Republicans:
Charles Grassley: Grassley has been the standard bearer for Iowa Republicans for years. In recent time he has attacked his base of evangelical Christians. Then came the ultimate slap in the face to Iowa Republicans, Senator Grassley voted “Yes” on the Great American Sellout. It didn’t matter that most of his constituents opposed this bill. For this Senator Grassley earns a spot on the Iowa Defense Alliance Wall of Shame.
Stuart Iverson: With the State Convention coming up it is only fitting to add Chairman Iverson to the WoS. Mr. Iverson’s crime isn’t because he is a RINO, but because he has failed to lead. He has said that he doesn’t tell his people how to vote on social issues. Come on Stu that isn’t leadership, that is passing the buck. So not only does Iverson rate an inclusion on the Wall of Shame, he also gets to be on the receiving end of a call to resign due to a failure to lead.
Charles Grassley: Once again Senator Grassley’s name is mentioned on this wall for deserting conservative principles. He said he needed to “think about” supporting the Iowa House’s attempt to push a marriage amendment.
Democrats:
Tom Harkin: It is only natural that Harkin has made the IDA Wall of Shame. His opposition to all the issues and values that we hold dear are alone enough to warrant his inclusion in this list. To top it off Harkin also voted “Yes” on the Great American Sellout cements his inclusion on the Wall of Shame.
Leonard Boswell: As with Harkin, Boswell has done on many things to warrant his inclusion on this list. He has earned the nickname of “Mr. Photo-Op” for a reason. His sellout to corporate welfare is the icing on the cake. Shame on you Mr. Boswell, shame on you.
Dave Loebsack: Loebsack is another Congressman that has positions on the issues that are at odds with our own. The action that sealed Loebsack on this list is his vote on the Great American Sellout.
Bruce Braley: We had high hopes for Braley. While we have some fundamental differences with Braley on the issues. However when he initially rejected the sellout we were pleasantly surprised. Then on the second round he voted for the sellout to Wall Street because he had his ego stroked by high ranking Democrats. He has proven that he truly is a sellout.
Pat Murphy: On March 31st Iowa Speaker of the House Pat Murphy indulged in his Stalinistic fantasy by ejecting approximately 500 concerned members of the public from a public hearing on the grounds that “decorum” must be maintained. But in typical Democratic fashion he applies this rule as loosely as possible as evidenced by the spontaneous outburst at Chet Culver’s Condition of the State address in the Iowa House. What is even more outrageous is that Speaker Murphy does not see the blatant hypocrisy staring him in the face.
Iowa House Representative Paul Shomshor: Representative Shomshor has earned his inclusion into the Iowa Defense Alliance due to his actions from the March 31st public hearing on federal deductibility. It was Shomshor that initiated the ejection of hundreds of concerned Iowan’s. Mr. Shomshor should be ashamed of himself for attempting to silence public dissent.
Mike Gronstal: State Senator Gronstal is on here because of his arrogance and ability to be a jack-ass. Laughing in Representative Sorenson’s face when he approached Gronstal about a marriage amendment and then telling traditional marriage supporters, “You just don’t get it; you’ve already lost” is not being the public servant he was elected to be.
Although your critiques of these candidates may be accurate, shouldn’t we be focusing on the Dems before the election… we can focus on making our own toe the line after they win the election.
If you cannot keep your own in line you really should not be asking the other side to keep theirs inline. House cleaning begins at home and then expand it. I personally will not respect any organization that refuses to clean their own house first. That has damaged the Republican party tremendously and it cost you many seats you should have had.
That is what we intend to do. However Chairman Iverson left himself open for criticism when he stated that he had not read the platform yet. In my humble opinion he should have had that read in June prior to the originally scheduled convention. It is my sincere hope that he knows of his classification on here will spur him to exhibit some leadership skills.
As for Miller-Meeks, I do not trust her, but I am not going to denigrate her prior to the election. This classification came during the primaries. We here at the Iowa Defense Alliance plan to promote Republican candidates and expose the Democrats for the parasites that they truly are.
I agree that we have to defeat the Democrats, but on the other hand, I am not going to go out of my way to support a bad Republican. If you will notice on our research blog http://iowabriagade.wordpress.com/ all Republican candidates are not listed. Why? Because not all candidates are pushing the traditional values of the Republican party–life and family. We are also looking for those who focus on education. Only those candidates who we have found to champion these issues are highlighted (except for about ten of them who I still have to input). These are the candidates we truly need to focus on getting into office or getting re-elected.
I believe that we should focus on defeating the democrats but this is really our only change to influence our elected officials.
Too often we are told we should vote for a Republican because he/she is slightly more conservative than the democratic candidate and so every year our candidates get more and more liberal.
There has to be a line where you say no more.
I would add John McCain there, but maybe I am a bit more conservative than most
King George Bush the “Betrayer” and his side kick old man John McCain 26 years of being Senator so he is pretty well corputed, both supporters for their white- collar criminal friends (Big Business) and at the end of the day they hold both we the working class and Congress hostage.
You can’t use that old phrase Democrats are big spenders anymore!
The wrongheaded policies of that King George Bush and John McCain will end.
Ms. Meyer, I would like to know how George Bush holds Congress hostage when the Democrats have the majority. And yes we can say that Democrats are big spenders. With all the programs that Barack Obama wants to implement he is going to have to raise taxes on everyone.
Ms. Meyer, we do have problems with spending in the Republican Party. I do not believe these problems are as big as the democrats but I hold the Republicans in congress to a much higher standard than I hold Democrats because it is my experience that when Republicans dont vote for Moderate Republicans running, we usually get back on track when the GOP bosses know what Americans want.
John McCain WILL lose this election, plain and simple. Bush won in 2004, because he had the unwaivering support of American conservatives, and he won by a very narrow margin.
John McCain does not have the full support of the American Conservative Movement and Obama has a campaign machine that rivals Regan’s in 1984 (I would know, that was the first campaign I worked).
Let me tell you something though. I was also around in 92 when Bush Sr. lost due to his lying on taxes and straying from conservative principles, two years later we got back the congress for the first time in 40 years.
Obama has two years for his policies to fail and for the conservative movement to make him into a lame duck
Amen, Sam. We will need four years of Jimmy Carter to get our Ronald Reagan. Save conservatism!!!!
Apparently you folks put party before country. When party members insist on pursuing their radical agendas at the expense of everyone else, the whole country loses. The “it’s my way or the highway” attitude can only be described as ignorance and it will lose support every time.
Sam’s belief that Bush won in 2004 because he had the unwaivering support of American conservatives and the insinuation that there is some American Conservative Movement are examples of that ignorance. Bush won in ‘04 because of fear-mongering related to terrorism and not because he is a true blue conservative (as is demonstrated by his blatant disregard of anything resembling fiscal responsibility, the growth of the heavy hand of the federal gov., and his siding with Mexico over the imprisoned border guards and illegal immigration laws).
Sam also needs to open his eyes and ears – the list of registered Republican voters has been consistently getting shorter; there is no great movement towards the party, again, thanks largely to Bush’s display of so-called conservative policies. He won by scaring independents into voting for him.
Republicans who don’t vote for a moderate Republican like McCain will not be showing GOP bosses what Americans want – they will be getting a President Obama. If you can live with radical liberals like Obama, Pelosi, and Reid running the country and forcing only-God-knows-what type of changes on us, possibly for 8 years, then go ahead and refuse to vote for McCain. Take your chances on getting a staunch conservative candidate in 2012. GOP bosses might get the message that you do not approve of McCain but they will not get you pure right-wing candidates, because you are in the minority and the minority does not win elections, independents and swing voters win elections.
As a life-long independent and one who has never voted for a Republican Presidential candidate, I’ve said for months that McCain is the only one in the primaries who could beat any of the Democrats. Some of his stances are a bit too conservative for me, but I can live with them. Plus, he seems to be a decent human being, the total opposite of his opponent. I have done my homework when it comes to Obama’s history – from what I have read in the archives as well as the portions of his life that he has kept hidden – and just thinking of him having the power of the presidency scares me to death. He and his anti-American values will bury any traces of your sacred conservatism. Take a minute and imagine who he might put in his cabinet…
Wake up! Ronald Reagan is gone. Learn what you want from him, honor him, and then please realize that the times and the young people coming into age have changed from the Reagan era, and the likelihood of another Ronald Reagan is slim to say the least. No one will be able to measure up to him in your eyes.
Finally, I am deeply disappointed that the Iowa Republican Party seems to be so divided and that there is such little support for their candidates for the US Senate and House. Following the debacle over Congress giving Bush and Paulsen full and trusting permission to raid our piggy bank, there are many furious voters who would like nothing more than to toss Harkin and their respective Rep. out on their little fannies. Plus, although they will never admit it, the corrupt dealings during the primary has resulted in a Democratic Party that is deeply divided. There is a huge opportunity for the Iowa Republican Party to gain seats, but it appears that the party may be closer to imploding than it is to anything resembling a “movement.” It’s too bad that the Iowa Republicans don’t seem to want to get over themselves and invite some new people in. And all because the new people might not be as “conservative“ as they would like.
Now Beal, just what would our radical agenda be?
Is promoting fiscal responsibility radical?
Is opposing the slaughter of innocents be radical?
The candidates on our Wall of Shame are on there for a reason. They are on there because they support measures or ideas that seem more like a Democrat than a Republican. Or because they threw fiscal responsibility to the wayside. Evidently you haven’t read our posts yet, just jumped to conclusions based on a few sentences on the Wall of Shame.
Wow Beal!!! People on here put the party first?/? Have you not read any of the posts on this site.
Great argument, Beal, but moderate Republicans don’t win presidential elections. Oh wait, Ford did but then he got beat by the peanut farmer. So don’t tell me that it is our fault if Obama beats McCain. You said that independents decide anyway, right? So why don’t you quit harping on us and get your independents in line, because I believe most of them are in Obama’s corner right now. We do realize the opportunity the Republican party has in Iowa. But our hope lies in candidates who stand for something and do not change their convictions depending on how the wind blows. Example? All the Republicans who voted for the bailout bill.
The fact that you have never voted for a Republican but you will vote for McCain tells me something that I have known all along. There is not a Republican on the presidential ballot this year.
Why don’t you just register as a Democrat and get it over with.
“Shame” on all of the Iowa delegation who voted to sell out the American taxpayers. Thanks for the update.
Good to see people holding the sellouts in both parties accountable.
Vote’m all out. The ‘Party’ system is part of the problem.
Beal makes an interesting point: Social Conservatives are a minority and moderates and independents make up the majority of the electorate. He’s right about that. They do make up the majority of the electorate. Speaking in total general terms, the nation is split 30% – 30% – 40%. 30% are Conservative, 30% are Liberal and 40% are “Moderate.” In theory, the moderates and independents make up the biggest voting block … Coincidently, its also the most worthless voting block … The people that make up the 40% of “moderates” are almost bi-polar in their political views. They cant ever win an election alone in spite of their majority because the moderates are a totally un-united block of voters NO ONE can ever unite them all under one banner because they are all too different to ever agree on anything. Look at them in the exit polls: Some like higher taxes, some like low taxes. Some hate the idea of socialism and others what to “spread the wealth around.” Some are “Life-long Conservative Union Democrats”, others describe themselves as “died-in-the-wool pro-choice Ford Republicans” Moderates have no continuity in their political views which relegates them to simply floating between the Democratic and Republican party from year to year. At the end of the day, moderates lack the unity and subsequently the political strength in numbers to survive alone in the wilds of the modern day political landscape.
Huckafan:
That’s an interesting point of view which makes sense to me.
You also make a good point about looking at the exit polls.
I think it would be instructive to know just how informed these “moderates” are on the issues and on the candidates’ records and positions.
Huckafan,
Good Post.
Huckabee said something on his show that really resonated with me. He really trounced McCain and that congresswoman in MN, for calling certain people “Un-American”.
I do believe that this is why McCain is losing.
First of all he is only speaking about Barack, not about himself
And second he is alienating a lot of people by going back and forth and dissing everyone who doesnt agree with him and how he’s feeling on a certain day.
Huckabee was more “above the fray” in his approach. He didnt put out a negatvie ad when he won here in Iowa and barely talked about his opponents. But he talked about himself and made sure that a vote for Huck was a vote for Huck and not just a referndum on his opponent
I just found your website and am glad there are still Iowan’s concerned with values. However, I would have liked to see Gronstal and McCoy’s name on the WoS for their sell-out of Iowa to the gay lobyist. Matt McCoy, who introduced the smoking bill SF36 on Jan. 23, 2007, recieved 47,700 from the lobyist, and Mike Gronstal, recieved $250,000, who in Jan. 2008 refused to allow debate for Iowans to vote on DOMA this last election. It is my believe that McCoy threw out this smoking ban to get everybodies focus on that while they, our bought and paid for politicians, were trying to slide the gay agenda’s by. It woked.
Dear Mr. “thelittleguy”-
Your name certainly says much about you. Holding onto old lame button pushing of the so called “gay agenda” is narrow minded and blinding the party onto the road of oblivion.
You, and others like you ,are what is pushing good solid republican voters away from the party with your venom and hate. Great Republicans Like Teddy and Abe came to recognize all tax paying americans its time that this party does also.
You are showing nothing of value to Many families with gay individuals within them. It’s time you get over your Homo-phobia and get with the program. We want to win elections it should be with a welcoming embrace, not a acceptance that is conditional. Our party is failing because of the social issues that we are more than right on, we are endorsing hate. If we were back in the 50’s would you be on the side of the Klan? Especially knowing what you should know now?
The Gay issue has turned, it has become a fact that standing against the gay community is standing against TAX PAYING AMERICANS. If you do it lends to the thinking of “whose next”. We cannot win when we are attacking Americans and claiming we are doing it for “moral decency”…have we not learned our lessons from history. If we allow religion to cloud us in our defending the republic…our republic becomes far less then free. We become what they are over in the middle east, people who have been fighting for centuries. Democracy is a very fragil thing, and taking freedoms from a group of citizens will always galvanize even the sternest man against those who would try to take those freedoms.
As an American, and a Republican I have come to terms that I support all Americans in their pursuits of happiness and liberty, even if they do not believe in my personal beliefs. As an American I must in order to ensure that Freedom and Democracy will continue. Muddling the thought process with these “morality issues” is distracting us from the corruption and mis-handling of our Govt. that is taking place.
It takes all kinds of money to run this country and “Gay Dollars” spend and help just as much as “Straight”, “Black” or whatever you wanna insert there. We the Republican party must stop shooting ourselves in the foot and wake up out of this bad dream that has led us to believe that God is going to make things “Right”. If that was true don’t you think he has spoken enough times to make us really sit back and reflect on how wrong we have been?? I would seriously ask that this Party, especially here in Iowa, stop insisting on pushing policies and personal beliefs that have no real place in aiding us in making Iowa and our Country a truly better place in the world to live…..oh and nor will they help us win elections.
Jennifer,
Now that you are done showing your “tolerance” with your insults towards those who do not agree with you, I will address the issue of why the GOP is losing.
Our nominee this past election, John McCain, was for civil unions and told the Log Cabin Republicans that “their day will come.” (Need a link? I can give you one.) And of course, he voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment and called it “un-Republican.” We had a candidate who stomped on the pro-family part of the party and HE LOST. In addition to that, the states of Florida and California went to to Obama but yet they voted for traditional marriage. I’ll explain to you what happened in those two states since you are so caught up in your “tolerance” that you probably don’t see it. People who voted for the left also voted for traditional marriage which means pro-family issues is not why we are losing.
We are losing because we are not standing for our core issues that brought people to our party in the first place. As John McCain and many other examples show, watering down our principles to compete with the other side leaves us with nothing to stand or fight for, and that equals nothing to vote for.
Ms. Thompson,
I would have to disagree with your assumptions. There are many Republicans like myself that cannot and will not support a Republican Party that supports homosexual marriage. They can do whatever they want in their bedrooms, but when it comes to marriage that is where we get involved. I am not going to argue that it is immoral, we know it is. But marriage is a sacred institution, to sully it with the specter of gay marriage is to tarnish the image and reputation of the institution. So I will fight on to prevent homosexuals from uniting under the banner of marriage.
I nominate Pat McCarthy and Paul Shomshor for the hall of shame for kicking the public out of the house chambers during a public hearing on March 31, 2009. Who-TV slanted the news, by omission. People were being orderly and commenting, for the most part, (by clapping or booing) at the end of the speakers’ talks. Who-TV footage shown picked up after McCarthy kicked everyone out and requested state troopers to “escort” the gallery out. Had it been liberals letting their feelings and beliefs be heard at a public hearing, I doubt Shomshor and McCarthy would have cleared the gallery.
This is the first time in at least 3 years that the gallery has been cleared. Strange that the gallery wasn’t cleared for the cheering, clapping, and foot stomping liberals did when Chet Culver made an appearance, but the gallery was not cleared at that time and it was more unruly than the March 31st hearing at its loudest.
Sorry… His name is Pat Murphy… I guess he just reminds me of McCarthy… lol
[...] IDA Wall of Shame [...]
The IDA goes to Iowa church leaders for promoting Biblical illiteracy in our culture by teaching religion not revelation. I nominate every so called pastor or minister in Iowa that continues to put money and career in first place instead of teaching the revelation of the scripture to the believers. And for their silence on the institution of marriage in our state as they cower in fear in their comfort zone church cultures. Most of the politicians that we complain about are products of these churches but they love to tell you about their long term church memberships. So what? Barna research reports that only 9% of the general US culture has a biblical worldview and only 19% of born again Christians hold a biblical worldview. Are we still surprised at our crumbling culture in Iowa and the nation?
FYI; there was a rally at the capitol on Jan. 2008 lead by Pastor Dan Berry where he, hundreds of Iowa ‘church leaders’, Chris Rants and many of us Iowans were trying to get Gronstal to bring a debate to the floor of the senate to allow Iowans to vote on same-sex-marriage. I think you can still find that rally on ‘Youtube’, if not maybe on ‘letusvoteiowa.com’
thelittleguy – I’m not really talking about church leaders being politically active because this is not working. I am talking about church leaders actually teaching the Bible in a verse by verse understanding to the believers without adding all of the application crapola. Almost all research shows that even Christians, including myself of which frustrates me, are Biblically illiterate which means we cannot defend our faith nor communicate general revelation to the culture. Instead church leaders tell us that Christians are victims of an evil culture and we end up living in a world of “self preservation” instead of engaging in our communities. The church is not even in the game anymore because pastors refuse to teach revelation and instead teach application.
Chuck Grassley? Interesting that Huckabee is endorsing Grassley’s re-election.
http://www.huckpac.com/?Fuseaction=Blogs.View&Blog_id=2606
Steve “Saunters” from District 22 deserves a wall all to himself.