leading
Democrats in eight of the ten regularly polled issues. A thorough
review of Rasmussen's various internal questions provides even better
news for pachyderms everywhere.

Labels: Iowa GOP, polling

The Republican Party of Iowa is celebrating its "rising stars" tonight
at an event featuring Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour. Judging by
what we've heard lately from Iowa GOP leaders, they're gonna party
like it's 1929. Case in point: Iowa Senate Minority leader Paul
McKinley. The possible gubernatorial candidate's weekly memos continue
to whine about spending and borrowing by Democrats (see also here).
Republicans would rather slash government programs and provide
"targeted" one-year tax credits. The lessons of Herbert Hoover's
presidency are still lost on these people. I apologize for repeating
myself, but excessive government spending cuts can turn an economic
recession into a depression.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Paul_McKinley

Michael Kiernan, the chairman of the Iowa Democratic Party, is up in
arms over comments that Ed Failor Jr., the President of Iowans for Tax
Relief, made at a Flag Day event which was organized by the Boone
County Republican Party. At the event, Failor compared the current
economic actions and policies of the Democratic party to those of the
Nazi party in Germany in the 1930's. This isn't the first time that
Failor, Jr. has compared Iowa Democrats to Nazis. After the Speaker of
the Iowa House Pat Murphy removed the people from a public hearing on
the repeal of federal deductibility, Failor said that Murphy had acted
like a "jack-booted Nazi."

Labels: Iowa GOP

We have been saying for some time that the people advocating for
Republicans to compromise on our principles would only serve to drive
the most loyal base from the party. A perfect example of this would
the case of former Pocahontas County Republican Party co-Chair Tom
Shaw. Mr. Shaw is appalled by the direction that some individuals seem
to want to take the party in. As a result Mr. Shaw has withdrawn from
the party and is now running for Iowa House District 8 as an
independent. I was honored to have a conversation with Mr. Shaw
yesterday morning during which he repeatedly cited efforts to move the
party toward the "mushy middle" as his reason for leaving the party.

Labels: Iowa GOP

... Tonight I and another IDA member attended our local county GOP meeting. ... First, we were not greeted or welcomed by anyone. Nobody, even the chair, came up to introduce themselves. I'm not that high maintenance but I would at least like a greeting when I go to a meeting/group I've never been to before and there are only 15 or so people in the room. ... Second, the meeting was BORING. A complete snoozer. ... Third, I think I was the youngest person in the room at 26. I was one of 5 women, the rest were middle-aged White guys. That'll bring in the new voters and party volunteers. Fourth, the other IDA member with me gave a passionate speech and after was treated rudely by an elected county official in front of the whole group.

Labels: Iowa GOP

With the campaigns just around the corner and candidates coming out of the woodwork, it is pretty easy to focus on the candidates and not so much on the issues. For some candidates that mindset works well, for others, the issues is where there victories will come. Either way, for the people, if we stay focused on the issues rather than the candidate, we'll always be better off. If you think back to when you got started in politics, was it the candidate or the issues that sucked you in? With that, I've listed some questions for the candidates running for a state seat. I know the candidates won't get on here and answer but I think it is a good exercise for anyone interested in politics. I'd love to see the questions answered by anyone who thinks they can tackle them.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Controversial Christian radio host Steve Deace and conservative
blogger Craig Robinson are teaming up to test the field of potential
candidates to take on Gov. Chet Culver in 2010. The pair has already
winnowed the possible field down to four candidates -- former state
Sen. Jeff Lamberti, Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, former state
House Speaker Christopher Rants and Sioux City businessman Bob Vander
Plaats -- and is asking their readers and listeners to vote by text
message this Thursday. Results will be announced on Deace's WHO-AM
program that night. Of the group of candidates included in the
unscientific poll, only Vander Plaats has officially thrown his hat in
the ring, and even he has not made his candidacy "official."

Labels: Iowa GOP

In his latest financial disclosure this past January, Governor Chet
Culver raised just over $1 million for his reelection campaign. The
year before, Culver raised a similar amount, and he currently has just
under $1.5 million in his campaign bank account. Those in the
traditional media have made a big deal out of the Governor's
fundraising ability. This past Sunday, Charlotte Eby began her article
about potential Republican candidates for governor with the following
sentence, "Challenging an incumbent governor who's led Iowa through a
historic natural disaster and who is a prolific campaign fundraiser
might seem like a daunting task." Prolific fundraiser? Really? An
incumbent Governor should easily raise $1 million per year, and that
is also the number that Republican challengers should aim for by the
end of this year.

Labels: Chet_Culver, Iowa GOP

Former Republican state senator Chuck Larson, who was appointed by
President George W. Bush to be ambassador to Latvia, tells Lee
Enterprise political reporter Charlotte Eby he will not run for
governor in 2010, citing his two young children as the reason. Larson
becomes the latest in a series of Republicans to publicly put to rest
rumors of potential gubernatorial aspirations next year. Monday, state
Auditor David Vaudt said he would seek re-election rather than throw
his hat in the ring to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Chet
Culver. Former Gov. Terry Branstad and Vermeer Corp. CEO Mary Andringa
said they were not running earlier this month, and Iowa Ag Secretary
Bill Northey appears to be leaning towards running for re-election as
well.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Joseph Phillips takes on the argument that the GOP needs to lean more
left in order to win votes. His point is well-taken, given that
Republican party identification is up... and this latest poll doesn't
indicate a large, leftward lurch by Americans. So how does the GOP win
its upcoming elections? I like to break things down simply: stop
running angry people for office. Or nerdy people. Or worse... angry,
nerdy people. Let me give you an example that will make some of my GOP
friends shudder: people LIKE Barack Obama. Look at the polling data.
Most Americans oppose President Obama's positions on multiple
issues -- but continue to like him personally. While that frustrates
many of my friends on the right, the point is clear: a candidate must
be an able messenger, first and foremost, in order to persuade voters
on the issues.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Iowa GOP

When Doug Gross released the results of his poll last month, one of the
main things he talked about the branding problem that the Republican Party
of Iowa has. He said it was backwards looking, not welcoming, and so on
and so forth. I actually thought it was good for Gross to bring up those issues
so that Republicans can do a better job communicating the principles of their
party. You know who else has a branding problem? Doug Gross. I don't need
a fancy poll to tell me that either. Gross has spent the better part of a month
telling Iowa Republicans that his opinion matters more than theirs. It's almost
as if he has become some sort of overbearing parent that constantly is
critiquing his kids, but is guilty of the same sins.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Doug Gross is quickly becoming an embarrassment to Iowa Republicans.
The former gubernatorial candidate has been relentless in his quest to
find a candidate for Governor that he finds acceptable. However his
search has not yielded the results that he has hoped for. And to top
this off he has been constant in his lecturing of the party faithful
that they need to compromise their beliefs in order regain the seats
of power in Iowa government. And time after time he has been dealt
setback after setback. I applaud Mr. Gross for his desire to be
involved in the Republican Party, but the time has come where his
efforts have become more of an embarrassment rather than an asset. The
names of several of his potential candidates for Governor have found
their way into the public light. Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstead
is one of those names.

Labels: Iowa GOP

We live in a world of over-dramatization led by the 24 hour news
sources. We have an attention span of about 15 seconds and without a
ticker at the bottom of the screen we fall asleep. Whether it is
politics or sports, we've come to expect information overload as the
norm. I have to admit that I'm a fan of this because my personality
drives me to boredom very easily. But there is a major drawback. We
begin to crave drama because the normal news is too boring. This
website can serve as a great example. If you look back at any of the
author's articles you will see the ones being critical of or dealing
with individuals, not issues, get much more traffic. As a blogger it
is almost impossible to ignore this fact. If I write an article on how
the Department of Education needs to be abolished to save hundreds of
millions of dollars, I may get 200 views. But if that same day I were
to write an article on how Republican X failed the conservatives, I
could expect over 500 views and 50 comments.

Labels: Iowa GOP

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

We love polls. Each and every time one of these snapshots in time is
produced we dig right in to the cross tabs. The eternal optimist looks
for some glimmer of good news even if it is a stretch. But it's there.
The polling pendulum swings back and forth between enthusiasm and
fatigue, between right and wrong. That said, polls are polls. The only
poll that really matters is the one that occurs on election day, not
on May 7. Favorable and unfavorable ratings of our current elected
officials are interesting and help tell a story. Issue polls are less
so because of the 24-hour news cycle. Nonetheless, the GOP and their
pollsters are producing survey after survey at fever pitch.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Early GOP vetting starts for 2010 with Carroll-area legislator in mix ... Iowa Republican strategist Tim Albrecht sees a canyon-sized opening for his party in the 2010 gubernatorial race in which a potential double-digit-sized list of challengers to Democrat Chet Culver is building. One legislator in the mix, although not formally announced, is State Rep. Rod Roberts, a Carroll Republican who has served west-central Iowa for a decade in Des Moines. Albrecht said Roberts, a social conservative, has the style and skills to hold the GOP's right base while reaching out to moderates and Democrats.

Labels: Iowa GOP

It isn't a secret that Governor Chet Culver is in some trouble. His approval
ratings are beginning to dip amidst support for tax increases like the elimination
of federal deductibility and constant position changes on issues he once
claimed made him a moderate voice. Furthermore, Culver is not living up
to his promise to provide a business climate that is competitive for students
who are graduating from Iowa's colleges and universities. The state is 49th in
the nation in establishing an environment that is friendly and competitive to
attract companies and business to the state. With statistics like that it is no secret why over 50% of graduates in the state continue to look to other states besides Iowa for their professional employment.

Labels: Iowa GOP

While I'm sympathetic to those in the Iowa conservative movement who
don't want to compromise on issues like abortion and gay marriage (and
by compromise, I mean support things like parental consent and waiting
periods for abortion and residency requirements for gay marriage), I
just don't see the wisdom of those people who don't support these
things using valuable time and energy to discredit those who do. The
other thing that bothers me about this whole situation is that I don't
think standards are being equally applied. Some people are upset with
Rep. Steve King because they view his support of a residency
requirement as a compromise (despite the fact that King also
wholeheartedly supports a marriage amendment).

Labels: Iowa GOP, Steve King

With the legislative session over, Iowa Republicans are now debating how they should brand themselves as they move forward towards the 2010 elections. ... The Iowa First Foundation poll provides a lot of good news for Iowa Republican as we look forward to the next election, but it also provides a sobering look how the Republican brand has been tarnished. The Good News: More Iowans have a more favorable impression of our Republican officials than they do of Iowa Democrats. ... The Bad News: ... While Republicans out-polled Democrats on traits like trustworthiness, the economy, management of government bureaucracies, and common sense, the traits listed above make it easy to understand why Republicans lag behind Democrats in voter registration. Who wants to be part of a political party that isn't open or welcoming, that's seen as arrogant, backwards-looking, or even racist?

Labels: Iowa GOP

This afternoon, former Republican gubernatorial candidate Doug Gross
will gather a group of establishment Republican at his downtown office
in Des Moines. The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the findings
of his recent poll on what direction the Republican Party should go if
it wants to be a majority party again. According a March 21, 2009
article in the National Journal, Gross says that his poll costs
$100,000. I'm not a pollster, but I'm pretty sure that would pay for
multiple polls. ... If you want more information on Doug's poll, my
liberal friend over at Bleeding Heartland recorded the poll when
he/she/it was polled a month ago. The fact that a liberal blogger was
included in the polling sample about what direction the Republican
Party needs to go casts serious doubt on the validity of the poll
results if you ask me.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Gov. Chet Culver has appointed his chief of staff to serve as director
of the state's Department of Human Services after the Iowa Senate
rejected his nominee. Charlie Krogmeier, whom Culver called a "veteran
public servant," was tapped to lead the DHS. With 5,700 employees, DHS
is the state's largest agency and oversees programs that include
Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, child protection and child support
collections. The Iowa Senate refused to confirm Gene Gessow as the
department's director when Republicans withheld their support. They
complained about Gessow's handling of a case in Atalissa where
mentally retarded men were found living in substandard housing.

Labels: Chet_Culver, Iowa GOP

U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley has long been a dependable Republican voice
in Washington, but he's now deemed not as valuable as he could be by
some in the Iowa Republican blogosphere. In an eye-opening move, he
didn't get a position in the Iowa delegation to the 2008 national
convention. Some are suggesting that a more conservative GOP candidate
could arise for the 2010 U.S. Senate campaign in which Grassley is
running for re-election. At the conclusion of his town hall meeting in
Onawa in a two-week tour of 33 Iowa counties, Grassley told me he
hasn't heard the names of any potential challengers, but he won't be
surprised to get a GOP opponent. Grassley hasn't had a primary since
his first U.S. senate win in 1980.

Labels: Charles_Grassley, Iowa GOP

This past weekend, Senator Grassley suffered a burn on his leg as a small brush fire at his farm in Butler County got out of control. Thankfully Grassley is okay, but he still has to tend to another fire of sorts - the one he ignited last week when he said that he would need a month or so to figure out where he stands on the Iowa Supreme Court ruling that purports to allow gay marriage in Iowa. Grassley also indicated that he might support civil unions rather than marriage for same-sex couples. Grassley is known for his awe-shucks demeanor, but on the issue of gay marriage, Iowans want to know where their elected officials stand, and many of Iowa's Republicans found his answer to be inadequate. ... Conservatives have already voiced their disappointment with Grassley on the gay marriage issue, and some have even insinuated that he could potentially face a primary challenge. While there have been whispers of someone running against Grassley in a primary for years, talking about it and actually doing it are two very different things. A primary campaign against Grassley would prove to be extremely difficult.

Labels: Charles_Grassley, Iowa GOP, marriage

All through the weekend, the only political item people talked about was gay marriage. No federal deductibility, no talk of the economy, just gay marriage. For those of you who actually believe elections can be won solely by talking about fiscal issues, the furor over this issue proves you couldn't be more wrong. Do fiscal issues matter to folks? Absolutely. But you can't win an election without talking about social issues. The year 2010 will be here before you know it. We will be talking about gay marriage and other social issues for one reason and one reason only - liberals have gone way too far, way too fast.

Labels: Iowa GOP, marriage, taxes

The phone rang early Tuesday evening, and the voice on the other end
was an interviewer conducting a survey for Hill Research Consultants.
I asked who commissioned the survey, but the interviewer said he
didn't know. Judging from the type of questions and their wording, I
assume this poll was commissioned either by a Republican considering a
run for governor in 2010, a Republican interest group trying to decide
what kind of candidate to support for 2010, or the Republican Party of
Iowa itself. As I always do whenever I am surveyed, I grabbed a
something to write with and took as many notes as I could about the
questions.

Labels: Iowa GOP

In the "Tower of Invincibility," Republicans think they have found an
exploitable weakness in Gov. Chet Culver's big bonding plan. Instead,
they're showing empty-headed, inch-deep partisan politics. The tower
is a 12-story office building planned by folks in Vedic City, the
southern Iowa town built on the principles of transcendental
mediation.The governor's office told communities to submit any and all
ideas for using a potential $750 million pot of infrastructure money.
Vedic City sent in its tower. Once the list became public, Republicans
eager to shoot down the Democratic governor's signature legislative
proposal swiftly wielded the "Tower of Invincibility" as a weapon.

Labels: Chet_Culver, Iowa GOP

As has been reported around the blogosphere today, Gentry Collins was
tapped today to serve as the RNC Political Director. A few months ago,
Krusty had posted a rumor that Collins was heading out to California
to work with Meg Whitman's campaign. He's been rumored for other posts
as well, but today it became official. This is significant for a
couple of reasons. First, it's always good when an Iowa operative gets
a big role in national politics. We want our local folks to succeed.
However, the best news for Iowa is that there will be someone inside
the RNC at a high level who can keep an eye on the Iowa Caucuses and
our first-in-the-nation status.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The Bean Walker confirmed that Iowa campaign operative Gentry Collins has been named political director of the Republican National Committee, in an announcement set for later today. Collins, who most recently served as the Midwest regional campaign manager for Sen. John McCain's 2008 general election campaign, is viewed as a solid choice by Republican insiders. ... The move is seen as strategically sound for Chairman Michael Steele, who conducted a top-to-bottom review of the RNC, ultimately waiting until he could put together the best, most qualified individuals into place.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The Linn County Republican Central Committee voted last night to
replace Chairman Jim Conklin with Tim Palmer. If I'm not mistaken, I
believe this is the same Tim Palmer that blogs at Hawkeye Review.
Since party chairman are often the the key spokespersons for their
organization, it will be interesting to see if the election impacts
the blog... or, for that matter, even if the blog impacts the next
election. If this is the same Palmer, then he's lucky that he has
already had the blogging path cleared for him by David Chung and Ted
Sporer -- both having balanced serving as a GOP elected official and
as a blogger. Today I'm also left wondering the thought process behind
those in the Linn Co. GOP who decided to switch leaders.

Labels: Iowa GOP

More than 350 people turned out for the Iowa Christian Alliance's 2009 spring kick-off event last night. The event was held at the Walnut Creek Community Church in Windsor Heights. This was the first time the event was held at Walnut Creek, in previous years the event had been held at the Point of Grace Church in Waukee. The featured speaker was former Ohio Congressman Bob McEwen. McEwen is a champion of Pro-Family policies and is an out-spoken defender of freedom and personal liberties. McEwen told those in attendance, "There are only two political philosophies. The first trusts individuals to be free to invent their own standard of living and engage in enterprise."

Labels: Iowa GOP

Michael Jordon did it, as did Lance Armstrong, Mario Andretti, and
Brett Farve seems to do it on a yearly basis. They retire, and walk
away from the game or sport in which they are dominate only to see
those who try to fill their shoes fail miserably. If you want to
understand why Republicans in Iowa don't have a long list of potential
gubernatorial candidates, or even future legislative leaders, you need
look no further than the long list of excellent legislators who have
walked away, or sought higher office. People like Sandy Greiner. Chuck
Larson, Jr., Jeff Lamberti, Steve Sukup, Willard Jenkins, Bill Dix,
Jeff Elgin, Kitty Rehberg, Libby Jacobs, Paul Pate, Bill Schickel,
Chuck Gipp, Brent Siegrist, and Dan Boddicker. And that's just the
folks off the top of my head.

Labels: Iowa GOP

There is an old saying about people who are power hungry or just plain
out for themselves: "If you give them an inch, they will take a mile."
This reminds me of the Democrats at the Iowa Statehouse and why all
Republicans should stand against them. Normally I am not for such a
partisan attitude, but when it comes to issues such as the ones being
discussed right now party lines must be drawn if the GOP is going to
survive, and more importantly, if our state is going to survive. Most
of these topics have been covered on the other Iowa blogs, but it is
for times such as these that I believe repetition is needed in order
to get the lawmakers and the grassroots fired up.

Labels: Iowa GOP

It was one of those moments that catch you off guard. I just got an
e-mail from a reporter in our Des Moines bureau with the subject line
containing the words "Roberts" and "governor." Huh? Oh, Steve Roberts,
the former Iowa Republican Party chairman, must be running. Wait --
isn't his political prime time slightly in the past? No, it's Rod
Roberts, the state rep from Carroll. Now there's a name that makes me
smile. Prior to coming here at the Journal in 2002, for six years I
worked at the Carroll Daily Times Herald. I covered Roberts when he
served on the Carroll School Board and wrote some features about him
too — he's a minister and pretty good in a chorus too. I last ran into
Roberts (it's hard not to call him Rod) in summer 2007, when we
chatted about the GOP presidential field.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The Republican National Committee elected Michael Steele of Maryland as its new chairman today. He was far from a consensus choice and only obtained a majority of RNC members on the sixth ballot. Steele is a former lieutenant governor of Maryland and a frequent "talking head" on news analysis shows. He is black and pulled a significant share of the African-American vote in his losing bid for the U.S. Senate in 2006. On the other hand, he seemed to run away from the Republican label during that campaign. I don't see how other GOP candidates could pull that off. Iowa RNC Committeeman Steve Scheffler and Committeewoman Kim Lehman both supported South Carolina GOP chairman Katon Dawson, who turned out to be Steele's toughest rival ... Anyway, Scheffler and Lehman didn't just prefer a different candidate for RNC chair, they went on record criticizing Steele.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Well, I spent the entire day at the Iowa Capitol lobbying for the
right of Linn County voters to decide whether or not they want to tax
themselves an extra penny on local sales, presumably to be used for
flood relief. Yesterday, the Iowa Senate passed an expedited calendar
to set a Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) vote in any Presidentially
Declared Disaster County for March 3rd. The tax would be collected
starting April 1st. The reason March 3rd is needed, is due to the fact
that local governments certify their budgets on March 15. If the
revenue is not there to provide services, the likely outcome would be
cuts in services and a significant property tax hike on residents.
That is why I was so dismayed to see Republicans, en masse, vote
against this measure and all but ensure a major property tax hike if
they had their way.

Labels: Iowa GOP, taxes

Move over, Bob Vander Plaats. Two days after Team VP 2010 announced
his intentions to begin the process of running for governor, another
man may be stepping up. According to Iowa Statehouse Republican
sources, Bruce Rastetter, CEO of Hawkeye Energy Holdings, plans to
make his presence known in the statehouse Wednesday, the same day and
same place Governor Chet Culver delivers his budget address. Rastetter
plans to meet with house and senate caucuses to talk strategy and
issues for the future. His money helped elect some of these
Republicans to office.

Labels: Iowa GOP

I think we are all thankful that the Iowa legislative session has
started again and it gives us a chance to focus on Governor Culver and
the other Democrats instead of coming to terms that we are going to
have a new presence in the White House in less than a week. Ignorance
is bliss, but looking at the map above tells me that we have to get
off our butt and do something. Granted we had a younger, charismatic,
history making candidate on the blue side and an older, boring
candidate on the red side; Republicans still need to do better with
the next generation of voters. While listening to Steve Deace
yesterday (no, I'm not going to quote him) his 22-year-old producer,
Rebecca, chimed in on what the younger voters are looking for.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Ed Tibbetts of the Quad-City Times has a report on how the PURSE PAC,
a women's political fundraising organization founded in the fall of
2008, hopes to draw more women to the Republican Party of Iowa. "Some
of the group's leaders met with Quad-City-area Republicans Monday at a
reception hosted at former state Sen. Maggie Tinsman's home. 'We are
of the belief it's going to take a lot of people doing a lot of
different things to change the results for Republicans in Iowa,' said
Diane Crookham-Johnson, chairwoman of the new group..." The group plans
to seek out Republican women to work on and donate to political
campaigns and to run for office themselves. The idea is to focus on
common interests, such as limited government and lower taxes and not
on social issues such as abortion and gay marriage. There are other
groups that do that, leaders say.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Our good buddy John Bresnahan writes at the Politico that Nancy Pelosi
is exerting her power, and made it clear to Rahm Emanuel that under no
circumstances was the Congress to be counted on as an "automatic" for
Obama's agenda. What a nice change. Too bad it's about 8 years too
late. We often hear how social conservatives are the root evil of the
party. If social conservatives would just fall in line and act like
good little boys and girls, they say, then our party could move
forward and get new voters. What they fail to recognize is, the social
conservatives have been working hard and been loyal foot soldiers, yet
they never get thanked. They always just get blamed. Take this last
election, for instance.

Labels: Barack_Obama, Iowa GOP

As promised last week, the following is my updated list of possible
gubernatorial candidates. I've made changes since Election Day and
also after seeing the newest voter registration statistics. Please
note, these are not in order of who I think would be the best governor
of Iowa, these are in order of who I think has the best chance of
winning without sacrificing conservative ideals. #9 -- Christopher
Rants affected Iowa Republican politics and campaigns more than almost
anyone else. He's been the go-to-guy in the Iowa legislature but
either the stars were aligned against him or he was ineffective in his
leadership. I didn't have Rants in the original five, in fact, I
called him a non-starter. I still believe he is a non-starter but
since he lost his leadership position, he may take a shot at a
statewide race.

Labels: Christopher Rants, Iowa GOP

2008 was a tough year. As a party, we went from the euphoria created
by a massive turnout at the January caucuses to the bitter taste of
defeat yet again. Not that I or anyone else didn't necessarily see it
coming. This election cycle the writing was on the wall -- I saw very
little enthusiasm among many of the party faithful when compared to
the '06 cycle. It almost seemed like many in our ranks had relegated
themselves to losing so that they could fight another day. That was
their prerogative, but now we have dug ourselves into quite a hole
indeed. The question is -- what do we do about it? The even bigger
question is, are we going to actually do something about it?

Labels: Iowa GOP

Back in August I posted a ranking of who I thought would be the best
candidate for the 2010 gubernatorial race. For those of you who
haven't seen it, you may view it by clicking here. More than three
months and an election have passed since I commented on who I thought
would be best to run against Gov. Culver. Some of you may think this
is early to be talking about Iowa's top of the ticket in 2010 but
believe me, meetings are taking place right now. My top five
candidates, in order, were Steve King, Mark Pearson, Matt Whitaker,
Bob Vander Plaats, and Chuck Larson, Jr. I didn't discuss some other
folks who were right on the edge at the time I wrote the original
post. Looking back on that now, I see where I should have broadened my
field.

Labels: Chet_Culver, Iowa GOP

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

"The heroes in these storms are not the federal government, they're the people," Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal told a Cedar Rapids crowd at a flood recovery event that looked a lot like a Republican Party breakfast. ... Ostensibly the speech was a non-partisan "Rapid Recovery" event, followed by a tour of areas damaged in the summer flood, but you wouldn't know it from the crowd. A partial list of GOP dignitaries in the crowd of 150: Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey, state party co-chair Leon Mosley, ex-congressional candidate Mariannette Miller-Meeks, ex-legislative candidate Emma Nemecek, Johnson County GOP chair Bill Keettel, new county supervisor Brent Oleson, state central committee member and blogger David Chung... the only way I knew this wasn't officially a Republican campaign event was the lack of patriotic ritual and rally music. The only Democrat I recognized was mayor Kay Halloran. ... Bob Vander Plaats, 2006 lieutenant governor candidate, got to intro Jindal; are we SURE this wasn't a campaign event? And is it Campaign 2012 or Campaign 2010? Both, I suspect; Vander Plaats has been high-profile since Nov. 4 with a "stick to your values, social conservatives" piece in the Register as the GOP regroups.

Labels: Iowa GOP

... Social conservatives are at once the GOP's greatest strength and greatest weakness. I'm not telling Republicans to abandon the social issues; that's not my place. And frankly I have a bias in wanting to win those issues and get them off the table. As a member of the left end base of the Democratic Party, frankly, I expect to get screwed one in a while. Defunding the war, impeachment, gay marriage, Lieberman--that's an incomplete list from just this year. In the process of endless disappointment, we've learned to choose our battles. And that's all I'm recommending: choose your battles. On some of the social issues, conservatives are popular. Stop freaking out, Barack's not taking your gun away. You won that fight. Faith-based programs have some appeal. The school voucher fight is still a live one. (Just analyzing here, not agreeing.) But other social issues which were winners in the 1968-2008 divide and conquer alignment of Nixon and Wallace and Atwater and Rove are losers in the long run.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Since there is an article in about every local and national paper incorrectly blaming conservatives and the religious right for our losses, I thought it best to jump in now. Obviously most of you probably know that I'm on the other side of the argument to moderate our positions on the core issues of life, marriage, guns, etc. ... I keep going back to Gross's statement, "Conservatives are a minority group in a minority party." I don't know how he can keep saying that. Almost everybody I talk to believes in traditional marriage, life begins at conception, the right to keep and bear arms, less government, and lower taxes. Those are all conservative ideals. They are also all in our platform. I don't know what Republican Party he has been a part of. He apparently hasn't been to state or county central committee meetings, house parties for candidates, RPI dinners, campaigns' headquarters, or any other political function. These rooms are all filled with conservatives, not moderates.

Labels: Iowa GOP

You know... our brand as Republicans, has took a beating. We all know why we are Republicans in the first place right? From personal freedoms, less government, liberty... you all get it. It's a great message. The problem is, we've been out messaged... what seems like a lot lately. Some of it is easy to fix... communication shops and good messengers help. But in many cases, it was bad issues and bad votes from the folks we put in office... makes it a little tough to defend bad votes. Kind of like the "prevent defense" ... which we all know football fans, prevents you from winning. BOLD MESSAGING - This will have to come from our communicators, candidates and incumbents. We are the party of big ideas. Let's go with it. ... AND BEFORE YOU START FOAMING AT THE MOUTH - Stick to the principles… stick to the conservative principles that win... yet be inclusive at the same time.

Labels: Iowa GOP

... We do need to become a more inclusive party, but not to the point where we compromise our beliefs by trying to pitch too big of a tent.That means that fiscal conservatives / social moderates need to learn how to co-habitate with the people who are social conservatives first, and vice-versa. I realize it can be a tough balancing act but a party divided will yield results similar to those that we just experienced. All in our party need to form a symbiotic relationship that is mutually beneficial to all. ... I've found that nothing pisses off most diehard Democrats more than being cordial to them and forcing them to try to respond in a civilized way. Personal attacks can very easily turn off casual voters, but I am of the belief that presenting facts about an opposing candidate does not equal "negative" campaigning.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The last couple of days we have been discussing the reconstruction of the Republican Party here in Iowa. Before we delve into the topic again today, I want to thank all of you who have taken this topic seriously. I really hope that the powers that be read some of your thoughts and ideas and use them to rebuild our Party. Today I want to focus on the message. First I want to discuss how on earth we became a party without one, and secondly what should our message be moving forward. Wikipedia defines a political party as a political organization that seeks to attain and maintain power within government, usually by participating in electoral campaigns. Parties often espouse an expressed ideology or vision bolstered by a written platform with specific goals.

Labels: 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

With yesterday's election of Paulsen to be our new minority leader in
the Iowa House, we now have our first real sign of change in our
Party. I posted yesterday morning on restructuring the Party and wrote
first on fundraising. Although I do consider that about half of what a
Party should do, the other half is equally important. We must have a
state Party mechanism for increasing our voters, not just the margins.
... The most noticeable difference between 2000 where Bush lost by just
over 4,000 votes and 2008 is the registration advantage Democrats
have. How do we expect to quickly overcome a 106,442 registration
disadvantage?

Labels: Iowa GOP

I am disappointed that the Democrats did not gain as many seats in the
Iowa legislature as I'd hoped. With Barack Obama winning this state by
9 percent and Democrats enjoying a big voter registration advantage,
we should have done better in the statehouse races. We need to analyze
what sank some of our down-ticket candidates so we can do better in
2010. None of that should obscure the much bigger problems currently
facing the Republican Party of Iowa. Six days after the fourth
straight election in which Republicans have lost seats in both the
Iowa House and Senate, the Republicans House caucus voted to replace
Christopher Rants of Sioux City as their leader. Kraig Paulsen of
Hiawatha (a suburb of Cedar Rapids) will take on the job. ... With two
House races yet to be decided, Republicans are likely to end up with
only 44 of the 100 seats in the lower chamber.

Labels: Christopher Rants, Iowa GOP, Kraig_Paulsen, state House

At the end of last week we discussed some of the names that have been
floated to lead the RNC and Republican Party of Iowa. In both
instances there are probably other interested parties who haven't
stepped forward yet, especially in regards to the Republican Party
here in Iowa. This weekend we learned that Doug Gross is assembling a
group of people this week to discuss how Republicans can narrow the
Democrats' edge in voter registration, which would also help
Republicans win statewide elections. Additionally a small group of
conservatives gathered to discuss potential options for chairperson of
the Republican Party of Iowa. However, it seems that the State Central
Committee will not elect a chair until January, a move that I think is
a mistake as Republicans need all the time they can get since the
clock its already counting down to election day 2010.

Labels: Iowa GOP

The election is over and the analysis has begun. The GOP situation is
Iowa is dire. With the noteworthy exceptions of 2004 where our top of
the ticket was incumbent President George W. Bush and iconic Senator
Charles Grassley, we have been pounded at the top and up and down the
ballot. We are now entering year eleven of Democrat control of Terrace
Hill and Tom Miller has been driving business out of Iowa for a
generation. Following the Lightfoot beat down in 1998 our share of
legislative control has rapidly diminished. The 78th General Assembly
contained a 30/20 GOP margin in the Senate and 56/44 in the house.
Four years later, following the 2002 beat down of Doug Gross those
margins fell to 29/21 in the Senate and 54/46 in House. The results of
the 2006 were a new, young Democrat governor and minorities in both
houses. Two years later we are sitting at 19/31 deficits in the Senate
and, at best, 45/55 in the House. These are the facts.

Labels: Iowa GOP

President-elect Barack Obama stayed on message throughout the
campaign: he knew that Americans wanted change and he repeatedly
connected John McCain to the Bush years. McCain/Palin knew Americans
also wanted change -- that's why they branded themselves "mavericks"
and McCain distanced himself from President Bush. As I have said on
this blog, I believe McCain ran the absolute best campaign under the
circumstances that he could have run. He was the best GOP candidate
for this race and I don't respect what some pundits have referred to
as "the circular firing squad" that faults his approach. But in the
end, Americans believed a young candidate from the opposition party
was more credible in bringing about change.

Labels: Iowa GOP

There has been a lot of debate on the right side of the blogosphere
here in Iowa about the state party, our Republican philosophy, and our
candidates. Over the course of her primary campaign and now in the
general election campaign, Dr. Marriannette Miller-Meeks has proven
herself to be the real deal and showed it in last night's KCRG-Cedar
Rapids Gazette debate vs. Congressman Dave Loebsack. As someone who
has followed this race for some time, I had high expectations for
Miller-Meeks. We all knew going into the debate that she is
intelligent, relentless, and a tireless campaigner, but sometimes
something happens in the bright lights of a television studio in a
debate setting and a candidate that you think is superior struggles
and fails to deliver the performance their campaign needs.

Labels: 2nd CD, Iowa GOP

When I look at liberal blogs I see something that most conservative
blogs lack. What is that you may ask? It is simple really. For the
most part, conservative blogs fail to support our local candidates
like Jamie Johnson, Jane Jech, and David Kerr just to name a few. We
tend to be more focused on the national scene. We tend to more
federally focused. Unfortunately that does not work in our favor. This
was one of the reasons that we launched the Iowa Defense Alliance. We
got tired of our local races getting the shaft. On a daily basis you
will see the liberal blogs promote their candidates. They disseminate
the liberal talking points for a day. I am serious, just watch them.
Their defense will be disorganized in the morning, but by that evening
they will be a coordinated machine spouting the same talking points
like a machine. It is kind of creepy when they do that.

Labels: elections, Iowa GOP

The Republican National Committee is pulling its money out of
challenger races to shore up suddenly endangered incumbents, reports
the Politico. In 2006, veteran Republicans Gil Gutknecht in Minnesota,
Jim Leach in Iowa and Jim Ryun in Kansas suddenly found themselves in
tough reelection fights. By the time the party saw what was happening,
it was already too late. And this it is this year, as the GOP moves
resources.In Iowa, that's going to mean, if anything, Rep. Tom Latham,
who has a race on his hands in the 4th District against Becky
Greenwald. National Republicans don't have much invested in the other
races, and the Latham-Greenwald race is the only one in the state
that's on the national handicapper's lists (though still near the
bottom.)

Labels: Iowa GOP, U.S. House

It was the ticking time bomb that many people, including myself, had
hoped would detonate after the November 4th elections, not with three
weeks yet to go. Last week we saw our US Senate Candidate claim that
the Republican Party of Iowa is actively working against him, then on
Saturday David Hartsuch sent out a press release stating he was told
by the McCain campaign that he could not speak at Saturday's rally
because of some comments he made two years ago in support of
traditional marriage. I'll be honest with you, this is not a subject
that I enjoy writing about, but with the growing attention this story
is getting I guess I might as well jump in and give my take. Before we
delve into the latest saga concerning the Iowa GOP, I first want to
get a few things out of the way.

Labels: Iowa GOP, RPI

... Just now on WHO with Steve Deace, Reed had a firm, strong, articulate voice. He is out hitting the road, going it on his own and you STAB HIM IN THE BACK! Reed sees the road America is on to Socialism. He gets it! My already high opinion of Christopher Reed has just been elevated even more because he brought out into the open what the Iowa Brigade has already been posting about. The GOP leadership is not working FOR him! Now Iowa voters - where is your outrage, where is your financial support? Not only is Christopher at war with Tom Harkin, now he must battle with the GOP! On WHO/Deace Christopher Reed said he was being treated like he was running for dog catcher, that the GOP is out putting holes in his bucket. Disgusting.

Labels: Christopher_Reed, Iowa GOP, Tom_Harkin

With McCain trailing in the polls in Iowa by a fairly large margin,
Iowa Republicans need to get serious about this election. Even if you
still think of McCain as McCan't, he is at the top of the ticket and a
major loss by him will take other good Republicans down. We have great
Congressional candidates along with a very young and promising
Senatorial candidate in Chris Reed. We also have many die hard
conservative Iowa House and Senate candidates that need a strong
showing by McCain to win. We don't need McCain here to do it but we do
need Sarah Palin. She is our motivation this election cycle and with
her principles, conservatives can be proud to volunteer for their
candidates and county party organizations. I know we need to get the
conservatives in northwest Iowa ramped up.

Labels: Iowa GOP

Proposal breaks with Bush administration, Midwestern leaders ...
Republicans unanimously passed a platform on Monday that calls for the
federal government to end a mandate that gasoline contain a set amount
of ethanol, but Iowa Republicans say they oppose the proposal. Under
the agriculture section, the platform talks about food versus fuel
concerns and states that the "U.S. government should end mandates for
ethanol and let the free market work." The move is a major change from
the 2004 platform, which supported expanding the use of ethanol as a
way to reduce dependence on foreign oil and increase revenue for
farmers. It's also a move away from the Bush administration's views on
ethanol towards those of the presumptive Republican presidential
nominee, Sen. John McCain.

Labels: biofuel, Iowa GOP

It was a little difficult to enjoy the holiday weekend with a major
hurricane slamming the gulf coast once again. I don't know about you,
but from Saturday morning on I was having a bad case of deja vu,
fortunately Hurricane Gustav weakened, but it still did plenty of
damage to the gulf coast. With Gustav dominating the headlines, John
McCain and the Republicans wisely downgraded what was to be the start
of their convention. Unfortunately the liberals didn't see the need to
put politics aside due to a devastating storm, instead they created a
storm of their own by attacking the family of Sarah Palin. By Saturday
afternoon internet rumors that Governor Palin was not the mother of
Trig, her 5 month old son with Down syndrome, were running rampant.

Labels: Iowa GOP, Sarah_Palin

John McCain's decision to add Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to the GOP
ticket is enormously popular with members of the Iowa delegation here
at the Republican National Convention. Again and again, I've talked
to delegates who were only so-so on McCain's prospects just days ago
who are now fired up. Her background, her conservative credentials,
her guns, they love everything about her. Although they're still a
little uncertain how to pronounce her name. At this morning's
delegation breakfast I heard Paylin and Paulin and Peelin and Pulin.
Never mind that. What they know, they like. "I would walk on broken
glass to get this team elected," said Steve Scheffler, a GOP national
committee member, chairman of the delegation and the leader of the
Iowa Christian Alliance. He says Palin was his first choice for VP.

Labels: Iowa GOP, John_McCain, Sarah_Palin

We had the first meeting of the national platform committee yesterday
in preparation for next week's convention. I have been impressed with
our chairman Congressman Kevin McCarthy of California and our
co-chairman Senator Richard Burr of North Carolina. I have had a
chance to talk to delegates from all over the US and among the
highlights are the two sitting right next to me. One is a law
professor who in his spare time defends cities and states who are
trying to enforce immigration policies. The other is another lawyer
who works with a variety of well-known Christian organizations.
Yesterday was only the preliminary meetings but we have already
started up some good discussions. It will be interesting because we
only have two working days to complete the platform. Previous
conventions have taken as many as five.

Labels: Iowa GOP