IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

Will you offer property tax plans to lower rates for residential?

TB: restore fiscal responsibility. (don't think I heard specifics)

RR: slow down rate of growth on real-estate taxes. we have required property tax payers to pay more and more of the load. state should look at taking on more of that load.

VP: yes. need to free up business and industry.

Branstad shaking head, no. Said VP doesn't have the facts right.

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

Name 2 specific programs you would cut

VP: Benefits to illegal immigrants. Look at AEA.

TB: Funding for groups like Planned Parenthood. Eliminate funding for AEA. Partner with non-profits and others for pre-school.

RR: Eliminate state-funding/benefits for illegal adults. Sell of excess state vehicle fleet. Eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood.

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

If elected governor, would you feel obligated to implement Republican Party platform?

TB: Iowans need jobs. Focus will be on what state needs rather than focusing on platform.

RR: I am a conservative. First priority is to serve people of Iowa. People come before party. I will support Republican nominee, whoever that it. That's about being part of the team, a Republican team. It's the people you serve, not the party.

VP: People looking for leadership. Criticizes Branstad for picking a pro-choice Lt. Gov Joy Corning. Branstad comes back with: I think it's unfortunate who attack other candidates. She did a good job back then.

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

What is your biggest political mistake and what did you learn?

Vander Plaats: Said Branstad told him best way to beat an incumbent is too be a candidate with no political record. Branstad shaking head, "not true, not true". Branstad, "obviously your memory is not very good". I never said anything like you claim....your recollection is wrong or you are flat-out lying".

Vander P said it was March 14, 2000. He was at Branstad's house with VP's wife, Darla.

Roberts: The kind of dialogue we hear today is the kind of talk Iowans say we need to move past (sorry, this isn't the exact verbatum)

I ran in 1998 and lost by handful of votes. I could have worked harder.

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

Candidate to Candidate question now (this could get interesting!)

Roberts asked Branstad if he would join him in promising he wouldn't raise taxes over the next 4 years. Branstad said, yes, and that he would pledge to work to lower taxes.

No drama here.

Vander Plaats asked Branstad question (Branstad not even looking at him when he asks questions)

Vander P asks why Iowans should trust Branstad with their money.

Branstad said current State Auditor, Dave Vaudt, has studied all three candidates and supported me. Vander Plaats coming after Branstad about overspending in office, exceeding 99% spending limitations. Branstad repeatedly shakes his head, no. (It's on, baby!)

Branstad gets to ask question to Roberts...of the people who served with in legislature the most, who do you admire the most and who is the leader you don't? (softball question from Branstad to Roberts)

Roberts: Speaker of the House Brent Siegrist, who gave me time to get into leadership in house. Current Speaker Pat Murphy is the person he has least respect in his leadership style.

Branstad said Roberts' answer is "spot-on". Interestingly, Branstad did look at Roberts when those two men talk

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

What should be done to hold businesses more accountable that employ illegal immigrants?

Branstad--Do what they are doing in Postville. The new owner of that meatpacking plant requires employer verification. Enforce the law and make sure tools are in business that people who work for a business are legally eligible.

Roberts--Enforce the laws and enforce punitive measures, particularly fines. Additional punitive measures possible, but he didn't really say anything specific about what those should be.

Vander Plaats--Businesses that knowingly hire illegals, they should be held accountable. He would proposed Arizona-style illegal immigration law.

Does IA need additional immigration here to meet business needs?

Vander P--no. Need to market state as right-to-work state.

Branstad--Need to keep more of our Iowa graduates to stay here. Yes, he would allow more legal immigrants to come here. (Hey, we finally have a clear difference among the candidates here!)

Roberts--not sure what his answer was. Don't think he said yes or no.

IOwa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

What regulation affecting small businesses would you press to repeal?

Vander Plaats--Anything not conducive to growth. (Moderator Kay Henderson asked for specific regulations--didn't really mention anything. He did say something about septic tanks, but I didn't quite follow it. I will have to watch that answer again to see if I can get it.)

Branstad--Repeal that you can't do your own wiring on your farm.

Roberts--Streamline business application forms.

Iowa GOP Governors' Debate, Part 3

Would you favor incentives if demanded by a big firm to relocate?

Roberts wants to cut corporate income tax. Would look at targeted tax credits on case by case basis.

Vander Plaats also wants to cut corporate income tax and cut capital gains tax. Didn't really answer if he would look at tax credits.

Branstad reduce commercial property taxes. Would personally call businesses looking to come here. Will work with local governments for incentives.

Iowa GOP Governors' Debate

Pre-game time as we wait for the three Republicans running for Iowa governor to take part in The Great Debate, Part 3. Here are a few things I'm watching:

Does Terry Branstad keep his cool this time? He appeared visibly and sometimes loudly annoyed with Bob Vander Plaats when BVP messed up his history lesson. Vander Plaats wrongly asserted then-State Senator (and now Congressman) Steve King sued then-Governor Tom Vilsack for issuing an executive order that let felons vote. Not so.

Will Vander Plaats keep trying to push Branstad? Will he criticize him heavily in a last-ditch chance to overtake him before his statewide audience? Will he try to get Branstad to get all riled up?

Will Rod Roberts keep the nice guy thing going? Or does he have to try to make some news and come after his opponents a little harder? It seems like Roberts has targeted Vander P more than Branstad, where Vander P comes after Branstad more. Is that a sign of which audience each candidate is trying to target?

Let's get it on!

Tea Party Debate

Tea partiers get a little street cred tonight in Des Moines. The Des Moines Tea Party hosts its first debate for the 7 Republican candidates for Iowa's 3rd District. Although, only 4 of the 7 candidates plan to show up: Pat Bertroche, Scott Batcher, Brad Zaun and Dave Funk. Jim Gibbons, Mark Reese and Jason Lee Welch notified organizers they would not attend. Funk would seem to have the home-field advantage. Funk's political director, Ryan Rhodes, was the chairman of the Tea Party Patriots.

(Tea partiers, if you go to the debate tonight, please get on here and let us know who impressed you and who didn't.)

What kind of impact will the tea partiers have this year? They are definitely a passionate bunch. Can they channel that anger toward the primary? And even more challenging, perhaps, can they stay engaged all the way through the November election? If so, and, if, they unite people who haven't been voting recently, they could affect close races at the ballot box.

ETC...
For the Love of the Game...

O.K., seriously, my Cardinals stink! It is beyond me why they can't hit better than they do. Is it time for a shakeup? It feels too early for that, but something needs to jar this team a bit. Perhaps, Felipe Lopez will offer something when he comes off the disabled list as early as Monday. They need someone to offer a spark. I hope he can do it. Brendan Ryan is an automatic out right now. Although, Skip Schumaker does seem to be finding his swing. And what about Matt Holliday? Get a hit with someone on base! Isn't that why you make $17 million a season?

Branstad's Major Endorsement

Former Governor Terry Branstad has a major announcement today. How do I know? A news release his campaign issued yesterday said it was "major" three different times. Branstad's Communications Director Tim Albrecht doesn't have a reputation for over-hyping too often. If that's the case and this isn't just some lame attempt to get some "free media" coverage, then who could this major endorsement be, do you think? An Iowan? A former governor? An organization? An out-of-state celebrity-type? An out-of-state, well-known politician?

The news conference is set for 1:30 this afternoon. So get your guesses in now:)

Here's Monday's release:

Branstad to announce major campaign endorsement at Statehouse news conference tomorrow

Endorsement comes less than one month ahead of June 8 primary

(URBANDALE, Iowa) – Former Gov. Terry Branstad tomorrow will announce a major campaign endorsement during a Statehouse news conference. Details are as follows:

Tuesday May 11, 2010

1:30 p.m. Gov. Branstad announces major campaign endorsement

Iowa State Capitol

Room 116

Des Moines, IA

Utah Senator Loses Party Convention

Utah Senator Robert Bennett, a man finishing his 3rd term in office, just got quite a shock. Not only did he not win his Republican party's state convention Saturday, he finished third! Tea partiers wanted no part of him. So he looks finished. I don't know his situation well enough to see if he could try to save his skin by pulling a Charlie Christ, who switched from Republican to Independent to run for the Florida senate. Does Bennett's situation mean we can see any similar effects in Iowa? Iowa has a 7-person Republican battle right now in the state's 3rd congressional district. Although only about 4 candidates are especially active, at least from what I've seen so far. Will Iowa's Tea Party movement have enough strength to make a difference in the primary election June 8th? If so, that could really make for quite a night. Will it go to convention?
ETC...

For the Love of the Game...I just don't see how my Cardinals are winning right now. I mean, I guess I do actually. It's thanks to their starting pitching. But their clutch hitting is awful, except it seems, for Yadier Molina right now. Matt Holliday also had four hits Friday night. But he has struggled mightily to get big hits when the team needs it. Surely, this team can hit better, right? I mean it's been 30 games now. That's nearly 20% of the season. Although, I guess you have to recognize the pitching's been so good for 20% of the season, too.

Vilsack for Chief of Staff?

Apparently, Rahm Emanuel has said he doubts he would stay on as President Obama's chief of staff for more than two years. Who could replace him? The Atlantic's Marc Ambinder puts former Iowa Governor and current U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack on his list. Although, Ambinder adds, "It's irresponsible to speculate, perhaps, but it's fun."

Any chance?

ETC...I've really been on a healthy roll lately, fortunately:) But I woke up with a vicious cold this morning. I stopped by Walgreen's on the way to work. It's the first time I had to buy cold medicine containing pseudoephredrine since the new law went into effect where pharmacists log purchases. The pharmacy tech asked me to verify I would not be using it to make meth. That, along with the video camera pointed at me, made me feel so suspicious. I won't be making meth. I do want my nose to stop running though.

Branstad out of hospital

Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is out of the hospital after doctors cleared a blockage in his heart. His campaign wants the message out that he will be back on the campaign trail "soon". Expect to hear from the gov himself Friday. Branstad suffered a heart attack while working on a treadmill at the downtown Des Moines YMCA in 2000.

John Bachman, the senior anchor in our television newsroom (like you don't know who John is:), asked me if any other campaigns had sent out well-wishes for Branstad. I saw nothing from Rod Roberts or Bob Vander Plaats. Vander Plaats did send out a criticism of Branstad today with a link on Twitter.

Today, Governor Culver's office did send out a message offering well-wishes:

I hope Mr. Branstad makes a full recovery and we have him and the entire Branstad family in our thoughts and prayers. – Gov. Culver

ETC...

For the Love of the Game...Boy, the Cardinals' $40 million man, Kyle Lohse, doesn't seem to be worth $40 right now. This signing has not looked good almost from the start. He stunk again on the mound today. I sure hope he or someone can get him figured out. He's by far the worst of the 5 starting pitchers and he makes WAAAAY too much money for that.

Arianna Huffington in Des Moines

(Photo Courtesy: Associated Press)

Happy Tuesday! My day feels a bit odd. I was especially curious about the turnout and what people would say at the public hearing before the Iowa Racing and Commission in Johnston today. Several busloads of people came in to support Fort Dodge's effort to get a casino. I wasn't there in person. In tv, we are in the middle of May ratings or "sweeps" as we call them. That means we air special reports. I'm working on a bunch of them right now, as well as co-hosting two candidate debates with the Des Moines Register. John Bachman and I are also hosting the three Republican candidates for governor for a special "Insiders" show. Yeah, it's a busy time! So, unfortunately, today that meant I couldn't cover the casino crowd.

I don't want to give away all of my story for next Monday night at 10. But today's interview was fascinating. I haven't been this intrigued by an interview for a while. Here's the premise of the story: we're all seeing (and many people can't stand) politicians going after each other and everything. It seems like it's worse than ever. And they can't or won't find solutions that are truly best for the country. Some people yearn for compromise and actual problem-solving. But others don't want the parties working together on anything and if they do, they commit to kicking that compromiser out of office.

Today, I talked with a CEO of a metro company that teaches people how to think. Yeah, I know, some people may think this is a bunch of bull puckey. But they get governments, non-profits, businesses, chambers of commerce, etc. to get together and re-invent the way they think their approach to problem-solving. Our conversation was tremendously interesting. My only complaint is that she had so much good stuff, it will never all fit into our story! But that's a good problem to have. Actually, it's a great problem to have. More on the story later...

This afternoon, I'm headed over to interview Arianna Huffington. I've never talked with her before and will be curious what she has to say. She is headlining the Planned Parenthood of the Heartland's annual fundraiser tonight.

ETC...

For the Love of the Game... My Cardinals continued their roll last night in Philadelphia. Their rookie lefty Jaime Garcia continues to make them look like a genius for letting him make the opening day roster. But did you see the craziness that happened? Some idiot ran out of the stands and onto the field. For his stupidity, he got some claps, some boos and some tasering. A police officer tasered him right there on the field! I say, good call. If that guy is dumb enough to break the law and run onto the field, he deserves what he good. Let's not forget the mentally-disturbed guy who ran out and stabbed tennis star Monica Seles and that idiot who tacked the first base coach of the Kansas City Royals. People know they can't get on the field and when they do, they ought to get punished. I've never been tasered, but it sounds to me like the punishment fits the crime. Some people disagree though. They think it's going too far in this case, since kids were in the stands and had to see this happen (it didn't particularly graphic to me). What do you think? Here's the video:

Iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Final Notes, Thoughts, Observations

I hope my random shorthand made sense if you followed along during the Iowa Republican candidates for governor debate here in Cedar Rapids. Now, that we've finished our stories for the news broadcasts tonight, I thought I would throw out a few other items from the day.

All three candidates said they would get rid of the exemption for casinos and include them in the statewide smoking ban. Will Republican statehouse candidates campaign on this?

All three candidates said they were opposed to state funding for pre-school. Will they support pulling out ALL funding immediately for it when they take office?

Vander Plaats said Iowa should have immigration law like Arizona. Roberts and Branstad both said Iowa isn't Arizona. Roberts added that's where the cost would be to Iowa...following Arizona might mean locking up suspected illegal immigrants for up to 6 months. What specifically will the candidates propose in handling the illegal immigrants who are already here?

Vander Plaats stuck by his executive order to stop same-sex marriages. Branstad again criticized it. Roberts ignored it. No candidate who has been in the race for governor, including the ones who dropped out, say what Vander Plaats wants to do is legal. Will he stick with this idea throughout the campaign?

Branstad called Culver "reckless and irresponsible" nearly half a dozen times. Can we plan on hearing this again and again through the election?

He also said he agreed with Representative Roberts probably that many times, too. What did the campaign staffs think of that?

He said he agreed with Vander Plaats zero times, as I recall. Does that surprise any one?

I'll be curious if there will be any fallout from Vander Plaats' comment when asked whether the state should have any role in fighting obesity. He said, "I do believe this is role for the governor in this area to be a model about nutrition, as well. I try to run 25 miles a week." VP added that he has given up his nightly ice cream and will celebrate with "a cold one" (ice cream, that is) when he wins the nomination. I wonder what his big donors, the Wells family, think of his no ice cream sacrifice! They own Wells Blue Bunny Ice Cream. Does this comment go too far poking fun at Culver? Or don't Iowans take it that way?

And, of course, then there was the drama. Vander Plaats came after Branstad for supporting Nebraska's Democratic Senator Ben Nelson years ago. Branstad jumped in and said he never went to Nebraska to do it and he added he wasn't in office when he gave the endorsement. I will try to attach the video of the spat when it gets loaded to the website. The drama continued after the debate ended and after the handshakes between candidates. You could hear Branstad yelling, "Look it up. Look it up" to Vander Plaats about the history of when then-State Senator Steve King sued then-Governor Tom Vilsack. Do Branstad supporters think it's a good idea for him to engage in this back-and-forth with Vander Plaats when Branstad is the understood front-runner in the race? Or do they think it's one of those times he needs to call out Vander Plaats for what he thinks are mis-statements and to show he does have the fire in him to run for office again?

Ah, a little drama. Roberts took the chance to mention that he could unite the party and that's what Iowa wants. He also added he is the Republican Chet Culver fears most. Is that true, Governor Culver?

Culver was watching Paddy O'Prado finish third at the Kentucky Derby in Louisville. His staff did send out a few statements on his behalf, one from his governor's office and one from his campaign office. The one from his governor's office commended the correctional officers in Fort Dodge during that attack there this morning:

DES MOINES -- Governor Chet Culver today issued a statement commending state employees at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility for their prompt and appropriate actions in response to a series of assaults on three correctional officers by two inmates on Friday night.

“Conduct such as this by prison inmates will simply not be tolerated,” said the Governor. “We are fortunate to have employees at our correctional institutions who face very challenging situations every day—and, who do their jobs well.”

In telephone calls to Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin and to Danny J Homan, President of AFSCME Iowa Council 61, the Governor today expressed his concerns about the injured state employees and his support for prison management personnel and correctional officers at the Fort Dodge and other Iowa correctional facilities.

The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility is currently under lockdown status following the assaults which occurred at approximately 9:39 P.M., Friday April 30. The three officers assaulted received immediate medical attention for cuts and bruises to the facial area.

The Governor will be briefed by Department of Corrections officials upon a completion of the review now being conducted about the incident.

The other came from his campaign office and criticized the Republicans in the debate:

This was just another forum where the candidates outlined big tax cuts for their corporate Republican donors without details about where or how they would make cuts and balance the budget. They pandered to their special interests with more tax cuts and proposed increased spending but with a lack of specifics about how they would pay for it. All three candidates were for cutting preschool for Iowa's children in the age when they have the most learning capacity while rewarding out-of-state corporations with more tax breaks.

"None of these candidates have answered the ultimate question of how they would manage to balance the budget today and that is the definition of 'reckless and irresponsible.' That leaves the assumption that Terry Branstad would again keep two sets of books and use his accounting tricks to hide the deficit. Branstad was long on hyperbole but short on the facts and new ideas. Branstad must have forgotten, or hopes that we've forgotten, he made a few across the board cuts during his tenure as governor. It is sadly par for the course that Terry Branstad attacks others for the same things he has done before."

That's it for now. We have a long drive back to Cedar Rapids ahead of us. If you watched the debate, let me know what you thought of it.

Thanks for reading.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

final comments...

bvp...iowa needs new leadership. i'm positive and optimistic. i'm very persistent. will confront the real facts. time we had a ceo from the private sector not the public sector

rr...iowans want someone grounded in common sense. chet culver knows i can united republicans and can offer message that will attract independents and democrats. it's time for new leadership. i ask for your vote.

tb...iowans are concerned about governor culver's reckless and irresponsible leadership. can lead the comeback. i want to lead this state. i have set ambitious goals. he asked iowans for their vote.

that's a wrap! we're headed to see what they say in the "post-game". i'll have more observations a bit later tonight.

thanks for reading. please let me know what you thought of what you saw, heard and read today.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

is there a role gov should play in insurance rates

rr...i think it's important for people you put in positions to let them make their decisions. let insurance commission to be the director of that.

tb...the gov should not be second guessing the decision of insurance commissioner.

bvp...i agree with representative roberts and former governor branstad.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

would you drop exemption for smoking on casino floors?

bvp..i think this is the height of government arrogance. if we're not going to make this across the board, then let the marketplace decided.

rr...one of reasons i voted no. it was the height of hypocrisy. i would also make gaming floors exempt.

tb...i would sign legislation. i moved ashtrays out of terrace hill and eliminated cigarette sales in statehouse.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

do you believe obesity is a government problem?

tb...no, i don't think govt should mandate what foods you should buy. i do like what hy-vee is doing (labeling nutrition values of their foods). we ought to say if you do the wrong thing, you should pay more for insurance. but government should not mandate for foods you should buy.

bvp...no, i don't think govt should be in business of mandating. i do believe there is a role for governor to do model. i run 25 miles a week. i like pizza. i like ice cream every night. but i gave it up until i can celebrate when i when.

rr...it's not the role of government to get involved in people's lives.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

would same sex marriage still be a priority when you take office...

rr...iowans say it will still be a priority with them. restrain this uncontrollable spending. see businesses expand.

tb...people of iowa deserve to vote on issue of this magnitude. my priority will be on jobs. but i'm also responsive to people. people do deserve right to vote on one man, one woman. need to get republicans in the house and senate.

bvp...it's about leadership. bvp and tb start fighting again. branstad says he's wrong.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

same sex marriages

bvp...i have been the only candidate to say we need to hold supreme court in check. place executive order. this is a freedom issue

rr...i think the harm that's been done is the response of iowans who are unhappy they haven't allowed to weigh in. let us vote. it's the right thing to do. it's the respectable thing to do.

tb...what bob is advocating won't hold up. vander plaats tries to interrupt. i agree with rep. roberts. the final say should be with the people.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

will you urge your supporters to support the nominee?

tb...of course...i'm a team player. under culver we have reckless and irresponsible spending

bvp...i have proven to be a team player. i have never endorsed a democrat. but i believe you endorsed ben nelson..branstad says....i never endorsed . i was out of office then....this is supposed to be about issues (the two are going back and forth pretty hard here. it's our first bit of drama here).

rr...i will certainly support the nominee. iowans are looking for a conservative governor. it's important that republicans be united. i believe i am best to unite.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

aren't there budgetary burdens of taking over immigration enforcement

rr...if we follow arizona law here and we imprison illegal immigrants for up to six months, that's where the cost is for state government. 30-50,000 illegal immigrants in iowa.

tb...meth and other illegal drugs costing us now that smuggled in illegally. we need to keep pressure on federal government to live up to their responsibility. need to make sure we are effectively dealing with safety and well being of our citizens

bvp...i'm tired of relying on the federal government. you'll never be right when you do what's wrong. i think we will save money if we hold people who are here illegally accountable.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

should children of illegal immigrants get in-state tuition

bvp...no. businesses are not ins agents. hold businesses that knowingly hired illegal immigrants accountable. (roberts looked at bvp...first time i have noticed him looking at him during these first almost 50 minutes of debate)

rr...if you eliminate state benefits and they can't get jobs, they will leave. deal with the adults who are here illegally. that will address illegal immigration problem.

tb...children of people who are here illegally should not get in-state tuition. i also agree with rep. roberts, the state should verify people are here legally to qualify for state benefits.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

how can immigration be used to repopulate?

tb...we don't want people coming here illegally. we don't want them to take welfare and medicaid and iowa cares money away from our citizens. we don't want sanctuary cities. we're not arizona. we need to do something that fits the needs of our state.

bvp...there's nothing honorable about begin here illegally. gov branstad is right, but illegal is illegal. hold those here illegally accountable.

rr...iowa has always been a very welcoming place. one of the reasons is that iowans like americans...highly value and prize the meaning of citizenship. those who come and work hard and become citizens, they highly prize that highly important status. citizens of this state are not obligated to provide benefits to people here illegally. require people to verify who they are. and businesses should verify people are here legally. if they don't do that, there should be punitive...

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

will you support iowa values fund and iowa power fund...

rr...tendency of state government, if given the resources, will craft new programs. we need to take a serious look. where it's des moines trying to stimulate economy.

tb...i agree with rep roberts. level the playing field. if we could reduce corporate tax rates, i think we could have growth and generate jobs and keep young people here.

bvp...let me attempt to answer the question. the values fund i don't think is the right approach. the cost has been exhorbitant (for iowa values fund) we need to go from e-10 to e-20 (ethanol fuel blend)

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

state tax credits...what tax credit if you could have one and take one away...which one would you have...

bvp...need to get state out of tax credits...see iowa become startup capitol of the world. cut capitol gains taxes from 8.9 to 3.5 percent. will take leadership and a governor that will market state as right to work state.

rr...targeted tax credits. state has been picking winners and losers. would be far better to eliminate that approach in time...simply eliminating tax on business. i was the first to eliminate corporate income tax. we have to do things dramatically different.

tb...targeted tax credit for movie making mistake. another example of reckless and irresponsible of culver. we don't need to give away tens of millions of dollars. the industrial job tax credit administered by community college...shouldn't eliminate. shouldn't cut research tax credit.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

will you pledge to provide state funding for flood recovery?

tb...i don't think it should be just the state's responsibility (to help cedar rapids recover from flooding) i have some real misgivings about saying we will go to 500 year flood situation as opposed to 100 year. what is fair? what is cost effective way? want to see czech and slovac museum funded. my way is part slovac. there can't be a blank check given.

bvp...the flood was worst natural disaster in our state's history. come alongside the local community and see what we can do. but do a cost benefit analysis. need a governor who can balance the budget. governor culver should have called special session to say all hands on deck.

rr...most iowans can't comprehend damage to cedar rapids. you can't fully understand the damage until you see the families. when the flood occurred, culver should have called legislature into special session to appropriate every dollar out of economic emergency fund. culver used only 50 million out of the 150 million. every dollar should have been appropriated.

iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

besides pre-school, how do we get the best money for our money in education...

rr...iowans highly value a good high quality education. as our local schools go, so go our towns...main streets. state should focus resources we have on public safety, access to justice, econ development and education

tb...education should focus on things most important to children. my daughter is a teacher in waukee. she is here today. we need to reduce some of mandates on some of school districts. we need to reduce some of administrative and overhead costs. reward good teachers. have uniform assessments.

bvp...need to get arms around k-12 education. i used to be a teacher. i used to a principal. in the 1990s we started growing bureaucracy. need to simplify. simplify the funding back to local school districts. how about we do something novel? let's let the teachers teach.

Iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

should the state be involved with public funding of pre-school...

bvp...we need to decide who's responsible for educating children. i would grow the economy so parents can decide whether one parent can stay home in the early years to raise children. the current funding, 110 million, is not sustainable

rr...at some point economy would have a slowdown and we would have problem paying for pre-school. it's a classic example of government going too far with program we can't afford. would have been better off for private providers to provide the quality education for 4 year olds.

tb...i agree with rep roberts (i think this is the 3rd time he has said that so far in the questions) i don't think government should take over education of 3 and 4 yr olds. it's a terrible mistake for state to take over massive obligations we can't afford.

Iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

do we have the right mix of state funding for education?

tb...i never got my last school loan until i was governor. wreckless spending by culver. give programs too much money then cut 10% off. wreckless.

bvp...higher ed is one thing we should be extremely proud of...community colleges fill huge void. iowa needs ceo who can manage more with less.

rr...design of the regents was for the public to give the most of the funding toward education. as gov my goal is make sure there is no more than 50% of funding that comes from tuition. to be truly public, the public needs to provide the bulk of the money. in-state students shouldn't pay higher rate than out of state or international students.

Iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

name one service govt provides today that it shouldn't

rr...illegal immigration...deny benefits to adults who are here illegally. when person applies for benefits through dept of human services they have to provide a verifiable social security number

tb...should not provide funding for organizations for abortions services. go through every single item in budget. need to make tough decisions. reduce administrative costs.

bvp...this is kind of fun because i agree with both of my peers. shouldn't provide services to illegal immigrants. i would provide arizona's immigration as iowa's next immigration policy. no funding for planned parenthood. look at university pre-school.

IA GOP candidates debate

culver pledged to reform property taxes and didn' t do it...

bvp...says it's a great question. ask your local school board if they will have to raise property taxes. they will say "yes".

rr...property taxes have become impediment to business growth. have to take hard look at what property taxes should pay for. i think state should provide more funding for property tax relief. have conversation with iowans about how to find new ways to pay for services.

tb...culver got nothing done on property taxes.

Iowa Republican Governor Candidates' Debate

Hi from the Marriott Hotel in Cedar Rapids. Our internet connection is undoubtedly overloaded, but it's working so far. So let's hope it holds out for the next hour.

I'll blog in shorthand... Here we go!

was culver's 10% across the board cut good decision?

roberts--should have called lawmakers back in special session.

vander plaats said 10% not leadership. takes no intellectual firepower. bvp said fund the classroom, not the bureaucracy. roberts answer and bvp's answers sound very similar to what they've said since culver made the cut.

branstad said it was wreckless and irresponsible. put state in debate with bonding plan (i-jobs) culver ignored repubs concerns about his spending. should have called legislators back into special session. put burden on school districts

Another Staffer Quits Culver; One More to Follow?

Another staff member has quit working for Governor Chet Culver. This time it's his Press Secretary Troy Price. Price is leaving to take over the marriage equality, gay rights organization, One Iowa. Brad Clark, One Iowa's former executive director, is leaving to become head of One Colorado. Clark sent this out to supporters:

Friends -

Thank you for all of your help and support of One Iowa’s historic campaign. The advancement of equality we've seen over the past year would not be possible without you. I am personally grateful.

I'm writing with mixed emotion as I let you know that I will be leaving One Iowa at the beginning of May to become the Executive Director of One Colorado. I will always be grateful for the opportunity to be part of this historic campaign, and I am extremely excited about the challenge ahead!

And honestly the decision became that much easier when I knew that I'd be leaving the work in very capable hands. I am pleased to let you know that on June 1, Troy Price will join One Iowa and continue to lead our efforts to protect marriage equality in Iowa. Troy has worked various roles within the Vilsack and Culver administrations, most recently as Governor Culver’s press secretary. I have the utmost confidence that he will serve our campaign well in the months ahead.

I would be honored if you would join me in welcoming Troy and seeing you once before I take off:

Welcome Party
May 11 – 6:00-8:00 PM
Centro – 10th & Locust, Des Moines
RSVP: amanda@oneiowa.org or 515-288-4019 x214


As you well know, we have a critical year ahead to maintain our fair-minded majority in Iowa and protect this victory. I am confident in Troy, our One Iowa team and partners, and the aggressive plan we’ve put together to protect our friends and ensure marriage equality is here to stay.

Again - please know that I am personally grateful for all of your help and support over the years to ensure this victory in Iowa. And I look forward to staying in touch moving forward.

All best -

Brad Clark
Campaign Director
One Iowa

The Des Moines Register's Jason Clayworth has a rundown on the staff departures at Culver's governor's office and campaign office.

Who's next? I think at least a half dozen people, some who work at the Iowa Statehouse, have told me Culver's Communications Director Erin Seidler will be leaving soon. Culver's office denied to the the Des Moines Register two weeks ago she had turned in plans to quit. A spokesperson in Culver's office had told me there was "no date set" for Seidler's departure when I asked last week. Today, he said "not sure" about whether her date has been set yet. Seidler is Culver's fourth communications director since he took office a little more than three years ago.

Lawmakers' questions to Kilcrease

she did answer a question that she doesn't think forcing iowa assn of school boards to comply with open records laws would hurt the organization's operations

when asked what kind of experience she had before coming to iasb..."i don't feel that is relevant to the conversation today"

what is the role/function of the iasb board? did the board have superior capacity over the executive director? kilcrease referred lawmakers to a packet from the iasb. she didn't provide additional details.

about her salary...were you there when your contract was signed? she cited 5th amendment rights. she also wouldn't address the validity of the signatures on the contracts

won't answer questions about her job duties...

do you have signed copies of your signed contract? will you provide copies to the board? kilcrease cited fifth amendment

did you interfere with audit of iasb? kilcrease said she doesn't have access to information/files on this

looks like her time is through. time to go see if she will answer our questions. see you on tv at 5 and 6 tonight

Kilcrease answering lawmakers' questions

I'm going to shorthand a few of former Iowa Association of School Boards' Executive Director Maxine Kilcrease's answers before lawmakers at the government oversight committee hearing at the Iowa Statehouse...

won't talk about the allegations she raised her own pay/benefits by the equivalent of about $150,000

won't talk about any problems with Kevin Schick. He was the former Chief Financial Officer accused of using an IASB credit card to pay for a personal trip to Bora Bora.

won't talk about travel she took with her job

says she doesn't have access to notes and records from her job at IASB

can't address whistleblowers at IASB

won't add anything to claims her attorney made in the opening statement that IASB was disorganized when she took over as executive director

Kilcrease at Iowa Statehouse

She is here. After weeks of dodging Iowa lawmakers' requests for her to show up before them for government oversight hearings at the Iowa Statehouse, Maxine Kilcrease has shown up this morning. A lot changed yesterday, of course, when a Polk County District judge refused to side with Kilcrease's attorney's motion to quash lawmakers' subpoena forcing Kilcrease here. After that ruling, her attorney said she would be here. And she is.

The question is whether she will actually answer questions. She is dressed in a black suit and dark glasses. Her attorney, Sean Spellman, is reading an opening statement. He began with, "thank you for having us here". Do people believe Kilcrease is really thankful for the "invitation" to come here today?

Spellman came after lawmakers, actually one in particular, although he didn't call out Senator Tom Courtney, a Democrat from Burlington, by name. Courtney has made comments about "thieves" and they should lock up people responsible for "100 years". Spellman argued yesterday Kilcrease can't get a fair shake in this hearing because of comments like those.

Let's start the show...

Huckabee on tv

Mike Huckabee, television star or Mike Huckabee, our next president. Which one do you think? Huckabee's supporters sent out the good news about his tv show on Fox. He's trouncing the competition, according to the release. What's ahead for him? He just changed his residency to Florida. No state income taxes there. Is that a sign he is starting to make the big bucks? And if he is, will he be willing to give them up and run for president again? Yeah, I know it's early. But it's not TOO early to start talking about this. What do you think?

Here's the story on his tv ratings:

President Leaves, Culver on Chuck Todd's Show

We heard rumors President Obama would stop by Java Joe's in downtown Des Moines before he flew out of town. NBC's Political Director Chuck Todd was supposed to be interviewing someone on his MSNBC show. We were making plans at the station of how to get a crew out to the coffee shop EARLY Wednesday morning. We already had a crew taking care of the prez's departure at the airport. And I was getting back late last night from the prez event in Ottumwa. So I must say, I wasn't jumping up and down at the chance to get a short night's sleep to go stake out the prez.

Turns out, it wasn't the prez. It was the gov. Governor Chet Culver made the early appearance on Todd's show. Todd asked him why his poll numbers are worse than the prez's and other Democrats:

Obama in Ottumwa

Hi, from Ottumwa. It's 4:17pm as we wait for President Obama to arrive from Mount Pleasant. That town's adopted son, former Iowa Governor and current U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, is shaking hands in the gym here at Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, so we assume the prez must be close. NBC told us the prez did stop for a piece of rhubarb pie and coffee on his way here. It was an unannounced stop for obvious security reasons.

Speaking of...yesterday, the owner of Baby Boomers Cafe told us about the plans for the prez to stop by a private party tonight at his place in Des Moines' East Village. The Obamas were huge fans of Boomers' chocolate chip cookies during the 2008 campaign and helped launch those cookies to international stardom. But apparently, now that the word got about about the private, invite-only party, the prez will not be attending. Now that word got out, it sounds like too many security issues for the secret service to have to handle with crowds gathering, etc. Too bad for the cafe's owner. He's a nice guy, who probably didn't realize he jeopardized the event by letting us know about it. I feel bad for him and for the 100 people who were invited to attend, who probably really looked forward to the evening.

4:28..the prez is on his way in. He's early. More later. See you on tv.

Obama Coming to Baby Boomers' reception

We had been wondering what was going on with President Obama's travel plans. Tuesday, he is scheduled to stop in Fort Madison, Mount Pleasant and Ottumwa. But the Ottumwa event should finish by dinner time and he doesn't fly out of Des Moines until Wednesday. Now we know how he will spend his time Tuesday night. The owner of Baby Boomers Cafe, Rodney Maxfield, confirmed the president is supposed to stop by a private reception at his restaurant Tuesday night. Maxfield said the party is a reception for Obama advisor, David Axelrod. He said 3rd District Congressman Leonard Boswell and Governor Chet Culver are also expected to attend. He is planning on finger foods, drinks, etc. for about 100 people, which is all the place holds. And, of course, there will be several thousand cookies, he said. The Obama family developed quite a sweet tooth for the chocolate chip cookies during the 2008 Iowa Caucus campaign and the cookies have since received international fame on shows like Rachel Ray and Oprah.

Culver Skips Breakfast Club

There's a group of influential business/philanthropic types who meet on Tuesday mornings at Biaggi's, a West Des Moines restaurant. If you want to know who attends, just think of the most well-known last names in the area. Chances are, they're in it. The group has about 65 to 70 regular members. Last Tuesday, the group invited Terry Branstad, a Republican candidate for governor. He spoke to the group. This past Tuesday, the group invited Governor Chet Culver. He didn't speak to the group. Two members told me he never showed up and the group had no idea he would be a no show.

This is the second time in four days Culver didn't come to a planned event. Saturday, he angered Jasper County Democrats by canceling a scheduled appearance at Uncle Nancy's Coffee Shop in Newton. The shop had agreed to stay open late for the governor's appearance. One of the organizers told me Culver's campaign didn't give a reason for the cancellation. The campaign later told me the governor attended several other events that day in eastern Iowa.

As I write this at 11am, the campaign has not given me a reason as to why Culver failed to show up for The Breakfast Club meeting Tuesday.

Frew Leaving Governor's Office

Breaking....

Chief of Staff John Frew is leaving Governor Chet Culver's office. His office has denied talk for the better part of the past month that Frew would leave. But several Democrats close to the Iowa Statehouse have said Frew would leave around May 1st. The governor's office has not confirmed a departure date. There is a press conference in Cedar Rapids this afternoon to address Frew's future. Stay tuned...

Updated...

The Cedar Rapids Gazette has more on this departure. Frew will work for Mayor Ron Corbett. The press conference is scheduled for 2pm.

Culver Skips Campaign Stop

Did Governor Chet Culver get double-booked? The Newton Independent reported Saturday that Culver skipped a 3:30pm campaign appearance Saturday in Newton with little notice. Thursday, the governor's office released his public schedule. You can see where the problem is. The office scheduled the gov in Cedar Rapids at 1:30 for an official governor's event there. By the way, it's about a 1 1/2 hour drive to Newton from C.R.

His campaign told me about the cancelation, "A scheduling conflict came up - he was in Cedar Rapids touring newly-rebuilt facilities through flood recovery efforts, and attended a Veterans remembrance concert in the Quad Cities this evening."

Here's what was on the public schedule:

Saturday, April 17, 2010

WHAT: Governor Culver will participate in the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the reopened National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library. The Czech Museum received $10 million from the Culver/Judge I-JOBS initiative to rebuild after the floods of 2008. It is the first flood recovery project in Cedar Rapids’ Czech Village funded by I-JOBS.

WHERE: National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library
87 16th Avenue SW
Cedar Rapids, IA

WHEN: 10:30 a.m.

WHAT: Governor Culver will tour the Linn County Sheriff’s Office during an open house to celebrate its reconstruction after the floods of 2008.

WHERE: Linn County Sheriff’s Office
310 2nd Avenue SW
Cedar Rapids, IA

WHEN: 1:30 p.m.

ETC...
I'm tired from the Cardinals and Mets game last night. I can't imagine how the players feel! They played 20 innings. That's a double-header plus another 2 innings for good measure. Those guys have to be beat. If you don't like Cards' manager, Tony LaRussa, you would have plenty to question about the way he handled the game. Double-switching out cleanup hitter, Matt Holliday, really hurt the Cards' chances in extra innings. The Mets just kept walking Albert Pujols when they knew the pitcher's spot would have to come up next. It was tough to watch. A fun game, but tough to watch. Cards' catcher, Yadier Molina, caught all 20 innings last night. Somehow, he is catching tonight. How is that possible? LaRussa must have no faith at all in the newly called up rookie catcher, Bryan Anderson. NO faith all.

Pawlenty and Pataki

TPaw and GeorgePa (doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?) are both headed to the Des Moines metro in the next few days. Is it an early 2012 Iowa caucus match up? Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty headlines the Iowans for Tax Relief's Iowa Taxpayers Day event Saturday afternoon in Urbandale. That event could be a fight for the headlines. Not only will TPaw be there, so will 5 men who want to be Iowa's next governor: Republicans' Terry Branstad, Bob Vander Plaats and Rod Roberts, along with Independent Jonathan Narcisse and Libertarian Eric Cooper (the Iowa State professor not the Major League Baseball umpire from Ankeny). That will be a lot of people trying to make it into the news cycle for Saturday night/Sunday morning. Will TPaw push out everyone since he's a possible presidential contender for 2012? Will one of the Republican candidates for governor edge his way in? Is there enough room for more than one major story out of this event? Stay tuned.

Former New York Governor George Pataki comes to Des Moines on Tuesday. I think it's his first trip here since he came last April as part of the American Future Fund speakers' series at Drake University. USA Today has a backgrounder on Pataki's new project. He is working with a group called Revere America. It's a 501 (c) 4 group that aims to get 1 million signatures to repeal President Obama's new health care law. The group has an ad that will run in Iowa. It's supposed to be Paul Revere riding his horse.

Of course, any visit to Iowa, the home of the first-in-the-nation caucus gets people wondering if Pataki will again consider running for president. What do you think?

Grassley vs. Conlin

Iowa Democrats have unusually high hopes to unseat long-time U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley this year. Historically, Grassley stomps his Democratic challengers every 6 years ever since he won the seat by beating Democratic Senator John Culver in 1980. Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin out raised Grassley in the first quarter this year(The Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont breaks down the numbers). The total includes $250,000 Conlin loaned to her campaign.

NBC's First Read hasn't bought into those high Democratic hopes for an upset, at least not yet.

*** First Read's Top 10 Senate Takeovers: If it's Friday, it's time for another First Read Top 10 list. Today, we take our monthly look at what we consider to be the Top 10 Senate takeovers. The number in parentheses is our ranking from March.
1. North Dakota (1) -- With Byron Dorgan's (D) retirement and John Hoeven (R) in the race, this remains at the top
2. Delaware (2) -- Mike Castle (R) is still the driver's seat
3. Nevada (3) -- Harry Reid got health care through, but his poll numbers still look bleak
4. Arkansas (5) -- The Lincoln-Halter primary is for real. Are Dems counting on a flawed GOP nominee to hold on to this seat?
5. Indiana (4) -- If he wins his GOP primary next month, does Dan Coats (R) continue to call Obama a "socialist"?
6. So far, Giannoulias has "survived" the Broadway Bank cloud over his head. But does that change when the bank actually gets shut down?
7. Pennsylvania (9) -- Specter vs. Sestak is starting to heat up. Does a better economy help the Dem winner in what's looking like a toss-up general election?
8. Colorado (6) -- Jane Norton (R) might have her own real primary, with DeMint and other conservatives backing Ken Buck
9. Missouri (8) -- Robin Carnahan (D) has begun her attack on Roy Blunt (R) for being a Washington insider. Does that begin to change the polls?
10. Kentucky (unranked) -- We could put other races here (CA, NH, OH even FL), but this month we’re going with the Bluegrass State. Democrats do have a path for victory here, especially if Rand Paul wins in the GOP primary in May. What will be fascinating is Mitch McConnell's reaction to a Paul victory; he can be a tad vengeful.

ETC...

Speaking of high hopes, I have them for my St. Louis Cardinals. I can tell I'm expecting big things this year. The Cards are off to a 6-3 start, the 4th best record in baseball. They have played 3 series so far. But each time, they won the first 2 games and then lost the last 1. I was disappointed with the loss each time, especially yesterday's to the previously winless Houston Astros. With the starting pitching the Cards have been getting, I'm almost expecting a win. That feels good. So far:)

Tea Party

As I sit at my desk and wonder why I didn't wear sunscreen on my forehead, here are a few observations about the tea party at the Iowa Statehouse:

The Crowd--I estimated 400-500 people when I arrived around 11:45am. About an hour later, when the crowd seemed to be at its largest, I guessed around 1,000. State Troopers estimated 1,100. They later upped that estimate to closer to 1,500. I went with 1,500 in my tv stories. A release from the Des Moines Tax Party claims 3,000. Not sure how I could have missed 1,500 people.

The People--No one said anything racist that I saw in light of some critics who say this nearly all-white group (I only saw 2 people who weren't white) contains a lot of racists. If there were racists there, I didn't hear or see anything. Most people were extremely pleasant sitting in the beautiful sunny afternoon.

The Others--I did get my share of anti-media, uhm, shall I say, "comments", from a hand ful of people. People came out and told me (yes, I mean told, not asked) to report the REAL story. I think we did.

The Protesters--There were a few protesters to the protest (protesting a protest...does that become a double negative?:) One man wore a t-shirt about Jesus and held graphic, anti-abortion signs. He got into shouting matches with a few tea partiers. They claimed he was a liberal plant to make them look bad. We didn't include him in our story. He got away before I could try to find out who he was.

The Irony--Is it ironic that people supporting and celebrating their right to organize and express their freedom of speech demanded the protesters were escorted away?

The Party--It seemed the bulk of the people I met were or still are registered Republicans but have grown unhappy with the Republican party...too moderate towards gay rights issues and too liberal on taxes and spending. A few told me they prefer the term "conservative" to describe their political leanings.

The Demographics--The majority was white and older than 50. Not everyone was that age, of course. But the bulk of the people were. I did only see 2 non-white people out of the 1,500 people I estimated in the crowd. What does that mean to you?

The V.I.P.'s--I only saw Republican politicians (or political hopefuls) there. Here are the folks I saw: Windsor Heights Rep. Chris Hagenow, Grimes Rep. Erik Helland, Gov. candidate Bob Vander Plaats, 3rd District congressional cands. Brad Zaun and Pat Bertroche (Jim Gibbons tweeted that he was coming there, too. But I never saw him).

The Outcome--That's what I want to see. There's no doubt these people have a LOT of frustration. Many of them say taxes were there biggest issue, at a time when most Americans actually paid less in federal taxes this year. Is there anger more than that? Is it really the overspending? Is it the health care debate? Is it Obama? What do you think? I want to see if this anger will continue through the elections and, of course, at whom do they direct their anger? Just Democrats? Incumbents in general? Will they show up in large numbers at the polls? The unknown sure is fun, isn't it?!

I think I'm hungry. Time for dinner. Thanks for reading.

Fred Grandy Fired

It looks like Gopher has been thrown overboard. Grandy, grew up in Sioux City and served in Congress before challenging then-Governor Terry Branstad in the Republican primary in 1994. Grandy had a radio gig in Washington, D.C. But Mediabistro reports the company is letting him go to save money.

Palin Banning Cameras?

We knew Sarah Palin went rogue. But is she going private, too? A story out today reports Palin may ban cameras at her speech at California State University, Stanislaus (never heard of it). As a public person, should we be allowed to show you what she says and does during her speeches?

Two Iowa communities just won props in a national award for sustainability. Newton won a small community honor. Davenport won one for mid-sized. Here's the release:

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) and Siemens Corporation today announced that nine communities across the country have been selected as finalists for the 3rd annual Siemens Sustainable Community Awards. The finalists were selected based on their outstanding efforts to achieve complementary economic, environmental and social goals, as well as to improve the overall quality of life within their communities.

“Despite – or perhaps because of – the tough economic conditions we’ve been enduring, more communities across the country embraced public-private partnerships as a core strategy for promoting sustainable community development,” said BCLC Senior Vice President and Executive Director Stephen Jordan. “All of the finalists for the awards made important contributions to their home towns this year.”
2010 Siemens Sustainable Community Awards: National Finalists

Large Community — Atlanta, GA; Dallas, TX; and Philadelphia, PA

Mid-Size Community — Davenport, IA; Grand Rapids, MI; and Hoover, AL

Small Community — Casselberry, FL; Manhattan Beach, CA; and Newton, IA

Details about the finalists, as well as the award winners from 2009 and 2008, are on BCLC’s Web site .

Culver on campaign

Chet Culver talked to us. It's just like when that cute girl, Dawn, talked to me in my 7th grade science class. O.K., it's not anywhere near that exciting. But I was surprised the governor didn't talk with reporters after a bill-signing Monday at the Iowa Statehouse. The news had already officially come out that his campaign manager, Abby Curran, was quitting. Curran made the fourth key manager who quit in recent months. (The Des Moines Register's Tom Beaumont catches us up with the names and dates). I first heard talk Curran was leaving a few weeks ago. I called her and asked whether it was true. She told me, no, she wasn't leaving.

Monday was so surprising because Culver almost always talks to us after a public appearance. In fact, I can't think of a single time he hasn't since he became governor. Maybe I'm forgetting some instance. But nothing comes to mind. Tuesday, he talked. Here is part of what he had to say to defend all the changes in his campaign. He said, “That happens. That happens in life...in campaigns. It happens in every professional office and we're moving on and we're excited and we're ready to win this race."

Culver continued, “I think (former Iowa governor) Tom Vilsack is a good model. He had three campaign managers. It all worked out perfectly."

Vilsack wasn’t the incumbent in that race as Culver is now. Vilsack was a little-known state senator from the small southeastern Iowa town of Mt. Pleasant, who had been down nearly 30 points in the polls before turning around his campaign and winning.

Last Friday, after MSNBC's First Read said Culver was the most endangered incumbent governor in the country, he responded with this..."I think Iowans love underdogs".



Tom Vilsack used the underdog theme in his failed presidential bid.

ETC...

Apparently, golfers like to endulge their sweet tooth after winning the Master's tournament. A viewer posted this on CNN catching Phil Mickelson in the drive-through at Krispy Kreme. Is this big news? No. But it is kind of funny that it looks like Mickelson is still wearing his green jacket!

And how 'bout my Cardinals? Albert Pujols is absolutely locked in. What a stud! I still have many questions about the right-handed relief in the bullpen though. I hope Ryan Franklin wasn't a one-year wonder as a closer. He has looked shaky. I really hope Motte and Boggs can offer some steady hands in the back-end of games. I would still like to see Kyle McClellan get a shot a starting. But it looks like he, again, may have to wait until next year.

Gubernatorial Debate, New York Times Moving into Kansas City

For those of you salivating for more of the Branstad v Vander Plaats v Roberts debate match up, here's the latest from the Des Moines Register on how the third of the 3 debates will work (the second debate takes place May 1st in Cedar Rapids). Here's part of the release from the Register today:

Des Moines, IA– The Des Moines Register will hold the Republican Governor’s candidate debate on Thursday, May 20, 2010. The debate will be from noon-1pm CDT.Questions also will be posed by a panel of journalists, led by The Des Moines Reigster's political columnist Kathie Obradovich. Also on the panel:Dean Borg, Host and Moderator of Iowa Public Television’s IOWA PRESS O. Kay Henderson, Radio Iowa News Director In addition to the live broadcast on IPTV World (channel 11.3 and Mediacom channel 119), the debate will also be streamed live at DesMoinesRegister.com and iptv.org. Both sites will also archive the debate. The debate will also be rebroadcast on Thursday, May 20 from 7-8pm on statewide Iowa Public Television. Viewers will also be able see highlights from the debate at DesMoinesRegister.com

To keep our newspaper theme going...the former owner of this television station, The New York Times, is expanding into the Midwest.

Catching Up

We had some internet issues at work Saturday, so I didn't get to do my catchup blog. So, here are a few thoughts on the past week of work I missed while we were on vacation.

Yeah, I know. This is catsup. Not catchup. But it's close:) This picture is in honor of a town where I used to live: Collinsville, Illinois. It's home to world's largest catsup bottle, or so it claims. This is 170 feet tall and stands where the old Brooks Catsup plant used to operate. Collinsville also hosts the International Horseradish Festival. I don't know if they serve catsup there.

O.K., here we go...

Waterloo Representative Kerry Burt has given up his re-election bid. That ends an uncomfortable position for Democratic leaders. More on that in a bit. First, the catchup...Burt already pleaded guilty to drunk driving last year. You'll remember he said he had been drinking with Governor Chet Culver, although the governor's staff maintains the two were not downing drinks together all night and that the gov couldn't say where Burt was the final five hours of the evening. Burt, who is also a firefighter, refused to resign from his seat following the incident. Although, now that the attorney general has filed criminal charges against him for lying about where his kids live, Burt has now given up his re-election efforts. Burt sent his kids to a school at the University of Northern Iowa. The A.G. contends Burt used a false address for his kids to he could pay a fraction of the tuition costs he should have paid (he should have paid about $37,000 more according to the A.G.). Another Democrat, Anesa Kajtazovic, had already filed to run against Burt in the primary before the charges came down against him, so this now avoids putting Democratic leaders in a tight spot where they have to choose Burt or his opponent in the primary contest. Problem avoided...well, other than the fact that Burt could now go to prison.

Poll numbers haven't been kind to Governor Chet Culver. And now MSNBC's First Read proclaims Culver the most endangered incumbent governor in the U.S. Culver said "Iowans love underdogs". He compared himself to the underdog University of Northern Iowa Panthers who stunned Kansas in the NCAA tournament. Is it a good sign for him to have to accept that he is an underdog for the job he already holds?

Western Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King doesn't seem to be trying to deflect any talk that he may run for president in 2012. He brought in fellow lightning rod, Minnesota's Rep. Michelle Bachmann, for a fundraiser Saturday night. Should we take this seriously that King may run for prez? Does he have any chance to win?

Paddy O'Prado. Quite a name, huh? The horse hopes to make quite a name for himself and for Iowa May 1st at the Kentucky Derby. Paddy is owned by regular Channel 13 Insider and Des Moines Democratic activist, Jerry Crawford, along with a handful of other Iowans.

That isn't Crawford on the horse, in case you were wondering:) Here's a release sent on Crawford's behalf:

“Iowa, we’re going to the Derby,” was the announcement Jerry Crawford made today after the 86th running of the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes at Keenland in Lexington, Kent. He was referring to the second-place finish by Paddy O’Prado in the $750,000 stakes race, which is a qualifier for the Kentucky Derby. The top 20 horses ranked by graded earnings qualify for the Derby.

A Crawford-led investor group, Donegal Racing—composed primarily of Iowans—owns the three-year-old Paddy O’Prado, who broke his maiden on March 6 with a win in the Palm Beach Stakes at Gulfstream Park. The investor group bought the horse for $105,000, making him something of a Cinderella story, and with his qualification for the Kentucky Derby, he is on his way to the ball.

The Donegal investors in addition to Crawford are:

• Dennis Albaugh
• Jason Loutsch
• Peter DeCoster
• George Cataldo
• Gary Kirke Sr.
• Gary Kirke Jr.
• Judi Smith
• Joe Savage
• Bill Jacobson, MD

In today’s race Paddy was actually leading before being overpowered by long shot Stately Victor.

The Kentucky Derby runs on May 1, at Churchill Downs and Kent Desormeaux, who has more Derby wins under his belt than any other active jockey, will be riding Paddy. Desmormeaux rode Paddy in the Blue Grass Stakes today.

The Derby is run on dirt and the Blue Grass was run on polytrack. Paddy broke his maiden on turf.

Disney World

Greetings from Florida. We're finishing up a great visit with family in Tampa. We managed to get a quick day in at Disney World. O.K., my feet don't feel like it was a "quick" day. And, man, I wish I owned that place. They practically print money. Wow! But two impressive things I noticed were smiles and cleanliness. Nearly every worker was smiling and there was hardly any trash on the ground. Almost makes you forget you just paid 12 dollars for a hamburger. Almost.

I always feel like I'm a bit lost on what's happening back home when we go out of town. I didn't get to watch the first Republican gubernatorial debate. Anybody stand out? Did someone score any good points? Change any minds? What did you think?

I did a double-take watching the news down here. There was a banner across the tv screen that said, "Culver arrested". I thought, what did Governor Chet Culver possibly do that could mean he got arrested? Nothing, it turns out. It was someone down here named Culver. I guess 9 years in Iowa are starting to show. I think everything that happens has to involve Iowa! Not this time.

And what would you think if your boss wanted you to tell him who the "battery drainers" are at your office? An Orlando news director send out a message to staff saying he wanted everybody to list the three biggest negative workers. Apparently, they could do it anonymously. He asked for the biggest "battery chargers", as well. What do you think of this approach? Let's be honest. We all have people who don't work as hard as the rest of us. But are you comfortable ratting out the drainers at your place? Do you think it's appropriate for your boss to ask you to do it?

We're off to watch a little baseball tonight: Tampa Bay (don't call them "Devil" any more) Rays vs. the Baltimore Orioles. Growing up, my favorite St. Louis Cardinal was right-fielder, George Hendrick. He is the first-base coach for the Rays these days. I'd love to meet him. Let's play ball!

Thanks for reading.

Fort Dodge Workers to Get Paid for Casino Rally

Fort Dodge is paying its city employees to rally for a casino, according to the Fort Dodge Messenger. State gambling officials take a tour of Fort Dodge Wednesday and the city will pay workers who want to go to the rally to greet them. The workers aren't required to go, according to city leaders.

What do you think? Should taxpayers pay city workers to go to this rally during their work hours? Is this the proper us of tax money or should city workers take vacation time or make up the time they miss some other time to go to this rally? Or do you think city workers should help lobby for the casino since it could bring hundreds of jobs and hundreds of thousands of dollars to town?

Gubernatorial debate, Branstad tv ads, Culver's acccomplishments

It looks like the debate over the debate is now over. KTIV, the NBC affiliate in Sioux City, hosts the first debate of the 3 Republican gubernatorial (that is such a weird word, isn't?) The station first planned on blocking other media and the public from watching the taping of the debate. It wouldn't be aired live, just shown on tape later. Other media weren't happy. The Iowa Democratic Party challenged Republican candidates to back out of the debate if KTIV didn't change the rules. It looks like things have changed. The station will broadcast the debate live on the web. Plus, Iowa Public Television will carry it, as well. That would seem to be good for everyone involved. Thanks to the media for being accessible to the media.

Speaking of tv, you're about to see former Governor Terry Branstad on it more. He starts tv ads Monday and also lays out his job creation plans.

Democratic Governor Chet Culver's campaign released a list of highlights of the week. I don't recall seeing something like this from the campaign before. Here's the release.

IOWA’S ECONOMIC INDICATORS CONTINUE UPWARD CLIMB

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100401/BUSINESS/100401006/Iowa-s-economic-indicators-continue-upward-climb

Iowa’s economy continued to improve for a fifth straight month, according to the Iowa Leading Indicators Index for February.
The index of eight economic indicators gained 0.7 percent in February, according to the Iowa Department of Revenue, which compiles the data.

CULVER SIGNS TEXTING-WHILE-DRIVING BAN

http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/Iowa-texting-ban-040210

Gov. Chet Culver signed into law Thursday a bill making it illegal for people younger than 18 to use cell phones while behind the wheel and for older drivers to send or read text and e-mail messages.

"It's a commonsense, bipartisan bill that will save lives and keep Iowa drivers safe," Culver said.

With Culver's signature, Iowa became the 21st state to enact a texting-while-driving ban, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association.

( I don't recall the governor speaking out strongly about what he specifically wanted to see on this texting ban before lawmakers passed the bill.)

2010 LEGISLATURE DID GOOD WORK IN SHORT ORDER

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/article/20100401/OPINION03/4010330/2010-Legislature-did-good-work-in-short-order

The Iowa General Assembly shortened its session to 79 days to save taxpayers' money, yet managed to balance the budget in a severe recession, streamline state government and pass a raft of bills affecting everything from bicycle safety to puppy mills

The state will get by for another year without going into the red or raising taxes in a recession, which is no small feat.

(Republicans school districts will have no choice but to raise property taxes because of Culver's budget. I wonder when we will know for sure who is right in this fight.)

GOVERNOR CULVER’S STATEMENT FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL 2010 LEGISLATIVE SESSION

http://www.governor.iowa.gov/index.php/press_releases/single/454/

The 2010 legislative session was a victory for all Iowans. As a former teacher, I give the legislature an “A.” As a former coach, the Democratic legislative leaders each get my vote for MVP.

I thank legislators – both Democrats and Republicans – who made the 2010 session so successful. On several occasions we worked together and reached across party lines on bills such as the one to honor former A-P football coach Ed Thomas. This legislation honored the wishes of his family and hopefully will prevent another similar tragedy.

We worked together to save taxpayer dollars, create jobs, and protect our priorities. We’ve kept our promises and, most importantly, we have moved Iowa forward.

And, as other states continue to debate how much taxes will increase, we balanced our budget – just as we have done every year since I took office—without raising taxes!

(Do you ever notice how politicians keep taking credit for balancing the budget? In Iowa, they are constitutionally required to balance the budget. Shouldn't that be expected of them then to balance the budget?)

CULVER: GAY MARRIAGE DISCRIMINATION HAS NO PLACE IN IOWA’S CONSTITUTION

http://blogs.desmoinesregister.com/dmr/index.php/2010/03/31/culver-gay-marriage-discrimination-has-no-place-in-iowas-constitution/Gov. Chet Culver today made his strongest public statements to date about gay marriage, telling reporters that discrimination has no place in Iowa’s constitution.

“We stood firm for the civil rights of every Iowan by saying loudly and clearly that any and all efforts to add discriminatory amendments to our state constitution have no place in our state constitution,” Culver said of the legislature’s resistance to multiple attempts to end equal marriage right for same-sex couples.

(I don't believe the governor said anything this strong before lawmakers ended the session and ended any possibility of allowing voters the statewide chance to amend the constitution and ban same-sex marriages.)

KTIV CHANGES DEBATE FORMAT AFTER COMPLAINTS

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/news/local/article_fc753203-6e24-56c0-a9f4-009dac672a47.html

Under intense pressure from Iowa politicians and other members of the media, Sioux City NBC affiliate KTIV has changed its coverage plans for Wednesday's first Republican gubernatorial debate. However, the public and other members of the media are still barred from attending the event.

KTIV and the three Republican candidates for governor in Iowa came under increased scrutiny Thursday for agreeing to take part in a debate that is closed to the press and the public.

(I can't remember any media organization getting hammered this month for its handling of a debate.)

What do you think?

Thanks for reading.