Filed under: Iowans Rock, Politics | Tagged: A Simple Christmas, Book Tour, Iowa, Mike Huckabee | Leave a Comment »
Leadership on Display
Posted on November 8, 2009 by Al Bregar
I could give you another detailed account of the Republican Party of Iowa’s Leadership for Iowa event at the Iowa State Fairgrounds from last night. But you can check that out at The Iowa Republican; Caffeinated Thoughts; and Questions, Comments, and Insults. All have good descriptions of the event. Instead I will just discuss the good, the bad, and the ugly from last night.
It has been said that some of the events held by RPI prior to the current leadership were a tad bit on the boring side. This is the second event that I have had the opportunity to attend that has been put together by Matt Strawn and his team at RPI. The event was launched by rock music designed to get the crowd pumped up. And judging by the reactions of the crowd it worked. The lineup of speakers was pretty good in my opinion, although I would have opted to have Auditor Vaudt speak in person rather than via recording. I can understand why Steve King and Tom Latham were unable to attend the event as they were stuck in Washington defending American against the Pelosi healthcare takeover bill.
Strawn himself gave a good speech during his introduction of Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. During the speech he took a jab at the Democrat Bruce Braley for his involvement in the Cash for Clunkers program that the government recently attempted. I really like the line that Strawn gave saying that it is time to trade in the 1st District’s clunker. He reiterated the message that in order for the GOP to win it must stand on the principles that make a Republican a Republican. He then held up Virginia and New Jersey as evidence that Republican principles can still win elections. And of course it was inevitable that he would take some swings at Chet Culver criticizing Culver’s policies and actions. Strawn said that Iowa needs a leader and Chet Culver is not a leader.
Tim Pawlenty, affectionately known nationwide as T-Paw, was a great speaker in my honest opinion. He wasn’t here to talk policy, he was here to provide a pep talk to Iowa Republicans. He was here to fire the grassroots up. And most importantly he was here to raise funds for the Republican Party of Iowa. While I don’t know if he was successful on the last part, I do know that he was successful on the first two. Just like Strawn he pointed out that Virginia and NJ were the starting points for the Republican comeback. Throughout the speech Pawlenty pounded away at President Obama, his administration, and the Democrat controlled legislature. He reiterated that President Obama’s policies are bad for America and that his foreign policy of appeasement is a danger not just to the United States but to the world. He called for the government to live within its means just like average citizens. And he got huge laughs when he said that the only thing growing faster than the national debt was Chris Matthews man crush on Obama. He advocated for lower taxes, lower spending, more appreciation of freedoms, etc…
Now we move onto the speeches by the gubernatorial candidates. Each candidate was to be allowed 10 minutes to speak, but I don’t think it was enforced.
I wasn’t overly impressed with Mr. Behn’s speaking abilities. However I do believe that he was solid on the issues. When it comes to economic development he asserts that Governor Culver’s policies and agenda place barriers around the state that would inhibit economic growth in the state. I like that he attacked the unelected board that oversees Iowa’s energy industry for denying the construction of a new efficient coal fired power plant and that this denial cost the state $1.75 billion in business. He also touched on the need for real education reform in Iowa and the notion that anyone but Culver would be an improvement in state leadership.
Terry Branstad
I had high hopes for Branstad’s coming out party. I expected Branstad to be an eloquent and powerful speaker, but that did not materialize. Sure, he had some high points in his speech such as his pride at the growth of Des Moines University. However there were far too many awkward pauses in his speech where it became evident that he was reading from a prepared script. I don’t know if he expected to get by on the fact that he is Terry Branstad, but he will have to work harder than that to win over a majority of Republicans. When it came to the issues he talked a good game. He said that he wants to focus on bringing jobs back to Iowa. He leveled criticism at the Democrats, but it left me scratching my head because some of the criticisms were things that he himself attempted during his time in Terrace Hill. I think that he was attempting to use this event to get the other nominees to not attack his record because he stated that he will not speak ill of other Republicans. I think he needed a better showing than what he provided. As of right now the only thing keeping him in the game is his name.
If you want a speaker that can fire up a crowd, you can usually count on Vander Plaats to do that. Even though this speech wasn’t his A game, it was still among the better of the night. Among the many points that he made on the night was the idea that this year’s primary may be for the future of the GOP. Will the GOP swing to the left and become more moderate or will it swing to the right and remain conservative. Naturally he reiterated that on the first day of his governorship he would issue an executive order placing a stay on gay marriage in Iowa until the legislature addressed the issue with a constitutional amendment allowing the population to vote on the issue.
Next in line was the winner or the Allamakee County straw poll. After that feat Roberts had some expectations to live up to. And he succeeded. Roberts was extremely well spoken and articulate. He communicated the issues intelligently and essentially demonstrated why he won Allamakee County’s Straw Poll. He affirmed his beliefs in limited government, personal responsibility, and free enterprise. One thing that he really stressed was that Iowa needs to invest in energy and the need to defend Iowa’s right to work law. Overall I think that this was a good night for Roberts. I think that it will benefit his campaign as people may give him a second look in the primary.
This was my first opportunity to hear Mr. Fong speak. I found him to be very well spoken and articulate. He discussed the issues very clearly. One interesting thing that I noted from Fong’s speech is an idea to help curb illegal immigration. He stated that to fight illegal immigration we must celebrate legal immigration. One of his stated goals is to return Iowa to prominence and bring jobs back. One idea that Fong has is to eliminate the state income tax. All in all this was a good night for Christian Fong, however it wasn’t the breakout night that he needed to catch up with the front runners.
I would have to say it that Christopher Rants was the one candidate that had a stellar night. He gets it. The Republican Party didn’t lose elections because it was too far to the right, it lost those elections because it failed to stand on its principles. He pointed out that those attending the Tea Parties are the voters that the GOP lost. Furthermore he stated that Republican elected officials should not be afraid to talk about what they would like to cut from the budget.
Overall the night was a success in my opinion. Those in attendance were fired up by the variety of different speakers that were on hand. And everyone in attendance has now been able to hear the candidates themselves so they can make a decision on their own. I would like to take a moment to thank Matt Strawn and the leadership at RPI for making candidates available to the state’s conservative blogs. And I hope that we can do this again in the future.
Filed under: Abregar, Politics | Tagged: Bob Vander Plaats, Charles Grassley, Christian Fong, Christopher Rants, Christopher Reed, Dave Vaudt, GOP, Iowa Republicans, Jerry Behn, Leadership For Iowa, Matt Schultz, Matt Strawn, Pat Bertroche, Republican Party of Iowa, Rod Roberts, Steve King, Terry Branstad, Tim Pawlenty, Tom Latham | 5 Comments »
Interview:Christopher Reed-Candidate US House 2nd District
Posted on November 6, 2009 by Al Bregar
Yesterday morning former US Senate candidate Christopher Reed announced his candidacy for the United States House of Representatives in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. While his bid to unseat US Senator Tom Harking fell short, his experience from that campaign will most definitely benefit him in this new race. Wednesday afternoon I had an opportunity to discuss some of the issues that his campaign will focus on.
The biggest difference between Reed and his Democratic opponent is the fact that Reed wants to defend and uphold the Constitution of the United States of America whereas incumbent Democrat Dave Loebsack cares not one whit for this founding document. The evidence of Loebsacks disregard for our nations founding principles was clearly on display during the August recess when he blatantly told constituents that he was supporting a bill that he admitted would be unconstitutional.
The bill in question is the health care bill being touted by Democratic leadership in Congress. Reed takes exception to the blatant expansion of government that this bill would entail. And that expansion of government is in direct violation of the US Constitution. Reed believes that the correct way to reform health care in our nation is for the government to get out of the way and let the market do the innovating. One of the methods he proposes to do this is to eliminate the policy of forbidding cross border purchasing of health insurance. Currently consumers can only purchase insurance from providers within their own state. So if there is a health plan that is cheaper in one state, you are out of luck if you don’t live there. By eliminating this policy it would create more competition amongst the insurance industry therefore driving costs down as providers begin to compete for customers. Furthermore to create competition we must encourage the purchase of health insurance by individuals rather than tying it to a person’s place of employment.
The topic of Cap and Trade was another subject that was inevitable to be discussed. In his view this legislation is just as dangerous as and quite possibly more dangerous than the health care bill currently being shoved done our throats. He believes that passage of this bill would stifle economic growth by driving costs up for businesses and ultimately drive manufacturing from our soil. One of the primary reasons behind this belief is that other emerging industrial nations such as China and India would not follow suit making it cheaper to manufacture overseas. In his opinion the best way to solve America’s dependence on foreign oil is through a policy of inclusiveness. Essentially American should invest in a variety of energy sources to determine the most practical form for our nation. Furthermore he doesn’t believe that the various forms of energy production should be subsidized, if they are going to succeed, they need to do so on their own. Although he has stated that it would be proper for the government to help get the development of these energy forms off the ground.
He was particularly harsh on President Obama’s foreign policy. In fact when questioned about it he stated that he didn’t know Obama had one. He pointed to the escalating violence in Afghanistan as evidence of Obama’s foreign policy failures. He stated that all Obama’s apology tour did was embolden America’s enemies to step up attacks. He believes that Obama has been ignoring the recommendations of the generals on the ground demonstrates Obama’s poor leadership abilities. Essentially he is saying that Obama’s foreign policy is all style and no substance.
As I talked with Christopher for almost an hour one thing struck. Through his experiences in his campaign for the US Senate he has learned valuable lessons that can and are being applied to this campaign. He is more knowledgeable of the issues and is a more polished speaker. For those of you out there that are counting on the rookie candidate that faced Tom Harkin in 2008 I think you will be quite surprised at the amount of growth this young man has gone through. It will not be so easy to defeat this patriot this year.
Filed under: Abregar, Politics | Tagged: Cap and Trade, Christopher Reed, Dave Loebsack, health care reform, US House of Representatives District 2 | 9 Comments »
Reason #31 Why Marriage is a Winning Issue
Posted on November 4, 2009 by Iowans Rock
Maine is reason #31 why marriage is a winning issue and the thirty other reasons are the other states who have had the definition of marriage being between on man and one woman upheld by the electorate. Traditional marriage has never lost on the ballot…………never…………not even in the liberal northeast………….not anywhere in this Obamanation. Traditional marriage even prevailed when his name was at the top of the ticket last November.
What is interesting about the Maine vote, however, is that the voters gave the middle finger to the very people they elected to represent them. The Maine legislature imposed a law providing gay marriage and yesterday the people spoke and rejected that law. (Maine doesn’t know how lucky they are to actually have their elected officials make the gay marriage law instead of the courts unconstitutionally doing it or to have their elected officials actually do something about marriage-even if it was the wrong decision. We don’t have that luxury in Iowa.)
While the rest of the country embraces the stance for traditional marriage and flocks to the polls to uphold it, the GOP continues to move away from the issue because they think they are alienating people and that people just don’t care. The Republican party is ignoring the marriage issue nationally and also at our state level even though it has the definition in its platform. I have yet to see one update from yesterday’s elections from either the RNC or the Iowa GOP on the win in Maine and how traditional marriage is now 31 for 31. They wouldn’t know a winning issue if it slapped them in the face.
Remember, according to our former Governor Terry Branstad in order to win we shouldn’t “wear our conservatism on our sleeve.” Even though traditional marriage always prevails on a ballot and 70% of Iowans want their chance to vote on that issue, it is supposedly a non-starter. Perhaps some people choose not to wear conservatism on their sleeve because they don’t have enough of it to fill up the sleeves of a muscle shirt.
Filed under: Iowans Rock, Politics | Tagged: conservative, Iowa, Maine, Question 1, Same Sex Marriage, Terry Branstad, traditional marriage, Vote | 3 Comments »
Culver/Branstad-What’s The Difference?
Posted on November 1, 2009 by Al Bregar
According to this article at the Quad City Times, former Governor Branstad took part in a fundraiser for Representative Jeff Kauffman on a farm outside of Wilton, IA. As I was reading the article I was amazed at some of the criticisms that Branstad leveled at Governor Culver. All this criticism got me to thinking, really what is the difference between Branstad and Culver, shall we find out.
One of the chief accusations that Branstad has aimed at Governor Culver is that Culver has severely mismanaged the state budget. And while I agree with this sentiment I wanted to see where Branstad was on the issue. And after reading some the articles on Branstad when he was in office it appears that his tenure was not as rosy as his admirers would like us to think. Did you know that every year that Branstad was in office he increased the state budget in much the same fashion as Governor Culver? This revelation sort of nullifies his attacks on Culver on his overspending, kind of like the pot calling the kettle black.
And do you remember that battle for federal deductibility that we won back during the legislative session. Apparently just like Culver, Terry Branstad wanted to remove it from Iowa law. This revelation makes me wonder if we would have to fight this battle all over again if Branstad were to win another term in Terrace Hill. I wonder if he has changed his tune on this issue.
This in turn brings us to taxes; both Culver and Branstad have raised taxes. The perversion here is that Branstad raised taxes more than Culver; however that can be attributed to Branstad being in office much, much longer. But in the fact of the matter is that in the 80’s/90’s Branstad raised the sales tax multiple times to pay for his overspending.
When you get right down to it, their records are much too alike. Both have increased spending and both have increased the size of the state government. And for someone attempting to run as a conservative, that is not a record to have. As I stated above I wanted to see the difference between Culver’s record and Branstad’s. Now that I have looked at them both, I really see no difference.
Filed under: Abregar, Politics | Tagged: Chet Culver, Federal Deductibility, Jeff Kauffman, Overspending, Sales Tax, State Budget, Terrace Hill, Terry Branstad | 7 Comments »
Moderate In Disguise
Posted on November 1, 2009 by Al Bregar
As a Conservative Republican I find little that disturbs me more than a Moderate masquerading as a Conservative. By disguising their true political views these Moderates are lying to the electorate. This deception is a violation of the trust that people place in their elected officials. Moderates that hide their true worldview lack an ingredient necessary for them to succeed in politics, integrity.
Last year during the 2nd Congressional District Primary eventual winner Marianette Miller-Meeks ran as a conservative. Couple that with the fact that she faced two particularly weak candidates and you can see why she won that race. However near the end of the primary we began to receive word that all might not be as it seemed with Ms. Miller-Meeks. We began to notice her skirting questions, or blatantly avoiding questions. It began to seem like she was hiding something. Ultimately she failed in her 2008 bid to unseat David Loebsack from Congress.
This summer with little to no campaigning going on I was informed by one of my trusted sources that on her profile page Ms. Miller-Meeks had listed under political views; Moderate. The only confirmation that I was able to get of this was through 2 other online sources. Of course this turn of events confirmed the suspicions that began to grow near the end of the primary and justified the actions that we here at Iowa Defense Alliance took in the spring of 2008.
Now it would appear that Ms. Miller-Meeks is gearing up for another run at this seat. On her Facebook profile she has changed her political views from Moderate to Conservative. And at numerous Wapello County GOP meetings she has refused to end the speculation that she will indeed run again. Both are indicative of her intentions to at the very least consider another run at the seat held by Loebsack. However I don’t think that her phony conservatism will play well with the base of the party now that she has admitted to being a moderate. If she does indeed make an official campaign announcement I would like to be the first to offer up a slogan for her using her initials. Moderate, Masquerade, Mercenary.
Filed under: Abregar, Politics | Tagged: conservative, Facebook, Marianette Miller-Meeks, Masquerade, Mercenary, Moderate | 30 Comments »
Trick or Treat? Clarke County sales tax vote Nov. 3
Posted on October 31, 2009 by callmecrusader
Trick or Treat time for the landowners in Clarke County will continue past Halloween. On Nov. 3 there will be voting on a special ballot to decide whether or not the city of Murray and rural Clarke County will pass a 1 percent sales tax to help pay for their share of the costs to build a lake. A lake that will mean grabbing up land which belongs to some of their long time family farmers.
In following some of the letters in the Osceola Sentinel -Tribune I find a few heartwarming “treats” which I will share here.
“One Clarke County resident said that she will note for the tax …’I’m going to vote no because I can’t live with the thought that I could possibly be taking someone’s land…So I will pay the (higher) property taxes. I can’t vote for it, I can’t.”
Some residents feel the issue of the lake “is not Murray’s problem. It never should’ve been a county issue. It should’ve stayed an Osceola issue, but you crammed it down our throat…. I think we need to stand up and say no.”
My fellow Iowans -there are some “treats” but alas, many tricks with this land grab issue, as well.
A letter writer to the paper wrote
“Do we sacrifice value and benefit for all citizens of Clarke County because of those disgruntled land owners even though we empathize with them? I think not.”
Tricks and threats are the theme of several letters. I urge you to read them all, though the term “disgruntled” should give you a clue as to the theme of the letters. To some people the desire to keep a family home or family farm is meanly called “disgruntled”. I find the term disgusting!
I will continue to watch and care about the developments of the land grab from American farmers and others. Also of interest will be the opinions about eminent domain from the candidates running for the opportunity and privilege of being elected as our next Governor.
The vote on Nov. 3 will be a signal if American taxpayers and citizens can withstand scare tactics in order to stand up for private property rights.
Seeing the potential of private land being gobbled up is very scary. And worse, it is Un-American.
Trick or Treat? Iowans need to be watching. The next land grab could be in your neighbor’s home, or worse yet, your home.
Filed under: Politics | Tagged: Clarke County, Eminent Domain, Iowa, Murray, Nov. 3 special ballot issue | 6 Comments »
Guest Commentary: The Politics of Soda Pop Part Two
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Al Bregar
The Politics of Soda Pop, Part Two
By Tom Shaw
Independent Candidate for Iowa House District 8
“However (political parties) may now and then answer popular ends, they are likely in the course of time and things, to become potent engines, by which cunning, ambitious, and unprincipled men will be enabled to subvert the power of the people and to usurp for themselves the reins of government, destroying afterwards the very engines which have lifted them to unjust dominion.”
(George Washington, Farewell Address, Sept. 17, 1796)
I recently wrote an article in which I described the Republican Party’s abandonment of its core social values contained in its party platform in order to attract moderate voters. In short, I likened it to the disastrous results when Coca-Cola changed its recipe to “New Coke” in order to attract Pepsi drinkers. But the “politics of soda pop” don’t stop there.
Years ago I watched an interview with an executive from RC Cola on a television news magazine. He described the power and leverage that was held by both Pepsi and Coke in the soft drink market. His assertion was that although the two soda giants were in fierce competition with each other, they colluded together to make sure that no other soft drink company could successfully expand its market share. A clear example of this was provided when he told about his company not being able to purchase vending machines in order to sell its product. According to him, when RC Cola would order vending machines from a manufacturer, Pepsi and Coke would buy up the machines at a higher price in order to keep them from being used by RC Cola.
George Washington was clearly, and justifiably, concerned about the inevitable corruption which would prevail if political parties misused their power. His ominous prediction has clearly come to pass in recent years. Both major parties, Democratic and Republican, have gained such a stranglehold of power, for the sole sake of power, that they will collude together to make sure no other voice is heard. They, like Pepsi and Coke, do not want any outside competition and therefore will link hands together in order to stifle any challengers to their dominion. The two parties have become very adept at conditioning voters that they are the only game in town. Want proof? Just tell someone that you are going to vote for a candidate that is not a “D” or an “R”. You will be labeled as a nut and be told that you are just wasting your vote, for everyone knows we have a “two-party system.”
But the electorate is waking up and openly defying the parties. The ranks of independent voters are swelling and the parties are experiencing a mass exodus. “We the People” are starting to demand not only more choices in candidates, but candidates that truly represent their values. Our election system was never meant to result in “I voted for the lesser of two evils”, but rather that voters should have a range of options so that they can say “I voted for good today”.
As an RC Cola candidate, I know the challenges that I face in overcoming the party system. The parties have mutually designed the “straight ticket” voting process to purposely inhibit candidates like myself. The “straight ticket” argument is also used as leverage to force or coerce candidates to run on a Democratic or Republican ticket. I say it is time for the voters to shed their party shackles and vote based on their principles. And I end this with a reminder from Samuel Adams, “Let each citizen remember at the moment he is offering his vote …. that he is executing one of the most solemn trusts in human society for which he is accountable to God and his country.”
Filed under: Guest Commentary, Politics | Tagged: Democrats, George Washington, Political Parties, Republicans, Samuel Adams, Tom Shaw, Two Party System | 3 Comments »
Huckabee Coming to Iowa to Promote New Book
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Iowans Rock
Governor Mike Huckabee is coming out with a new book called A Simple Christmas: Twelve Stories That Celebrate the True Holiday Spirit on November 3rd only a year after his last book Do the Right Thing hit the top five on the New York Times Best Seller list. This book, however, is much different from the last in that it is not a policy book but instead a people book.
“The first Christmas was a simple one. So simple that it had all the makings of a first-class disaster. It’s miracle it turned out well at all. In fact, that’s the whole point. It really was, and remains, a miracle – the greatest miracle of all time. And it really was simple.”
Huckabee recounts twelve Christmas memories – often funny, sometimes deeply moving – that range from his childhood in Arkansas to his years as a young husband and father to his time as a governor and then a presidential candidate. These true stories will help you smile, take a deep breath, and maybe slow down your own holiday treadmill.
If you’re looking for a little clarity, sanity, and inspiration at this insane time of year, you’re sure to enjoy A Simple Christmas.
Huckabee will once again be hitting the trail in an exhausting sixty city stop book signing tour in November and will make three stops in Iowa (Davenport, Cedar Rapids, and Des Moines) on the 8th. You can get details of the tour here. This is the seventh book that the Governor has authored.
Filed under: Iowans Rock, Politics | Tagged: A Simple Christmas, Book Tour, Mike Huckabee, Premiere Collectibles | Leave a Comment »
Guest Commentary: Even Pres. Obama Knows the Government Interferes with Efficient Health Care
As Swine Flu, or to be PC, H1N1 influenza, sweeps across our nation, the media is filled with all kinds of contradictory information. There are vaccine shortages, but they are not critical now. Or there’s a problem with the vaccine, but it’s safe. And, of course, the inevitable slew of experts giving their expert opinion that disagrees with the other experts. However, there is one sparkling point of clarity: the US government, and even Pres. Obama, knows that government interference leads to less health care efficiency, more costs for health care, and hampers everyone trying to do their best to protect our citizens from disease and illness.
Here’s my proof. Pres. Obama declared a National State of Emergency, and because he declared a National State of Emergency, “Doctors and hospitals are relieved of the usual governmental regulations and this will help more efficiently treat patients with H1N1.” (ABC news 10-24-09 morning)
Here’s more proof from CNN. The lifting of regulations “gives the federal government more power to help states…by lifting bureaucratic requirements — both in treating patients and moving equipment”. Later in the article, another great analysis about why you don’t want government in your medicine. “Obama’s action allows Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius ”to temporarily waive or modify certain requirements” to help health care facilities enact emergency plans to deal with the pandemic.” Here’s the link to check it out yourself. http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/10/24/h1n1.obama/index.html
And what does the Washington Post say about it? They quote Jennifer Nuzzo of the University of Pittsburgh ’s Center for Biosecurity as saying “…we can focus on the care of patients rather than focus on administrative hurdles. In disasters, you often don’t have the time or luxury to keep the paperwork in order. You want hospitals focusing on patients.”
What about when there isn’t an emergency? It’s ok then to clog up the Health Care machine with government paperwork and bureaucracy?
I wonder what CBS has to say about it? “President Obama has declared the virus a national emergency, cutting bureaucratic red tape. “ Imagine that! The government cutting red tape, and it actually helps! That’s not what the Loony Left and Pres. Obama say. Here’s what else CBS said. “With the H1N1 flu virus spreading farther and faster than expected, the emergency declaration from theWhite House means health care providers can respond to the crisis faster and bypass some federal regulations. This is a proactive move to basically get rid of the red tape so that hospitals don’t have to fight with regulators if the H1N1 epidemic gets bad later on,” said Dr.. Martin Makary of Johns Hopkins University Hospital .
Hmmm. Pres. Obama declares a National State of Emergency, which reduces government interference, so doctors and hospitals can more effectively treat a serious illness.. Well, how ‘bout that? Turns out that the government is as bad for health care efficiency and effective patient treatment as it is for mail delivery. So can anyone explain to me why we are still having any further discussion about government run health care?
Pat Bertroche, D.O.
YOUR Congressional Candidate
Filed under: Guest Commentary, Politics | Tagged: ABC News, CBS, Center for Biosecurity, CNN, H1N1, Jennifer Nuzzo, Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Martin Makary, National State of Emergency, Pat Bertroche, President Obama, swine flu, University of Pittsburgh, Washington Post | 2 Comments »