Recently in Governor Category

There's a reason why Bob Vander Plaats has lost so many campaigns -- and that reason was on full display Wednesday.

The city of Ames and the Iowa State University campus have been devastated by flood water. A teenage girl was swept away from her family and later found dead in a waterway. Once again, thousands of state residents will have to push their way through government's red tape in order to access the assistance they need to recover from a natural disaster.

Residents in other parts of the state -- Monticello, Vinton, Cedar Falls, Cedar Rapids, Mason City, Columbus Junction, Coralville and Delhi, just to name a few -- simultaneously watch film of today's flooding while reliving the stored mental pictures of their own disaster.

At roughly the same moment when emergency workers were pulling that young woman's body from the water, Bob Vander Plaats held a press conference. Not only did he show a complete disregard for Iowa residents dealing with a disaster, he did so for no real purpose. That is, even conservative state pundits have acknowledged that there was no real reason for the press conference -- the second in as many weeks on the same topic.

While we may have come to expect such a single-minded, self-promotion approach to politics from Vander Plaats, it's worth noting that by his side on Wednesday stood Iowa Rep. Jodi Tymeson, who represents District 73 just south of the most recent flood destruction, and a Coralville (!?!) clergyman.

The pastor -- Brad Sherman -- also serves on the board for the Iowa Christian Alliance and, notably, sent out a call for all pastors throughout the state to get involved -- not with the new and ongoing flood recovery efforts throughout the state, but in the battle against same-sex marriage.

Natural disasters are precarious things for politicians. There is typically an emotional need to reach out to constituents or would-be constituents, but also a logical need to keep promises and pledges vague and at a minimum. That's why you see so many "we're going to make this right" comments from politicians who are on the ground immediately following a disaster. It's difficult to know what's available, what will eventually become available, and who is willing to provide what during and immediately following flooding, tornadoes or any number of horrific events.

Also, while people are going through the stress of the disaster, there is actually very little focus put on politicians. Weeks and sometimes months later, residents will begin to digest news clips from those times when they were too busy thinking about survival to care about the larger picture or what promises may have been made.

This very personal aspect of disaster recovery -- "rejoining" the world, so to speak -- is why Vander Plaats and especially Tymeson are so very ignorant for going forward with a needless press conference. Tucked away amid pictures of a flooded Hilton Coliseum, a train derailment, the closing of I-35, a horror-stricken family confronted with the loss of their daughter and the evacuations in Pleasant Hill will be pictures of Vander Plaats and Tymeson campaigning on the steps of a very dry and safe Iowa Judicial Building.

Thursday, February 18
Candidate for Governor, Bob Vander Plaats will be at the Pizza Ranch, 1005 Linden Drive, Marion, from Noon to 1:30 PM to talk about his bid to unseat Governor Chet Culver and outline his priorities for the State.

Friday, February 19
Candidate for Iowa Attorney General, Brenna Findley will be at a Coffee at 4:00 PM, Mr. Beans in Marion, 1080 East Post Road.

Saturday, February 20
The League of Women Voters will be hosting a Legislative Forum with all Legislators in the area.  10:30 AM - 11:45 AM, Hallagan Center, Mercy Hospital, Cedar Rapids.

Wednesday, February 24
Former Governor Mike Huckabee will be joining gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats at the Marriot Hotel, Cedar Rapids from 5:30 - 7:00 PM.

 

Want to follow Iowa Lt. Gov. Patty Judge as she travels the state promoting the I-JOBS initiative? Check out Patty's new blog and you can do just that?

From the press release:

Lt. Governor Patty Judge is on the road today promoting the Culver/Judge I-JOBS initiative, and now Iowans can follow along from the comfort of their home or office. Judge today kicked off her new blog: pattyjudge.blogspot.com.

"I want to use this opportunity to report on some of those challenges facing our state and to share with you the steps the Culver/Judge Administration is taking to move Iowa forward," Judge wrote in her first posting. "I also want to use this blog to share with you some of the exciting places I am visiting here in our beautiful state and some of the people I meet along the way. I hope to also get to know all of you better, and hear from you about your thoughts and ideas."

Judge plans to use the blog to keep Iowans up to date on her travels, as well as the day-to-day activities that take place in the Capitol.

This is not Judge's first blog. Over the summer, as the Lt. Governor traveled to dozens of communities promoting tourism in the state, she kept Iowans informed about her travels and the people she met on the Travel Iowa '09 blog: traveliowa.blogspot.com.

Since this new blog bears Patty's name in particular, I'm hopeful that the Lieuntenant Governor will continue to blog even when she finishes the promotional tour. Goodness knows, there aren't nearly enough Iowa women blogging about politics.

A 30-year-old Urbandale woman who served three tours in Iraq as member of the Iowa Air National Guard is dead this week, believed to have been gunned down by her estranged husband in his Des Moines apartment.

Tereseann Lynch, according to police reports, was believed to have been abducted Wednesday from a mall nearby and than transported to the apartment where she was shot. The man, Randall Moore, has been charged with first-degree murder, first-degree kidnapping and attempted murder (for also non-fatally shooting a police officer who responded to the scene).

Lynch and Moore have an eight-month-old son, who was not in the apartment at the time of the murder.

Court records show that Moore had a history of domestic assault, and that Lynch had obtained a temporary restraining order against him.

Gov. Chet Culver honored Lynch today by dedicating the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor ceremony to her:

After the tragic death of TereseAnn Lynch yesterday in Des Moines, Governor Chet Culver today dedicated the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor Ceremony in her honor.

Technical Sergeant TereseAnn Lynch was a member of Iowa Air National Guard for a decade, and served in Iraq. She was also an employee of the Iowa Department of Human Services in the Child Support Recovery Unit.

Below is the Governor's statement made today at the Sullivan Brothers Award of Valor ceremony on the passing of TereseAnn Lynch.

"I want to take a moment to recognize an Iowan who symbolized the spirit of service we are honoring today. Yesterday, the state of Iowa lost one of our family with the tragic death of TereseAnn Lynch.

"She was a dedicated state employee at the Department of Human Services, an Iraq War veteran, and a member of the Iowa Air National Guard. She was also the mother of an 8-month-old son. I would like to extend my condolences to her family, loved ones, and friends. To all who knew her, I want to say this: Although no words can take away your grief, I simply want you to know that we are mourning with you, and we care for you.

"I would like to dedicate today's ceremony to the life of TereseAnn Lynch and to her undying spirit of service to our fellow Iowans.

"TereseAnn Lynch was a victim of domestic violence. My wife, Mari, has made stopping domestic violence a focus of her work. She tragically lost her cousin, who was murdered by her husband in 2004. I stand with the First Lady - and all victims of domestic violence. So, if you or a loved one need help, please call the 24-hour domestic violence hotline at 1-800-942-0333. People are ready and waiting to help."

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

Some Iowa households received an automated phone call this week that featured the familiar voice of former Lt. Gov. Joy Corning:

In the call, which is paid for by One Iowa, Corning reminds Iowans of the state's history of being open-minded and fair, and requests that other residents join her in ensuring that the civil rights of all are protected, and that the state "continues to move forward as a leader in fairness and equality." 

Corning, an Iowa native, has a long political history in this state and has been a role model for many women. She served as a senator in the state legislature, the first woman ever elected to serve in that chamber, representing a district in Black Hawk County. She was the president of the Cedar Falls School Board. She was also the director of the Iowa Housing Finance Authority during the early 1980s.

She's probably best known, however, for her service as lieutenant governor alongside former Gov. Terry Branstad during the of the 1990s. At the end of Branstad's tenure, in 1998, she became the first Republican woman to ever make a bid for governor, but was not successful in garnering her party's nomination.

Despite being elected as a Republican woman and serving as a Republican woman, Corning's views on two key social conservative issues -- abortion and marriage equality -- often put her at odds with a state party that has been drifting (if not speeding) toward a more and more social conservative stance. Not only has she served on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood in Iowa, but has co-authored open letters with Sally Pederson, another former lieutenant governor of the Democratic variety, stating her support for same-sex marriage and rebuffing the claims of radio entertainer Rush Limbaugh that reproductive health care is abortion.

"Women's reproductive health is primary health care," the women wrote, and went on to explain that such health care includes gynecological exams, Pap tests, mammograms, prenatal care, birth control and screening and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

"Providing safe and legal medical services for terminating a pregnancy is only one small part of a comprehensive health care system. Defining the discussion of women's reproductive health as this issue alone is a great injustice to all women and to the professionals that serve them."

The letters, of course, have drawn the ire of those within the Republican Party of Iowa who disagree. Those disagreements have, however, paled in comparison to the reactions to the One Iowa automated call. 

The action arm of the Iowa Family Policy Center used the call as a warning to Republicans as they prepare to select a 2010 gubernatorial candidate:

...The current recorded phone messages are consistent with Corning's long-standing anti-family ideology and leftist political social agenda.

According to IFPC Action President Chuck Hurley, "She would never have become Lt. Governor without the electoral support of tens of thousands of Christians and conservatives, and we have no one to blame for this but ourselves." He went on to say, "Joy Corning has given us another clear example of just exactly why as Christians and conservatives we should no longer sacrifice our convictions for perceived political victories. When we elect people like Joy Corning, we elevate and advance the destruction of the family."

With the 2010 campaign now in full swing, many Iowans are beginning to pay more attention to where candidates stand on key issues. Hurley said, "We need reminders from time to time as to why personal convictions and party platforms are so important, and Joy Corning has given us a gift that punctuates the need for a new paradigm in Iowa politics."

Bob Vander Plaats, a self-proclaimed social conservative Republican who is seeking the office of governor for the third time, derided Corning for being "out of touch" with mainstream Iowans and, of course, used the connection between Corning and Branstad to attack his primary competition:

"Terry Branstad enters the governor's race on Saturday night without stating where he truly stands on the issue and on Tuesday night his lieutenant governor does an automated call urging Iowans to support same-sex marriages. All of that takes place not too long after his former chief of staff wrote an opinion piece saying the Republican Party needs to nominate a candidate with 'centrist' views on social issues," Vander Plaats said. "Urging Iowans to support same-sex marriage is not only out of touch with Republican values but it is overwhelmingly out of touch with Main Street Iowa."

He added, "If you listened closely to his speech on Saturday night, Terry Branstad did not say he supports one-man, one-woman marriage. He said he would break the legislative logjam that is preventing a referendum by Iowans. That's not the same thing. If he wants to break the road block, he should join me by committing to sign an executive order banning additional same-sex marriages on day one in office until Iowans have a right to vote on the issue."

Both political parties are making a lot of noise these days about their "big tents," meaning their ability to overlook the platforms that have been created by their membership and accept people into their fold who hold opposing viewpoints on some issues. What has become clear over the past two decades, however, is that there are certain members of each party that would like to hold leaders and members to specific purity tests.

Due to current events within the state, this divide is primarily apparent in Iowa within the Republican Party as predominantly fiscal conservatives (like Corning) butt heads with predominantly social conservatives (like Vander Plaats). 

So, why do Iowa women owe Joy Corning a big round of applause? Because it takes a lot of backbone to stand firmly where you feel you need to be politically -- in her case, within the Republican Party -- and still voice your own deeply-held beliefs about what is right and what is wrong.

I have watched as friends have left one party or the other to join ranks with third parties, which simply do not have much political clout in America. Instead of standing up within their political party and demanding that an opposing viewpoint be heard and acknowledged, these individuals have found it easier and less stressful to bow out and leave the parties to find their own way -- even when "their own way" was not in the best interests of this county, state or nation.

I began this post by telling you that Corning has been a role model for many women. I want to end by telling you why she will continue to be a role model for young Iowa women: She speaks her mind, regardless of the political cost. She not only stands up for what she believes, but crawls up on a table to be heard above the din around her.  While her former titles alone garner her an audience, she understand the value of partnering with others to amplify her voice and her beliefs.

Christian Fong, who I believe is the youngest of the Republican hopefuls set for a 2010 gubernatorial primary, issued a press release about an upcoming 17-city tour. While that in and of itself is typical campaign fare, a note at the bottom of the announcement was unusual.

Fong will be making himself available to members of the press prior to each event, but will not be allowing press to attend the actual events.

Todd Dorman, columnist for The Gazette, asked Fong about the decision.

Fong says it's not for his protection, but for his audience.

"If people in the room know that press is sitting there, does it inhibit them from sharing freely with me because they're afraid they're going to get quoted in their local paper?" Fong said.

As Dorman notes, and I feel compelled to reiterate, "Uhmmm... This is Iowa, the first-in-the-nation caucus state."

If there is one thing residents of Iowa (and New Hampshire) are well versed in doing it is attending campaign events, cutting through the noise and developing an opinion based on the policy expressed. For the record, we are also not so dense as to believe that with cameras and tape recorders whirling in the background that what we say is private. Further, if we are compelled to ask a private question of a candidate, we know how to do that as well.

When I first read the sentence, I thought it might be a publicity stunt of sorts. You know, an effort to build a momentum around the tour by painting it with a shroud of mystery. But in this day and age of "citizen journalists," building publicity by way of a traditional press ban has inherent risks. Journalists with ethics, having been informed that they are not welcome, will not attend. They will find other, more productive ways to spend their time -- probably with another statewide candidate that feels he/she can benefit from the message distribution services the press provides.

Those who do attend Fong's closed door events will be the types of reporters who never intended to file a balanced report. Video they shoot or recordings they make will be spliced, information removed from context, and their "reporting" will be the resulting press coverage from the event(s). And, without other, more balanced news reports available, the pieces distributed by the unethical will be afforded more value than their actual worth. 

So, upon a second look, I really have no idea why the Fong campaign has chosen this route. It places a wedge between a little-known candidate for statewide office and the members of the press most likely to provide him a fair public viewing. It alerts residents that the campaign, and possibly the Governor's Office (if he should win it), has already settled on a less-than-transparent mode of operation.