Friday, July 11, 2008

Sparks fly hours before Republican State Convention

I had been planning a preview of the State Convention for today all week, but after listening to Steve Deace’s radio program yesterday I had to throw away what I had prepared and start over.

Yesterday Deace spent two hours with State Party Chair Stewart Iverson, Polk County Chair Ted Sporer, Iowa Right to Life Leader and Candidate for National Committeewoman Kim Lehman, and Iowa Christian Alliance President and Candidate for National Committeeman Steve Scheffler. All I can say it’s a good thing WHO’s radio studios are nice and spacious because that a lot of people with big egos in the same room at the same time. If you missed it you can listen to the show here.

Anyway, it’s always a good day when Krusty Konservative gets a shout out over the 50,000 watts of WHO Radio. They were discussing my post about the National Committeeman race between Steve Scheffler and Steve Roberts, and more specifically my characterization of Roberts being the Establishment candidate, and Scheffler the being the Activist candidate, which I believe is not an insult or slight to either man, just simply the truth.

I know some of my readers have pointed out that Scheffler is the longest serving member of the State Central Committee, and thus part of the establishment, but that’s not what I’m getting at. Scheffler is probably the most connected Republican activist in the state. Love him or hate him, but Steve has worked for what he has and that is a following of the most conservative Republican activists in the state, which is why I characterize him as the Activist candidate.

Now is either Steve running for National Committeeman perfect? No, but both have served the Republican Party well for a number of years.

My problem with Roberts is he’s not a very good cheerleader. In January of this year his quote to the Des Moines Register was, “We'll be lucky with anything we get this year.” He was talking about the state of Republican politics in the state. 11 months before the election it seemed as if he was throwing in the towel.

On the other hand you have Scheffler and his hatred of what he calls “Country Club Republicans,” meaning those stand for nothing pro gay marriage, pro abortion candidates and activists who want to see a watered down Republican Party. Scheffler had the following quote in the main stream media before the caucuses about Rudy Giuliani, “If our party nominates this guy, we will see a bloodbath at the polls like we’ve never seen before.”

So the choice really boils down to what type of Committeeman do we want? Do we want a guy who will support anyone with an “R” behind their name, or do we want a Committeeman who thinks that to win elections our candidates need be in line with our core Republican principles? I think you know where I’m at on that one.

The most important role that the Committeeman and Committeewoman are involved in is keeping Iowa’s First in the Nation Status. While Roberts has been they guy at all the meetings, I was forwarded an endorsement letter that states that it was Scheffler, not Roberts who lead the charge to for Iowans to caucus on January 3rd, which proved to be a great call on his part.

As for the National Committeewoman race, you all know that my pick is Sandy Greiner. While Kim Lehman is a nice lady who is good on the issues, I think she would be better off to serve on the State Central Committee before representing the entire state as National Committeewoman.

Sandy Greiner is just as conservative as Lehman, but she also brings with her some great qualifications. As a legislator she has had to work with her collogues to pass legislation, our next National Committeewoman will have to work with other states if and sell them on why Iowa is the right place to start our presidential election process. She has also served as Secretary of the National Rules committee in 2004. That experience will in invaluable as that committee will deicide the 2012 nomination calendar.

Back to the fireworks

Deace’s show yesterday was entertaining and troubling all at the same time. I can only imagine the Democrats laughing as we Republicans continue to air our dirty laundry on the largest radio station in the Midwest. While I understand that Lehman and Scheffler were there to promote their candidacies for Committeeman and Committeewoman, and Sporer is there to voice his concern about the direction of the party, Iverson just got pummeled, which makes me wonder why he even did the interview, its not like Deace hides his agenda.

Iverson was called out on a number of issues. Most notably the Yepsen June 12th article about the feud between the Grassroots Social Conservatives and people like Iverson. Iverson stated that Yepsen’s account of what transpired at the ICA meeting was false, but them who fed the misinformation to Yepsen? There was also a long discussion about Iverson’s time as Senate Majority leader and how he ran his caucus. Lehman shared a story about how the Republican led senate could not take up a bill providing a pro-life license plate.

A good State Convention is one that makes very little news, unless the nominee drops by to say hello. If our convention is anything like the two hours of Deace we are in for a long, long day. No matter what the state of the Party and the leadership in control, we must rally around our candidates and help them be successful in November, to do otherwise is to let Chet Culver and the liberal Democrats be entrenched for decades.

30 comments:

  1. Scheffler didn't set the date. He was a follower along with every other member of the SCC. The date was driven by the Romney team working with Laudner and Robinson back when everyone was still hoping Romney would keep funding the Party.

    It was a good call, but Scheffler had nothing to do with it until it was time for the SCC to put their stamp of approval on it. At that point he was very helpful.

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  2. All I know is the list time I heard Roberts speak you could hardly understand the man, and he was talking about some old country music song

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  3. After the phone call I got last night bashing Scheffler, I will be voting for him now. I will not stand for people playing those stupid games of bashing the other guy to get more votes. We need to grow up and stop acting like Democrats.

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  4. I was wondering what you would think of the endorsement from Deace. According to him, you're the go-to blogger for Iowa politics. I like Steve, but sometimes he'll go "scorched earth" when there's still a chance to negotiate a successful settlement. Must be those years of playing "first person shooter" video games, eh?

    I thought that Stew did a pretty good job in an environment that was hostile to him from the get-go. I wish he'd use more firm methods to enforce discipline in the party, but ultimately it's the fault of the voters if their representatives aren't fully konservative. When the majority/minority leader's tools are faulty, there's only so much he/she can do.

    I also agree with Kim Lehman that the Pro-life license plates would have been a good issue with almost zero downside for the party. Christine Todd Whitman and her campaign to rid the party of Social Cons needs to be denounced ASAP by party leadership, IMHO. I was NOT a supporter of Huckabee and his "vote for a Christian or rot in hell, heathen" supporters; but you'd have to be a fool to think that driving the social cons out of the Republican Party is a good thing.

    My only nit to pick with the So Cons is the tendency of some of them (I'm looking at YOU Deace) to denounce any strategies that don't line up with theirs 100%. For example: Fred Thompson thought that a Konstitutional Amendment to limit abortions had little chance of passing, so he supported other means to limit and restrict abortions. Steve Deace savaged him for this, and treated him as if his position was as anti-Republican as that of Tom Harkin. That's just stupid. If someone agrees with you 90% on process and 100% on the desired results, why treat him like he's your mortal enemy? That's just counterproductive.

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  5. 8:56

    What was the phone call? Who was bashing him?

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  6. I'm trying to find someone who got the call as well. Apparently a robo call went out last night accusing Scheffler of working for a Pro-Choice presidential candidate, and he made 6 digits.

    I can't confirm. My guess is they are talking about Scheffler's work on the Forbes campaign. Forbes is Pro-Life, heck said so last time I saw him in Iowa last summer.

    As for what he made on that campaign I don't know if its on the FEC site or not. Candidates this last time were paying field staffers $44k a year. Did Scheffler probably make good money on that campaign? Yes. But Forbes' strong Iowa showing shows it was money well spent.

    I never like it when people complain about what people make. they would take it in a heartbeat if offered to them.

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  7. It is completely inappropriate for our party leaders to rag on one another during a popular radio show. The dems have to be enjoying this.

    The stakes are too high. If we spent as much time implementing a strategy for victory as we do on self-promotion, we might have more success in November.

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  8. Krusty,

    Here is a transcript of the anti-Scheffler robo-call:

    -----------------

    Why do the millionaire moderate Republicans always get their way in Iowa?

    Because of people like Steve Scheffler.

    We know that in 1996 Steve took a job with establishment Republican Bob Dole after a bidding war with the campaign of conservative Phil Gramm.

    We know that he got a large 6-figure salary from multi-millionaire Steve Forbes in 2000 – who had been a pro-choice candidate in 1996.

    And we know he said multi-millionaire Mormon Mitt Romney was an acceptable conservative even though he supported abortion laws in liberal Massachusetts.

    During the last caucuses, Scheffler even allowed an out-of-state activist to make calls to criticize Mike Huckabee from the ICA offices.

    If you think the party is in bad shape now – remember that Scheffler has voted for every single chairman for the last 16 years.

    Steve Scheffler does not stand for change. He is the establishment.

    Check the facts: Steve Scheffler – for sale to the highest bidder.

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  9. Interesting tactic, blaming Scheffler for the mods.

    Is the implication that Steve Roberts will keep the mods at bay?

    I am so confused!

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  10. I received that call myself. I think that it is pretty shady to use this type of call rather than trumpeting your accomplishments and goals.

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  11. listening to that program yesterday made me so disgusted to be a republican. i cannot believe that the 3 little babies would go on the radio and cry about how they've been stepped on and how they heard a rumor that someone hurt them. wahhhhhhhhhh.

    are you freaking kidding me?! and they want to be the LEADERS?!

    NO FREAKING WAY.

    there are about 4 people (scheffler, sporer and lehman included) that have done NOTHING except tear down this party for the past year. and for what??!?!

    a power grab.

    i'm guessing if they get in charge, next year at convention you'll have to take a "are you Christian enough" test to get seated as a delegate.

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  12. Scheffler has gotten himself in too deep. They tried to take over the convention proceedings through the organization committee and got their butts handed to them on a platter. Now they are trying to make this out to be a mods v gods fight.

    they have a problem with the RLC, fine; but don't take it out on the people who are in this state working their behinds off.

    Use ethical and honest means, Steve, and you will go far. Continue to bully your way, and you will destroy what little credibility you have left.

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  13. I heard that you had to pledge money to the ICA if you wanted to be on Scheffler's delegate slate for the nation convention

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  14. 10:45,

    I heard that it wasn't Stew who tipped off Yepsen, but I don't believe that one either.

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  15. I would like one person to explain to me how the Deace disaster last night attracted a single voter to our Republican Party.

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  16. It tells people who have left the party that there are still people in the party who actually want to party to stand for something.

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  17. Well, then, I think you all should just go ahead and form the End Abortion Party and then everyone will know you stand for something.

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  18. In response to the question of 'being attracted to the party' -I am one who is more attracted to the Republican party after hearing this dialogue. Truth is attractive to me. Phoniness and opportunism is not. There is nothing wrong with striving for ideals and looking in the mirror to better understand your own flaws. In my experience those behaviors drive excellence.

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  19. Openness and frank dialogue between fellow party members is a good thing, but a jihad to drive out all non-believers is another kettle of fish entirely. So is a movement to drive out all the "Krazy Khristians" so that the party can focus on economic issues only.

    If the social cons, fiscal cons and moderates can't get along with each other in the Republican Party, that benefits noone but "Governor Gronstal" and his ilk.

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  20. Steve Roberts is a paid lobbyist for hire. What is this only serving one master nonsense? His issues may or may not be conservative or republican - project destiny - eminent domain - values fund - etc.

    Which is the master? His paid lobby gig or his "hobby" as a national committeeman?

    Sheffler and Leham only lobby for conservative republican causes - 100%. Looks to me like they are the only ones serving one master - not Steve Roberts.

    Let's have some change we can believe in.

    Let's turn the page.

    Let's move on.

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  21. "My old man had a philosophy. Peace means having a bigger stick than the other guy." Steve Scheffler has a small stick and so does Sporer!
    TS

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  22. I would like Mr. Scheffler to answer some questions before he gets my vote:

    Where did all the money raised from the Straw Poll go?

    Why did the State Central Committee decide that they deserved to be paid a stipend for their "service"?

    Why did the SCC decide they each needed a free table at party fundraisers?

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  23. On YouTube

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-An8jzBWNI

    rated G

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  24. Ask Ray Hoffman about the straw poll money. Ask why he stepped down.

    Ask Keg Kearney - the infamous fundraiser who doesn't fundraise about the straw poll money. Ask why he's still one of only 7 employees at RPI - (Read Iowa Independent on this one).

    Ask Stu Iverson - the disgraced former State Senator who was deposed by his own peers as Majority (now MINORITY) leader and who now is impersonating a chairman of the party - about the straw poll money.

    Then, ask how much much money he was paid by Romney when he sold his soul to the highest bidder.

    The bulk of the SCC - including Steve Sheffler have been trying to find out what happened to the Straw poll money.

    The SCC does not get a stipend of any kind - just Stu does. For all their volunteer work, they get a "free" chicken dinner at the Reagan dinner. The same dinner where they have to give tickets away because everyone is too uninspired to attend.

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  25. Wow 9:19 you are so delusional.

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  26. explain what is delusional. do you have an argument hidden in there?

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  27. Tony who's life is Stark

    Who's got the small penis now? I agree with your philosphy. The big penis's won and the great big dicks lost.

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  28. Wow, that was a real Christian thing to say!

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  29. looking for the money from the Straw Poll? Iverson had nothing to do with RPI at that time- why not check with Chuck Laudner and Craig Robinson- they were the ED and PD at the time and for months afterwards- or check into their ridiculously high salaries- part of the deal when they were hired for the jobs as part of Steve Scheffler's delivering his minions to vote for Ray Hoffman's re-election -- They ran RPI as their own serfdom with input from Scheffler - their leader- as Hoffman stayed in Sioux City

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