State29 Eulogy

I wanted to take a brief time out to thank a fellow anonymous blogger for his service in the Iowa blogosphere. State29 and its no-prisoners approach to the issues of the day was the first stop on my morning trip around the blogosphere, and will be greatly missed by this blogger.

One has to wonder if he chose to hang it up after knowing that Ramona Cunningham was going to get her’s. Maybe he feels confident that Senator Grassley’s monkey bubble will never get built. Maybe he hooked up with Miss Hoosegow 2007 and is going to settle down and start a family. My guess is that he probably collected enough cans along the road side to purchase Lee Enterprises so he can see his musings in print.

Best wishes State29.

HK

Krusty's Breakfast Kasserole

Pearson for Governor?

Grant Young dished out a little scoop last Friday. In his “world exclusive” he said that Mark Pearson is a potential kandidate for Governor. G$’s scoop reminds me of the early days when I was all over Bob Dopf when Bob Dopf wasn’t kool (seriously, it’s a shame he didn’t win that primary).

Back to Pearson, I welcome new names and faces to the political scene here in Iowa, especially on the Republican side of things. While I find G$’s scoop on Pearson interesting, it actually creates more questions about the rest of the potential field.

While I do think it’s interesting that Pearson was at RPI’s Lincoln dinner, his tablemates were two other potential gubernatorial kandidates with agricultural backgrounds, Bruce Rastetter, and Bill Northey. Now I’m not about to speculate on the seriousness of each of these three potential kandidates, but one has to think that only one of them will actually run for office.

If Rastetter and Northey back Pearson he could be a formable kandidate, but far from a sure bet in what is to be a kontested primary.

What about Newt?

So I spent a lot of time in the klown kar this weekend and one of the things I thought about was potential VPs for John McCain. I’ll be really honest; I’m scared to death that he’s going to tab a guy like Sen. Joe Lieberman or Sen. Lindsey Graham. Neither excites me, and both pretty much would make me not vote for McCain. Yeah, I’m that guy. I don’t think there is any way that McCain nabs a guy that excites me like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, so that leads me to Newt.

Newt would bring some much needed konservative kred with him, but more importantly he kould help deliver his home state of Georgia and other southern states. I also think newt would help McCain in Iowa. While McCain has pretty much bypassed the state in his two presidential kampaigns, Newt has been all over the place.

So would Newt take the shotgun seat on the Republican ticket? Absolutely.

During the primaries Newt was the golden boy on Fox News, he received a ton of exposure. Now as the presidential races focuses on the general election Newt’s insight isn’t as interesting as Dick Morris and Karl Rove.

The one thing the McCain kampaign needs is an attack dog. Look at how valuable Dick Cheney is/was to GWB, when someone needed to go out and lay some smack about Al Gore or John Kerry, Cheney was the hit man. This is a role that Newt would excel in, if the McCain kampaign would let him or whoever the VP nominee is going to be.

Finally, I don’t think Newt has nothing to lose in being on the ticket if McCain wins or not. No matter the outcome, Newt would be well positioned for 2012 or 2016, which is exactly what he is looking for.

Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em

Today is the last day one can smoke at a restaurant or bar before Iowa’s smoking ban is instituted tomorrow. I’m sure we are going to hear a lot about this over the 4^th of July holiday but then the chatter will quiet down. I do have a feeling that we will see some interesting “patios” spring up at your local tap.

The Friday Focus: John McCain

Second Amendment

Like many Iowa conservatives the term lukewarm would be accurate in describing my support of John McCain. Most days he gets my support because he’s simply not Barack Obama. Yesterday however was one of those days were I felt good about supporting John McCain.

Shortly after the Supreme Court’s decision to reaffirm our 2nd Amendment Rights, John McCain came out firing saying that Chicago’s Gun Ban infringes on peoples basic rights. Talk about the perfect way for McCain to capitalize on the court’s decision. Obama fired back with “what works in Chicago may not work in Cheyenne.”

Obama said if elected president, he would uphold the rights of gun owners, really?
As McCain pointed out Obama was one of the few Senators who didn’t sign a bipartisan amicus brief supporting the ruling later issued by the Supreme Court. That should tell 2nd Amendment voters all they need to know about Obama.

Then there is his response to a 1996 Independent Voters of Illinois questionnaire where Obama indicated that he supported banning the “Manufacture, Sale and Possession of Handguns.”

Question from a 1996 Independent Voters of Illinois questionnaire: “Do you support state legislation to … ban the manufacture, sale and possession of handguns?” Obama’s answer: “Yes.” (Independent Voters Of Illinois Independent Precinct Organization 1996 General Candidate Questionnaire, Barack Obama Responses, 9/9/96)

Obama’s aides have said everything from saying he never filled out the survey to an aide filled it out, to the writing on it is not his. Excuse me while I have a Nussle flashback…

Obama spent yesterday afternoon sharing the same talking points as Nancy Pelosi, he isn’t a champion of the 2nd Amendment.

The McCain campaign did a great job of capitalizing on the Supreme Court’s decision and showing the American people the difference between him and Obama.

Iowa’s 1st… for the wrong reason.

Chris Cillizza (whose tombstone will say “To the Line”) has a list of the 10 most likely states are most likely to switch its presidential voting preference. Iowa wins the top spot. This is a great write up and a must read. Cillizza notes that one of the reasons McCain will struggle here is that McCain hasn’t invested much in his 2 caucus campaigns in the state. I don’t blame him for his actions in 2007, but his decision to stick it to Iowa in the 2000 campaign has haunted his campaign ever since.

Today’s Must Read

Cillizza just missed out to John Fund of the Wall Street Journal. Who writes a great column about McCain’s chances and why there is hope for Republican’s this fall.

The Second Amendment’s Big Day in Kourt

The Supreme Court will issue its ruling today on District of Columbia vs. Heller. The case marks the first time in almost 70 years that the Kourt has heard a Second Amendment case. The Heller case stems from the D.C. handgun ban that was overturned by the US Kourt of Appeals last year.

I’ll post the ruling when it komes down.

Its days like today when that really motivate me to support presidential kandidates who share my beliefs. I must admit it is a little scary to think what the Kourt would look like with a couple of Obama justices sitting on there. Heck for all we know it would probably be Michelle Obama or Hillary Clinton.

The Court affirmed the US Court of Appeals decision by a 5-4 decision.

Breyer, Stevens, Souter, and Ginsburg all voting dissenting. What the heck are they thinking? This is a pretty fundamental rights issue to be a 5-4 decision.

The Second Amendment protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.

There is no Rainy Day Fund

From the Register:

Some say the decision is a no-win for lawmakers. If they use the money, they might have to break promises or raise taxes to pay for the estimated $500 million built into future budgets as planned additional expenses. Those promises include 4 percent allowable growth for school aid, as well as more money for Medicaid.

Here’s a thought:

Make it against the law for the legislature and governor to dip into the Rainy Day Fund, the Senior Living Trust Fund, and the State’s Infrastructure Fund. Being an elected official isn’t just eating free ice cream sundaes in the cafeteria, you’re elected to make tough decisions. So we either need to make it illegal to touch these funds in non-emergency situations, or spend all $620 million so they can’t play these games next year.

Iowa’s balanced budget law is worthless if we allow our elected officials to cook the books by dipping into these funds. It’s no different than the Social Security mess on the national level. It’s just a matter of time before your screwed.

Sorry for the inactivity this morning.

89 swings
6 empty kans
2 dogs
1 ball MIA

King questions McClellan

Jane Norman has some interesting insight from the House Judiciary Kommittee in regards to the “tell all” book from Scott McClellan. She writes about the exchange between McClellan and Kongressman Steve King. Now I’m sure the liberals will take one of King’s questions and turn it on him like they always do, but King brings up an interesting point that I don’t think has been raised thus far in the McClellan debate.

"And what is your advice to your successor secretaries, White House press secretaries, as to how they should handle themselves, and how a president might want to handle them?" King asked McClellan.

"There's two parts to this question. What would you say to the succeeding secretaries on at what point they should step up and tell the world, in the middle of their job perhaps? And how will the president handle this from this point?

A great question, from a great Kongressman.

I believe McClellan’s book will have a huge impact on how future administrations deal with their spokes person. The White House Press Secretary’s job is already komplicated as to the amount of information the administration provides them as it is imperative that a person in a position like McClellan maintain some level of plausible deniability. I know Senator Obama would lead us to believe that everything in our government should be out in the open but that’s simply not practical.

I tend to agree with where King was going with his questions. Will future press secretaries be given information on a need to know basis? If a president is konstantly worried that the person kould quit and write a tell all book (for profit mind you), how does his administration deal with this person?

McClellan’s book is going to kreate a larger disconnect between government and the people its trying to serve and protect, and make him a few bucks.

Monday Hodgepodge

A few things to get your week started.

1. Who’s to blame for America’s energy crisis? Find the answer here. Democrats have stood in the way of America being energy independent since the 70’s. Can Americans hope to see lower energy costs under Obama? Nope, just more of the same. The above link is today’s must read.
   
   
2. The Justices of the Supreme Court are meeting as I write this. The top question on this conservatives mind is how they end up ruling on District of Columbia v. Heller. It is the first ruling on the 2^nd Amendment since 1939. And after the ruling last week that gave foreign terrorism suspects held at Guantanamo Bay constitutional rights, I’m a little nervous.
   
   
3. Krazy Democrat Watch: Congressman Dave Loebsack was obviously focused on his consitiuents when President Bush visited Cedar Rapids last week. Here is a little blurb from the New York Times about Loebsack:

“So far, so good,” he said, clutching his packet of giveaways from Air Force One, including M&M candies in boxes that bear the presidential seal. But, fresh from the president’s hospitality, the congressman demurred on the question of whether Mr. Bush’s visit to his district could repair the damage done by Hurricane Katrina.”

Really, he’s grabbing free M&M’s? At least Sen. Wally Horn would have said “Show is Democrats the Money.” This is just embarrassing.

Culver should fire Patrick Dillon for his comments about John McCain

Outside of the comments made by Wally Horn (Iowa’s version of Ray Nagin) and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal’s (Iowa’s version of Kathleen Blanco) opportunistic push to raise taxes and have the state spend it self into dept, I have been impressed with out leaders at the state, local and national level.

The federal government’s response has been much better than Katrina. There is no doubt in my mind that Iowa is benefiting from Jim Nussle's position as the OMB Director and his closeness to the President in this great time of need. Governor Culver has stepped up, and Senators Grassley and Harkin have preformed well.

Unfortunately, my opinion was changed when Governor Culver’s office released to the media that John McCain disregarded Culver’s request to stay away from the flooded communities. Culver's office felt local law enforcement would be pulled away from the flood recovery effort to provide security for the McCain visit.

I’ll be really honest here. I don’t have a problem with Culver’s office advising McCain to stay away, but I think it was extremely distasteful for his Chief of Staff, Patrick Dillion, to go to the press with the story after McCain’s visit. What good does such an action accomplish? It simply stinks of politics.

My source on the ground, who was handling the media aspect of the visit, said that McCain well received in Columbus Junction yesterday. The mayor, city council members, business owners and residents all appreciated McCain’s visit and didn’t seem put out at all.

I also think its ironic when I read Dillon’s comments that local law enforcement being pulled away from flood recovery, but then I see pictures of Mari Culver in the entourage with President Bush. Was Mari serving in an official capacity and needed to travel with the president, or did she just want to ride in Marine One?

I have also been told that none of the Republican legislators were contacted by the Governors office regarding the Presidents visit, but Democrat legislators Tyler Olson and Art Staed were both present. Oh, I forgot as my friend Wally “Ray” Horn says, “These are good loyal Democrats, and they need our help” so why would a legislator like Kraig Paulsen (yes he really spells it with a K) be included, I mean he only represents the large rural area around Cedar Rapids that has seen extensive damage.

I’m sure Wally “Ray” Horn and Mike “Blanco” Gronstal were upset that Air Force One didn’t just fly over and drop a pallet full of cash on Wally’s lawn. Instead President Bush actually showed that he cares about the people affected, just look at the pictures.

I thought yesterday was a great day here in Iowa. The President, Homeland Security Secretary, the OMB director, and a Presidential candidate all took the time to walk amongst those who have suffered from these floods and talk to them one on one about their concerns and needs. Unfortunately, the political hacks in the Governors office felt the need to take a swipe at a Presidential candidate for showing he cares about Iowans.

I have a quick question for these punks. Are you going to reprimand Specialist Curtis White and Daniele Ritter who got married yesterday in Columbus Junction? The Mayor walked her down the isle, people from the town gathered to witness the event, and oh my God, I bet they prayed to boot.

I would argue that the wedding in Columbus Junction was a bigger distraction than McCain’s visit there. I’m also willing to bet that the people in Columbus Junction appreciated both distractions yesterday after what they have been going through.

Get a life Dillon. Oh I forgot to add that his wife was recently hired as battleground states director for the Obama campaign. Dillon should be fired for playing politics in a time of crisis in Iowa.

State Sen. Wally Horn Needs to Shut Up

I wrote earlier that, in all this media koverage of the flooding, I’ve been impressed (i.e. pleasantly surprised) that Gov. Chet has not embarrassed Iowans. He hasn’t sounded stupid, partisan, or greedy.

The same kannot be said of State Sen. Wally Horn of Cedar Rapids.

I’ve reported on Wally’s antics during a legislative konference call, during which he stated several times regarding his konstituents in Cedar Rapids, “These are good loyal Democrats, and they need our help.” Apparently Wally is going to be standing at the front of the assistance lines checking people’s voter registration kards.

And now he’s at it again.

Pres. Bush is visiting Cedar Rapids today, and there have been several quotes in the news from various elected official representing the flood-ravages areas regarding what these official will need in terms of help from the federal government.

Cedar Rapids Mayor Kay Halloran said she had a list of requests, including a temporary waiver of the requirement for state and local matching funds for federal aid, and dumpsters to help with the klean up.

What about other elected officials?

State Rep. Kraig Paulsen, representing devastated Linn County areas such as Palo, likened the extent of the damage to Hurricane Katrina and urged Bush to be resolute about delivering aid. "It's hard to come up with words that reflect the true magnitude of what's happened," said Paulsen, a Hiawatha Republican.

And what about our dear friend Wally?

"We want to see [Pres. Bush] say something deeper like, 'We will have money for this.’ I want to hear how many million or billions we can have to get this going."

And we all kollectively kringe.

Of kourse we are going to need money from the federal government, and our leaders need to not be afraid to ask for it, but generally you explain exactly what it is you need help with, and you explain why you need it. You don’t just go to the media and demand “millions or billions.”

Hey Wally, are you sure we need millions or billions? Have you taken into account the discounted tab, you know the one that excludes any help for Republicans in Cedar Rapids? After all, we all know Wally only kares about helping the “good, loyal Democrats.”

Recovery: Real Leadership and Visionaries needed.

We all know that the floods of 2008 will have an impact on Iowa long after the waters subside and the klean up is komplete.

The Iowa blogosphere is full of kommentary about the komments made by Governor Culver and Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal calling for a special session to appropriate relief funds with the possibility of going into debt.

David Yepsen realized that he might actually have to write some original kontent and proposed that Iowa should create a $1 billion dollar public works program, thus making the state taking on some massive debt.

I guess I want to take a different approach today. I have my thoughts on the above topics, and I’ll try to get to those, but I think Iowans need to hear the kold hard truth when it comes to the budgeting practices of our state. So who should we turn to? That’s right the Tax Payers' Watchdog, Auditor Dave Vaudt.

At the end of May, Auditor Vaudt released his review of the 2009 budget. It's something our elected officials need to be looking at now more than ever. Here is the key part as it pertains to the recent floods.

Rainy Day Funds Provide False Sense of Security

“With $620 million sitting in the “Rainy Day” funds, it’s easy to get a false sense of security,” Auditor Vaudt cautioned. Considering the $569.3 million spending gap built into the Fiscal Year 2010 budget, even a small revenue shortfall could wipe out the “Rainy Day” funds in just one year, Auditor Vaudt warned. “With a looming threat of recession, such a scenario is increasingly likely.”

The gist of what Vaudt is saying is simple. For the past few years, state revenues have grown at a decent clip. However our elected officials still spend more money then the state takes in. While Iowa has a balanced budget law, the legislators and the Governor get around it by shifting the financial burden to the next fiscal year and by raiding our other funds to balance the books.

The floods and a weakening economy have made Vaudt’s worst case scenario a reality. We now have a real need for our emergency Rainy Day Fund, but next year's legislative session, or any special session for that matter, already have to contend with a $569.3 million deficit before they pass one piece of legislation. To think that state revenues will grow next year by 5 or 12% is ludicrous. The downtown of Iowa’s 2^nd largest city was wiped out, and farmers are looking at the worse krops they have had in years.

So what should we do? It will be difficult to do, but we need a little patience (just for you Grant). The last thing we need is a Katrina type response where federal dollars were wasted. It would be even worse and cause a much larger impact to the financial health of the state if we just throw money at the problem like politicians tend to do under these circumstances.

In the1993 flood, the state only spent around $14.9 million of the total $1.4 billion that was spent on flood relief. Gronstal and Culver made it sound as if they would wipe out the $620 million in the Rainy Day Fund then borrow more. We obviously need to know what the federal government is going to pay for, and then the state should figure out what it needs to do.

So what do we need to do?

Rep. Hershel Krustofski would want to have an open and honest konversation about giving federal and state funds to people wanting to rebuild in a flood plain. This would be extremely emotional as it deals with one's home and property, but I don’t think it’s in the tax payer’s best interest to give someone assistance when there is a possibility that the same type of damage kould occur again.

Rep. Hershel Krustofski also would be supportive of a massive infrastructure project as long as it’s a statewide initiative. Not only do the areas which flooded need attention, but I thought the closure of I-80 made it clear that Highway 30 in eastern Iowa needs to be completed as does Highway 20 in western Iowa. The one thing that legislators must not do is increase taxes on Iowans; such a move would be devastating on our economy.

In regards to the flooded area, we need to find a way to spur business growth and development. If you are a business in downtown Cedar Rapids are you thinking about relocating? I would be. We need to make sure these businesses stay in Iowa, but we also need to encourage them to stay in their local kommunities. It seems like now might be a good time to look at corporate income taxes here in Iowa.

Our elected officials need to look at this crisis as an opportunity to focus on the long term financial health and safety of our state.

1. They must end the budgeting games that put our state at risk in times of great need.
   
   
2. They must focus on creating a better business climate here in Iowa to retain and help grow existing Iowa businesses, while encouraging out of state companies to locate here.
   
   
3. They need to find a way to invest in infrastructure all across the state in a way that doesn’t increase taxes at the pump or on pay day.

This is the time for real leadership; this is the time for a real visionaries to step up and lead Iowa into the future.

Sen. Wally Horn is only koncerned for Democrat Flood Victims

The Governor’s office has been hosting konference kalls every kouple of days, for Lt. Governor Patty Judge to update Legislators on the flood situation across the state. Yesterday Sen. Wally Horn interrupted Patty by screaming “These are good loyal Democrats, and they need our help.” He repeated that statement several time during the call, but only the first time did he interrupt the Lt. Governor to say it

Horn’s Senate District kovers the downtown and the area to the south of the Cedar River. I understand that this is a difficult time, heck yesterday we were all shocked to see a picture of a state trooper with his sidearm drawn and aimed at the occupant of a pickup. Apparently the man wanted to get his pets from his flood ravaged home. This is a time for people like Senator Horn to step up and provide leadership. Unfortunately it seems that Sen. Wally Horn isn’t up for the challenge.

I’m insulted when I hear “These are good loyal Democrats, and they need our help” from one of our elected officials.

Wally, I’m sure your district has a heavy Democrat advantage in voter registration, but I don’t care in they’re Democrats, Republicans, or Krazy Ron Pauk kooks, they all need our help and assistance.

Five Worth Fighting For

I’ve been involved in plenty konversations about the state of the Republican Party here in Iowa. Sure, there are things that need changed, but in all of those konversations with various people I always walk away with the same thought, Republicans can win in November if they are disciplined and focused.

Under Democrat control the size of the state government has increased 20% in just the last two years. Democrats gutted Iowa’s voting laws, granted special rights to people based on sexual behavior, they raised taxes, increased fees, and wrestled away kontrol of Iowan’s schools, towns, and counties for locally elected officials and empowered bureaucrats in Des Moines. Folks that’s what they accomplished, just think what they would do if re-elected.

While some say think all is lost and want to burn down and rebuild RPI’s infrastructure with new leadership less than 6 months out of the November Elections, I choose to stand up and fight for the kandidates that have put their names on the ballot. I don’t care what the odds are, these kandidates deserve our support.

I have no idea what a little blog like this can do, but I’m writing today to challenge all of you arm-chair political operatives who like chime in on the state of things here in Iowa. It is time to put your money and talent where your mouth is.

Krusty’s Five Worth Fighting For

1. Danny Carroll HD 75- Danny was first elected to public office in 1984 as a member of the Poweshiek County Board of Supervisors. He served in that position for ten years and was then elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 1994. He held that office through 2006 when unfortunately he was defeated. Danny is running this year in the race for House District 75 in an attempt to reclaim the seat he lost in 2006

Danny was targeted by a gentleman named Tim Gill, a Colorado technology mogul, who’s main goal is to oppose traditional family values at the state and national levels. If you don’t think Mr. Gill will factor in this election cycle think again, he has already made a very sizeable contribution to the Iowa Democrat Party. Now making large personal contributions is now how he operates, he a bundler, he gets a bunch of his liberal pro-homosexual friends together to make contributions to candidates who are running against people who support traditional family values.

So if you’re a social conservative that doesn’t feel like they have a home with McCain, help Danny out by volunteering a day to help his campaign or if you can throw a little cash his way may making a contribution. Are you fine with letting Tim Gill, from Colorado, have more influence over a State House election than you? Take a stand, donate today.

If you want to mail a kontribution send it to:

The Carroll Committee
244 400th Ave
Grinnell, IA 50112

2. Ross Paustian HD 84 – Ross is a 5^th generation crop and livestock farmer from Scott County. I think one might be surprised on how few farmers make up the Iowa General Assembly. Ross has served as President of the Scott County Farm Bureau and the Scott County Pork Producers.

HD 84 is rural Scott County where his background as a farmer should help him compared to his opponent who I heard actually lives in Des Moines and was a paid Obama staffer. Simply put I think the district would be better served by a farmer than a political operative.

You can kontribute to Ross’s kampaign by klicking here or you can mail a kontribution to:

Paistian for State House
22225 70th Avenue
Walcott, IA 52773

3. Renee Schulte HD 37 - Renee is an adjunct professor of psychology at Mount Mercy
College in Cedar Rapids. She earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and a master's degree in counseling and educational psychology from New Mexico State University.

Renee serves on several boards focused on helping women and families. She has also been a licensed foster parent and worked as a family therapist for Four Oaks. Renee is a member of the Professional Womens Network and operates her own Mary Kay business.

If Renee’s name sounds familiar it should, she ran for the State Senate in 2006. Renee is a tireless campaigner and a loyal Krustacean to boot. HD 37 was serverly damaged by the recent floods for our prayers go out to all the good folks over there.

You can kontribute to Renee’s kampaign by klicking here or you can mail a kontribution to:

Concerned Taxpayers for Renee Schulte
1734 Chestnut Lane NE
Cedar Rapids, IA 52402

4. Scott Belt HD 100 – Scott is currently serving the people in HD 100 on the Council Bluffs City Council, a position that he has held for the last 10 years. To say that Scott is involved in his community would be an understatement. He serves on the MidAmerica Boy Scott Council board of directors, MICAH House homeless shelter board, SWI Family Services board, Iowa Western community College Alumni board, Chair of the United Way of the Midlands Campaign, and the Council Bluffs Parks and Recreation board.

It’s obvious that Scott has given a lot to his community, so let’s bring Scott’s leadership to the Iowa House. You kan kontribute to Scott’s kampaign by mail at the following address:

Committee to Elect Scott Belt
1447 Madison Ave
Council Bluffs, IA 51503

5. Carlin Hageman HD 19 – Carlin is a speech professor at UNI. He and his wife Elisabeth have lived in Cedar Falls for 26 years. Carlin has a doctorate in speech pathology and teaches in the Communications Sciences and Disorders department.

Much like HD 37, district 19 has also been struck with flooding, so our thoughts and prayers are sent to them as well. Black Hawk County has been fertile ground in electing new members to the Iowa House. Two years ago Tami Wiencek knocked off an entrenched incumbent Don Schultz. Carlin’s district has a much more favorable voter registration than Wiencek’s. You kan kontribute to Carlin’s kampaign by mail at the following address:

Hageman for State House
2931 Abraham Drive
Cedar Falls, IA 50613

Now for me the math is pretty simple.

All 38 Republican House incumbents win. Most of these guys faced the toughest elections of their kareers in 2006 and survived. I think this is a pretty safe assumption, and before Kay, Dave, Mike start squawking about the huge voter registration advantage by the Democrats, I’ve looked at the numbers last month and there is nothing got these incumbents need to worry about as long as they work hard and stay out of trouble.

Add in 8 of the 9 Republican open seats, which the voter registration numbers also are favorable to Republicans.

Then knock off one Democrat open seat.

And then we need to beat 4 sitting Democrats to get to 51. I believe the 5 kandidates above represent our best chance, but there are additional kandidates with favorable districts that kould also swing our way.

I know this post is long, but there is a lot out there to fight for, and an awful lot on the line. So if your not talking about helping get folks like these elected, your not on my side, in fact you’re the enemy. I’m not about to sit through another 2 year span like we just did and watch my tax bill go through the roof, while kompanies like Winnebago klose plants because our business environment sucks and the kurrent leadership isn’t about to do anything about it.

Give your time, your talents, and what you can so that we can stop Chet Culver and his out-of-control liberal kronies.

The Last Battle for Traditional America

For those who regular readers of this blog (Krustaceans), you know firsthand on that I am troubled that the word conservative doesn’t mean anything anymore. The word has been hijacked and basically means Republican. I mean, how else can Rudy Giuliani and Steve King both be konservatives?

Unfortunately, we are not just fighting an internal battle to define conservatism, but the left is mounting a huge army that could crush traditional America if we don’t respond.

Konsider the following:

• The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and the AFL-CIO are planning to spend record amounts of money in this falls elections. The SEIU will spend $85 million this election cycle, more than it has during any similar two-year period in history, while the AFL-CIO has budgeted $53.4 million for political activity this cycle, a $5 million increase over 2004.

• MoveOn.org will raise and spend about $35 million.

• The Sierra Club has organized 450 groups across the country and claims to have 5,000 volunteers spread across 10 battleground states including Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Virginia.

• NARAL Pro-Choice America has budgeted $10 million for the presidential and congressional races.

• Of the 10 independent groups that have spent the most this year on television advertising in the presidential campaign, eight are liberal, according to a new report by the Wisconsin Advertising Project, a nonpartisan academic study.

The information above is from The Hill Newspaper.

The Iowa and National the Republican Party is bogged down with internal bickering. I know that some think that now is the time to make massive internal changes to help right the ship. I worry that far too much damage could be done if we don’t focus on the races here in Iowa where we have a shot at victory.

So what should we be doing?

We need to help those State House AND State Senate kandidates who are solid on our issues. We need new blood in the Senate and there are some excellent kandidates running like Kim Reynolds. In the House we are just a few seats (5) from taking back control, and there are great candidates to help.

In addition to those state kandidates, we also need to help our top of the ticket guys and gals like McCain, Reed and Miller-Meeks. All there of whom are Veterans and offer a nice contrast to their opponents.

I understand the need for internal change, but folks, this may be our last stand, and I’m not going down without a fight.

Who Will Meet the Press?

There is breaking news this afternoon that Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert has passed away. Whether you liked him or not, Tim Russert was an institution in the world of political news. Though everyone has their biases (as did Russert, who was a Democratic political operative before going into journalism), I felt that you kould pretty much always kount on Russert to give a good, tough interview, which kan’t be said of most reporters. Kondolences to his friends and family

I’m koncerned about who might replace Russert. The only other NBC political reporter that immediately komes to mind is David Gregory, who appears to be a hugely biased, pompous, arrogant, well, you fill in the blank.

These are big shoes to fill, and I think NBC will have a hard time finding someone who is up to the task.

Eichhorn Koncedes

Kongratulations to Chris Reed, our US Senate Kandidate

Reflection

With the extreme flooding occurring all across the state, and with the tragic loss of four more lives at a Boy Scout camp as a result of tornados last night, it’s a little hard to blog about anything else right now.

Tragedies like this really put things into perspective. It makes a lot of our everyday concerns and even our political squabbles seem irrelevant and petty.

It does highlight the need to have strong and effective leaders in our government who can ensure that we are as prepared as possible for unexpected catastrophes such as these. As I was surfing the net this morning looking for news on the weather situation, I came across Chet Culver’s interview on the Today Show with Ann Curry.

I have to admit, the first thing that came through my mind was, “Dear lord, please don’t embarrass us on national television.” But I have to say, the Big Lug came through. He didn’t sound stupid, and the emotional drain all this is taking on him (and most Iowans) was evident. I do find it a little funny that whenever he gives interviews on disaster issues, no matter what the temperature and humidity, he wears that military-style green jacket. But, I guess if that’s the worst I can say about him right now, he’s not doing too bad.

Here’s some statistics for you. Over the last few weeks, approximately 15 Iowans are dead as a result of tornados and severe weather. 54 of our 99 counties have been declared disaster areas. All 9 major rivers in Iowa are at or above flood stage.

We need to:

1. Pray for those in need, and

2. Do what we can to help.

I’m Kurious, George

Are you going to call for a recount or not? Yesterday after the kanvass Christopher Reed, had 24,916 votes, Eichhorn had 24,392 votes and marathon kampaigner Steve Rathje of finished with 21,106 votes.

The question now is will Eichhorn call for a recount and prevent Reed from using the State Convention this Saturday to rally support for his campaign. Also of note I have received a handful of emails claiming that Christopher Reed is not on the agenda to speak at the state convention, I’m sure it’s a typo, especially if Eichhorn doesn’t ask for a recount.

While I respect that Eichhorn has every right to ask for the recount the best outcome that he kould get would be for it to go to konvention, another battle that he would lose. While Eichhorn had the endorsement of many current and former legislators, its klear that the konservative activist went to Reed, those are also the folks that attend konventions.

Krusty’s advice for the day: Eichhorn should hang’em up and encourage his supporters to rally behind Reed pre-konvention.

Krusty’s Ark

I bought some 2x4’s and started slapping it together, unlike Noah I’m not taking any liberals. Seriously, there are a lot of people who need help in dealing with the Iowa Floods, especially with more rain in the forecast today. Maybe it’s an elderly neighbor with water in the basement, or an entire community building a 2 mile long sandbag wall like the one built in Johnston yesterday. If you can, please help.

Flood Media Koverage

The kverage of the floods has been great. However I heard on the radio and saw a story on TV last night telling people they don’t need to stock up on bottled water because the Des Moines Water Works in fine. Shouldn’t we be supportive of people taking care of themselves and not depending on government? What’s the worse that could happen; they might end up with 6 cases of bottled water in the house. Oh the tragedy!

National Kommitteewoman Endorsement: Sandy Greiner

This Saturday Iowa Republicans will elect a new National Kommitteewoman at the state konvention. The two main candidates are State Representative Sandy Greiner, and Iowa Right to Life President Kim Lehman.

For me the choice is simple, there is only ONE Krustacean in the race and that’s Sandy Greiner. As an avid reader of this blog, I’m confident that she is prepared to represent Iowa Republicans on a national level.

Now this is really nothing to joke about. Our National Kommitteewoman will be one of the few voices defending Iowa’s First in the Nation status. Now I was able to get my hands on both Sandy’s and Kim’s letters, below is the main point each make.

Sandy Greiner

“One of the greatest challenges Iowa will face in the future is protecting our “First in the Nation” Caucus status. It will be the responsibility of the Iowa National Committeeman and the Iowa National Committeewoman to see that Iowa’s interests are voiced clearly and concisely when those decisions are made.

Iowa’s Caucus status is not only the responsibility of our Committee people. Equally important will be the effort to rebuild our party in order to regain Majorities in the Legislature and Congress, as well as reclaiming Terrace Hill.”

Kim Lehman

“The most important job for the National Committeeman and National Committeewoman is to represent Iowa and maintain our position as first in the nation. Being first in the nation is a long tradition and very important to Iowa politics. The Nation looks to us to kick off the presidential election cycle, a role that has become our identity.”

Both of these letters are fine, but I think Sandy’s experience as a legislator in invaluable for this position. She also has served on the National Rules Kommittee, and served as the National Rules Kommittee Secretary at the 2004 National Convention. Again, Sandy brings some very solid and important kredentials to bring to the table.

In Kim Lehman’s letter she states “that leaders should keep these priorities: God, Family, Country, Republican Party.” She then goes on to say, “I strongly believe that if we do this, the role of government would be reduced and the social issues we struggle over would be resolved.”

Now I don’t disagree with her, but the position of National Kommitteewoman is a highly political one. I don’t get the sense from her letter that she understands how badly other states want to strip away our First in the Nation status.

What people need to understand is that Iowa should go first not just because it’s been that way for a long time, but because we take our privileged status very seriously and do it well. I’m konvinced that Iowa and New Hampshire are the only states that can really give any candidate a real shot. If the nomination process began in Ohio or Michigan the candidates with a huge bank role would be the only ones able to compete.

I know a lot of people think John McCain hates the Iowa Caucuses. He should be very thankful for them. It was the Iowa Caucuses which allowed an underdog like Huckabee to take root and grow while his initial campaign crumbled. Huckabee provided McCain cover and gave him some precious time to rebuild and capitalize on New Hampshire, another small state.

On the other hand if the first state was a larger one with multiple media markets, or if there were a cluster of states that kicked off the process McCain would have been DOA. I think it’s important to tell people why Iowa and New Hampshire are good at what they do, and why their status should continue.

Back to the National Committeewoman race. Kim is a very nice lady, and give her Krusty Kudos for the work she does with Iowa Right to Life. Sandy Greiner (who is also Pro-Life and was one hell of a legislator) knows how to operate in a highly political environment, and has the experience necessary to represent Iowa Republicans from day one, and help protect our First in the Nation Status.

Sporer’s Battle Kry?

This weekend Polk Kounty GOP Chair and former State Central Kommittee member Ted Sporer wrote a post entitled Unity for real change in a time of real change, on his blog The Real Sporer. To say the least it’s a very interesting read, and I agree with many of the points he brings up. I think it’s an indicator as to the fireworks that will take place at the state konvention.

While as a blogger I love turmoil and heated conventions, but if I were a Republican kandidate for any office in this state, I would be pissed. The Republican state konvention should be a place where we unite behind our candidates as we enter the summer and fall. Unfortunately, it seems that this convention is instead going to air more dirty laundry and expose some of the inner battles taking place with in the Republican Party here in Iowa.

What I don’t understand is why the power struggle over who controls the State Party here in Iowa? To be honest it’s like a bunch of grade school kids arguing over a candy bar wrapper, it’s worthless.

I agree with Sporer that some major changes need to take place with the State Party, but we have elections to win. While some want to write things off right now, I doubt the state house guys want to throw in the towel. The same can be said for a few state senate races. While the majority might be out of reach, we need add some solid building blocks this year in that chamber. Also, as you know we have one kongressional race that could be very interesting between Loebsack and Dr. Miller-Meeks. What does a konvention filled with fireworks get these candidates? Nothing.

The first step in fixing the Republican Party in Iowa is to understand that its main problem can not be fixed by whoever is the Chair or Executive Director. The problem goes much deeper; in fact I would argue that the main problem is in its overall structure. That’s something that will be very difficult to fix there are some entities within the Party that will be very reluctant to make any changes. I have a few ideas; I would never claim that they are the right answers though. Maybe I’ll write about them in November, AFTER the elections as I think we all have to our best with what we have.

National Conference for Media Reform Day 3

That's all, folks: Today marks the conclusion of the National Conference for Media Reform.

According to FreePress, Rupert Murdoch "sicced his favorite henchman" Bill O'Reilly on the conference in an effort to discredit them. Having spent the past three days with these people, I feel uniquely qualified to say they discredit themselves if you give them five minutes. None of the attendees I talked to could string together a coherent argument about anything. Hiding behind their "9-11 Was An Inside Job" T-shirts and "Impeach Bush" buttons, these "activists" are worse than the talking heads they love to hate—funny how the only ones mentioned this weekend were O'Reilly, Lou Dobbs, and Glenn Beck, no? The attendees I talked to or overheard have nothing but sound bites.

I walked into the Convention Center Friday morning with my ears open and my camera ready. I wanted to understand the mission of the Media Justice movement, as they call themselves. Three days later, that mission remains a mystery. My complimentary tote bag's slogan sums up their vague sentiment: "Reform Media. Transform Democracy."

36 hours into the conference, during Saturday's keynote, FreePress chairman (and Columbia U. law prof) Tim Wu finally offered a thesis statement: the problems, he said, are media consolidation and Internet freedom. The abuse of private power correlates into control of what can go on the Net or the airwaves. Just when I thought he might illustrate a point or offer a strategy, he stopped speaking to welcome "visual artist" Shá Cage onstage. Regarding Shá's act, I can say one thing: I respect her one smidgeon more than I do subsequent speaker Silvia Rivera of Chicago's Radio Arte, who led the audience in screaming "Si, se peude."

At this point in the evening Arianna Huffington was a welcome change. (That statement alone should give you all the perspective in the world.) Huffington enlightened the audience with three facts: (1) "The mainstream media are in love with John McCain." (2) "McCain is not fit to carry sharp scissors, much less be president." (3) "McCain is a Trojan horse." Huffington's less-than-logical rhetoric echoed every other speaker at the keynote, including FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, Sen. Byron Dorgon (D-ND), and Dan Rathers himself.

At this point my computer battery was dying along with my soul. I departed the Convention Center hoping to make sense of the day's events. So far no luck. But I'll keep you posted.

National Conference for Media Reform Day 2

According to FreePress, former LBJ press secretary Bill Moyers is "one of the few remaining great journalists of our times." In light of the fact that he has used taxpayer-funded public broadcasting to encourage the impeachment of Bush and Cheney, Moyers denies public broadcasting has any hint of liberal activism.

Moyers says "the voice of public broadcasting has become a small whisper. . . public broadcasting has little to work with." Tell that to the Americans who are funding the $15 million a year the "Independent" Television Service receives. (See the Media Research Center's full report here)

Using the term "learned" rather broadly, I will list the other things I learned from Moyers this morning:

-the "great journalism of American history has never been partisan"

-his son William Cope Moyers has written a book

-Moyers himself has written a book

-capitalism is really, really bad

-Moyers and son will be in the Exhibit Hall to sell and sign their books right after this speech

-Rupert Murdoch has a secret weapon

-that secret weapon? MySpace.com

-a journalist's primary duty is to keep journalism "an open and non-discriminatory medium"

-the private market is bad

-the stock market is bad

-coal mining is bad

-Edward Murrow is good

-capitalism "breeds great destruction and inequality"

One statement that actually made me pause the Hannity podcast I'd been listening to is the following:

"It is up to you to fight for the one freedom that makes all other freedoms possible."

To those of you with the fortune of never having been sent into the lion's den: no opening prayer, Pledge of Allegiance, or tribute to our Armed Forces is heard at a leftist gathering. Freedom is rarely mentioned. When Moyers said the above statement, I tensed, ready to be surprised by a quick statement of gratitude to our troops. Surely he wasn't describing the mission of the 3,500 (according to FreePress) people surrounding me in the conference hall as a fight for freedom.

But he was. A bit later he said, "with truth in journalism thousands of American lives could have been saved." So there you have it: Journalists and bloggers are fighting for the lives of our troops. Journalists and bloggers are in a struggle where the freedom that makes all other freedoms possible is at stake.

Silly konservatives: we've had it backwards this whole time.

Krusty Konservative at the National Conference for Media Reform

That’s right, this konservative has sent a trusted korrespondent into the belly of the beast armed with nothing more than a Pac-Man lunch box and a lap top. With the liberals hanging out in the Twin Cities talking about media reform, I figure someone needs to shine a little light on these wackos.

When rational people hear the words "media reform" they think of mainstream media stepping back from the liberal kool-aid and better representing the views of mainstream America, right?

Not in Minneapolis, where this morning the National Conference for Media Reform commenced, uniting around 2,000 attendees who believe the mainstream media is nothing more than an extension of the Vast Right-Wing Conspiracy. The conference is presented by Free Press, "a national nonpartisan organization working to reform the media through education, organizing, and advocacy. . . promoting diverse media ownership, strong public media, and universal access to communications."

Does it surprise anyone, then, that the conference has the fingerprints of MoveOn.org all over it?

This humble korrespondent finds herself knee-deep in socialist propaganda in the middle of the Minneapolis Convention Center with the mission of spreading the truth about the people who'd have you believe CNN is an extension of our federal government.

First on the docket: Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress. To introduce Ellison, a clip of Glenn Beck interviewing him is shown in which Glenn Beck asks him to show he isn't a radical Muslim (starts at 0:52 of this clip). Ellison then begins his speech: "The fundamental block of democracy is informed citizens. . . and we can't be informed if all we have is that guy."

After mentioning how "sick" Reagan made him, and referring to talk radio as "hate radio," Ellison asks, "if you and I are not making more money, who is making it?" He calls on the upper class to subsidize universal healthcare; a claim which was repeated by almost all speakers at this media conference. Ellison, however, also calls for taxpayers to incentivize (which I'm guessing he thinks sounds better than "subsidize") community newspapers to encourage free speech. Interesting interpretation of the First Amendment, no?

I'm headed to the Mall of America tonight, hoping enough exposure to capitalism leaves me ready for tomorrow, which kicks off with Bill Moyers.

I’m afraid my trusted korrespondent will be sad when she finds out it’s not Kamp Snoopy anymore

Eichhorn threatens IPTV

Eichhorn threatens IPTV with court injunction to stop Iowa Press interview with Christopher Reed which is/was scheduled to take place late this afternoon. Eichhorn’s campaign alleges that the interview could unfairly influence votes at the GOP convention.

Mike Newell, the producer of Iowa Press said, “My point is that the election is over and that the results stand as is until the canvass is completed.” He also said that if the canvass shows Eichhorn the winner, he will be immediately invited for an Iowa Press taping.

Its going to be a long week before convention, and when/if Reed is the official nominee Eichhorn and his supporters need to make sure that there is unity behind our nominee. It is my fear that this will not happen. I wonder if it is legitimate to call for a recount before the canvass since it seems like that’s where we are headed anyway. Let’s make sure that on Father’s Day this is all behind us.

On a side note, could Jason Clayworth write a worse article in terms of structure? The Register should be embarrassed.

Latham v. Greenwald

It seems like our Liberal Democrat friends are excited about the Latham v. Greenwald race, so I thought I’d give Greenwald a quick glace today. On Tuesday, Greenwald captured over 50% of the vote in a 4 way primary.

My first impression is that her website is the most annoying thing I’ve ever klicked on. I don’t need the chimes every I open a new page. Look it was late last night when I visited the site and it scared the crap out of me. What else should you expect; Liberals are always loud and annoying.

Her website (yeah its so annoying I refuse to link to it) is very light on specifics when it comes to the issues she is running on. It should come to no surprise that she is opposed to No Child Left Behind, Wants to increase taxes on people who create jobs, wants to provide health care to every American, and is your classic Cut and Run Democrat in terms of a Pro-American foreign policy.

Greenwald has a tough battle ahead of her. It is obvious that the Dems have now realized that they can’t get King so they will focus their efforts on Latham. I think that is easier said than done. In 2006, you know that great year for Democrats, Latham broke 55%, which is something Boswell, Braley, or Loebsack were able to do. He is also sitting on a pile of cash. Now Braley and Loebsack were not incumbents in 2006, but Latham’s number is nothing to sneeze at.

I’m told that Latham is not taking this challenge lightly. He has a great kampaign team in place including my good friend Don McDowell. I’ll keep my eyes on this one. I’m sure Latham will have to do more than his Veteran ad from last cycle, but with the team he has in place, his big wins in ’04 and ’06, and the fact that he’s extremely likeable I’m confident of his reelection.

Primary Night Winners and Losers

IA CD 2 Winners & Losers:

IA CD 2 Winners:

Voters of the 2^nd District. They now have a stark contrast for November. One kandidate who kampaigned in 2006 as the “agent of change”, and who has become, over the last two years, an agent of Nancy Pelosi and the left wing Democrat Party. Voters also got in Miller-Meeks a candidate who can take the fight directly to Loebsack on ethics, health care, and energy. Given her long history with the University of Iowa, she will also attack Loebsack’s base from the Iowa City area, the area that gave him the edge over Leach in 2006.

The Republican Party of Iowa. For a party in desperate need of some new blood and a solid dose of re-branding, Miller-Meeks is just what the doctor ordered. Not recruited by the Party bosses, and in many cases, fighting their bias towards Teahen, Miller-Meeks drove the grassroots in 15 counties. Her volunteer operation was as good as anything we’ve seen since Steve King pulled off his upset victory. Like King, she did not come from the “major” area of the district, but was similarly unrelenting in her organizational efforts. Her team door knocked, lit dropped, called activists in volunteer phone banks, hosted numerous “house calls” where she met voters one-on-one, and did the hard work necessary to win a close race. Good news for the Party.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks. From the start of this campaign, Miller-Meeks maintained a dogged work ethic, a desire to talk substantively about the issues, to offer solutions, and to meet as many voters as she could. She traveled to each of the district’s counties at least 5 times, and used her website and the new media to drive her message. She never took anything for granted, knew she was an underdog, and always trusted her instincts and belief that she was going to win.

State Representative Jeff Kaufmann. Kaufmann showed his guts and maverick style by endorsing Miller-Meeks, and then putting his hard work where his endorsement was. He went to events with her, did endorsement kalls, offered the campaign team advice and kounsel, and worked with his leadership team to drive the grassroots. Kaufmann was true to himself and to his key issues, choosing to support a kandidate in whom he believed, not merely one he thought would win.

New Media: Repeated attempts to get the mainstream media interested in this race, i.e., the Cedar Rapids Gazette and Des Moines Register, appear to have gone for naught. Kudos to the new media of bloggers and online journalists who covered the race almost daily and picked up the slack from their MSM counterparts. Uncommon Iowan, Battleground Iowa, QCI, Coralville Courier, our liberal friend John Deeth, Iowa Independent and your truly led the coverage of this race. The MSM (with the exception of the Iowa City Press-Citizen and Ottumwa Courier) sat on their butts and were more worried about Fallon/Boswell (snoozer) and local supervisor races (total snoozers).

Eagle Media: I don’t know why it is, but too many kampaigns feel that, to get a great media vendor, you have to look outside the state of Iowa. I think this sentiment may exist because Victory Enterprises offers such low quality products in this department. Eagle Media’s ads were the best I’ve seen from an Iowa kandidate as far back as I can remember. When seeing the two ads they produced, you could tell they spent the time to know their client and present her in the best possible manner. The same can not be said about Teahen’s ads from VE.

Craig Robinson: The former Political Director of the Republican Party of Iowa didn’t spend anytime licking his wounds after being let go in February by newly elected State Chairman Stew Iverson. Robinson instead started his own political fundraising business and went to work for Miller-Meeks who was his first klient. Not only was she able to out raise her opponents, she won her primary. I’m also told that Robinson handled Jim Leach’s fundraising when he was with Capitol Resources, Iowa’s other fundraising firm.

The Miller-Meeks Grassroots Team: This group of people never bought in to the logic that the campaign would be decided in Linn County. When you look at the county totals in that race, you get an idea of the work they put into that kampaign. Of the 11 counties the Miller-Meeks kampaign won, they beat Teahen by 50 votes in one county, 100 votes in four counties, 200 votes in 2 counties, 300 votes in three kounties, and 700 votes in her home county of Wapello. I guess that’s how you negate Linn kounty. Hats off to Todd Versteegh, and the county chairs that made it happen. I don’t know the names of the county chairs, but obviously Wapello and Muscatine counties were key. And whoever cranked out the vote in Appanoose and Van Buren kounties should get a lot of satisfaction in the final result.

I also think that the Miller-Meeks' people in Linn kounty deserve a shout out. I know Todd Henderson and Joni Scotter we involved in the campaign. Both walked the difficult road of working against the hometown candidate. That is not an easy thing to do. While I’m sure they wanted a smaller margin for Teahen in Linn kounty, they got enough votes up there to make a win possible.

IA CD 2 Losers

Peter Teahen. His kredibility is shredded, shown to be full of factual holes and gross exaggerations. Several key items from his once much touted resume have been proven to be false, like his MA from Liberty University, his work in Oklahoma City, not to mention Darfur. He said he had the NRA endorsement. He did not. He said he had the IRTL endorsement. He did not. He has a pending FEC investigation for campaign finance problems, and probably sunk $75,000 of his own money into one of the most clumsy campaigns seen in Iowa’s history. His campaign boiled down to one week, county, one issue…the three “L’s.” (Last, Linn, Life) He should go back to his volunteer work and focus on his business and forget about ever being Secretary of State, or a Kongressman.

Bob Vander Plaats / Kim Lehman / ICA / Pro-Life / Single Issue Voters. Yeah, that’s a pretty big swipe at a lot of reliable conservatives, but man, guys, get a clue. On one hand, you had a mother of two, married for 25 years, strong pro-life Catholic, who donates and volunteers to crisis centers, whose daughter leads the abstinence program in her high school. On the other hand, you have a twice-divorced man who has supported some of the most liberal, pro-abortion Democrats imaginable.

Why did the above list support Teahen? Because he filled out a survey. He pandered and said all the right things. Her sin? She didn’t fill out the survey. Nor would she proselytize and talk about the life issue at EVERY single stop. So now what? Why does “the movement” run around and shoot those who walk the walk in favor of those who merely talk the talk? To have supported Teahen, either openly or behind the scenes, has moved the credibility of the pro-life, pro-family movement just one notch ahead of Peter Teahen’s credibility.

Cookie Kutter Kandidates / Generic Kampaigns in a Box: What else can I say. Single issue, wedge politics, daily robo-calls. Get over it. Those tactics are history. Every candidate is unique, and their campaigns must be unique, too. And that includes their advertising. The old “insert name here” advertising with stock footage just doesn’t cut it anymore.

Victory Enterprises: I know they seem to be everyone’s whipping boy in the Iowa Republican blogosphere, but they handled almost every aspect of Teahen’s campaign and were beaten in ever facet. Whether it was media ads, general consulting, or fundraising the products they provided, the Teahen campaign didn’t match up to what Miller-Meeks was putting out there.

DRAW:

David Tredrea. Out of nowhere, an Englishman opens up a can of whoop ass on his former fellow aid worker. Rather than answer any of the allegations made against him, Teahen starts maligning Tredrea’s character, saying he’s unstable and has issued threats against Teahen. Teahen indicates Tredrea has lost his wife, his job, and his home. Teahen indicates he’s gotten the police, the FBI, and SCOTLAND YARD involved protecting him, and that he has a restraining order against Tredrea. He talks to Party leaders and tells them that anyone who repeats the claims of Tredrea is putting his and his family’s LIFE IN DANGER.

However, he offers not a single wit of proof to back any of this up.

And in the end, Tredrea’s revelations about Teahen stuck. People sensed something was keenly wrong with Teahen, that his resume is embellished and his statements grossly exaggerated. While Tredrea is seriously dinged up in his efforts, he shines some light on Teahen, and none of it was flattering. Advantage Tredrea.

IA US Senate Winners & Losers:

US Senate Winners

Christopher Reed: From just another unknown candidate to the presumptive nominee in what, three weeks? If anything tells you that Republicans want new faces and ideas it was the success of his campaign. With no money, and no name ID, this guy found a way to connect with grassroots conservatives. Apparently those people didn’t just say, yeah I’ll support you, they told their friends. Impressive win by Reed. If he can energize Iowa’s conservative base who knows, he could really surprise people.

Grassroots Conservatives: Take that, establishment! George Eichhorn found everybody who was anybody and got them to endorse his campaign. As I always say, very rarely do endorsements make a difference. If you want to understand the Huckabee sensation from the caucuses, or Reed's big win, you have to understand that there are key conservative activists in every county. Those are the endorsements you need. Those people found Mike Huckabee in the caucuses. Christopher Reed went out and found them in this primary.

Stephanie Launder: The wife of former RPI Executive Director Chuck Laudner saw something in Reed long before anyone else did. She helped guide and focus him in the months leading up to the primary. She might have been the biggest winner of all on primary night.

Chuck Laudner: I think it’s important to recognize Stephanie and Chuck separately. While Chuck didn’t have an official role on the campaign, we all know he was involved. If you look up konservative street kred in the dictionary, you will find an entire chapter about Chuck. I know that there are some who are thinking that this race might still be decided at state konvention, but Chuck would probably welcome such a challenge.

Steve Deace brought up the fact that both Robinson and Laudner were part of winning campaigns yesterday on his show. I never understood why you would boot Laudner out, when he was probably the best person to help McCain bridge the gap between himself and the konservatives.

US Senate Winners Losers

Steve Rathje: I kampaigned for three years, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt? I wrote that his decision to skip the debate was one of the biggest blunders in political history here in Iowa. There is no doubt that the exposure helped both Reed and Eichhorn. Who knows, if Rathje would have put in a good performance he may have been the nominee. His arrogance was his biggest enemy.

George Eichhorn: I’m not going to rag on Eichhorn. I’m glad he ran because I didn’t want to see Rathje win. Eichhorn did a lot good things with no budget. The problem was people wanted new faces, and Reed’s fresh face and conservative speak gave him a tiny edge.

Leon Mosley: I thought Vander Plaats was stupid for getting involved with Teahen in the 2^nd District, but Mosley is equally damaged. Why the Co-Chair of the state party would endorse a candidate is beyond me. Leon is beloved by many activists out there, but moves like this are simply not smart.

One final winner on the night: Iowans for tax Relief

They went 7 for 7 and the phrase, “don’t shoot at something you don’t intend to kill” accurately describes their campaign philosophy. ITR is reshaping the Republican caucus in the House and Senate. They are the organization who is taking on the responsibility of rebuilding a Republican majority. I believe that ITR probably helped a future Speaker of the House and Senate President on Tuesday night. Change and new leadership will not come from within.

So who would be the biggest loser? Steve Grubbs

Here is his quote from today’s Des Moines Register.

“Former state GOP Chairman Steve Grubbs attributed the lower turnout to the party's flagging enthusiasm in Iowa. He also said the three candidates for U.S. Senate are unfamiliar faces who had little money to get the vote out.

"I know that some people are probably going to read Republican apathy into that, and that was a factor," said Grubbs, a party strategist from Davenport. "But there was no Republican organization to make people aware that there was an election."

Kan we say bitter? Grubbs is the architect of the very type of single issue kampaigns that people are sick of here in Iowa. It sure sounds like he is pissed that the two senate campaigns couldn’t help his client win on Grubb’s piss poor campaign plan that boiled everything down to 1 week, 1 issue, and 1 county. Grubb’s should be kriticizing Teahen’s campaign, not the US Senate kandidates. Oh that’s right, then would be he would have to point that finger at himself.

There are no comments on this post for obvious reasons.

Recount

Inside sources say that both George Eichhorn and Peter Teahen are pressuring a recount of last night’s election results. Christopher Reed edged Eichhorn by 414 votes and Miller-Meeks edged out Peter Teahen by 109.

While I’m sure that both the Reed and Miller-Meeks kampaigns are turning their attention it is also imperative that they can devote 100% of their focus on building winning kampaigns for the general election.

I don’t really know what Eichhorn and Teahen are hoping to find out there. In 2006 recounts in the state legislative races of Danny Carroll, Jim Van Fossen and George Eichhorn did not find any significant change in the vote totals. Why this is a disadvantage to those who have won, it also tarnishes both Teahen and Eichhorn. I would hope this can be resolved in short order.

Winners and losers for tomorrow’s post. Send me your thoughts and I may include them in my analysis.