A barb directed at Branstad

Republican gubernatorial candidate Christopher Rants issued this news release this morning.  For context, you may recall that former Governor Terry Branstad — the Republican mulling the idea of coming out of retirement to seek a fifth term as governor — raised the state sales tax twice during his 16 year tenure.  You may have seen this weekend’s Des Moines Register Iowa Poll which showed 48 percent of those surveyed thought it was a good idea for Branstad to run.  Chris Cilizza of The Washington Post has a paragraph of analysis in his Morning Fix.

Here’s the Rants “barb” directed primarily at Branstad.

Rants issues tax challenge to gubernatorial candidates

“As Iowa’s state budget situation continues to worsen, the public deserves to know how candidates for governor intend to put it right.  The last two times state government had a significant deficit, the sales tax was raised and the list of things subject to sales tax was expanded.  That is why I challenge my fellow candidates running for governor to pledge to veto any attempt to raise the sales tax, expand its base, or redirect the school infrastructure tax into the general fund,” said Rep. Chris Rants, candidate for Governor from Sioux City.

“We should not repeat the mistakes of the past, but live within our means.  I would hope my fellow Republicans, and Governor Culver would join me in taking this pledge, but I caution them not to do so lightly.  The magnitude of budget deficit is unprecedented.  It will not be easy to balance the budget, and Iowans should expect that there will be pain.  But I believe to close the budget gap with more tax revenue will only make our economic condition worse.”

Rants initially issued his challenge this weekend at the Poweshiek County GOP Town Hall Forum, however all candidates were not present.  He will again issue the challenge this evening in Mt. Pleasant, Tuesday in Pella, and Wednesday in Ames.

“Draft Branstad” ad airs; Democrats offer rebuttal

This past Monday the “Draft Branstad” folks announced they’ve purchased air time on the radio to tout former Governor Terry Branstad’s accomplishments.  Today (two days later), the Iowa Democratic Party issued a rebuttal. The “Draft Branstad” announcement is posted below, followed by the Iowa Democratic Party’s news release/response.

Read more

“Draft Branstad” PAC formed

There's a Twitter account.  And an announcement, via Facebook (haven't received a thing in my email in-box yet, however).  And a website.  On that website there's a one-minute-long video with just music and graphics — plus lots of pictures of Terry Branstad when he was governor and a few of him at Des Moines University, where is currently serving as president.  There are 14 pictures of a very young, dark haired Terry Branstad (when he was governor), including one picture of him with then-President Ronald Reagan, but only four pictures of the modern day Terry Branstad. 

UPDATE:  At 9:45 a.m. I did receive, via email, a news release which you can read below.  The subject line of the email read: Draf Branstad PAC Formed.  (That would be a "T" for "Terry" that was left out of the first word.)  Here's the Radio Iowa story.

FORMATION OF DRAFT BRANSTAD PAC ANNOUNCED

Des Moines, Iowa – Former State Legislator Sandy Greiner officially announces the formation of “Draft Branstad PAC” today. Draft Branstad PAC is an organization formed to encourage former Governor Terry Branstad to run for Governor of Iowa.

Read more

Former Latham aide accuses both parties of “intimidation”

The Alexandria, Virginia-based "Center for Competitive Politics" has issued a statement critical of both the Republican Party of Iowa and the Iowa Democratic Party.  The CCP contends that in two recent actions the two parties are guilty of intimidation.  The CCP is a 501(c)(3) group founded by a former member of the FCC (appointed to GOP slot by Bill Clinton; term ended during the George W. Bush era) and one of his aides (who at one time worked for Republicans on the hill).  

The following was written by Jeff Patch, a Dubuque, Iowa, native who is communications manager for the Center for Competitive Politics. Patch at one time worked as a press secretary for Congressman Tom Latham (R-Ames, Iowa).  (Here's the permanent link to the article copied below; it has some hyperlinks to the flier and to some of the Iowa guidelines.)

Top officials at Iowa’s Democratic and Republican parties are responding to two instances of political speech in remarkably similar ways — threatening litigation, government investigations and other intimidation tactics.

Read more

Thursday Tidbits

There was a groundbreaking this morning for a new, $9.8 million state office building that will house the Iowa Utilities Board and the Consumer Advocate's Office. Utility customers will pay for it.

"We've been in our current building since 1998 and we've paid over $7 million in rent, so over the long pull, this is a much better deal for everybody," Seel says.

A bus bearing the phrase "Hands Off My Health Care" in large letters was parked outside the statehouse this morning.  Jason Clayworth of The Des Moines Register covered the anti-health care reform rally.  I drove by on my way to another event and saw a sparse crowd.  Clayworth reports: 

About 20 people attended the event at the Capitol today, which did not include staff from Americans For Prosperity, which helped sponsor the event, or six people from the media.

Todd Dorman of The Cedar Rapids Gazette and Kathie Obradovich of The Des Moines Register have both written about the polling a Republican group has done on the governor's race.  Governor Chet Culver, a Democrat who intends to seek reelection in 2010, was asked about it this morning and he started by channelling Terry Branstad who always told reporters "the only poll that counts is the one that's taken on Election Day."

"They mean nothing at all," Culver said of the Iowa First Foundation's polling.  "We will have one poll that matters: November of 2010. Terry Branstad was at 37 percent approval.  He, you know, these polls don't matter.  If a Republican 527 wants to pay for a poll, they'll get the result that they want.  A partisan, conservative 527 group led by a former Republican nominee for governor Doug Gross, they have no credibility….Surprise, surprise, they have a poll that is favorable for them because it's a partisan, right-wing operation that is trying to defeat Democrats." 

Not sure when Culver was saying Branstad's approval rating was at 37 percent.  It wouldn't have been on Election Days in 1994, 1990, 1986 or 1982, presumably, because those are the days on which "the only polls that count" were taken and Branstad won his four terms as governor.

The Iowa-based American Future Fund sent out a fundraising appeal to its supporters today, citing some recent comments from Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank, a Democrat who is the second openly gay member of the U.S. House.  The subject line of the AFF email was "Bloviating Barney Caught On Tape."  And what was Frank caught doing on tape?  Email author Tim Albrecht invites AFF supporters to "watch as Barney loses his cool with residents from his district. In another stunning, elitist and out-of-touch moment, you can watch three different outbursts from a congressman supposedly elected to represent We, the People."

Culver comments on prospect of Branstad 2010

Governor Chet Culver held a news conference in his statehouse office this morning.  Jason Clayworth of The Des Moines Register asked Culver, a Democrat, what he thought about the prospect of former Republican Governor Terry Branstad running again for governor in 2010.  Culver, as you likely know, plans to seek reelection in 2010.

"As I said yesterday, I expect a very difficult race next year.  It's unclear at this point who my opponent will be.  We'll find out next June after the Republican primary," Culver replied.  

Clayworth followed: Is having Terry Branstad run against you…more of a challenge?

"I think the bottom line is I'm doing everything I can to prepare for a challenging race. Iowa is one o fthe most competitive states in the nation.  I've always prepared well in advance for campaigns and elections.  I feel great about the team that we've assembled. John Frew and Teresa Villmain are two of the best in the business and we will be ready and we expect to win," Culver said.

Listen to Culver's comments..

Parsing Iowans for Tax Relief fundraising, Part II

Ed Failor, Junior, of Iowans for Tax Relief called this afternoon about this blog post noting contributions to the Iowans for Tax Relief PAC were down in 2009 compared to 2007 (2009 and 2007 are both "off years" meaning there's no election in November, thus it's comparing similar donation periods).  Contributions to the Iowans for Tax Relief PAC were down 43 percent from 2007 to 2009. 

Failor suggested I had failed to point out there had been a leadership change at the organization in the recent past. Jeff Boeyink, the current executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa, had been ITR's president in 2007. Failor is now the president of Iowans for Tax Relief. Eric Branstad also joined ITR's team last November as an "organizational" fundraiser. 

Failor also suggested I should have pointed out the economic conditions in 2009 are far worse than they were in 2007 and he suggested I look at the contribution reports for several other organizations which have PACs — and which raised less in 2009 than they had in 2007.

Justice for All — the Iowa Trial Lawyers PAC — saw its fundraising decline 20 percent in 2009 compared to '07 and the Realtors PAC saw a 22 percent decline.  The Iowa Industry Political Action Committee — the Iowa Association of Business and Industry's PAC — saw a slight increase in contributions, as did the PAC for the Iowa chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business, although Failor notes the total contributions for the NFIB were "really small" as it raised $3531.00 in 2009 compared to the $2460 is raised in 2007. 

Failor also suggested I look at the contribution records for the Associated General Contractors of Iowa PAC.  According to a document emailed by Katie Koberg, a vice president at Iowans for Tax Relief, the Associated General Contractors of Iowa PAC reported receiving $24,551.92 in cash contributions in the first six months of this year compared to $26.704 in cash contributions in 2007, so there was a slight decline.  The group, however, has fundraising events for its PAC as well. In 2007, the Associated General Contractors of Iowa PAC raised $237,700 from events in the first half of 2007, whereas they raised much less — $163,300 — at a January 15, 2009 fundraiser, the only event listed on the AGC's report Koberg provided.

Retrolection 2009, Dorman style

"Never say never" is a cliche used not only in the sports world, but in the political world, too. Since former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad recently has been uttering it when asked whether he'd fire up the bandwagon and seek a fifth term as governor, the people who've been racking up miles on their personal vehicles in hopes of securing the 2010 GOP nomination for governor were asked about the prospect of a Branstad race this past week.

Last Friday, Todd Dorman of The Cedar Rapids Gazette offered readers of his blog a chance to vote in "Nostalgia" Primaries to come up with a "Ticket for the Ages!" The results are in, as Dorman reports on his blog:

Retrolection 2009 – Democrat Harold Hughes and Republican Robert Ray were the big winners in last week’s retro gubernatorial primaries.

Hughes took 48 percent of the vote, holding off Tom Vilsack with 26 percent. Herschel Loveless and Ansel Briggs tied for third. Culver was 5th.

On the GOP side, Ray took 40 percent to Branstad’s 29. Samuel Kirkwood got 15 percent.

That sets up a dream Ray-Hughes match up.

There are so many ways to analyze these "results" — if one could take an online poll seriously.  Some might argue it confirms "The Real Governor" Robert Ray has always been much more beloved than "Boy Governor" Branstad, despite Branstad's 16 year tenure as governor (Iowa's longest!) compared to Ray's mere 14 years as governor.

On the Democratic side, Vilsack was second and Culver was fifth? Harold Hughes was a towering figure in Iowa politics, but the keyword in this sentence is the word was.  Hughes died in 1996 at the age of 72. 

Cast your votes in Dorman's "Retroelection 2009" here. 

But remember kids, as Terry Branstad always said, the only poll that counts is the one taken on Election Day. 

Five potential/likely GOP candidates for governor

UPDATE:  Listen to forum here; the mp3s are at the bottom of this Radio Iowa story. Listen to candidates talk about idea of "Branstad 2010"

IowaPolitics.com is sponsoring an hour-long forum on the Drake University late this afternoon, to start at 4 p.m. and conclude at 5 p.m.  I can confirm that the following potential/likely 2010 Republican candidates for governor are in the room:  Jerry Behn of Boone, Christian Fong of Cedar Rapids, Rod Roberts of Carroll, Christopher Rants of Sioux City and Bob Vander Plaats of Sioux City. 

I'll be live blogging, when humanly possible.  All the men are wearing "the uniform" — dark-colored blazers in black or dark navy; three of the five have red ties.  They are seated behind a table (it features a modesty skirt) and sitting in front of a blue curtain.  At 3:54 p.m., Lynn Campbell of IowaPolitics.com introduced the panel to the crowd.

"Senator Minority Leader Paul McKinley of Chariton is also a candidate and he expresses his regret that he cannot be here today," Campbell just told the crowd, before telling the five men who are here their responses will be limited to a minute.

First question: why are you the best?

Read more

Tweeting to Terrace Hill

"Facebookers" have had the jump on this "War of the Worlds-esque, Onion-like, pretend news" all day.  Nick Ryan, a long-time aide to former Congressman Jim Nussle who served as Nussle's 2006 campaign manager when Nussle ran for governor, has a post which declares: "I'm a 31 year old business owner. Lots of experience with non-profits. And boy..Terrace Hill here I come!" 

For context, you should know that 32-year-old Christian Fong of Cedar Rapids declared himself a candidate for governor on Tuesday with a Tweet on Twitter.  

Ryan's "status" report on his Facebook page prompted his Facebook "friends" to joke with him about the color of his campaign signs (Ryan promises they'll be green: "I'm Irish. There will be a shamrock on the sign."). There was also a crack about a "community organizer" running for governor.  Ryan promised a tweet about his "campaign" on July 4.  (I guess today and tomorrow would be the "exploratory phase" of his decision-making process.) 

In case that "War of the Worlds" cultural reference does not ring a bell, it's a reference to the 1938 Orson Wells radio broadcast which led some listeners to conclude Martians were invading.  Nick Ryan is not a Martian, but he's NOT a candidate for governor either.  Ryan is just ridiculing Mr. Fong, who IS a candidate for governor.. 

Mr. Todd Dorman, columnist for The Cedar Rapids Gazette, wrote a column today about the Tweet that marked the start of Fong's campaign.  "We’ve gone from bunting and balloon drops to 140 characters on my BlackBerry," Dorman wrote of Fong's campaign announcement.  Dorman has links to some of Fong's blog posts in his column, too, if you want to learn more about Fong's views.

Dorman also notes Fong's name rhymes with wrong and hints some of Fong's opponents may use the Fong-wrong rhyme against him. Maybe it's because Dorman and I weathered, er covered the Leonard Boswell versus Larry McKibben campaign which featured an ad that made this declaration: quit your fibbin' Larry McKibben. Yes, leaving the G off the word fibbing makes the word rhyme with McKibben. There was also the 1994 campaign that pitted incument Terrry Branstad against challenger Bonnie Campbell.  Branstad ran an ad which featured a talking cow.  "Don't gamble with Campbell!" the cow warned viewers.

I'll just close this post with a final warning: don't fall for the Ryan hook on Facebook.