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T-Paw’s Marg Bar

October 31, 2010 By

Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is campaigning with Iowa Republicans this afternoon.  Pawlenty attended events in Osceola and Winterset earlier this afternoon with the GOP candidates on the statewide ticket.  At this hour he’s campaigning with Kent Sorenson, a state representative who is running for the state senate.

During a Q&A with reporters, Pawlenty was asked by a WHO-TV reporter what his plans are after his term as governor is over.

“I’m going to open a margarita bar in Florida and play some Kenny Chesney music,” Pawlenty joked. “What do you think?  It’d be all right?”  Chesney has songs with names like “Tequila Loves Me” and “Mexican Beer” — and an album named “No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problem” with a song “On the Coast of Somewhere Beautiful”.

UPDATE:  Pawlenty also commented on the judicial retention elections in Iowa.  Read more about it in the Radio Iowa story here.  Kathie Obradovich of The Des Moines Register blogged about it and Jason Clayworth of The DMR also wrote about it, focusing on what Pawlenty had to say about Iowa Governor Chet Culver (possibly) appointing justices to replace ousted justices.

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

The Des Moines Register’s “Iowa Poll”

October 30, 2010 By

The Des Moines Register has posted some of the details of its latest “Iowa Poll” on the newspaper’s website.   The full details will be in Sunday’s paper, but their snapshot of the governor’s race shows Branstad ahead of Culver by 12 points and Grassley leading Conlin by 31 percent.  The Register also polled on the judicial retention election and the first sentence of The Register’s online story suggests the poll found a “growing likelihood” that the three Iowa Supreme Court justices on the ballot may get voted off the bench.

Filed Under: Congress, Politics, State Government Tagged With: , , ,

Huckabee robocalls into Iowa

October 30, 2010 By

Robocalls featuring the voice of former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin started coming into Iowa this week.   Today, former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee’s voice is on another round of robocalls, for the same organization — the Faith & Freedom Coalition.

Here’s Huckabee’s script:

“Hello, this is Mike Huckabee, urging you to go to the polls on Tuesday, November 2.  It’s time that we send a message to Washington politicians that we want to end runaway spending. We want to cut taxes and repeal ObamaCare.

“We’ve got to restore America to greatness through a return to the moral values of faith and family, so go to the polls and vote for the candidates who share your values.  Urge your friends and family to vote, too.  Thanks — and God bless.”

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

Last minute hits of 2010 campaign

October 30, 2010 By

The big news of the weekend for (most) Iowans is that both Iowa and Iowa State won today. Iowa beat Michigan State 37-6; Iowa State beat Kansas 28-16.  Many Iowa politicians, though, are waiting for their “scores” to be posted on Election Night. The Iowa Democratic Party has a countdown clock on its website, if you want to know how many hours, minutes & seconds are left ’til the polls open on Tuesday. The Republican Party of Iowa’s website doesn’t have a countdown clock; it does have something about party chair Matt Strawn’s “power hour” tour which concluded today. 

There are a few skirmishes in the closing hours. Democrats are pointing to this story in The Cedar Rapids Gazette about GOP lieutenant governor nominee Kim Reynolds.  Republicans are pointing to this story about Attorney General Tom Miller’s fundraising.

There was a debate about the judicial retention election on IPTV’s “Iowa Press” this weekend (the show is rebroadcast Sunday morning at 11:30).  After the show, Iowa for Freedom issued this news release:

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Congress, Politics, State Government Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Judicial retention election debate on “Iowa Press”

October 29, 2010 By

If you miss tonight’s broadcast of “Iowa Press” on Iowa Public Television, you can watch it here.  The topic:  Iowa’s judicial retention election.  The guests on the show were former Iowa Supreme Court Justice Mark McCormick, who has been active in pro-retention/vote yes efforts, and Bob Vander Plaats, a spokesman for Iowa for Freedom — the anti-retention/vote no group.  Vander Plaats, a Republican, ran for governor in 2002, 2006 and 2010.  McCormick, a Democrat, ran for governor in 1998. 

Here’s the Radio Iowa story about today’s event.  Rod Boshart of The Cedar Rapids Gazette wrote this story.  Our colleagues at The Des Moines Register highlighted a comment Vander Plaats made after the show.  DMR columnist Kathie Obradovich blogged this:

…“Anybody watching this program would see a level of judicial arrogance,” (Vander Plaats) said. “And the people of Iowa are still their own people. .. so when they read in judicial arrogance, it may not be just three Supreme Court justices. It may be others as well.”

Asked he were specifically saying McCormick was arrogant, Vander Plaats said, “Yeah, I believe so…”

 Register reporter Grant Schulte wrote this.  The AP’s Mike Glover wrote this.

Filed Under: Politics, State Government Tagged With: , , , , ,

Biden addresses impact of outside groups

October 29, 2010 By

Vice President Joe Biden was in Dubuque today, rallying with Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo, Iowa) who has been the target of campaign ads run by outside groups like the American Future Fund.  Here’s the key quote from the Radio Iowa story.

Biden told the crowd that if Braley loses, it sends the wrong message to conservative political organizations like the “American Future Fund” that have attacked Braley. 

“They will have made a point, and they will have made a point to other bright, young congressmen that if you screw around with us, we’ll come in with a couple million bucks at the end so that every other Democrat out there next time out will go, ‘Whoa, whoa, man.  I don’t know if I can handle that,’” Biden said.  Senator Tom Harkin, who was on stage with Biden, amplified the point, telling Biden: “You’ve got it.”

Filed Under: Congress, Politics Tagged With: , ,

Palin robo-calls into Iowa

October 29, 2010 By

Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has recorded a message for the Faith & Freedom Coalition and it’s being recorded today on voice mail machines in Iowa, perhaps elsewhere.

Here’s the message, left on the voice mail machine of an unregistered voter in Des Moines:  

(Palin’s voice) “We have some simple choices this year. America needs a return to conservative, common sense and time-tested truths. We need leaders who believe in smaller government, lower taxes, stronger families and a robust, unapologetic national defense.

“The momentum is on our side, but it isn’t over until the polls close so please, go to the polls, and vote for the candidates who share your values.  Urge your friends and family to vote, too.

“Thank you and God bless you.”

(A man’s voice — sounds a lot like Ralph Reed’s) “Paid for by Faith & Freedom Coalition.”

(Another woman’s voice) “Goodbye.”

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With:

Ron Paul in Iowa, talking Tea Party & ’12

October 28, 2010 By

Texas Congressman Ron Paul is in Iowa, doing fundraisers for legislative candidates in the Des Moines area tonight and fundraisers tomorrow in Ames and Mason City for legislative candidates in those areas.  Friday night he’ll be speaking at the University of Iowa at an event organized by the Campaign for Liberty.

I had a chance to chat with Paul before his speech this evening.  My first question: How can you stay away from Kentucky (where his son is running for the US Senate)?

Paul laughed.  “Well, you know, I have spent very little time there.  People ask me that, but, you know, I’ve just stayed away from it, figuring that I could do him as much good being away as being there.  Maybe I would cause him controversies on some things,” Paul said, laughing.  “My wife and I went there once for the Primary and we went a couple of weeks ago for a little rally, so those are the only two times we went.  He’s his own man, you know, and I’m not going to be able to win it for him and I don’t think it would be particularly helpful if I was there, protecting him — even though at times parents like to protect their children.”

I asked him about the Tea Party movement, and whether he traces its beginnings to the August recess of 2009, or to his own presidential campaign. 

“Oh, yeah, absolutely. It was related to our presidential campaign, even though it wasn’t organized by our presidential campaign, but it was on the authentic day of the Tea Party and it was December 16 in ’07 and that was the day the supporters were excited and they started doing things on the Internet, and they had a Tea Party and it strung up all around the country and they raised over $6 million,” Paul said. “But that’s generally forgotten.  Not too many people mention it, but I think it (the Tea Party movement) was sort of an outgrowth of that, but because the outgrowth was big and spontaneous, of course, it wasn’t directed only to the views that I had been expressing.”

[Read more...]

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

Early voting continues at brisk pace

October 27, 2010 By

Here’s the latest information on early voting from the Secretary of State’s office:

SECRETARY OF STATE MAURO: NUMBER OF ABSENTEE BALLOTS CAST SURPASSES 2002 AND 2006 TOTALS

DES MOINES – With six days remaining before Election Day, Secretary of State Michael A. Mauro today announced that more Iowans have voted early in this year’s election than the previous two midterm elections.

As of this morning, 355,192 Iowans have requested an absentee ballot and of those ballots, 254,836 have been received back by auditors’ offices. 

In the 2006 General Election, 242,385 Iowans voted absentee. Four years prior in the 2002 General Election, 242,357 voted absentee.

“Despite what has been predicted for months and months, Iowans are participating at record levels and are as engaged as ever before,” said Secretary Mauro. “As of this morning, the early voting totals for the 2010 General Election have surpassed both the 2002 and 2006 midterm elections. I believe this enthusiasm will be carried all the way through Election Day next week.”  

The total absentee ballots requested and received by county auditors are as follows:

Party               Ballots Requested     Ballots Received
Democrat      158,286                         114,193
Republican   129,316                            97,398
No Party          67,288                           43,037
Other                       302                                 208
Total               355,192                        254,836

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Politics

The GOP governors tour hits Iowa (AUDIO)

October 27, 2010 By

I am sitting in the Jasper County Republican Party’s headquarters in “rootin’ tooin’ Newton” according to the gentleman who followed me and two other reporters in the front door.  The JCHQ is located on the square, to the south of the county courthouse, in a a store front that used to be a furniture store in a former life.  This is the spot where Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad (who wants to be governor again) are scheduled to be in half an hour for a get-out-the-vote rally.  (*Pawlenty will be in Iowa later this week.)

It’s a small room.  There’s a woman with a small child in the corner and several “seasoned citizens” are sitting in a little anteroom on chairs while about two dozen people mill about.  Branstad has just entered the room at 10:35 and a woman approached him for autographs on a few items.  At 10:41 a.m. Branstad races to the back of the building to greet Barbour. 

It’s unclear whether I’ll have enough power to keep the laptop going through the rally.  I think we’ve overloaded the circuit with five laptops along press row.  Barbour just walked into the room to shake hands.  In an exchange with former RNC Committeeman Steve Roberts of Des Moines, Barbour called Roberts an “old friend.”

Roberts, who was on the RNC when Barbour was its chair, told Barbour he wanted to talk with him about 2012.

“Let’s get through this election first.  This is the election that counts,” Barbour said, adding he’s got the “fcot on the accelerator” for 11.2.10.

UPDATE:  The power strip was not providing power, my laptop battery lasted about 5 minutes on its own, so I couldn’t live blog the event. You can listen to a 20 minute mp3 of Barbour’s speech, then Jindal’s speech here: BarbourJindal

Filed Under: Iowa Caucuses, Politics, State Government Tagged With: , , , ,
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