You are here: Home / 2009 / Archives for October 2009

About that speaking fee…

October 30, 2009 By

Here’s the latest on the on-going discussion about the Iowa Family Policy Center and Sarah Palin:

10/30/09 Pleasant Hill, IA – Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION received word this morning that Governor Sarah Palin is unable to accept our speaking invitation due to her book tour contractual commitments, which cannot be changed.

We extended our invitation knowing she would be in the middle of her book tour and the chances of her being able to accept any invitations were extremely slim.
 
She has asked if she could speak at a future mutually agreeable date. She will not accept any fees for her appearance.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With:

Palin in Iowa on 11/21? Um, not

October 29, 2009 By

The Iowa Family Policy Center tried (in my estimation) to smoke Sarah Palin out this week, releasing a public statement about their quest to get the former Alaska governor to speak at a big deal political event in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, November 21. That’s the same evening Vice President Joe Biden is confirmed as the headliner for another big deal political event in Des Moines, Iowa.

Here’s a key quote from the IFPC news release: 

“We have reached out to Governor Palin through both official and informal channels and extended an invitation for her to keynote our annual fundraising event.” — IFPC president Chuck Hurley

Holly Bailey from Newsweek posted on The Gaggle today a bit about the public pleading for Palin’s presence.  Here’s a  key quote from a Palin spokesperson that’s aimed directly at Hurley:

“We don’t believe she will be able to attend with her tightly scheduled book tour, and the group has been told that through formal and informal channels.” — Meg Stapleton, Palin’s spokeswoman

Jonathan Martin of The Politico wrote a piece about this as well.

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: ,

Candidates for House District 33 in Cedar Rapids

October 29, 2009 By

The two major political parties have chosen their candidates for the House seat in Cedar Rapids vacated by Representative Dick Taylor’s resignation.  Democrats in Linn County have chosen 32-year-old Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who has been active in party politics and currently works in Congressman Dave Loebsack’s second district congressional office in Cedar Rapids. She is the daughter of former Democratic state legislator Richard Running of Cedar Rapids.  

Republicans in Linn County have chosen 27-year-old Joshua (Josh) Thurston, an employee at Cargill West in Cedar Rapids who is a member of Teamsters Local 238. He joined the Army in February 2002 and served in Iraq from March 2004 to April 2005. 

The special election for the open House seat will be held Tuesday, November 24.

Filed Under: Congress, Politics Tagged With:

UPDATE: about 180 layoff notices approved today

October 28, 2009 By

Here’s the latest information from Governor Chet Culver’s staff regarding the budget reductions in the executive branch the governor approved today.  Click here to read the spreadsheets.  Short version:  about 180 layoff notices will go out as a result of today’s action.

The governor, as you may know, hopes to avoid massive layoffs in the Departments of Corrections & Public Safety by reopening union contracts and renegotiating wages.  In addition, Culver has ordered the 3258 executive branch employees who are NOT covered by a union contract to take seven days off, without pay, between now and June 30.

UPDATE: a few statements have been issued this afternoon & early this evening.  Read the written words of AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan; Republican legislative leaders & the lone Republican gubernatorial candidate who issued a statement this evening  (it wasn’t from the guy who’s been governor before, BTW).

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Iowa Caucuses, Legislature, Politics Tagged With: , , ,

Culver’s latest budget announcement, the 10.28.09 version

October 28, 2009 By

UPDATE:  Here’s the Radio Iowa story. Below is the “live blog” of this afternoon’s news conference.

Governor Chet Culver is due to start a news conference in a few minutes to announce decisions related to the 10 percnet, across-the-board cut in the executive branch that he ordered earlier this month.  As you may know, agency directors turned in plans last week which outlined almost 800 state worker layoffs.  A total of 1321 positions in state government would be eliminated, some of which (if you do the math between “about 800″ and 1321) are not filled by a person as I type.

The one-minute warning is issued at 3:06 p.m. Culver walked in about a minute later. 

“We inherited this mess,” Culver begins, referencing again the national economy.  “…There is a painful reality to our situation..,There are no easy gimmicks or quick fixes.  The solution will be….complex in nature.”

Culver said all interested parties ”have rolled up their sleeves to craft a cure.”

Here are some items:

“In an effort to share in the cuts, I am ordering all 3258 non-contract employees to take seven days without pay between now…and June 30.”

“Today I am approving 28 department plans, subject to the addition of the seven day furlough order.”

“….I am approving six dept reduction plans subject to the restoration of certain cuts that I consider essential to protectinbg children and vulnerable adults,” Culver said.  It will be paid for with department transfers and the seven furlough days. 

“I believe that we cannot allow programs that are essential…to the neediest of Iowans to be eliminated,” Culver said.

He is NOT approving layoff plans for department of corrections and public safety.  “I am hopeful we can find an alternative…because public safety is essential to our daily lives.”

Culver sent a letter yesterday to three bargaining units…who represent more than 16,000 state employees.  “I’ve asked them…to amend their current contracts.”

“…I seek substantive discussions with all three unions…to prevent layoffs related to essential public safety.  If we cannot reach an agreement with the unions….”

Unions have ’til 11/06/09 to make concessions, or the layoff plans revealed last week will be implemented in those two agencies.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: ,

King questions NFL “Commish” about Rush

October 28, 2009 By

From the office of Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron, Iowa):

During today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Congressman Steve King questioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on comments he made regarding Rush Limbaugh.

Filed Under: Congress, Politics Tagged With:

Learn a new word

October 28, 2009 By

The word is acrostic.  An acrostic poem is one in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or words.  California’s governor (or his staff) used an “acrostic-style” on a veto message — to send a message to a certain state legislator in California.  Read The Atlantic’s take on this episode.

Filed Under: Politics

Trying to smoke Palin out?

October 28, 2009 By

At 11:05 p.m. last night, the Iowa Family Policy Center’s Bryan English emailed a news release, revealing the IFPC’s “ACTION” arm is trying to land former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a speaker for an event in four weeks.  (You can read the news release below.)  For those of you who don’t have your calendar/daily diary handy, November 21, 2009 – the date on which the IFPC ACTION folks would like to have Palin speak – is the same night that Vice President Joe Biden will be in Des Moines to speak at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.

It means Palin would be sharing the spotlight with Biden that night, as most stories would be written about what each had to say about the other — or that they failed to acknowledge in their speeches that the other ”personage” was in the same area code.  It means reporters would compare the crowd for Palin and the crowd for Biden: Which one was bigger?  Which one was more enthusiastic?  Which one exhibited/highlighted greater schisms in their respective party? It means the “roll-out” of a new Democratic contestant for a possible race against Republican U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley would be overshadowed.

But this preemptive news release also means the folks at IFPC ACTION are having as difficult a time in landing a Palin appearance as the folks at the Republican Party of Iowa did.  The RPI’s annual fall fundraiser is scheduled for November 7, 2009, and the “keynoter” for that event is Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.  I’m sure “T-Paw” is well aware that the RPI’s first choice was Palin, but she would not commit.

Palin, as you may know, will be selling a book in November and it’s anybody’s guess how a speech in Des Moines, Iowa, on November 21, would fit into the game-plan for selling that book.  Mikc Huckabee, the former Arkansas governor, is selling a new book, too, in November. He plans to visit three Iowa bookstores on November 8, 2009.

On Saturday night in November of 2003, former Arkansas First Lady Hillary Clinton — New York’s junior senator at the time — came to Des Moines, Iowa, to serve as emcee for the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2003 Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner which featured all the Democratic presidential candidates in that cycle.  The next day, which was Sunday, Clinton did an afternoon book-signing event at a West Des Moines bookstore.  People stood in line for hours to get her autograph.

So, perhaps the Palin folks are considering a Saturday night speech in Des Moines, followed by a Sunday after-church booksigning at a bookstore in the Des Moines metro.  They’d have to decide which church Palin would attend that morning.  Would the event be open to cameras?  Would Palin speak to the congregation? Would she sell and sign books at the church, too?

So many questions, unanswered today.  Read the IFPC ACTION news release below.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Congress, Iowa Caucuses, Politics Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Film Office Flap, Part XIX

October 27, 2009 By

“We’re trying to piece the thing together and really doing the best we can to unravel what can be called a complete mess.” — Eric Tabor, 10-27-09.

I’m not sure if this is, indeed, part 19 of the state film office flap, but today Eric Tabor, the Iowa Attorney General’s chief of staff, delivered an update to legislators on the Governnment Oversight Commtitee about the criminal (and civil) investigation.  Tabor spoke to the panel by phone for about 15 minutes, so it was difficult to hear his testimony in the cavernous room.  I’ve gone back and listened to the recording.  Here are the key parts:

“I apologize that we can’t be there in person,” Tabor said to open. “As you well know, the governor suspended the program back on September 18 because of irregularities that were uncovered.  We think the governor’s action was very appropriate..The program remains suspended and, needless to say, our office is working very, very hard on this…several staff members…are working on it very dilligently.”

Tabor mentioned the external audit released a few weeks ago, then mentioned the criminal investigation that’s underway.  “Obviously, because of the criminal investigation I cannot say a whole lot more about that.

“…Clearly, this is a very important, complicated and difficult matter.  Part of that difficulty is the incredibly poor record-keeping that was kept down at the Film Office and we’re trying to piece the thing together and really doing the best we can to unravel what can be called a complete mess. 

“The reality here is that there’s millions of dollars at stake at a time when the state is broke and the legislature and the governor and all of us are trying to figure out how to deal with budget shortfalls.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Legislature, Politics

Have accordion, will travel

October 26, 2009 By

Former State Representative Ed Fallon (D-Des Moines) — the 2006 candidate for governor and 2008 candidate for congress who now heads a group called “I’M for Iowa: an Independence Movement for Iowa” — sent an email to supporters today.  The subject line was “Musician for Hire” and you can read the email below. The “Lynn” he mentions is his wife.  The reference to “unusual times” may be a reference to this.

Dear Friends,

fallon2Yes, I know. “Musician for Hire” is an unusual topic for the Weekly Update. But we live in unusual times. The long and short of it is this: I need to put my musical abilities on the market, and would ask you to keep your eyes and ears open for opportunities in the following areas:

Home concerts. If you’ve got a grand or baby grand piano, invite a group of friends over to your home for an evening of classical music: mostly Chopin, but other classical selections as well. Home concerts can be structured to include plenty of general socializing time, too, and the actual concert portion can be between 60 and 90 minutes.
Performance gigs. This would include weddings, holiday parties and a variety of special events. I offer classical or light jazz/ background music on the piano, all types of accordion music, classical guitar, folk guitar, and Irish music on a number of instruments. I perform solo or with other bands, though I don’t have a band of my own.
Lessons. I teach beginning and intermediate piano, accordion, classical guitar, folk guitar, Irish whistle and Irish drum.
Church organist/pianist. I’m available to substitute as a church musician and will also consider a regular weekly position for a short or extended period.
Recordings. I have recorded with a variety of bands on a number of instruments, including Irish whistle, Irish drum, accordion and guitar.

Oh, and did I say that I’m a pretty darn good musician, too? At the same time, the work that Lynn and I do for political reform continues under the auspices of I’M for Iowa.

Filed Under: Congress, Politics
« Older Posts