Incumbents and Tiger Woods

Chet Culver, Chuck Grassley, Leonard Boswell...what are you thinking? Any worries about next year now? Yes, the general election is 11 months away. But it sure was interesting to see what happened to incumbents this week. A 23 year old challenger upset a man more than three times his age, who has served two decades on the Des Moines City Council. In West Des Moines, a 20 year veteran member got bounced. Two incumbents also went down in Windsor Heights. And another one fell in Ames.

If you combine those results with some polls that show support for office-holders tumbling, it makes you wonder whether this "throw the bums out" mentality is just misguided angst about the economy (which could evaporate if the economy rebounds next year) or if it will remake the overall look of government. Hmmm....

There's a lot of speculation about which of the five remaining Republican candidates will leave the race for governor next. Christian Fong became the first to exit, if you don't count Senator Minority Leader Paul McKinley (although some question how "in" the race he ever really was). It sure doesn't sound like the next man out will be former House Speaker Chris (don't call me Christopher any more) Rants, at least not this week. Today, Terry Branstad's campaign sent out a release touting legislators (Rants' current co-workers) who are supporting the former four-time governor. Here's the release from Branstad, followed by one Rants sent out today.

Governor Terry Branstad Announces Legislative Leadership Team
(URBANDALE) – In a sign of growing momentum as he explores a bid for governor, Gov. Terry Branstad today announced the support of Republican legislators from across the state as part of his initial legislative leadership team.

“These individuals are on the front lines of legislative debate,” said Branstad. “They recognize the need for conservative solutions in dealing with the state’s record budget shortfall. They sounded the alarm, but unfortunately, Gov. Culver was unwilling to listen. I share with them their positive vision for our state’s future and look forward to working with them to advance Iowa’s comeback.”

Branstad says this team will work on expanding the governor’s support across the entire state.

“One of the first goals of this team will be to expand and broaden the base of our campaign’s support within the House and Senate Republican caucuses over the coming months,” Branstad said.

The list of Gov. Branstad’s legislative leadership team are as follows:

Sen. Randy Feenstra, R-Hull
Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyeden
Sen. Larry Noble, R-Ankeny
Sen. Pat Ward, R-West Des Moines
Rep. Steve Lukan, R-New Vienna
Rep. Ralph Watts, R-Adel
Rep. Jeff Kaufmann, R-Wilton
Rep. Rich Arnold, R-Russell
Rep. Lance Horbach, R-Tama
Rep. Annette Sweeney, R-Alden
Rep. Henry Rayhons, R-Garner
Rep. Dave Tjepkes, R-Gowrie
Rep. Erik Helland, R-Grimes
Rep. Linda Miller, R-Bettendorf

Last month, the Branstad 2010 Committee announced that former State Rep. Carmine Boal, R-Ankeny, would serve as the statewide organization chair.

Rants: “Some of us know Terry Branstad all too well”

“Terry Branstad is saying those who believe he isn’t conservative enough ‘don’t know him.’ The trouble is that some of us know Terry Branstad all too well,” said Rep. Chris Rants, candidate for Governor from Sioux City.

“It was Terry Branstad on the other end of the phone when he called lobbying me to raise the cigarette tax when I was Speaker. It was Terry Branstad wielding the veto pen when he gutted our education reform legislation because Republicans wouldn’t go along with all the spending he wanted. It is Terry Branstad’s signature on the largest tax increase in Iowa history,” added Rants.

“Opposing the Branstad tax and spend record doesn’t make someone a member of the ‘confrontational right,’ it just makes them a fiscal conservative.”

On Wednesday Terry Branstad told the Dubuque Telegraph Herald that those criticizing his record as governor, "Now I have people saying I'm not conservative enough. Now I have people calling me a moderate, or a liberal," he said. "These people don't know me."

The article with Branstad's comments can be found here - http://www.thonline.com/article.cfm?id=265298

ETC...
Is there any woman out there who won't come out this week to say she had a fling with Tiger Woods? Why will his wife stay with him after all of this? It's probably just the media's fault. Maybe they beat him in the face with that golf club, too.

Purple Matters

Thanks for checking in on "Purple Matters" our internet radio show on Tuesdays at 8pm central on www.desmoineslocallive.com.

Former U.S. Attorney Matt Whitaker talked about his old life and new life. Now that he has left his post, he talks about the behind-the-scenes decisions about that raid on a Swift meatpacking plant in Marshalltown. He said, despite media reports, officials gave very serious attention beforehand to make sure children wouldn't be separated from their families. He said they even planned out how to care for animals that might be caught up in the process before they made it through to slaughter.

Whitaker also talked about running for office. He said it became clear to him a while back, though, that Terry Branstad would run and would be a force. He also expressed concern about "the bench" for Republicans in Iowa, not that there aren't people on the bench, but rather that the people on the bench don't get a chance to get in the game.

AFSCME Council 61 President Danny Homan also joined us. He thinks it's ridiculous that critics say state workers make too much money. And he doesn't see how Governor Culver or state lawmakers can come back next year and ask state employees to give up more.

Here's the link for their part of the show:

http://bit.ly/8SW7mu

Christian Fong dropped out of the race for governor. He said it was all about the money. He won't rule out joining Terry Branstad's ticket or any other candidate, for that matter. Fong also wouldn't rule out running for office again. In fact, far from it. He also talks about what will be the best thing about leaving the race.

Here's the link to his appearance on the show:

http://bit.ly/5CPpr4


Thanks for listening. Please vote on our War Tax Poll at the top right of the web page. And please keep your comments coming as we keep working to improve our show! See you next Tuesday at 8pm for "Purple Matters" on www.desmoineslocallive.com!

Zaun to Announce for Congress Thursday

Add another name to the race for Congress. Republican State Senator Brad Zaun will announce Thursday that he wants to take on 3rd District Democratic Congressman Leonard Boswell. Zaun told me last month he was thinking about running. Now, he's ready to say he's doing more than just thinking. He will announce at 10am at Sellers Hardware in Des Moines. Zaun worked there when he was growing up (his mother owns it now). He later operated Zaun's Hardware in Urbandale as he started transitioning into politics.

The primary race is getting a bit crowded now. Former National Guard pilot Dave Funk announced first. Then former Iowa State wrestler and coach Jim Gibbons got in. Republicans now have a three-way battle for the nomination.

Anyone else want in?

Fong Suspends Campaign

And then there were five. Republican gubernatorial candidate Christian Fong is now "former" candidate, or so it appears. Fong's campaign sent out a release that he is suspending his campaign. I haven't talked to him yet, so I don't know much more than what's in this news release.

There has been growing belief among Republican insiders that former Governor Terry Branstad's entrance into the race has suck the attention and money away from the other candidates and that we would soon see a few candidates drop out. Rod Roberts, Jerry Behn, Chris Rants, Bob Vander Plaats and Branstad remain. Who will be next to exit?

Here's the release from Fong's camp:

(Cedar Rapids, IA) Christian Fong, Republican gubernatorial candidate announced that effective today he will suspend his campaign for Governor.

“Today, I announce the suspension of my campaign. From this time forward, we will not be actively campaigning for the Republican nomination for Governor. While today marks a change of direction for our campaign and for myself personally, today is not an end to my passion to see the Iowa Dream restored,” said Fong.

“Over the coming months, I intend to be actively involved in the process even if it’s not as a formal candidate for Governor. Iowa is faced with historic challenges and opportunities. The decision voters make in 2010 will greatly shape the future of our state. I personally want to ensure we continue to have a lively discussion about reforming our income tax code, reversing population and job losses in Iowa and addressing the “Brain Drain.” Electing a Republican nominee who is committed to addressing these issues with substantive plans will lead to success, both next November against Governor Culver, and through the next four years.”

“To my supporters and those that have generously supported my campaign financially, I give my sincere thanks. Your support and passion for our state deepened my conviction that this campaign reflected not only our core Iowa values, but our bright future as well. Our vision was clear, but the financial hurdles too great. Yet it is the responsibility of each generation to build on the blessings of liberty in Iowa, and so I will continue to stand with you for the future of our great state,” concluded Fong.

Christian Fong graduated from Underwood High School in Southwest Iowa at the age of 16 and then attended Creighton University, graduating at age 19. After college, he and his wife, Jenelle, located in Cedar Rapids and Christian started work at AEGON. Fong put his career on hold to attend Dartmouth, earning his MBA. He and his family returned to Cedar Rapids, where they reside today and attend River of Life Ministries church. When the floods of 2008 hit Cedar Rapids, Fong founded and still serves today as the CEO of Corridor Recovery, a non-profit flood relief organization that coordinated recovery efforts. The Fongs have three children.

AFSCME Members Vote Yes

AFSCME members decided to give up some pay and benefits, so co-workers could save their jobs. Council 61 President Danny Homan announced the vote today. Members voted 59-41% on a agreement which takes away five days of pay and the state contribution toward their retirement through the end of June (about $75 per month). In exchange, 479 people won't get laid off as a result of Governor Chet Culver's 10% across-the-board budget cuts for state agencies.

Members finished voting last Wednesday, but Homan said he had independent counters re-tally the numbers to make sure they were accurate. That's why he waited to announce the results today, he said. He didn't say if they found any irregularities. But he said about 2/3 of the membership voted. Today he also wouldn't say how many members there are or how many voted. However, at his last news conference earlier this month, he said there were about 9,000 members (there are about 22,000 eligible state employees for AFSCME membership). So by my math, that's about 6,000 or so who voted.

Homan made several suggestions to save money next year:

Let eligible employees retire early with incentives like helping with insurance costs until they're eligible for Medicare or offer cash payments.
Raise taxes/end certain tax credits.
Lower the rate of supervisors per state employees.

Governor Chet Culver's office just announced this morning at about 10:15 he will have a news conference to respond to the vote. By the way, his office also just announced he will be attending the Holiday Tree Lighting ceremony at the State Capitol at 5pm. It also kicks off the state employees' annual Toys for Tots drive. I presume state workers, their families and Santa already knew about the event before this announcement.

Here's the full press conference with Homan from today:

Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays

It 's a p.c. world. No, not personal computers. I mean a world of political correctness. But a new poll shows more Americans prefer using the greeting "Merry Christmas" over "Happy Holidays" compared to last year. The new Rasmussen report showed Merry Christmas was the preferred greeting by 72-22%. It was 68-25% last year. Which one do you prefer?

And, in case you wondered, more Republicans and Independents prefer Merry Christmas, while fewer Democrats like that choice (but the majority of Dems still like it over Happy Holidays).

What do more people prefer Merry Christmas this year? Beats me. What do you think?

Thank You

In the middle of this Great Recession, I feel special need to pause to say "thanks" for all of my blessings in life and all the other things that deserve my appreciation.

So I'm thankful for:

My mother-in-law's turkey, followed by pork loin, sweet potatoes, apple walnut stuffing, apple pie...man, I ate a lot.

Getting to spend time with my two little nephews, Mac and Ian (along with Emily's mom, dad, brother, and sister-in-law for the holidays and getting to see the Prices for Christmas).

My job.

Bosses that let me help try to keep politicians accountable to the people they represent.

Public servants who don't try to hide information from the public.

Elected officials who are confident enough in their abilities to communicate to the media the reasons behind their decisions and staffs that let them talk to the media.

The most talented photographers who help me share our stories on tv with you.

The fact I married my best friend.

How Iowans make this feel like home, even though I grew up in another state.

All of you friends who watch my stories, read my observations and share your thoughts to make my job the best I could ever ask. Thanks to all of you.

Finally to my Aunt Pris. Growing up, she always made pies at holidays. Emily's family came to town this year, so I didn't make it back for Aunt Pris' pies back in Illinois. But she shared the recipe of one of my all-time favorite pies!

Here it is...

She told me "Kentucky Derby Pie" is copyrighted. So she just calls this "Derby Pie". Enjoy and happy Thanksgiving!

1 unbaked 9 in. pie crust
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. flour
2 eggs slightly beaten
1/2 c. butter (melted and slightly cooled)
1 c. broken pecans
1 pkg (6oz.) chocolate chips (I use semi-sweet)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. bourbon
Whipped cream (I use Cool Whip)

Mix together sugar & flour. Add eggs, butter, pecans, choc. chips (don't melt), vanilla and bourbon. Pour into pie crust and bake for 1 hour @325 degrees. Serve with whipped cream if desired.

another recipe call for 1/2 - 1 c. flaked coconut. I've done it both ways.

Iowa Senator Part of President's State Dinner

Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, Blair Underwood, Brian Williams, Katie Couric, Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Swati Dandekar. Yes, Iowa's Swati Dandekar, the Democratic senator from Marion.

She was part of President Obama's first state dinner last night in Washington, D.C. Visiting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was the guest of honor for the evening. Senator Dandekar moved to the U.S. with her husband, Arvid, in 1973.

Iowa state Democrats sent out this release about her visit.