Grassley on “Iowa Press”

U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) is the guest on this weekend's edition of "Iowa Press."  The program was taped this evening; it will air at 7:30 p.m. Friday and be rebroadcast Sunday at 11:30 a.m.  Grassley suggested a "bipartisan coalition" should be built to fight the gay marriage ruling from the Iowa Supreme Court.

Grassley was asked directly about criticism from some conservative Republicans who complain, among other things, that Grassley hasn't been quick enough to come out in favor of an amendment to the state constitution which would ban gay marriage. "Clearly, Grassley is not the same conservative that he was when he originally ran," Bill Salier, a Nora Springs farmer/GOP activist, said last Friday. "…At least be willing to stand up for the principles that you hear when you're in church on Sunday. If you're not willing to and it takes you a month to figure these things out, then perhaps it's time that you go back, put your two lawn mowers together and drive around in circles."

Here is the applicable portion of the Iowa Press transcript.

Iowa Press moderator Dean Borg:  "Is there a section of your party that doesn't think you're conservative enough?"

Grassley:  "Well, the statistics wouldn't bear that out nor the polls bear that out as you see in recent Des Moines Register polls, as an example, my own polling. you see not any split along that line.  Nothing's changed in the years I've been in the United States senate. I've always been a spokesman for conservatism and in regard to some of the issues that you just mentioned my votes again, as I said to AP, that I voted for Defense of Marriage Act. I'm on record strongly in support of traditional marriage, so where might the differences come with social conservatives, as an example?  Also, I could add my vote on abortion over 30 years. I could add to that a very favorable voting record from the Family Research Council."

Borg:  "So, you think you're in solid with the party?"

Grassley:  "At my town meetings and also a week ago you had our state chairman say the same thing that as he's gone around to 20 or 25 central committee and as I've gone to my town meetings, there hasn't been any of that expressed that you've referred to."