Pataki & Revere America

Former New York Governor George Pataki is in Des Moines today for a “RevereAmerica.org” event.  The group is seeking a million signatures on a petition which calls for repeal of the national health care reform plan President Obama signed into law this spring.  UPDATE: Read the Radio Iowa story and find a 35-minute-long mp3 of the event here.  What follows is a live blog of the event.

Republican Party of Iowa chairman Matt Strawn opens by recognizing elected officials in the room:  State Auditor Dave Vaudt; Senator Larry Noble; Senator Kim Reynolds; Senator Brad Zaun; Rep. Eric Helland; Rep. Matt Windschitl; Rep. Renee Schulte; Rep. Linda Upmeyer; Rep. Rod Roberts.

Strawn tells a story about his five year old son’s reaction to news that his mother/Strawn’s wife is expecting a baby girl.  “I know we’ve got a few months for that to change,” Strawn said his son said.  His five year old has a “suspended sense of reality” that’s similar to the one Democrats have according to Strawn.SStrawn said there will be $8470 in new govt spending for every Iowan under the new health care reform plan.  “The only thing going up faster than spending in Washington are job vacancies in (Governor Chet Culver’s office),” Strawn said, a reference to Culver’s chief of staff.

Now, a story about Paul Revere.  You’ve heard it.  “Folks, the fight is on to save our state and save our country,” Strawn said, urging the crowd to “become those modern day sons of liberty…telling everyone you know what’s at stake this November.”

Next up:  Brenna Findley, a Republican candidate for state attorney general. “I don’t go anywhere these days without my copy of the constitution.  Don’t leave home without it,” Findley said.  “…Our current attorney general, when the govt run mandate in Obama came out, at first he didn’t take a position at all and then we reminded Iowans about the unconstitutionality of that legislation…and a few days later he did take a position….He refused to sue to protect the taxpayers.”

She called health care reform an “unlimited power grab” by the Democratically-led congress.  “There is something fundamentally wrong between the government and its citizens.”

Findley notes Miller was first elected attorney general in 1978 “when he was my age.”

Former New York Governor George Pataki, chairman of RevereAmerica, is behind the microphone at 1:04 p.m.  He called Brenna Findley “Brenda” and added “ObamaCare is not just wrong, it’s unconstitutional.”

“…I was happy as a private citizen.  I served 12 years as governor of New York, but when I see what is happening in Washington…we are seeing a government that is dramatically headed in the wrong direction, so we created a new entity.”

Why Revere America?  “We wanted to reflect back on Paul Revere…He went to awaken American patriots that our freedom was at risk.”

Pataki said freedom again is at risk, not at the barrel of a gun, but “at the stroke of a pen by people in Wasington who every day wrok to erode our personal freedoms.”

The most glaring example, according to Pataki, is “ObamaCare.”

“We are going to work every day from now until November to have a government…that is will to repeal ObamaCare and replace it with real health care reform,” Pataki said, to the heartiest burst of applause of the day from the crowd.

Pataki laid out a critique of the bill, including the argument that it would reduce costs. “…The only way it could possibly cost less is if we can’t get the health care we need and deserve and that is what I fear most about this bill,” he said.

Pataki spoke of the Tea Party activists who rallied last week and Obama’s reaction.  “(President Obama) was amused by all those protestors,” Pataki said. “I was stunned that our president could demean and dismiss tens of thousands of Americans…They have not listened but we are going to make them listen.”

At 1:13 p.m. Pataki concluded.