The liberals can not defeat Republicans this year, but the radical right will make sure the left wing triumphs. As this article notes, that is what they want. The so-called Christian right would prefer a liberal victory rather than having a conservative Republican who would not focus entirely on abortion and gay marriage.
Bob Vander Plaats is a sore loser who was defeated in the GOP gubernatorial primary. Now he is talking about running as an independent because former Gov. Terry Branstad will not pick Vander Plaats as his running mate. His other demand is for Branstad to issue an illegal executive order banning gay marriage, even though this could result in a Governor’s impeachment.
Vander Plaats tactics worked in 2006 and four years ago he was selected as the nominee for Lt. Governor. I admire Branstad for saying no, but highly unpopular liberal Gov. Chet Culver may now be re-elected. Graham Gillette of the Des Moines Register says a Vander Plaats campaign equals a Culver victory, but that is the goal of the Christian right: “In many ways, the Vander Plaats folks would prefer a Culver victory over one for Branstad. They do not like Culver, but Branstad’s victory would limit options for them in years to come – like who gets to be party chair, who controls party resources and who is in charge of the messaging carried and heard by conservatives. The heart of the battle in Iowa is not about winning an office, but for who controls the Republican/conservative/Tea Party cause. Vander Plaats is not ready to go into that good night and Branstad puts a significant dent into the aspirations of many who support Vander Plaats.”
The Iowa situation is amazing because Branstad is absolutely a social as well as an economic conservative. He is focusing his campaign on jobs, taxes and the deficit. The Iowa Family Policy Center wants him to focus on abortion and gay marriage. The liberal Democrats can not believe their good fortune.
UPDATE
The Iowa Republican Convention is on Saturday, June 26th and Branstad has selected State Senator Kim Reynolds as his running mate for Lt. Governor. Her nomination will be challenged by the evangelicals and they are expected to push Vander Plaats. Both Branstad, 63, and Reynolds, 50, are solid conservatives and the only disagreement they have with the evangelicals is their refusal to issue an illegal executive order overturning the Supreme Court decision in favor of gay marriage.
The whispering campaign against Reynolds concerns her two arrests in 1999 and 2000 for drunk driving. Senator Reynolds has been sober for the last 8 years and says “I sought help, and I’m a stronger person for it today. What I learned is that you don’t give up. You don’t lose faith. You hold your head high and move on.
”It’s been a very public experience that I’ve been through. A decade ago I did not think I would ever get the opportunity to serve in the State Senate, or to be standing here as a candidate for Lt. Governor. I could not have done it without a strong faith, a family that has stood behind me and a great network of support.”
Blogroll
- Atlantic Review
- Austin Bay
- Belmont Club
- Community of Democracies
- Council on Foreign Relations
- Counterterrorism
- Defense Daily
- Democracy Around The World
- Democracy Project
- Freedom House
- House Committee on Foreign Affairs
- Intelligence Dump
- Michael Totten
- Political Update
- Power Line
- Senate Foreign Relations Committee
- Strategy Page
- Tech Central Station
- World Affairs Council
Homework is Due at the Beginning of Class
Archives
Top Posts
Major Issues
- 2010 Election
- 2012 Election
- 2012 Presidential Election
- Abortion
- Abraham Lincoln
- ACLU
- Afghanistan
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Andrew Jackson
- Andrew Johnson
- Arctic Sea Ice
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Auto Industry
- Barack Obama
- Bill Clinton
- Bipartisan
- Book Reviews
- Budget
- California
- Calvin Coolidge
- Cap and Trade
- Charity
- Civil Rights
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Conservatives
- Conspiracy Theories
- Debates
- Deficit Reduction
- Delaware
- Democrats
- Domestic Issues
- Dwight Eisenhower
- Economic Policy
- Education Policy
- Energy Security
- Enhanced Interrogation
- Environmental Security
- Florida
- Foreign Policy
- Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Franklin Pierce
- Gay Marriage
- George H. W. Bush
- George W. Bush
- George Washington
- Georgia
- Global Warming
- Harry Truman
- Hawaii
- Health Policy
- Herbert Hoover
- Housing
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Immigration
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Iran
- Iraq
- Isolationism
- James K. Polk
- James Madison
- James Monroe
- Jimmy Carter
- John Adams
- John F. Kennedy
- John Quincy Adams
- John Tyler
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Liberals
- Libertarian and Constitution Parties
- Louisiana
- Lyndon Johnson
- Maine
- Maritime Industry
- Martin Van Buren
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Mike Huckabee
- Millennials
- Minnesota
- Missile and Bomber Gap
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Mitt Romney
- Montana
- Movie Reviews
- National Security
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Notable People
- Nuclear Power
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Parenting
- Patriot Act
- Pennsylvania
- Popular Culture
- Religion
- Republican RINO's
- Republicans
- Rhode Island
- Richard Nixon
- Ron Paul
- Ronald Reagan
- Rutherford B. Hayes
- Sarah Palin
- Social Issues
- Social Security
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- State Politics
- TARP
- Taxes
- Tea Party
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Thomas Jefferson
- Trade
- Transportation
- Trivia Questions
- U.S. Politics
- U.S. Presidents
- Uncategorized
- United Nations
- Urban Problems
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Welfare Reform
- West Virginia
- William Howard Taft
- Wisconsin
- Woodrow Wilson
- World War II
- Wyoming
- Zachary Taylor
Blog Stats
- 332,625 hits