JCR Blog

We are asking for volunteers at Headquarters! It is important to get every Republican to the polls this year.

We have some GREAT local candidates and they need your votes to win. McCain/Palin have a different kind of battle with all of the ACORN shenanigans.

As a side note there are two other important, to Johnson County, issues on the ballot.
One is an independent candidate for Auditor she would be a huge improvement to our Auditors office. Tom Slocket needs to be replaced and Hanna Gugliuzza is the one to do it.
The other one is flip the ballot and vote No on the 20Million Dollar Bond Issue. This a bad idea for Johnson County. Check out the web site against it for some very eye opening facts. FLIPNO.com

Also don't forget to check out the post below about our Fall Beef Bar-B-Q!

Saturday, October 25, 2008
Jo Co Fall Beef Bar-B-Q

Hello Republican Friends,

We are coming to the end of the 2008 election season. Currently our loyal and faithful volunteere are phoning, College Republicans are door knocking and yard signs are "sprouting" on our streets!

We will celebrate these efforts, and kick off the final push for Election Day on Sunday, November 2 with our Fall Barbeque, at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, Building "C" serving from 11:00am To 2:00pm. The cost will be $20 per person, and $50for a family of 4. Please call headquarters at (319) 339-8381 to RSVP: you can pay at the door.

This will be a great time to meet our candidates if you haven't yet and hear what they have to say, ask questions of them.

By: Republican US Senate Candidate Steve Rathje

For months now the United States Senate has been gridlocked over judicial nominations. People can blow a lot of hot air blaming one side of the isle or the other. The fact is, however, that in the end it is not one political party that loses. It is the American public who lose.

There are currently 46 judicial vacancies throughout the United States. That is 46 courtrooms sitting empty with lights off and doors closed. It is nearly impossible to count the number of litigants whose cases are being delayed because there is no judge to hear them. Those litigants are people just like you and me. They are US citizens who, under the constitution, have been guaranteed the right to a fair and speedy trial.

The Judicial Conference is a non-partisan and impartial panel that oversees judicial appointments. That conference has labeled 17 of these 46 vacancies as "judicial emergencies." A judicial emergency is a seat on the bench that has been empty for more than 18 months or where the number of pending cases is excessive and, therefore, in need of immediate attention.

It is time to put politics aside in the Senate. It is time to come together and do what is best for the people of this country. There are people out there, families out there who are waiting for justice. Right now our system is failing them.

I believe the United States Senate needs to take a hard look at the rules that govern judicial appointments. They need to amend their rules to require that nominees be given a fair hearing and an up or down vote within weeks, not months or years, of being nominated.

Partisan politics are out of control in Washington, D.C. They are causing a systematic breakdown of our government's ability to be responsive to this and many other issues. The American people deserve better.

Steve Rathje is a businessman and entrepreneur from Cedar Rapids. He is running for the Republican nomination for the United States Senate in the June 3rd primary election.

Statement from Caleb Hunter – Executive Director, Republican Party of Iowa.

“Today the Governor vetoed one of the worst bills to come out of the Iowa Legislature in decades. Despite organized labor’s contribution of hundreds of thousands of dollars to Legislative Democrats and their candidates, the people of Iowa spoke in a voice louder than the sum total of those contributions. I applaud the Governor for listening to the will of the people of Iowa. This November organized labor and their accomplices in the Iowa legislature will hear Iowans voice their will at the ballot box.”

DES MOINES -- Former Republican Representative George Eichhorn is officially kicking off his bid for the United States Senate today by releasing a list of top Republican leaders from across Iowa who have endorsed his candidacy.

Eichhorn, an attorney and accomplished legislator who grew up in Davenport, owned a law firm in Des Moines and now lives in rural Hamilton County, said he was ready to take on the failings of Tom Harkin.

"I am running to change Washington, not become changed by Washington like Harkin," Eichhorn said. "In 2007 Tom Harkin was rated the 11th most liberal member of the United States Senate; I have a proven, consistent record of common sense conservatism."

Eichhorn's initial endorsement list of Republican leadership follows.

"I am the only Republican running who has a record on the issues that matter most to Iowans and I am gratified by the overwhelming support I am receiving from the Republican leadership and primary voting Republicans throughout Iowa," he added.

Eichhorn has also launched a website to reach voters across Iowa. The site is located at: http://www.iowansforeichhorn.org/. "I expect that when voters visit my website they will see a very different kind of Senator for Iowa than Tom Harkin. I will work with Senator Chuck Grassley, not oppose him on issue after issue," Eichhorn said.

George Eichhorn (PRONOUNCED EYE-CORN) has a biography, issues and other information on the site. To obtain a photo, go to: http://www.iowansforeichhorn.org/medialogin.htm

Eichhorn has been traveling the state meeting with Republican County Committees and organizations He expects to commence an announcement tour soon.

Initial List of Republican Leaders from Across Iowa Endorsing George Eichhorn for the United States Senate:

Senate Republican Leader, Senator Ron Wieck, Woodbury County

Former Senate President Jeff Lamberti, Polk County

Former Chairman, Iowa Republican Party, Mike Mahaffey, Poweshiek County

Former Iowa Republican National Committeewoman, Gwen Boeke, Howard County

Senate Assistant Republican Leader, Senator David Johnson, Osceola County

Senate Assistant Republican Leader, Senator Larry McKibben, Marshall County

House Assistant Republican Leader, Representative Jeff Kaufmann, Cedar County

House Assistant Republican Leader, Representative Linda Upmeyer, Hancock County

Former House Republican Leader, Representative Chuck Gipp, Winneshiek County

Former Assistant Senate Republican Leader, Senator Thurman Gaskill, Hancock County

Former House Republican Whip, Representative Libby Jacobs, Polk County

Senator James Seymore, Harrison County,*

Senator Paul McKinley, Lucas County

Senator Jerry Behn, Boone County

Representative Royd Chambers, O'Brien County

Representative Jamie VanFossen, Scott County

Representative Betty DeBoef, Keokuk County

Representative Dave Tjepkes, Webster County

Representative Clel Baudler, Adair County,*

Representative Ralph Watts, Dallas County

Representative Henry Rayhons, Hancock County

Representative Jim Van Engelenhoven, Marion County

Representative Dan Huseman, Cherokee County

Representative Bill Schickel, Cerro Gordo County

Representative Clarence Hoffman, Crawford County

Representative Jack Drake, Pottawattamie County

Former Assistant Senate Republican Leader & Senator, Maggie Tinsman, Scott County

Former Senator Bob Brunkhorst, Bremer County

Former Representative, House Speaker ProTempore, Danny Carroll, Poweshiek County

Former Representative Kent Kramer, Polk County

Former Representative Teresa Garman, Story County

Former Representative Ervin Dennis, Black Hawk County

Eichhorn for Senate Campaign Treasurer; former Chief of Staff to Republican Senate Leader Stewart Iverson, counsel to House Majority Leader Chuck Gipp, Marc Elcock

*(if noted) Possibly mentioned by others as supporting other candidates, each has provided a written endorsement supporting George Eichhorn's bid for the U.S. Senate.

The primary election is a little less than 6 weeks away.

Beginning today you can request a 'vote-by-mail' ballot, so if you believe there is a chance you may not make it to the polls on June 3rd, get a vote-by-mail ballot.

Even if you just like the convenience of voting early by mail, you can request a ballot by clicking here.

Sen. Chuck Grassley, ranking member of the Committee on Finance, with jurisdiction over international trade, made the following comment in response to today’s announcement that South Korea will reopen its market to all imports of U.S. beef products.

“I’m pleased that South Korea has agreed to reopen its market to U.S. beef. This is long overdue, and I appreciate the priority that President Lee placed on making it happen. The next step is to get the beef trade flowing. I’ll be closely monitoring the implementation of today’s agreement. We need to see U.S. beef again enter the South Korean market in commercial quantities. It used to be our third-largest export market, and the potential is significant for our beef producers. The resumption of normal trade in beef should open up additional opportunities to further enhance our bilateral trade relationship.”

MOUNT VERNON -- Republican Emma Nemecek has announced that she will seek election to the Iowa House of Representatives’ District 29, which includes eastern and southern Linn County, and rural Johnson County. Democrat Ro Foege, the currect representative for District 29, announced last month that he will not be seeking re-election.

Nemecek, who also ran for the seat in 2006, is looking forward to hearing from area residents.

“I thank Ro for his service, and I look forward to carrying on his bipartisan work,” said Nemecek. “There are a lot of things I hope to accomplish for the area, where job creation will be my top priority.”

Nemecek, who resides in Mt. Vernon with her husband, Terry, says a renewed focus should be made on education.

“We need rigorous standards and higher accountability in our classrooms,” said Nemecek. “No longer are we competing with other states. Instead, we are competing with the entire world in a global economy. We must ensure our children are learning at their greatest potential.”

Nemecek also says the state is spending too much money, with few people seeing better services as a result.

“Too often, politicians forget that it’s our money first,” said Nemecek. “Families are struggling with rising health care costs and soaring fuel costs. The last thing we need is to take even more money from the pockets of Iowans.”

Nemecek says she will oppose any new tax increases, and will instead focus on efforts to lower them, knowing that there are places in the budget that can be cut without disrupting vital services.

“At a time when families are cautious to not waste their own money, I believe government should take the same steps,” said Nemecek.

Nemecek says she knocked on nearly every door in the district during her first run, which has given her a unique insight into the needs of the area. She plans to continue meeting with every voter possible, listening to the needs and suggestions on how to make state government better.

The election will be held this November.

Newspapers across the state blared the above headline Thursday morning, as taxes will again be raised in Iowa. That’s right – over $400 million in total tax increases, and counting, so far.

The latest measure would eliminate the local option sales tax for schools, and replace it with a statewide penny sales tax that, for now, is devoted to schools.

Two aspects of this bill are troubling. As we have seen time and time and time again, all too often when the governor and Legislature get their hands on funding, it gets “scooped” for other pet projects, especially in times of economic slowdown.

Second, this tax increase now raises the state’s use tax as well. The use tax is applied when businesses purchase goods from out of the state to use here in Iowa. Businesses often do not pay the sales tax in that state, and instead pay the Iowa use tax, which was exempt from local option sales taxes.

That is, until this bill went on its way.

Republicans offered two amendments that would have protected your tax dollars.

The first amendment would have provided constitutional protection to prevent the sales tax revenue from being scooped, or shifted, for other uses. It also provided that this bill would only take effect upon the ratification of an amendment to the Iowa Constitution to protect all revenues received from the state sales and use tax.

The second amendment would have helped to offset any future property tax increases by stating that if the state’s estimate of general fund revenues exceeds original estimates, the excess revenue would go to the Property Tax Equity and Relief Fund.

Remember – the sole intent of the original local option sales tax was for local residents to approve it themselves, and to only last 10 years.

Now, however, this is a permanent tax on the people of Iowa and a $32 million tax increase on Iowa businesses.

Employ illegal workers? You’re now entitled to free money.

Democrats on Monday voted against taking up an amendment that would have protected Iowa workers by removing taxpayer incentives to employ illegal aliens.

The amendment, H-8383 to SF-2325, states that employers who do not participate in the United States Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify Program are not eligible for taxpayer-funded state developmental assistance.

Developmental assistance is any form of public assistance, including tax expenditures, made for the purpose of stimulating economic development.

The Democrats decided to cast a blind eye toward our illegal immigration problem. Those employers who follow the law should be rewarded accordingly, but to Democrats, it just doesn’t matter.

E-Verify is a free and simple-to-use Web-based system that electronically verifies the employment eligibility of newly-hired employees. The program is a partnership between the Department of Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services oversees the program.

E-Verify works by allowing participating employers to electronically compare employee information taken from the Form I-9 (the paper based employee eligibility verification form used for all new hires) against more than 425 million records in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) database and more than 60 million records in DHS immigration databases. Results are returned within seconds.

The primary goals of the program are to protect jobs, not lose jobs, for authorized U.S. workers and to ensure a legal workforce in the United States. This is a simple tool that would allow Iowa employers to follow the law. Taxpayer assistance should not be granted to employees who violate our laws by employing those who are here illegally.

Democrats say “free money!” regardless of who is working at an organization, and that’s just wrong.

More than 19,000 employers are enrolled in E-Verify nationally and have successfully matched 92 percent of new hires to DHS and SSA database information. Of the remaining 8 percent that were not matched, less than one percent of those employees contested the result.

Stewart Iverson is Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Stewart Iverson today praised the Republican National Committee’s rules committee for passing what’s called the “Ohio Plan,” which would keep Iowa first in the presidential nominating process.

The plan, passed this morning in Albuquerque at a meeting of the Republican Rules Committee, would retain the lead-off roles for Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Nevada, and rotate remaining states on a quadrennial basis.

Iverson says this is the first significant step for Iowa’s effort to keep its first-in-the-nation role in the presidential nominating process.

“This is a great day for the state of Iowa,” said Iverson. “I am pleased that the rules committee was able to work together and find a practical compromise. Iowans take their role in the nominating process very seriously. We invest the time to get to know the candidates and their positions on the issues, and understand the extremely significant role we have in selecting the next president.”

The RNC will have another rules committee meeting this summer, where this plan may be discussed, and it may ultimately be voted on at the Republican National Convention this September in Minneapolis.

By U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa

As a greater share of take-home pay gets spent on fuel and food, more families are wondering what’s yet in store at the pump and the grocery store. How will household budgets withstand the forces driving up consumer costs and gobbling up a bigger slice of disposable income? The declining value of the dollar and increased global demand for limited resources continues to put upward pressure on prices paid for living essentials. Rising energy costs drive up prices even more due to higher transportation expenses it takes to get products to market.

Will some predictions ring true in Iowa where milk and gas could reach as high as $4 a gallon by summer? As commodity prices nose up, more consumers are beginning to ratchet down spending on other goods and services.

The anxiety on Main Street is fed by the national downturn in the housing, mortgage and credit markets. And the upheaval occurring on Wall Street adds to a sense of unease. The concerns shared by Iowans during my visits in 35 counties in March reinforced my commitment to ensure the taxpaying public doesn’t get shortchanged by the taxpayer-backed rescue of the failing Bear Stearns investment firm.

As ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, I launched a bipartisan review of the $29 billion stake that taxpayers now have on the buy-out. The involvement of the Federal Reserve as a lender-of-last-resort to a giant investment bank may set an unwanted precedent. I’m also wary if top executives come out smelling like a rose at the expense of rank-and-file workers and loyal shareholders.

During the aftermath of the Enron collapse and other corporate meltdowns earlier in the decade, we learned hubris at the helm can be a recipe for disaster. As then-chairman of the tax-writing policy committee in the U.S. Senate, I led the charge to strengthen corporate governance and accountability, including reforms that would protect employees’ pensions from being raided by greedy executives; close abusive tax shelters that cheat the taxpaying public; and, prevent executives from enriching themselves with sweetheart compensation packages that leave the workforce, investors and creditors high-and-dry when a company goes bankrupt.

Lessons learned from my oversight and legislative work earlier in the decade to crack down on corporate mismanagement and improve transparency for workers, investors and taxpayers will come into play as Congress investigates the negotiations that put billions of tax dollars at risk.

Congress created the Federal Reserve nearly a century ago to avert panics and bank runs during times of financial crisis. It is charged with setting monetary policy and providing a steady hand to protect our financial and credit systems from collapse.

As an elected representative in the people’s branch of the federal government, I will aggressively exercise my Constitutional oversight responsibilities to better understand the details of this unprecedented taxpayer-backed bail-out on Wall Street. We need to figure out potentially damaging long-term consequences before it’s too late.

Taking risks is the linchpin of our entrepreneurial, capitalist society. The allure of America ’s free market system appeals to the masses because it holds the promise of economic opportunity, individual prosperity and a better life for those willing to work hard. The American Dream resides in the notion of pulling oneself up by the bootstraps. The Fed was created to rein in risky practices that would jeopardize market stability. But large-scale taxpayer-backed bail-outs can wrongfully influence the risks and rewards of the free marketplace and introduce a boot in the gut of our system of making and lending money. Government bail-outs ought to be a limited option of last resort.

Before an overhaul of the financial system becomes an election-year rallying cry, policymakers should not make knee-jerk decisions that would change the regulatory regime of the financial system. First, Congress needs to get all the facts out in the open about the Bear Stearns buy-out to make thoroughly digested decisions. Did the Fed’s decision to put billions of taxpayer dollars on the hook create a moral hazard that opens the backdoor to future taxpayer-backed bail-outs? Does it give the big guys the green light to go ahead and make bad loans because the Fed won’t let them fail?

From my ranking position on the Senate Finance Committee, I’m digging into the details of the Bear Stearns bail-out to make sure the same mistakes aren’t repeated. As the financial system recovers from this episode, I want a lesson made crystal clear as we move forward. Investment goliaths can’t be let off the hook each time the going gets rough so that taxpayers hang from it.

From my leadership position in Washington , I’ll do what I can to steer the U.S. economy towards sunnier skies. And that means advancing public policies that help working families to get ahead, including making college more affordable and enacting permanent, pro-growth tax relief that fosters wealth creation and allows small businesses to create good-paying jobs up and down Main Street .

Remember the number "6" during this campaign season and spread the word: "Six" meaning the potential US Supreme Court Justices who may be replaced in the next Presidential term..... WE NEED TO GET THE VOTE OUT, AND GET EVERYONE ON BOARD!

The Johnson County Republican Central Committee hosted its fifth annual spaghetti dinner at the Johnson County Fairgrounds, featuring an array of speakers.

An estimated crowd of about 150 people enthusiastically listened to a large number of political candidates for office and party officials, giving the who, what, where, when, and how of campaigns and party issues. According to many in attendance, the talent pool of candidates vying for state and federal office is the most they’ve seen in quite some time.

The highlight of the evening and taking the crowd through a range of emotions, from laughter, to tears, and back to laughter, Keynote Speaker Bob Vander Plaats gave a very memorable motivational speech. A former high school principal, coach, human services organization director, and business consultant from Sioux City, Iowa, Bob Vander Plaats was the GOP Lt. Governor candidate in the 2006 gubernatorial election.

Receiving a standing ovation from an invigorated crowd, Vander Plaats left the stage for a meet and greet session as the event came to a close.

The Johnson County Republican Central Committee will be hosting and participating in a number of events through the election season, keep an eye on this publication for announcements.

Cedar Rapids businessman Steve Rathje filed papers with the Iowa Secretary of State's office last week to be an official candidate for the United States Senate.

"This is really just a formality," said Rathje. "I have been campaigning for two years now. I have crossed the state meeting voters and talking to them about how to move Iowa and America forward."


The support Steve has earned on the campaign trail is evidenced by the fact that he had four times more signatures on his nominating petitions than are required by law.


"When I am out talking to voters they are clearly very excited about my campaign and about what we can do together to make a difference," Steve said. "I am extremely pleased that so many of them were willing to sign on the dotted line and publically support me by adding their name to my petition."


Rathje's campaign is moving on full steam ahead in the coming days with a stop Friday in Dallas County, Saturday in Black Hawk, Polk, and Linn Counties , and a Monday night visit to Allamakee County.


To find out more about Steve Rathje please visit www.steverathje.com

The list of locations for the 2008 Republican Caucuses on January 3, 2008 is now available here.

On behalf of all of us at Americans for FairTaxation, I want to invite all of you to come to the Dare To Be Fair Bus Tour event that will be held in nearby Marengo on Tuesday, Aug 7th, from 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.

The Marengo event will be held on the square in Downtown Marengo. Free lunch from Phat Daddy's restaurant in Marengo will be provided for guests.

The FairTax Bus Tour is meant to start to educate Iowans about the need for national tax reform. Our current income tax system has grown to over 60,000 pages in length. It punishes success and hard work.

The FairTax proposal is the most popular tax reform in Congress today, with over 63 co-sponsors, including our own Rep. Steve King from Iowa.

I want to encourage everyone on Tuesday to come over and learn more about our organization and enjoy some great food from a local restaurant.

If you have further questions, please visit our website at www.fairtax.org

A woman in Seattle, Washington has made a very eloquent point to prove that relaxation of voter registration laws can lead to potential abuse and fraud.

Jane Balogh, who owns an Australian shepard-terrier mix she has named "Duncan M. McDonald"..decided that she was going to make a statement about how easy it was for non-citizens to vote in Washington due to the relaxation of voter registration laws.

In Washington, a person's telephone bill may be used as "identification" to register to vote...so, Ms. Balogh put the telephone bill in her dog's name..used the bill to register the dog to vote, and in 3 elections submitted voided ballots in his name.

The tipoff for authorities--one of the ballot envelopes was signed with a picture of a paw print!

Elections authorities were none too happy with Ms. Balogh..and prosecuted her.... Ms. Balgoh agreed to plea to a misdemeanor offense of making a false statement to a public official..

Ms. Balogh admits to breaking the law..but she states that she did it to prove a larger point--that the system is far too easy for someone to commit fraud.

Iowa's voter registration laws are now very similar to what Washington's are....could the same thing happen here?

Vote protest puts woman in doghouse.

Once again, the freshman Congressman from Iowa's 2nd District has managed to find a way to avoid keeping the campaign promises that he made to voters in the 2nd District.

Yesterday, on a vote of 219-189, Democrats in the House voted to table a resolution that would have reprimanded Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa) for violating House ethics rules.

The privilege resolution was introduced by Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich. Rogers, accuses Murtha of violating the House ethics rules passed in January that require each member who wants to slip into any bill a spending project for their district to identify himself or herself.

Rogers, a former FBI agent, claims he tried to cut $23 million in funding for the National Drug Intelligence Center because the program is redundant and wasteful. But the center is located in Murtha's Pennsylvania district, which Rogers says he didn't realize because Murtha, the seventh-ranking lawmaker in the House in terms of seniority, slipped the funding into the intelligence authorization bill without identifying himself.

The resolution says Murtha then personally threatened Rogers with never allowing another spending project by Rodgers to come up for a vote in the House.

It recounted the conversation in the House chamber on May 17.

"I hope you don't have any earmarks in the defense appropriation bill because they are gone and you will not get any earmarks now and forever," the resolution claims Murtha said in so many words.

House rules also prohibit members from limiting other's projects solely based on voting record.

Murtha has not denied making the threat to Rodgers, nor has he apologized to Rep. Rodgers for it.

Newly elected Rep. Dave Loebsack voted with his party to table the resolution, effectively killing the reprimand.

This is a quote from Rep. Loebsack's campaign website about "Where Dave Stands--Good Government"

"I am committed to genuine reforms that protect our rights and ensure that elected officials act appropriately. So long as Washington continues with politics as usual, few of the changes we as a nation need to move us forward are likely to occur."

Hmm..Guess that commitment doesn't hold true if a fellow Democrat is the one who is ethically challenged. Those little ethics rule changes that you made in January..no big deal, right Rep. Loebsack?

Unfortunately, this is just another example of Rep. Loebsack's attitude of "Do As I Do, Not As I Say" to the voters of the 2nd District of Iowa.

Former Governor Tom Vilsack is "reaping" the reward of endorsing his previous opponent for the Democratic Party presidential nomination, Hillary Clinton.

Clinton's campaign has agreed to pay off over $400,000 in campaign debt accumulated by Tom Vilsack in his embarassingly short presidential campaign.

A Clinton spokesman says that suggestions of a quid pro quo is "ridiculous". Or is it?

Last week, Vilsack sent an email out to his former supporters, begging them to help retire his debt his campaign incurred...

On Monday, Vilsack sent out an email to Clinton supporters telling them he now planned to help Clinton win the Iowa caucuses. Clinton also named Vilsack her national campaign co-chair as well.

The help for Vilsack comes on the heels of one Clinton's top supporters in New Hampshire is having to dispute reports that he was promised an ambassadorship in exchange for an endorsement. Bill Shaheen, in an interview with the AP..said such reports of any promises were "wrong"...

Now, I don't know about you, but let's be honest here. Tactics like this are not below Team Clinton to pull off. Its been widely rumored in Iowa that Vilsack's run for President was merely as a way to position himself to be a vice-presidential candidate or for a plum Cabinet position if a Democrat was elected President in 2008.

Or perhaps Sen. Clinton has discovered a new business opportunity in the banking industry. Remember the incredible luck she had in the cattle futures market? Turning $1000 into over $100,000 in less than 10 months...nothing like getting a 100% return on your investment!

Johnson County Republicans hosted their Fourth Annual Spring Spaghetti Dinner last night with special guest, Congressman Tom Tancredo. You can see the Press-Citizen's report here.

As I'm sure you all saw..former VP Al Gore's "documentary" An Inconvenient Truth won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature on Sunday.

However, as with most things related to Al Gore, the truth behind the facade is well, inconvenient for the former VP.

Gore has been one of the more vocal leaders of the global warming lobby..touting his movie as an educational tool to teach students about the "dangers" supposedly posed by "global warming".

However, an independent group out of Gore's home state of Tennesee called the Tennesee Center for Policy Research has publicized some very interesting information about Gore's practices when it comes to energy conservation. In his movie, Gore calls on Americans to conserve energy by reducing electrical consumption at home.

In 2006 alone, Gore's mansion (20 room, eight bathrooms) used more than 20 times the national average of electrical consumption in a year for a typical home.

Since the release of his film, energy consumption at Gore's home has actually gone UP.

Gore's energy use also extends to his natural gas bill which averaged nearly $1000 a month.

So..we have the leader of the global warming crusade telling people like us to reduce our electrical consumption in our homes to save the world, but he won't follow his own mantras?

More "Do As I Say, Not As I Do" by the liberal establishment.

Tenneseee Center for Policy Research

If you missed it, check out the Press-Citizen's profile of our newly elected Johnson County Republican Party Chairman, Bill Keettel.

The newly elected Representative from the 2nd District, Dave Loebsack managed to earn a unique distinction amongst his fellow freshman representatives in Congress: Between Election Day and his swearing in, Loebsack took in over $67,000 in political action committee (PAC) donations.

These donations come on the heels of Loebsack's calls during his campaign to unseat former Rep. Jim Leach to reform the lobbying culture in Washington D.C.. However, it would appear that these calls were a mere smokescreen, as Loebsack has taken thousands of dollars from many of the well known members of the D.C. lobby.

For example, according to online FEC records, Loebsack took in a $5,000 donation from the American Bankers Association on Dec 18th, but also took in $5,000 donation from a rival PAC, the National Realtors Association on the same day!

This is a quote from Loebsack's campaign website:

“The most recent Republican ethics scandal involving Jack Abramoff only underscores the need to reform our political system to ensure that elected officials maintain the people’s trust in their government." “So long as Washington continues with politics as usual, few of the changes we as a nation need to move us forward are likely to occur.”

Wait a second..where's the reform? Where's the leading by example? It would appear that so far, Rep. Loebsack has jumped into the DC culture with both feet.

The Press-Citizen covered the issue of Loebsack's PAC money in an article on Saturday. The Johnson County Democrats argue that its okay for Loebsack to take PAC money because Jim Leach was a "multimillionaire".

Once again, the JC Democrats are flat wrong. Jim Leach's campaigns were funded by a vast margin by individual donations. The FEC stats don't lie. Here is the amount of individual donations made to the Leach campaign going back to 1999.

1999-2000 cycle--$387,471
2001-2002 cycle--$576,539
2003-2004 cycle--$528,832
2005-2006 cycle--$487,505

The JC Dems first vice president says about the PAC money, "I guarantee you they're not making any promises to anyone because Dave will do what Dave thinks is best"

I don't know what planet they're on, but the reality is that PAC's make donations to politicians to help influence their vote on legislation to benefit their group. PAC's don't make donations to politicians out of the kindness of their hearts.

Is this the change that was promised by Rep. Loebsack? A return to the DC politics-as-usual behavior? Does the 2nd District deserve to represented by someone who's willing to be an independent, well reasoned decision maker or by someone who is quickly becoming a part of the DC "inside the Beltway" culture?

Dave Loebsack has chosen the way of being a part of the D.C. political machine, and the citizens of the 2nd District are the losers for it.

Freshman In Money Chase--The Hill

Federal Elections Comission

Well our friends on the left have once again shown their true colors. New Speaker Nanci Pelosi has decided to can ethics and exempt a company based in her district from having to comply with the proposed increase in the minimum wage.

StarKist Tuna owned by DelMonte Corporation has a tuna factory based on the U.S. territory of American Samoa, which employs about 500 workers many of whom are paid at minimum wage. So...what's so special about DelMonte??

DelMonte is based in Pelosi's district in San Francisco.

(Update 1/15--New information reveals that Speaker Pelosi's husband currently owns about $17 million in DelMonte stock!)--What was that about "most ethical Congress in history, Madame Speaker?

I guess if you're a Democrat that has a district with a company that might have the ability to funnel large sums of contributions to your campaign someday or help your family's stock fortunes..and you need to exert a little influence on legislation for them--that's OK...

If you're a Republican...you automatically are part of the "Culture of Corruption" because..no Democrat could possibly ever be corrupt....

Ron Paul, GOP congressman from Texas, filed his papers Thursday. It's not his first try for the White House; he ran as the Libertarian Candidate in 1988 before joining the Republican Party:

Kent Snyder, the chairman of Paul's exploratory committee and a former staffer on Paul's Libertarian campaign, said the congressman knows he's a long shot.

"There's no question that it's an uphill battle, and that Dr. Paul is an underdog," Snyder said. "But we think it's well worth doing, and we'll let the voters decide."

Paul, of Lake Jackson, acknowledges that the national GOP has never fully embraced him despite his nine terms in office under its banner. He gets little money from the GOP's large traditional donors but benefits from individual conservative and Libertarian donors outside Texas. He bills himself as "the taxpayers' best friend" and is routinely ranked either first or second in the U.S. House by the National Taxpayers Union, a group advocating low taxes and limited government.

If I may be allowed to coin a new Caucus Coolerism, could Paul be a CFCA (Credible Fiscally Conservative Alternative)? He's certainly a credible fiscal conservative, but I'd be shocked if he could rally the money and organization needed to compete with the big guns (or even the medium guns). I know there is a small core of Libertarian activists (I was once one of them) who Paul could rely on in Ames and Iowa City if he made a stand here in Iowa. My guess is that Paul will enter the Cooler Line somewhere between Duncan Hunter and Chuck Hagel, say 250-1.

Krusty and his kommenters demonstrate some McCain-Romney-(Huckabee?) conspiracy theories in one of today's threads. Well actually in more than one thread. I guess that's what blogs are for anyway, eh? Whatever way you swing, it makes for some fun reading.

State29 has a great post about our outgoing governor's record:

• Appointing Michael Gartner to state boards.
• Corporate welfare (Vision Iowa).
• Touchplay
  
• Ongoing polluting of Iowa's rivers and streams by factory farmers.
• An out of control deer population that is killing people and ruining livelihoods.
• The draining of the Senior Living Trust.
• Allowing the fraudulent spending of the tobacco shakedown money.
  

There are a bunch more and State's taking submissions for other "highlights." You won't hear any of that in his "presidential" stump speeches.

I think this is the most interesting question:

HOTLINE: How much danger is there that the Iowa GOP is becoming a regional party within the state?

Time's Joe Klein awards Jim Leach a Teddy award (in honor of president Roosevelt). Here's what he has to say:

Congressman Jim Leach, the Iowa Republican, was a terrific public servant for 30 years. He was always independent, always scrupulously honest. He lost this year, and the manner of his losing is instructive. He refused to allow the Republican National Committee to distribute a negative mailing about his opponent. He called Ken Mehlman, then the r.n.c. chair, and threatened to caucus with the Democrats if such negative mailings didn't stop. They stopped, but the Congressman lost narrowly to an academic named Dave Loebsack, who had similarly refused to attack him. A former foreign service officer, Leach would make a terrific U.S. ambassador to the U.N., but I doubt that Bush would appoint an anti–Iraq-war multilateralist.

I don't think Leach actually threatened to switch parties. Does anyone have authoritative information on this?

I realize we've been spending a lot of time on the long goodbye here, but having a congressman like Jim Leach is a once in a lifetime experience, and that's if you're lucky.

The Washington Post has an interesting piece that spends some good space dissecting Leach's loss and its broader implications for Congress -- particularly the loss of so many centrist Republicans.

Just a few more quick links to stories on Leach's transition out of Congress.

Yesterday, the Press-Citizen reported on Friday's reception hosted by the University of Iowa. The story includes some comments from Dan Gable, who was brought into politics by Leach:

Dan Gable, who won 15 national wrestling titles when he coached the
Hawkeyes, said in his speech that Leach encouraged him to participate in
politics.

"Jim Leach, we do have wrestling in common," said Gable, who is now
an assistant to coach Tom Brands.

Gable, who pondered a gubernatorial run several years ago, said Leach "actually turned my ear to politics."

"It kind of gave me the chance to broaden my horizon. And it actually helped me in a lot of areas of my life," he said.

Could Gable be thinking about getting a little more active now?

The Register also has a report out of DC on Leach's transition, with some sad pictures of Leach packing up.

Jim Leach will be on IPTV's Iowa Press, tonight at 7:30 p.m. at on Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. The AP has a story up including some quotes from today's taping.

Let's hope that the good Congressman does not continue the "brain drain" by taking one of the "many offers" he's received to teach out East and decides to remain here in Iowa. The University would be lucky to have him, in any capacity.

UPDATE: Here's full transcript of Leach's interview on Iowa Press.

You'll want to check out David Broder's column in the Washington Post this morning, which gives our outgoing Congressman Jim Leach some going-away love.

I'm really not sure that I buy the argument that the internet gambling bill had anything to do with his loss -- it sounds to me like a special interest group trying to take advantage of a coincidence for their own gain -- I think it's much more likely that it's the fact that Leach sat in one of the bluest Republican-held congressional district in the entire nation.

Still, it's a decent read and some interesting nuggets, including Leach's praise of Mitt Romney. Though I know this is no suprise to Jeff Fuller, I'm not sure that's a pairing I would have predicted.

According to The Hill, Congressman Steve King has been making the rounds in an effort to be considered for the position of Chair of the influential House Republican Study Committee, a group of 100 or so conservative Republicans. The current Chair, Mike Pence (R-IN) just lost his bid for Minority Leader, while the past chair, John Shadegg (R-AZ), lost his bid for Minority Whip but had been a previous member of leadership.

Maybe I missed it, but I hadn't heard any noise about this in the Iowa press. It will be interesting to see how this develops and how King's star will continue to rise in the House. It would suggest to me that he might be more interested in sticking around there, rather than jumping right into a Senate campaign.

From the latest Civic Skinny column: "Senate Democrats are already irked at Governor-elect Chet Culver, who told them — they say — that he’d appear at their first caucus. They waited and waited. No Culver. They’re pissed."

A trend? See the update here by our own Corny for more on Culver's inability to make it somewhere on time.

Also:

The same Skinny column claims DC sources are indicating Jim Leach will be appointed ambassador to India...

Looks like the University of Iowa is holding a reception for Jim Leach on December 1, from 4-6 pm at the Old Capitol. Here's the invitation. Anyone have any more details?

The Des Moines Register has several pieces of interest this morning: a survey piece of the state of play on both sides of aisle in presidential caucus campaigns, and indepth look at Senator Barack Obama's potential team within the state, and an announcement from the Republican Party of Iowa:

Mark your calendars, the 2007 Republican Straw Poll will be Saturday, August 11, 2007 in Hilton Coliseum. I know it may take holding your nose for some folks to step foot in ISU's basketball venue, but I remember this being one of the coolest political events I've ever attended eight years ago. There was something about a gathering that was a fun party -- mixing food, music, and politics and drawing families, many of whom I would have never expected to go to a political function -- that just felt like the way politics is supposed to be.

I hope that our state party pulls together another excellent event this summer -- though I do find it strange that there's still no mention about it, not even a press release, on the party website or "blog." UPDATE: Guess we just had to wait 24 hours for the official word.

Another one of the underrated benefits of losing an election is the chance that it offers our party to self-reflect. There'll be lots of discussion about the appropriate strategy and tactics over the next few months, but sometimes lost in all that inside baseball is a discussion about our ideas.

Some Republican leaders are already starting to speak about their visions for the future. The recently re-elected Republican Whip in the U.S. House, Congressman Roy Blunt, gave a good speech on this topic last week. (You can see the video or read the text).

I'll try to post other speeches or articles as I see them. If we take advantage of this opportunity to open dialogue and reenergize our ideas, in two years the country will be longing for a return to some common sense.

One of the few joys from the results of Election Night has been the opportunity to watch Speaker-Elect Nancy Pelosi attempt to lead the disparate factions of her party to try to govern. I have not doubt that she will continue to provide much amusement over the coming months -- if you can forget that the Democrats are playing with the future of our country.

After the Caucus slapped down Pelosi's pick to help lead the most ethical Congress in history, her choice to be Chair of the Ways and Means Committee, Charlie Rangel has once again begun pushing for a return of the draft:

U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, the incoming chairman of the House of
Representatives' tax-writing committee, said he would introduce legislation
to reinstate the draft as soon as the new, Democratic-controlled Congress
convenes in January.

Asked on CBS' "Face the Nation" if he was still serious about the proposal
for a universal draft he raised a couple of years ago, he said, "You bet your
life. Underscore serious."

More on Rangel's comments here and here. Hold on to your hats, it's going to be a wild ride. And just wait till our Big Lug gets back from his "How to be a Governor" retreat in West Virginia .

UPDATE: By the way, speaking of Chet's training weekend, why do you suppose he missed out on the official group photograph? I'm just speculating, but given his history -- showing up late for just about every event I've seen in Iowa City, and his first post-election press conference, maybe he learned the rest of the world doesn't always live on Chet-time.

Jeff Kaufmann, who represents part of rural Johnson County, was elected to be a part of the Republican leadership team in the Iowa House. He will serve as one of the party's assistant leaders. Congratulations Jeff!

Our brothers and sisters out in Woodbury County are having quite the row if we are to believe the Souix City Journal's Bret Hayworth:

Brown contended the people Salem described trying “to hijack the Republican Party of Iowa” did what Salem said — “if you don’t agree with them 100 percent on every issue, they not only refuse to support you, they take active steps to destroy you, including the use of innuendo and outright lies.” Salem said fear of that approach means good candidates won’t come forward, which played into why the party fared poorly in Tuesday’s election. Brown said “the problem with bombs is that they can destroy everything with their fallout, as was done in this campaign.”

Our state chairman seems to think everything is OK, though.

Asked twice about it for my story, Ray Hoffmann, a Sioux Cityan who heads the Republican Party of Iowa, said he wasn’t aware of any schism in the Woodbury County party.

It's this kind of thing that makes me think it may not be so bad being outnumbered here in Johnson County. When you've got no one to argue with, you argue with yourself.

Nuts.

if you haved VOTED.

Johnson County Polling Locations (or search your address).

We'll be busy getting out the votes, so don't expect any posts today, unless there's something agregious ... after the polls have closed, I may try to post tidbits that I'm seeing around the country -- we'll just see. During the day, you can check out Johnson County Turnout here.

If you're looking for results, here's the Johnson County Returns.

I'll try to update tonight if I discover which online sites are calling the congressional races around the country the quickest.

I wonder what advisor thought that Chet Culver could keep around the crowd who came to see Barack Obama. The Des Moines Register report on the rally downtown includes the following nuggets:

Following Obama's speech, much of the crowd dispersed while Culver still
spoke. While some said they were attracted by Obama, people seemed to split as
to whether he was the only candidate drawing a crowd.

"If he wasn't here, it'd still be 75 percent of the crowd," said Iowa City
resident Daniel Loptka.

However, for University of Iowa students Adam Katz and Ethan Gill, and
others who were filing out, most of the supporters were there for Obama."A good
majority" of the crowd, said Katz, came for the Illinois senator, "because he
could be the future president."

I suspect the latter. I know of more than a few Republicans that were curious about seeing Obama and were considering holding their nose at being in the same place as Culver,Harkin, Loebsack, et. al.

Back to work ... we're over halfway through our 72-hour efforts. It's been an amazing weekend. See you at the victory party!

Update: The Women, Food and Agriculture problem was with the newspaper. The intentional animal cruelty issue is still O'Brien's.

It sounds like O'Brien's litany of desperate excuses has at least one major flaw. O'Brien claimed she was not even on the farm at the time her cattle were left to starve to death due to her activity with the Women, Food, and Agriculture Network. However, that organization was not even founded until 1994, seven years later. What gives?

Do you think Northey's slogan for the next 3 days will run something like this: "You can't trust Denise O'Brien to tend livestock, you can't trust her to tell the truth, and you can't trust her with Iowa's agriculture."

More at South of Iowa and State 29 (Standard disclaimer: State 29 has interesting commentary coupled with vulgarity of all stripes. Avoid if you're easily offended).

Ro Foege is up to his old tricks again of misleading the consituents he claims to represent in House District 29.

Foege's campaign sent out a mailer to residents of District 29 with following claims:

"Ro led the fight to pass legislation to make it harder for government to condemn private property rights"
"Ro's legislation now makes the government, and not the landowner, prove it has a good reason to take your property"

What's wrong with these statements? Neither one of them are TRUE.

The eminent domain legislation, HF 2351, was submitted by the House Judiciary Committee, of which Ro Foege is a member of. This legislation was in no way, shape or form created by Rep. Foege himself as he claims.

Ro Foege didn't "lead" any efforts to advance this important legislation through the Iowa Legislature as well.

Here's the real story..It was our own Rep. Jeff Kauffman who lead the fight for these important reforms as the floor manager of the legislation in the Iowa House.

Ro Foege himself even admitted in a Guest Opinion piece in the Iowa City Press-Citizen from July 13, 2006 that he was merely a co-sponsor of the legislation only. The opinion piece was written AFTER the veto of the legislation was overriden by the Iowa Legislature.

The only other mention Foege makes about the legislation is an entry on his website stating he voted for it.

That's a far cry from leading any efforts to pass the legislation as Foege claims he did. A Google search of Foege's involvement with the eminent domain legislation shows little in the way of action taken by Foege advocating the bill.

Don't be mislead by exaggerated claims of leadership by someone who doesn't have the record to back it up with. The real story with Ro Foege and the eminent domain reforms is simple--Foege was a backbench supporter, with no real involvement in passing of the legislation.

Its time for a change in District 29. That change is to elect Emma Nemecek on November 7th!

So, Johnson County has a plethora of "satellite voting" locations in the weeks leading up to the election. This is a phenomenon I had never heard of until moving here -- the Auditor sets up at "convenient" (ie: heavily democratic) locations around the county where individuals can register and vote at these locations on the spot, using an absentee ballot. I am not a fan of the practice -- particularly as administered with such variance across the state.

Nevertheless, that's the way it is here in Johnson County. Now, one statistic from the early voting statistics made me laugh, and I just felt like sharing. You see, I've been a member of the New Pioneer Co-op since I first moved to town. And I've always felt a little lonely, driving up with my Nussle-Vander Plaats bumper sticker, and making my way through the organics, wine, and non-dairy products. Turns out it wasn't just paranoia. The satellite voting station held at the Co-op one day has the distinction of taking in the lowest number of Republican votes of any station. How many Republicans dared to not only shop but vote at the Co-op? TWO.

It seems that the Crunchy Con movement still has some growth to do here in the People's Republic of Johnson County.

Election Day is just around the corner and we're hard at work at the Johnson County HQ. The importance of our efforts to the Nussle-Vander Plaats campaign is evidenced by all the attention we've received in the final week. Jim and Karen Nussle and Bob and Darla Vander Plaats stopped by together Sunday evening after an afternoon of phonebanking.

Jim and Karen Nussle were back again today on the 99-county bus tour, visiting every corner of the state. You can see the Press-Citizen coverage here.


And tomorrow morning, we will be joined by Bob Vander Plaats again, bringing along special guest, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.

Most of the people reading this blog are already going to vote for Bill Northey, the Republican candidate for Secretary of Agriculture. There has been a development that all Iowans need to know about, especially those who don't pay a whole lot of attention to the down-ballot races. Tell your family and friends, this is important:

State Representative Clel Baudler, member of the Iowa House of Representatives Agriculture Committee, called on Denise O'Brien to explain the [intentional] animal cruelty charges filed by the Cass County Sheriff in 1987 before voters go to the polls next Tuesday.

Denise O'Brien, the Democrat nominee for Ag Secretary, has successfully kept the intentional cruelty charges off the radar during this campaign. However, she must explain why Iowans should entrust the highest agricultural office in the state to someone who's family farm was cite for intentional cruelty to animals.

I have to say, if the shoe was on the other foot and some hypothetical GOP SOA nominee had inflicted intentional cruelty on his/her livestock, I wouldn't be able to vote for him/her. Even with all of O'Brien's promises of tofu and organic rutabaga, I would hope Democrats would backbone up and at the very least not vote in this race. Any chance?

Update: More at State 29. (As always, be warned: State 29 isn't entirely work/family friendly.)

The race for House District 29 took an interesting turn this past week with the financial disclosures filed by the candidates running for office in this District.

The 10 year incumbent, Ro Foege, Democrat, Mount Vernon, reported taking a very hefty sum of $41,000 in donations for the period from July 19th to October 19th.

However, a deeper look at the numbers reveal a very disturbing picture.

Of the $41,000 dollars, nearly 53% or $24,000 came from PACs. An additional 32% or $11,000 of his donations came from OUTSIDE of Linn and Johnson counties. Only 15% of Foege's donations came from within Linn and Johnson Counties. A grand total of 43 PAC donations were made to Foege's campaign.

So what does this say about the current Representative from District 29? Answer: His allegiances are bought and paid for by the Democrat special interest lobby.

Ro Foege has bragged for years about how well he represents the people of District 29.
The facts however, tell a far different story.

The votes that Ro Foege has cast prove that he is merely a tool of the special interests. For example, Foege voted AGAINST allowing small businesses and associations to pool together to gain lowered health insurance costs.

Foege also voted to have taxpayers repay every dime that was wasted in the CIETC scandal by fraudulent and criminal mismanagement of taxpayer dollars.

Foege also voted against the so called "People's Amendment" which would have required a majority vote of the people of Iowa before any tax increase would be enacted.

So, you ask what is the solution to the problem that is representative Ro Foege? Simple...Elect Emma Nemecek to House District 29 on November 7th.

Emma is the hardest working candidate for Iowa House in the entire state, having door-knocked on over 15,000 doors in House District 29. Homes across the district are sprouting a wave of blue Nemecek for House yard signs.

Its time for a change in House District 29. Its time for a leader who's not beset by the special interests. That leader is Emma Nemecek.

If you're looking for a more reasoned endorsement today, Johnson County citizens need only look up the road to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, which today endorsed Jim Nussle for Governor.

Jim Nussle can be a great leader of Iowa. He has the right philosophy about limited government and the right experience in the trenches of budget-making and government reform. The Manchester Republican has proven his ability to work in moderate and bipartisan fashion, a fact most apparent from his eight successful congressional elections out of an Eastern Iowa district with Democratic leanings.

The Gazette was not alone in reflecting the mainstream values of Iowans better than a certain paper in Des Moines. Nussle has now gained endorsements from the daily newspapers in Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Dubuque, Fort Dodge, Estherville.

UPDATE: You can also add the newspapers of Ames, and Marshalltown.

I am generally skeptical of claims of a liberal media bias -- yes the media has a number of biases including toward conflict, simple story-lines, and others, but I normally hold out that it's predominantly not ideological. And yes, I know that editorial endorsements are the one time when the media are supposed to take a political stand -- but I had no idea (or at least had deluded myself into forgetting) how out of touch the Register editorial board truly is.

Not only did they endorse Iowa's need for a "big lug" (yes, that's what they called him), bu they endorsed every Democrat congressional candidate except for our own Congressman Jim Leach. Leach certainly deserves their endorsement (and our votes on Nov. 7), but I couldn't help but feel like the only reason they chose not to toe the entire party line was to give themselves at least the appearance of objectivity.

Endorsing neophyte Selden Spencer over one of our most experienced and hardworking Representatives, Tom Latham? And they're really tilting at windmills to suggest with any seriousness that voters should defeat Steve King. I expected their usual defense of Boswell and support of Braley -- but what really sold them on Braley was his "respect for the U.S. Constitution"???? That's about as good as using support of apple pie, the Fourth of July and ethanol a basis of support. The Constitution is an amazing document, and I love it too, but Republicans are the ones who support Judges who actually follow it.

And then back to "the big lug".... wow, you couldn't ask for a better Extreme Makeover than the Register gave him. You can honestly disagree with either of the candidates on the issues, and I fully expected the Register Editorial Board to disagree with Nussle on several, but to suggest that Culver is more diligent, prepared, and well-thought-out that Nussle is unbelievable. They must not have watched the debates I saw -- or else they're just bitter that Nussle only stomachs reading their paper once a day.

I might have to reconsider even that.

UPDATE: Here's Krusty's take on the Register's endorsements.

The Press-Citizen endorsed Congressman Jim Leach for re-election this morning:

Given the polarized nature of contemporary political debate, the last
message we want to send to our political leaders in Washington is that they will
be punished electorally for failing to toe the party line. This is especially
true for a congressman who has served his constituents well for 30 years. Thus,
we endorse Republican Rep. Jim Leach for re-election to the U.S. Congress.

. . .

[T]rue moderates like Leach are a desperately endangered species that we as
a nation cannot allow to become extinct. We need statesmen who can translate and
can negotiate between their more ideological colleagues. Leach is proof positive
that representatives of the same political party as the president need not be
rubber stamps for that president's desires.

We need to send Jim Leach back to Washington, and we need to encourage him
to be a more assertive moderate.

If you haven't been following, they also endorsed Republicans, State Senator David Miller and State Rep. Jeff Kauffman.

About a dozen local Republicans of all ages took time out of their day to welcome Chet Culver to Iowa City today. Though we were able to visit with many students and motorists, and the few Democrats heading into hear Culver speak, Culver himself seems to have caught word of our welcome committee and snuck inside out of our sight -- once again ducking the public cries about his support from touch play special interests.

UPDATE: Here's coverage of our protest (and Culver's visit) in the Press-Citizen.

$25,000 is all it takes to get Chet Culver in your pocket. While Jim Nussle led the charge to get Touchplay slot machines out of Iowa's gas stations, grocery stores, and restraunts, Chet was silent. Bill Krause, Kum & Go kingpin and one of the predatory purveyors of Touchplay machines who are suing Iowa's taxpayers, was once a Nussle supporter. Krause swapped sides when he realized that Jim Nussle would not sell out our state. It seems Krause has found a willing partner in Chet Culver. Culver's charging $25,000 for his new found interest in returning slot machines on every street corner. Pretty cheap price for your principles, Chet.

Also: Krause's behavior should cause Iowans to think twice before filling our tanks at Kum & Go.

According to the Washington Post, if Nancy Pelosi becomes Speaker of the House she would appoint Alcee Hastings as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Hastings "was impeached and removed from his federal judgeship in 1989 for conspiring to take a $150,000 bribe and give light sentences to two convicted swindlers."

I can't believe it's even being considered....

It would appear that Chet Culver has once again contracted foot in mouth disease.

During Monday night's debate against Jim Nussle, Culver made the claim that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce had ranked Iowa as having the fifth best business climate in the country.

Only one problem with that: The U.S. Chamber of Commerce doesn't compile business climate rankings.

In fact, a spokesman for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce says that he doesn't know what Culver is talking about.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce magazine did do an article earlier this year about rankings done by another group, the Tax Foundation. The Tax Foundations most recent report on business-tax climate, released just last week, ranked Iowa 43rd best in the country.

Culver's campaign team has said that Culver had merely "misspoke" during the debate, and that Iowa still has a "strong business climate"

Now I don't know about you all, but there's a big difference between being 43rd best..and 5th best..and there's a bigger difference between 43rd best and a made up statistic.

This wasn't a case of being "misspoken"..this is a case of Chet Culver saying and doing anything he can to get elected Governor. Facts...who needs facts? Just throw some numbers out there, make it sound all impressive and you'll look like a leader out there, right Chet?

Bill Dix blogging for the Des Moines Register.

Following last night's debate, it seems Ed Fallon was overheard making a less than supportive comment about the Democrat's "big lug," Chet Culver.

Ed Fallon was overheard just outside the IPTV studios saying: "That guy makes it hard for me to go out and say vote Chet Culver." I don't know if that means Jim Nussle makes it hard or if Chet Culver makes it hard - either way, even Ed Fallon knows Jim Nussle waxed Culver in last nights debate.

David Yepsen gives Jim Nussle the edge in tonight's debate.

Missed it? You can check it out here.

I don't know that Culver could have pulled a more tacky move than trying to bring the Foley debacle into the debate. Nussle handled it masterfully.

Krusty's got some great analysis.

The Associated Press is reporting that our neighboring state Minnesota will be hosting the 2008 Republican Convention. I've been hoping the RNC would pick the Twin Cities, and I think it's a great choice -- and it will be awfully convenient to have all the action going on just up the road.

UPDATE: Here's the Star-Tribune's take.

UPDATE2: Here's the RNC Announcement.

Good pick folks!

Via.

HINT: Compare the number of ideas Chet claims with the number of fingers he uses to illustrate the statement.

Iowa Ennui has a characteristically good analysis of the recent deluge of polls in the governor's race. Bottom line:

[I]f this race doesn’t break for either candidate, it’s going to hinge on turnout, and if a turnout advantage fails, then we can all look forward to Chet’s SOS team counting ballots on the Friday after the election.

Tell your friends why Nussle/VanderPlaats make the best team to energize Iowa's future, let them know about the ways Chet Culver has failed Iowa as Secretary of State, and get them to vote.

We already knew that we were receiving generous financial support for our headquarters from the Nussle-Vander Plaats campaign and Governor Mitt Romney's Commonwealth PAC. Today, the two campaigns announced that their contributions were part of a joint effort to open five GOP County HQs around the state. In addition to Johnson County, HQs are being supported in Dubuque, Linn, Pottawattamie, and Woodbury Counties.

Hotline On Call also picked up the story.

We are grateful for the support -- and it's good to see both organizations putting resources into these important grassroots efforts.

Republicans from around the state gathered before the Iowa-Iowa State game to show their support for Jim Nussle, Bob Vander Plaats and our other Republican candidates, while cheering on the Hawkeyes or Cyclones.

The Nussle team even had special limited-edition stickers! (They had some made in Cardinal and Gold, but I hear they weren't nearly as popular -- and you wouldn't expect me to post those colors on a Johnson County website, would you?)

Great food and drinks, pleasant weather, a fabulous location just behind the Press Box, and 100,000 of your closest friends from the state provided a good time for all.

UPDATE: Here's the Daily Iowan's coverage of the tailgate.

PHOTO BELOW: Bob Vander Plaats visits with local Republican, John Nesbitt, while Jim Nussle samples some of the delicious food behind him.

Jim Nussle shares a laugh with Dorree Eckhoff, his Johnson County campaign co-chair.


Bob Vander Plaats introduces Republican Secretary of Agriculture Candidate Bill Northey to three of his sons, Hans, Josh, and Logan, who are (of course) decked out the proper team's attire.

The Johnson County Republican Headquarters is officially open! A great crowd turned out for our grand opening, visiting with our Republican candidates, touring the space, and getting started at the hard work of grassroots politics.

Our next governor, Jim Nussle, and future first lady, Karen Nussle, came to join in the celebration and show his support for the all local candidates and volunteers who will be working to ensure a Republican victory in November. Congressman Nussle also underlined his support by presenting a $2000 check to the County Party to help fund the HQ operation.

We were also joined by other candidates (shown R to L below, while Nussle performs the honors of cutting the ribbon), County Supervisor Candidates Alan Curry and Rich Benn, Todd Versteegh, Johnson County Chair, Jim Nussle, Karen Nussle, State House Candidate Emma Nemecek, State Representative Sandy Greiner, and '08 Senate candidate Steve Rathje. State Representative Jeff Kaufman was also in attendance earlier in the evening.

A number of media representatives were also in attendance, including KCJJ 1630AM, who broadcast live from the event for two hours. I'll update links below if any other stories become available online. Photo below is Jim Nussle talking to KCJJ.

UPDATE: Here's the Daily Iowan's report, and the story for the Cedar Rapids Gazette. The Press-Citizen, on the other hand, didn't feel it was worthy to send a reporter. KCRG also showed a short clip of footage on their 10 pm news.