Romney Outlines Farm Policy

Romney is in Van Meter, Iowa (population 1,073) at noon today. He is speaking at the 127 year old farm of Margaret and James Koch, who said “I am overwhelmed by it. I didn’t really think I’d ever get a chance to see him in person. He knows agriculture is important to this country, and it speaks volumes that he will come to a farm.” As the candidate speaks, combines in the background will be harvesting corn and soybeans.
Romney will promise farmers that he will cut government red tape and regulations. America has had no trade agenda during the Obama administration, and Romney will tell the farm audience they will have greater access to world markets.
The Republican will conclude trade negotiations such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, and ask Congress for the authority to pursue new agreements. He says “The president has stalled ongoing negotiations, and initiated no new ones.”
He is promising change so they will be able to pass down a farm to children without losing over half its value to taxes, and keep their energy costs as affordable as possible.
Craig Hill, the president of the Iowa Farm Bureau, said “We haven’t seen enough assurance that we’ll be able to operate our farms without a heavy burden of regulation and taxation under the Obama administration.”
The Republican candidate will also spell out his vision for making the agriculture economy grow and prosper.

Randi Shannon: Another Embarrassment From The Ron Paul Revolution

It is almost always a bad idea to nominate Ron Paul Republicans (see below link). We will say what few other GOP organizations will admit, the Paulbots are nuts! Today’s example is Randi Shannon who was the GOP nominee against State Sen. Liz Mathias (D-IA).
Mathias won a closely contested special election last year and her victory kept the Senate in Democratic hands. Shannon has just resigned and declared herself seceded from the United States. Similar to Dr. Paul, she believes Abraham Lincoln was one of our worst presidents.
Shannon thanked her fellow Ron Paul supporters in announcing she’s left the race to become a U.S. Senator with the “original government.” That is correct, she is calling herself a U.S. Senator with a fictitious government.
Practically all Republicans defend the Constitution, are against big government, and we want serious deficit reduction. The Ron Paul Revolution supports those goals, but a major problem is that many of its members, such as Randi Shannon, are extremists and a complete embarrassment to the conservative cause. She is now being replaced as the GOP nominee.

http://theiowarepublican.com/2012/iowa-gop-senate-district-34-candidate-resigns-declares-herself-%E2%80%9Cu-s-senator%E2%80%9D/

Sad News For Conservatives – Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) Sweeps Iowa

Ron Paul came in third in the Iowa precinct caucuses in January, but he won a landslide victory this afternoon. At the GOP state convention, Dr. Paul won 24 of the 28 delegates. Santorum narrowly won the caucuses but will receive just one delegate, while Romney, who came in a very close second, will get three delegates.

The Paul campaign won previous victories in Minnesota, Nevada and Maine. Bobbi Buckner Bentz of Ankeny reacted to the Paul win by saying “Was that thunder or the sound of the Republican Party imploding?”
If the Paul delegates follow through with their threat and vote for the Texan on the first ballot at the National Convention, it would mean the state would lose its first in the nation status in 2016. Libertarian supporters of Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) are cautious and do not want to jeopardize Iowa’s future role.
The convention is about to consider the platform. “Some of the platform ideas they are proposing are just crazy. I mean they make us look crazy,” says Doug Gross, a former Republican nominee for Iowa governor. Gross was Romney’s 2008 Iowa campaign chairman.
The Paul forces already control the state chairmanship, a majority on the executive committee, and National Committeeman Steve Scheffler sold out to them to get re-elected. Schleffler had Paul’s endorsement.
The State Chairman, A.J. Spiker, is a former Iowa co-chair for Paul’s campaign, and he has hired a Paulbot staff.
Delegates shouted “Why do you hate liberty” at speakers who opposed the Texas congressman.
It was distressing to hear conservatives such as State Sen. Brad Zahn repeat Paulbot nonsense. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley courageously told 4th district Republicans he is not an isolationist and “America is a beacon to the world.”
Delegates were cheering when they heard “Ron Paul has not dropped out.”
Kevin Hall in “The Iowa Republican” said “The new platform preamble is plagiarized from the Libertarian Party, while platform planks will change from supporting Israel to not providing any foreign aid to anyone, changing Iowa to a recall state like Wisconsin, and allowing the state legislature to pick U.S. Senators.
“Why in the world would we want to become a recall state? Their position on Israel goes against what a clear majority of the Republican Party believes.
“I gave A.J. Spiker the benefit of the doubt, but his actions prove that I was wrong. All three hires (Megan Stiles as the Communications Director, Steve Bierfeldt as the new executive director, and John Ferland as the organization director) are Ron Paul backers.”

Megan Hess: 2012 Winner — The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

Megan Hess

Megan Hess, 25, won her primary last night for an open seat in the Iowa legislature. Her Democratic opponent is her former high school history teacher, and she is considered the frontrunner.
Hess, an attorney, says “I am young, but not inexperienced.” She began seven years of internships when she was still in high school. She worked in the Bush White House, the Iowa legislature, and for Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Rep. Steve King (R-IA).
Republicans now hold the governor’s office and 60 of 100 seats in the House. Hess says a top mission must be capturing the Senate, where Democrats have held a narrow 26-to-24 majority for the past two years.
If Republicans are successful, they are expected to pursue a sharply conservative agenda. It has been long blocked and resisted by Democrats, and includes changes in labor relations as well as deep tax and spending cuts advanced in recent years by House Republicans.
Hess says this would be a seismic shift in Iowa’s governance. Iowa will be among the top battleground states with massive spending on both sides. Megan is no longer an intern. Now she has a front row seat.
You can read more about the contest rules and background at: The 45 Most Admired Republican Women Under 45

6 GOP Candidates in Iowa Today: The 2012 Campaign Begins

 

Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) will unofficially kick off his 2012 campaign today during three stops in Iowa, the home of the first-in-the-nation presidential precinct caucuses. Other candidates in the state today are former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (GA), former Governors Tim Pawlenty (MN) and Buddy Roemer (LA), former Sen. Rick Santorum (PA) and Godfather’s Pizza founder Herman Cain. In addition, Michael Cohen, a vice president of the Trump Organization, is in Des Moines meeting with top GOP lawmakers, operatives and volunteers on behalf of Donald Trump.

The 2008 Iowa winner was former Gov. Mike Huckabee (AR) but he is not expected to be a candidate this year. Former Gov. Mitt Romney (MA) came in second, but is expected to skip Iowa and to begin his campaign in New Hampshire.

Former Gov. Sarah Palin (AK) has visited the state four times. However, she has not mounted an Iowa campaign and has turned down meeting requests from potential supporters as well as the state media. Iowa Republican Chairman Matt Strawn said Palin’s strategy is “very risky and she soon needs to be reaching out to activists.”

Ron Paul will be 76 this August but seems intent on another presidential run. Similar to the 2008 Obama campaign, his base of support begins at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University. Paul made four trips to Iowa in 2010, and all of his appearances include crowds of enthusiastic young people. He is returning to the state on March 23rd, and is also headed to Florida and Nevada.

Paul’s appearances today in Sioux Center, Pella and Iowa City are being sponsored by the Family Leader, an organization run by Bob Vander Plaats, the chairman of the 2008 Huckabee campaign in the state.

Last month the Congressman re-started his Liberty PAC to pay for campaign travel, and raised over $700,000 in his first one day “money bomb.” Paul raised $36 million for his 2008 campaign, and even his harshest critics would admit he is light years ahead of his standing four years ago.

A serious primary challenger has not surfaced against President Obama, so Paul will be the only anti-war candidate in both political parties. Democrats and independents can vote in open primary states such as New Hampshire, where 26 Republican state legislators won with Paul’s endorsement in 2010. The Congressman will receive a hero’s welcome in the Granite State when he visits Manchester, Nashua and Portsmouth in April.

Four years ago the liberal activist group Moveon.org produced TV ads on Paul’s behalf, and it would be a surprise in they did not urge New Hampshire Democrats to support the Texas Republican. Far too many Republicans are ignoring the libertarian challenge which is why they have made so much progress.

Many GOP strategists thought Rand Paul could not win in Kentucky, but he repeated his father’s message and is in the U.S. Senate today. Congressman Paul had few allies when he began opposing the Patriot Act in 2001, but this year 27 Republicans supported him in opposition to this vital national security program. Fox News would not allow the Congressman to participate in its 2008 debate, but now Paul has become a fixture on Fox News.

Paul came in third in the 2008 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) presidential straw poll, but he won the same poll in 2010 and 2011. He recently won the on-line poll of the Tea Party Patriots, and remains a popular figure in the Tea Party movement.

The Texan says the Internet has changed everything: “I was delivering the same message for many years and not getting a lot of responses. Now there’s a whole generation of people very excited about hearing my message.” At his events today, Congressman Paul will appeal to the Christian right by emphasizing his right to life views, he will tell businessmen he is for free trade, and will assure veterans that he supports a strong national defense.

Ron Paul’s voting record on these issues is completely at variance with his rhetoric and is the subject of our upcoming articles.

The 2012 Presidential Campaign: Iowa Will Be Center Stage For The Next Year

January 3, 2008. Mitt Romney concedes defeat to Mike Huckabee in the Iowa Republican presidential precinct caucuses. Now the 2012 campaign is about to begin.

As soon as the polls close this year, the 2012 presidential campaign will begin in earnest. There has been remarkable GOP unity since Barack Obama’s election, but this will be difficult to maintain next year as Republicans join competing bandwagons of the presidential contenders. Similar to 2000 and 2008, Republicans are expected to divide themselves into economic, social and national security camps, with significant overlap in each category.

The Real RINO's and the Republican Civil War

Some conservatives are annoyed because Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) did not vote with the GOP the first time the financial reform bill was considered. I was also disappointed, but at the same I understand Massachusetts is not Utah. We cannot expect hard core conservatives to represent the Bay State.
Aside from Brown, there is no other Republican in the Bay State delegation. There are 40 members of the State Senate and only four of them are Republicans. Not one Republican represents the six New England states in the House of Representatives.

Will Christian Conservatives Rob The GOP of Victory in Iowa

The liberals can not defeat Republicans this year, but the radical right will make sure the left wing triumphs. As this article notes, that is what they want. The so-called Christian right would prefer a liberal victory rather than having a conservative Republican who would not focus entirely on abortion and gay marriage.
Bob Vander Plaats is a sore loser who was defeated in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Now he is talking about running as an independent because former Gov. Terry Branstad will not pick Vander Plaats as his running mate. His other demand is for Branstad to issue an illegal executive order banning gay marriage, even though this could result in a Governor’s impeachment.
Vander Plaats tactics worked in 2006 and four years ago he was selected as the nominee for Lt. Governor. I admire Branstad for saying no, but highly unpopular liberal Gov. Chet Culver may now be re-elected. Graham Gillette of the Des Moines Register says a Vander Plaats campaign equals a Culver victory, but that is the goal of the Christian right: “In many ways, the Vander Plaats folks would prefer a Culver victory over one for Branstad. They do not like Culver, but Branstad’s victory would limit options for them in years to come – like who gets to be party chair, who controls party resources and who is in charge of the messaging carried and heard by conservatives. The heart of the battle in Iowa is not about winning an office, but for who controls the Republican/conservative/Tea Party cause. Vander Plaats is not ready to go into that good night and Branstad puts a significant dent into the aspirations of many who support Vander Plaats.”
The Iowa situation is amazing because Branstad is absolutely a social as well as an economic conservative. He is focusing his campaign on jobs, taxes and the deficit. The Iowa Family Policy Center wants him to focus on abortion and gay marriage. The liberal Democrats can not believe their good fortune.
UPDATE
The Iowa Republican Convention is on Saturday, June 26th and Branstad has selected State Senator Kim Reynolds as his running mate for Lt. Governor. Her nomination will be challenged by the evangelicals and they are expected to push Vander Plaats. Both Branstad, 63, and Reynolds, 50, are solid conservatives and the only disagreement they have with the evangelicals is their refusal to issue an illegal executive order overturning the Supreme Court decision in favor of gay marriage.
The whispering campaign against Reynolds concerns her two arrests in 1999 and 2000 for drunk driving. Senator Reynolds has been sober for the last 8 years and says “I sought help, and I’m a stronger person for it today. What I learned is that you don’t give up. You don’t lose faith. You hold your head high and move on.
”It’s been a very public experience that I’ve been through. A decade ago I did not think I would ever get the opportunity to serve in the State Senate, or to be standing here as a candidate for Lt. Governor. I could not have done it without a strong faith, a family that has stood behind me and a great network of support.”

Christian Right and Regular Republicans Are Divided in Iowa

Why do liberal Democrats win in states such as Iowa? Because some conservative groups are very foolish. The Iowa Family Policy Center (IFPC) is refusing to support former Gov. Terry Branstad (R-IA) in his comeback attempt. Branstad is pro-life and is definitely a social conservative. They will not support him because he is emphasizing jobs, taxes and the economy, rather than abortion and gay marriage. This silly in-fighting has led to 12 years of Democratic control in Iowa.
Polling conducted during the 2008 presidential primary showed six out of 10 people who attended Republican caucuses described themselves as evangelical Christians. According to the Des Moines Register, “Even if the IFPC’s decision causes only a slight drop in Branstad’s support, it could be decisive because the Democratic party has roughly 100,000 more members than the GOP in Iowa. Unaffiliated voters outnumber both Republicans and Democrats.
“Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford said Branstad faces an almost impossible situation. ‘He’s got to find a way of pulling in the hard-core religious conservatives without alienating the independents he needs,’ Goldford said. ‘It can’t be a fire-breather, a cultural warrior.'”
UPDATE
Will the Christian right allow liberals to win again? It could happen and apparently they are in no mood to forgive State Senator Kim Reynolds, right. The Iowa Republican Convention is on Saturday and four term former Governor Terry Branstad has selected Reynolds as his running mate for Lt. Governor. Her nomination will be challenged by the evangelicals and they are expected to push Bob Vander Plaats who was defeated in this year’s primary by Branstad. Both Branstad, 63, and Reynolds, 50, are solid conservatives and the only disagreement they have with the evangelicals is their refusal to issue an illegal executive order overturning the Supreme Court decision in favor of gay marriage.
The whispering campaign against Reynolds concerns her two arrests in 1999 and 2000 for drunk driving. Senator Reynolds has been sober for the last 8 years and says “I sought help, and I’m a stronger person for it today. What I learned is that you don’t give up. You don’t lose faith. You hold your head high and move on.
”It’s been a very public experience that I’ve been through. A decade ago I did not think I would ever get the opportunity to serve in the State Senate, or to be standing here as a candidate for Lt. Governor. I could not have done it without a strong faith, a family that has stood behind me and a great network of support.”
On June 26th Reynolds defeated Vander Plaats at the convention by a vote of 56% to 44%.

Obama's Broken Promises: The Message From Iowa

President Barack Obama is expected to sign the health care reform legislation tomorrow and he will return to Iowa City on Thursday. It will be his first trip outside of the nation’s capital since the House of Representatives narrowly passed the bill on Sunday evening.
The President will discuss health care at the University of Iowa and in the city where he first unveiled his medical plans three years ago. Iowa City was then a bastion of Obama support but that has changed dramatically. The President’s approval has slipped steadily in Iowa since he carried the state in 2008 and after winning its leadoff Democratic nominating caucuses that year. According to the Des Moines Register’s Iowa Poll, only 33% approve of his health care plans while 58% disapprove.
A study released Monday indicates the bill is highly unpopular with the very professionals which will be asked to treat an expanded pool of insured Americans. Seventy-one percent of U.S. physicians said they had an unfavorable opinion of the administration’s plan. The poll of 1,217 physicians was conducted by HCD Research and the Muhlenberg College Institute of Public Opinion. Of those who had a negative view of the President’s plan, 80% said the new law would have made them less likely to enter the medical field.
A major reason why American’s have soured on the President can be seen in Iowa. The significant theme in the 2008 Obama campaign was to bring the nation together, and to govern in “a post partisan manner.” That has never happened, and not one Republican in the House or Senate voted for the health care bill. All of the GOP reform proposals were rejected, and it is now clear Obama is one of our most partisan presidents.
Obama has constantly been in the national spotlight since he won the Iowa precinct caucuses on January 3, 2008. His address that evening in Des Moines emphasizes his subsequent failure to cross party lines and to move forward in a bipartisan manner. In claiming his Iowa victory, Obama said:

You said the time has come to move beyond the bitterness and pettiness and anger that’s consumed Washington; to end the political strategy that’s been all about division and instead make it about addition – to build a coalition for change that stretches through Red States and Blue States. . . We are choosing hope over fear. We’re choosing unity over division, and sending a powerful message that change is coming to America.
I’ll be a President who finally makes health care affordable and available to every single American the same way I expanded health care in Illinois – by bringing Democrats and Republicans together to get the job done.
This was the moment when we finally beat back the politics of fear, and doubt, and cynicism; the politics where we tear each other down instead of lifting this country up. . . . We are not a collection of Red States and Blue States, we are the United States of America; and at this moment, in this election, we are ready to believe again.

Barack Obama entered the White House with an enormous reservoir of political and public support. His honeymoon with the American public was greater than any incoming president in the past three decades. He had better numbers, and they were usually by double digits, than Bill Clinton, Ronald Reagan or either George Bush on every item traditionally measured in transition polls.
President-elect Obama told CBS’s Steve Croft about his ability to bridge differences and bring people together. He said he wanted to rally Americans to a common cause. To date, the only groups Obama united are the Republican Party and his political opponents. The President is now returning to Iowa but the message of his 2008 campaign has been forgotten.