Bleeding Heartland - Jeff Boeyink

Matt Strawn stepping down as Iowa GOP chair

desmoinesdem — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:57:19 GMT

Can't wait to learn more of the backstory on this one: Matt Strawn announced this morning that he is resigning as the Republican Party of Iowa's state chairman. In a videotaped statement, Strawn cited competing business, personal, and political interests. He did not refer to the controversy over his attempt to declare the Iowa caucuses a tie with no clear winner. Supporters of Rick Santorum were outraged when Strawn said publicly that he could not speculate about the vote totals from eight precincts missing paperwork. The Iowa Republican blog publisher Craig Robinson, a former senior Iowa GOP official, repeatedly called for Strawn to step down.

I've posted Strawn's video after the jump, with a partial transcript and an Iowa GOP press release. I'll update with political reaction as it comes in today.

The Iowa Republican State Central Committee first elected Strawn as chair in January 2009. He beat several political insiders in that contest. Strawn is generally perceived to have improved the party's organization and coordination. He had no opposition when chosen for another two-year term in January 2011.

Excerpt (my transcript):

It is only because the Iowa GOP has returned as a strong and relevant voice in Iowa politics that I have the opportunity to evaluate all the competing priorities in my personal, business, and political life. After three-plus years of being a constant presence at your chili suppers, your central committee meetings, and your Reagan dinners, the time has come for me to give those other priorities in my life the attention they deserve. So, I will soon be ending my service as your chairman.

Excerpt from Iowa GOP press release, January 31:

Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn today announced he will be stepping down as the state's top Iowa GOP party official, effective Friday, February 10. Strawn has served as chairman of the Iowa GOP since January 2009. The Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee will be charged with setting the date to elect Strawn's successor.
Strawn shared his announcement with Iowa Republicans in the following video message: [same video I posted above]
The prepared text of Strawn's message to Iowa Republicans follows below:
January 31, 2012
Dear Iowa Republican:
In December 2008, when I campaigned to serve as your Chairman, my top goal was to make the Iowa GOP a relevant force again in Iowa politics by ushering in an era where the Republican Party returned to winning elections without betraying our conservative principles.
Over the past three plus years, we succeeded beyond our wildest dreams. We witnessed sweeping Republican electoral victories at all levels. We saw an explosion in new Republican voters with an unprecedented 34 consecutive months of Iowa GOP voter registration gains. We kept the Iowa Caucuses First-in-the-Nation. We broke fundraising records, hosted the largest Republican presidential caucus in history, and for the first-time ever, the Iowa GOP co-hosted three nationally televised presidential debates that were watched by millions. Most importantly, Iowa Republicans accomplished all this and more working together as a team.
Simply put, your Iowa GOP is better off than it was four years ago thanks to outstanding team work. Your Iowa GOP is a relevant force again in Iowa politics. Your Iowa GOP is winning elections with leaders who are advancing our principled agenda. Your Iowa GOP is in a position to re-elect our members of Congress, win an Iowa Senate majority, and make Iowa's six electoral votes the national battleground in the 2012 presidential campaign.
While the election wins, fundraising successes and media appearances are the aspects of being Chairman that gain the most attention, the most rewarding aspect of my service was the opportunity to travel our state and get to know the people of Iowa. The strength of the rebuilt Iowa GOP rests in the hands of the thousands of committed volunteer activists who give their time, treasure and talents to make Iowa a better place by working to elect public servants who share our values and principles.
The Iowa GOP designs its position of Chairman to be volunteer in nature. But over the past three years I have treated the privilege of serving as your Chairman as a full-time calling. There's no question the job of rebuilding our party was a huge one, and one to which I committed every minute that was necessary to succeed.
It is only because the Iowa GOP has returned as a strong and relevant voice in Iowa politics that I am now able to evaluate all the competing priorities in my personal, business and political life. The party is strong and has the resources in place for victory in November. Now is the time to transition to new leadership.
Effective February 10, I will be ending my service as your Chairman. For this fifth generation Iowan and Benton County farm kid, serving as your Chairman has been an honor, a privilege and the opportunity of a lifetime.
To victory,
Matthew N. Strawn
(Note: The following appeared as an attachment to Strawn's January 31 letter to Iowa Republicans)
Following very challenging back-to-back election cycles in 2006 and 2008, the Republican Party of Iowa has emerged since 2009 as a force in Iowa politics. The accomplishments of the past three plus years include:
Electoral Accomplishments
Retention of all Republican incumbents to U.S. Senate, congressional, statewide and legislative offices during the 2010 midterm elections
Won the Office of the Governor for the first time in twelve years
Won the Office of Secretary of State for the first time in twelve years
Won an Iowa House GOP majority with a net-gain of sixteen Republican seats
Won a net-gain of six Republican seats in the Iowa Senate
Dominated county-level races by winning a net-gain of over 100 Republican-held county offices
Financial Accomplishments
The Iowa GOP is entirely debt-free. (Paid off all debt obligations inherited at start of term)
The Iowa GOP outraised the Iowa Democratic Party in 2011 (source FEC filings)
The Iowa GOP currently has more cash-on-hand than the Iowa Democratic Party (source FEC filings)
During the 2010 election cycle, Iowa GOP increased major donor revenue by 29% compared to most recent prior election cycles
Major physical renovations and improvements to the Iowa GOP HQ building in Des Moines
First-in-the-Nation Accomplishments
Maintained Iowa's First-in-the-Nation status through passage of new RNC rules in August 2010
Largest turnout in the history of the Iowa GOP precinct caucuses in January 2012
Second largest turnout in the history of the Iowa GOP Straw Poll in August 2011
Co-hosted three nationally-televised GOP presidential debates for the first time in the history of the Iowa GOP, including the first-ever prime-time, nationally-televised presidential debate from Northwest Iowa.
Organizational Accomplishments
Voter Registration Gains: The Iowa GOP has made remarkable gains in voter registration since January 2009.
December 2011 marked 34 consecutive months that the Iowa GOP outpaced the Iowa Democratic Party in voter registration gains.
In January 2009, Iowa Democrats held a voter registration edge of 115,917 over Iowa Republicans. Today, that edge has been cut by over two-thirds and stands at less than 30,000, which does not yet include the number of new Republican registrants from the January 3 Iowa Caucuses
During the 2010 cycle, only the Iowa GOP saw an increase in voter registration and Iowans registered with either Democrat or No Party affiliation declined
Early Voting: Dramatically improved the Iowa GOP's performance on absentee and early voting results during the 2010 midterm election cycle.
83 percent increase in Iowa GOP absentee/early vote performance compared to 2006 midterms
95 percent Iowa GOP absentee return-rate a four percent increase compared to 2006 midterms
Iowa GOP petitioned for more satellite vote locations statewide than Iowa Democrats, dramatically increasing Republican share of vote
Statewide Victory Voter Program: The Iowa GOP's I-WIN 2010 voter program was the most aggressive, volunteer-based, midterm voter contact program ever launched by the Republican Party of Iowa.
Opening of Statewide Offices by Spring 2010: The Iowa GOP honored its pledge to open and staff ten statewide victory offices by June 2010
Record-breaking volunteer contacts:Volunteers made over 1.5 million volunteer voter contacts
Full-ticket support:For the first-time ever, the statewide Iowa GOP voter program was made available to all GOP candidates from Governor to county-level offices
Paid for by the Republican Party of Iowa and Not Authorized by Any Candidate or Candidate's Committee

UPDATE: Here is the official statement from Governor Terry Branstad:

"I want to thank Matt Strawn for his three years of leadership at the Republican Party of Iowa. Matt took over at a time when the party was in desperate shape, and rebuilt it precinct-by-precinct, putting it in the strongest position in years. Under Matt Strawn's leadership, we defeated an incumbent governor for the first time since 1962, gained control of the Iowa House with a 60-seat majority, won six seats in the Iowa Senate, restored a strong financial standing and have surged in Republican registration. Matt's leadership will be missed, but I am confident a smooth transition will take place at the Republican Party of Iowa and we will continue our party's successes this November."

The Des Moines Register reported this morning,

Last week, Strawn met with Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad's chief of staff, Jeff Boeyink, who said he and the governor would support him whether he stayed or left.
"We want Matt to be successful in whatever he does," Boeyink, who Strawn tapped in 2009 as the party's executive director, told the Register this morning. "Matt Strawn has done a tremendous job with the party and the governor had hoped that he would continue to serve."
During Branstad's weekly news conference a week ago, when asked about the calls for Strawn's resignation, the governor said the GOP chief has done a "great job" under "difficult circumstances." [...]
Senate Minority Leader Jerry Behn, R-Boone, in a statement this morning thanked Strawn for his "tireless dedication to the cause of promoting our great party, its values, principles and candidates."

Strawn hired Boeyink as Iowa GOP executive director in 2009. Boeyink left that position in the fall of 2009 to manage Branstad's gubernatorial campaign.

Craig Robinson views Strawn's resignation as a "necessary first step" for Iowa Republicans to "focus on rebuilding the credibility of the caucus process."

Despite all of the positive things that he has accomplished as chairman, Strawn failed at the most critical task he had to oversee - protecting and maintaining Iowa's First-in-the-Nation caucus status.
Strawn's unwillingness to stand behind the certified caucus results is what created the cloud of suspicion over the caucus process. It was his exclusive interview with the Des Moines Register that caused the paper's headline to read, "2012 GOP caucus count unresolved." Strawn also was unwilling to declare a winner after the vote had been certified in an interview on Fox News. Strawn half-heartedly tried to backtrack on WHO Radio, admitting that the Fox News debacle was the worst interview of his life, but his unwillingness to declare Santorum the official winner then continued in the following days in various other interviews.
Seeing the confusion that Strawn's interviews created, Iowa GOP staff and members of the Republican Party of Iowa State Central Committee asked Strawn to release a statement that clearly stated that Santorum had won the Iowa Caucuses. Strawn refused. Strawn was forced to issue a statement after five State Central Committee members requested a meeting to discuss the matter.
If the only thing that Strawn was guilty of was a difficulty in communicating the result of the certified vote, it would be one thing, but Strawn went out of his way to undermine the validity of caucuses themselves. Instead of talking about the 1766 precincts that were certified, he talked about the eight that were not. In doing so, Strawn not only undermined the final results of the caucuses, but he also failed to strand behind the hundreds of volunteers and activists that help conduct the caucuses.

LATE UPDATE: Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen released the following statement on Strawn's departure.

"I want to thank Chairman Strawn for his work on behalf of Iowa Republicans. His dedication to advancing conservative principles is to be commended.
"Iowa Republicans are energized and committed to expanding our House Majority and electing conservatives who work to get the economy moving forward, put Iowans back to work and give taxpayers a seat at the table."

Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner sues state over Branstad's actions

desmoinesdem — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 14:31:20 GMT

Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey filed suit against the state, Governor Terry Branstad, and several other officials yesterday over attempts to remove Godfrey from office and cut his pay between December 2010 and July 2011. The lawsuit also accuses several state employees of defaming Godfrey by publicly claiming that his poor job performance motivated attempts to replace him.
Godfrey has served as workers' compensation commissioner since 2006 but rarely made the news until Branstad cut his pay by a third last July. The governor reduced Godfrey's salary after Godfrey refused repeated requests to resign before his fixed term expired in April 2015. Bleeding Heartland covered the controversy here. At the time, the governor asserted that the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, a business lobbying group, "encouraged me to make a change" and "told me in no uncertain terms that they were not happy" with Godfrey's work. That organization's president said his group had not asked for Godfrey's removal, but indicated that representatives of certain businesses may have discussed concerns with Branstad.

Godfrey's general claim against the State of Iowa alleges "unjust enrichment," "breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing," and breach of contract. His tort claims against the state allege that he was deprived of procedural due process and was discriminated against because of his sexual orientation.

His tort claims against state employees allege that he was deprived of procedural due process and of equal protection under the state constitution, that the defendants interfered with Godfrey's contractual relations, and that several of the defendants defamed or attempted to extort Godfrey. The lawsuit names the state of Iowa, Branstad, Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds, the governor's chief of staff Jeff Boeyink, the governor's communications director Tim Albrecht, the governor's legal counsel Brenna Findley, and Iowa Workforce Development Director Teresa Wahlert. Branstad, Reynolds, Boeyink, and Findley were present at one or more meetings during which Godfrey was asked to resign more than four years before the end of his term, which is fixed by Iowa statute. Branstad, Reynolds, and Albrecht are accused of defamation based on various comments made to the media in July 2011. Among other things, the tort claims document alleges that state employees "damaged Claimant's standing and association in the community" and stigmatized Godfrey "by publicly and falsely claiming that their illegal and unreasonable demands for his resignation and ultimate reduction in his pay were due to Claimant's poor work performance." I am seeking comment on why Wahlert was named in the lawsuit.

Godfrey has asked for a trial by jury and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages totaling $1 million. Well-known Democrat and trial attorney Roxanne Conlin is representing him. This document requests a jury trial and lays out the specific allegations against the defendants.

Commenting on the lawsuit, Albrecht provided this statement from the governor's office:

"Governor Branstad does not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race, age, religion, gender or sexual orientation. He did not discriminate against Christopher Godfrey. He did not know that Christopher Godfrey was gay until Mr. Godfrey stated so in his claim. Governor Branstad's record over the last 30 years, both as Governor and as the President of Des Moines University, has shown Iowans that he believes a person's sexual orientation does not affect his or her ability to do a good job.
"Governor Branstad was elected on the promise of helping Iowa businesses create jobs. After thorough research, and after speaking with Iowa businesspeople on the campaign trail, Governor Branstad concluded that a different Commissioner would be better able to keep insurance premiums low for Iowa employers. Governor Branstad's appointments and reappointments were done with an eye toward improving Iowa's economy."

Attorney George LaMarca will represent the Branstad administration. He released this statement to the media:

"The Governor was acting well within the law in lowering Mr. Godfrey's salary. Iowa law allows the Governor to increase or decrease the Commissioner's pay. Governor Branstad utilized this law to send him a message that he was not satisfied with the direction the Commissioner was moving this department. Governor Branstad's record is one of respect for the legal rights of everyone. That respect is well-known by all who have worked with him, regardless of their politics.
"The Governor was aware that Mr. Godfrey's policies raised the concern of Iowa employers. The Governor shares their concern and decided that he had to exercise his executive privilege in seeking a Commissioner aligned with the Governor's campaign message of job creation and economic development in Iowa. My firm looks forward to bringing out all of the facts which led to Governor Branstad's decision to exercise this right under Iowa law to decrease Commissioner Godfrey's pay."

Speaking to KCCI-TV yesterday, Godfrey said that when the governor's staff asked him to resign in July 2011, they warned him his pay would be cut if he refused.

Godfrey said the governor's staff gave no explanation for cutting his pay.
"I was never told I was not meeting the expectations of my office," said Godfrey.
Despite the pressure to resign, Godfrey has continued his job as commissioner.
"It's hard to go into the office every day and be singled out, to be ostracized, to have people that treat you poorly on a day in and day out basis," said Godfrey.
Godfrey said he has also been excluded from meetings.
"I think their actions are pretty clear that's based upon who I am," said Godfrey.
Godfrey said he's treated differently because he is gay, "there's no other reason."

That strikes me as the weak point in Godfrey's claim. How can he prove Branstad was punishing him because of his sexual orientation? Branstad's attorney may find business leaders who will testify that they told the governor they were unhappy with Godfrey's performance, even if Boeyink and Findley did not raise those points with Godfrey.

Proving there was a real problem with Godfrey's performance may be difficult for the governor, however. The Work Loss Data Institute ranked Iowa number one on the institute's 2009 Workers' Comp report card and in the top five states on its 2010 report card.

I'm no expert on employment law, but pressuring Godfrey to resign and reducing his pay when he refused strikes me as unfair. The governor has the power to remove many state employees, but Iowa law fixes the term of office for the Workers' Compensation Commissioner precisely in order to insulate that person from political pressure.

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

UPDATE: According to a representative for Roxanne Conlin's law firm, Wahlert was named in the lawsuit because the Division of Workers' Compensation is part of Iowa Workforce Development, and because she allegedly has been involved in "ostracizing" Godfrey.

The executive council will vote on January 17 on whether to hire George LaMarca to represent the governor at the rate of $325 per hour. That's a discount from LaMarca's usual hourly rate but quite high for outside counsel hired by state government. I don't know what the appropriate rate should be for the governor's attorney, but his staff legal counsel Brenna Findley can't defend him for obvious reasons (she is named in Godfrey's lawsuit).

Disability advocacy group sacks Branstad critic

desmoinesdem — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:11:46 GMT

Clark Kauffman published a must-read story in today's Des Moines Register about the advocacy group Disability Rights Iowa firing its longtime executive director, Sylvia Piper. About six weeks ago, Piper published a harsh open letter to Governor Terry Branstad about his administration's policy on inspecting Iowa nursing homes.

Background and more details are after the jump.
Piper had run Disability Rights Iowa, a federally-funded non-profit organization, for eleven years before the board of directors fired her last week. Her open letter to the governor appeared in several newspapers as well as the Newton Independent blog. Excerpt:

I write to invite you to join me on what is certain to be an enlightening journey of discovery. I wish to host a two-day (a week would be better, but I know you're busy) tour of Iowa's nursing homes. I also invite Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) Director Rod Roberts to join us.
Recently, through Director Roberts, you fired 10 nursing home inspectors. Iowans thought this was part of your plan to slash spending and shrink government. But when the General Assembly, including the Republican controlled Iowa House, appropriated $650,000 to reinstate those positions, you and Director Roberts took the money and funneled it to other programs. No inspectors were reinstated; this despite the fact your DIA staff and the federal government insist those inspectors are desperately needed. Spending wasn't cut, and the legislature's intent - protecting nursing home residents - was blatantly ignored. [...]
Since you have admittedly forgotten events from your previous tenure as governor, let me refresh your memory. Surely you remember when, in 1995, your own Republican state auditor, Richard Johnson, publicly stated DIA was not in compliance with Iowa's legal requirement to inspect each nursing home at least once every 15 months. In 1997, the state ombudsman examined the state's regulation of nursing homes and found the DIA had - for eight straight years - failed to enforce state and federal laws governing the operation of nursing homes. He concluded the department was violating federal law by failing to penalize care facilities for neglect of residents, even in cases where deaths had occurred. Other state agencies criticized you at the time for being "too lenient" on homes where elderly Iowans had been injured or died as a result of abuse or neglect. Certainly a man possessed of any intellectual horsepower at all would remember criticism so scathing. Do you honestly think Iowans buy it when you claim not to remember these reports? What an insult!
At this writing, hundreds of Iowa nursing homes are under citation for egregious, and often deliberate, violations of state and federal law. Many are guilty of multiple infractions and are habitual offenders. This can be traced directly to a culture fostered by you years ago and perpetuated by you now. If our food supply was subject to such lax regulation, countless Iowans would become ill, and perhaps die, of food-borne illness. If OSHA regulations were conveniently ignored, Iowa's workers would be crushed, electrocuted, asphyxiated, buried alive, dismembered, and fall to their deaths in staggering numbers.
You get my point. Because of your political choices people are suffering and dying on a regular basis in Iowa's nursing homes. I repeat: suffering and dying on a regular basis. [...]
The larger part of me wants to believe that no one, especially not the governor, could be this callous toward any person or class of people (in this case, elderly persons) living in the state he runs. [...]
I conclude then your insensitivity is not borne of malice, but of ignorance, a lack of personal experience with daily life in a nursing home. Come with me, Governor. We will visit a dozen nursing homes across the state. We will not notify them of our informal inspection. We won't share our itinerary with Jean Yordi, as she gives nursing home operators advance notice that an inspection is coming. We'll just show up.
I think you will be surprised, possibly even shocked, at what you see, hear, and smell. I know you will witness lots of nervous nursing home adminstrators and staff scurrying about, and most certainly scores of residents who will be desperate to tell you of the undignified, shameful, and often horrible things they have witnessed and experienced.
This invitation is genuine. I hope you will accept. For over 35 years I have advocated for nursing home residents and persons living with disabilities. I want you to see what I have seen. I want you to witness up close the effects of abuse and neglect. I wager that less than 24 hours after our return, if you are even remotely human, you will double the number of nursing home inspectors on your staff. You will give Rod Roberts a brand new set of tough, meaningful marching orders. [...]

According to Kauffman, Piper's open letter set off a "flurry of activity" in the governor's office:

Nursing home industry lobbyists contacted other industry officials about a written response they said they were working on with the governor's office. A guest opinion was distributed to, and published by, The Des Moines Register.
[Branstad Chief of Staff Jeff] Boeyink contacted the staff of U.S. Rep. Tom Latham, a fellow Republican, for information on the manner in which Disability Rights Iowa was being funded by the federal government, according Latham spokesman Fred Love.
Latham's staff forwarded to Branstad's staff the information they had received from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Disability Rights Iowa's press release from earlier this week said nothing about the board's reasons for firing Piper:

[...]"This was not an easy decision but the board has decided it is time for new leadership," said Board President David Parr. "We greatly appreciate Sylvia's loyal service and commitment to Iowans with disabilities. We wish her all the best in the future."
The board of directors will closely monitor the management of the agency until a permanent replacement can be found. A search committee of the Board will be formed to oversee the process of hiring a new executive director.
The board is also working closely with the Federal agencies that oversee the nationwide system of protection and advocacy (P&A) agencies as well as the National Disability Rights Network who provides the training and technical assistance to the P&A agencies through the Training and Advocacy Support Center (TASC) and has expertise in various areas of protection and advocacy management.
The decision does not reflect a change in the overall mission nor are there plans for additional changes in either the structure or leadership of the agency at this time. [...]

Kauffman dug a little deeper:

Piper, 68, said board member John Winkelman told her that her dismissal was intended to discourage Branstad from launching an effort to rein in Disability Rights Now by making it an agency of state government.
Winkelman told the Register that's not an entirely accurate statement, but he acknowledged that the potential for action by the governor's office was a concern. [...]
Winkelman said the larger issue with regard to Piper's dismissal was the agency's finances. With federal funding, he said, there are restrictions on the use of money and there are reporting requirements that must be met.

Meanwhile, the leader of the National Disability Rights Network, Curtis Decker, told Kauffman he had figured that Piper's open letter "would probably annoy the governor." Decker met with Latham after hearing that Latham (a member of the House Appropriations Committee) was asking around about Disability Rights Iowa's funding. He told Kauffman he was unaware that Branstad's staff had asked Latham to make the inquiries.

Kauffman is likely to follow up on this story, since the Des Moines Register has requested copies of "all of the governor's written communications with Disability Rights Iowa; Latham; the Department of Health and Human Services; and the national association of disability advocacy groups." Meanwhile, share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Shorter Terry Branstad: The business group made me do it

desmoinesdem — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 21:47:42 GMT

This post was supposed to be about Governor Terry Branstad interfering with the Iowa Board of Regents. News broke on Monday that the governor leaned on the Regents' elected president and president pro-tem to resign as board officers early, so that Branstad appointees could take charge right away.

That's inappropriate and unprecedented, but it's not even the most outrageous Branstad power grab of the week. The governor urged Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner Chris Godfrey to resign four years before the end of his appointed term. When Godfrey declined the request, Branstad had his staff ask again for Godfrey's resignation. When Godfrey refused, Branstad slashed his pay by a third.

When asked to explain his actions, Branstad passed the buck to the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. Details are after the jump.
Governor Tom Vilsack appointed Godfrey in 2006 to finish out Mike Trier's term as Workers' Compensation Commissioner. In 2009, Governor Chet Culver reappointed Godfrey, who was unanimously confirmed by the Iowa Senate for a full term that expires in 2015.

Last November, Governor-elect Terry Branstad asked all state agency and department heads for their resignations. Godfrey declined, on the grounds that Iowa Code sets the term for his position at six years. This week senior Branstad staffers met with Godfrey to ask for his resignation again:

"When I said, 'No,' I was asked by Jeff Boeyink, the Governor's Chief of Staff and Brenna Findley, the Governor's attorney, if it would change my mind if they told me my salary would be cut to the bottom of my pay scale," says Godfrey. "I told them I did not intend to resign and at that point I was told, 'Then consider your salary cut.' And by the time I got back to the office, Human Resources had received an email, cutting my salary."

Speaking to Radio Iowa yesterday, Godfrey said he was "shocked by what I would call, maybe, the extortion, being put on the spot about my salary." Boeyink denied that charge:

"There were no threats. There were no discussions of any quid pro quos. This was a situation where Mr. Godfrey made a decision not to resign and we made a decision to reduce his salary," Boeyink says. "It's as simple as that and for him to characterize it as something more than that would simply be inaccurate."
According to Boeyink, Godfrey was called into a meeting that lasted less than five minutes and, when the commissioner was asked to reconsider and resign - and failed to do so, Boeyink says Godfrey was told his pay would be cut.
"This was a professional conversation between professionals and we had a disagreement about whether he should be serving in this position," Boeyink says, "and for him to use language like 'extortion' is inappropriate."
Branstad's communications chief says the governor disagrees with the way the workers compensation commissioner is handling the office.

The question is, what does Branstad have against the way Godfrey is handling his job? Iowa Democrats pointed out yesterday that the Work Loss Data Institute ranked Iowa in the top five states on its 2010 Workers' Comp report card. Iowa was the top-ranked state on the institute's 2009 report card as well.

A caller challenged Branstad on his treatment of Godfrey during last night's "Ask the Governor" program on WHO radio. The Iowa Democratic Party posted the audio here, and the Iowa Senate Democrats published the full transcript of the Q and A:

Moderator: Hi, you're on with Governor Branstad, go ahead.
Caller: Thank you. Governor, I'd like to talk to you about the decision to cut the pay of Commissioner Godfrey, since he did not resign at your request. Commissioner Godfrey is charged with administering the law and seeing that the law, with respect to workplace injuries, is fairly applied to both employers and employees in this state. So, our workers compensation system came about in 1913, and if they've proven compromise between business and industry and the rights of workers...
Governor Branstad: I'm very much aware of that. He's been an advocate for one side before he came into this position. And since he got into that position, the cost of workers comp for Iowa businesses has gone up dramatically. I think we can find somebody that's more fair.
Caller: Actually, if you look at his track record, more than half of his practice before he became commissioner was on behalf of employers...
Governor Branstad: Yeah, he worked for IBP, I know he did that.
Caller: And then he also worked for Pingel and Templer defending businesses. So actually, the majority of his history before he became commissioner was on behalf of business and industry, and in fact...
Governor Branstad: Right, but the record as commissioner is what we're concerned about. And that record is the state is going in the wrong direction. I believe as Governor I should have the ability to choose my own team that can help us attract more business and jobs and make the state more competitive.
Caller: Well with all due respect, the Work Loss Data Institute ranks Iowa as the top five in the nation under Commissioner Godfrey's administration. This is an, what is [inaudible] seen as an independent organization, but actually it's funded by business and industry. And business and industry looks at our workers comp system in Iowa as being top five in the nation.
Governor Branstad: Talk to the Iowa Association of Business and Industry. They're the ones that encouraged me to make a change there. So the business groups in Iowa are the ones that told me in no uncertain terms that they were not happy with the direction under Mr. Godfrey. And I feel that what we've done is appropriate. And I just would like to have a new direction in that agency.

That's all you've got, governor? A business lobbying group gave you marching orders "in no uncertain terms"? Why can't you tell us how Godfrey has erred in deciding disputed workers' compensation cases?

Today's news suggests that individual business executives, rather than ABI as an organization, pushed the governor to replace Godfrey. Iowa Association of Business and Industry President Mike Ralston told the Des Moines Register, "I have not talked with the governor about that and to the best of my knowledge no ABI staff member has."

Ralston said he's aware that individual business that belong to ABI have talked with the governor about concerns like contested workers' compensation claims are being handled consistently.
But ABI has not taken a stand for or against Godfrey, Ralston said. He declined to identify which companies that he is aware of have voiced concerns to the governor.
Tim Albrecht, a spokesman for Branstad, acknowledged that ABI never specifically requested the resignation of Godfrey. However, there were conversations with the governor and ABI leadership about the increasing costs of workers' compensation premiums, he said. Additionally, Albrecht said the governor has talked with a number of businesses concerned with Godfrey's job performance.
Albrecht declined to identify business or individuals who voiced such concerns.
"The fact is the governor sought the resignation of department and agency heads in November, and Mr. Godfrey refused this request," Albrecht said. "Because he does not have the full faith and confidence of the governor, his pay was lowered to reflect his performance."

I am not aware of any other Iowa governor punishing a predecessor's appointee in this way. Acting on the advice of the Attorney General's Office, Governor Chet Culver allowed the director of the state's Alcoholic Beverages Division to serve out his fixed term, even though there were credible allegations of misconduct.

Branstad can't seriously claim he hasn't been able to chart a "new direction" in state government. He has appointed hundreds of people to state jobs, boards and commissions. The Iowa Senate confirmed all but two of his choices.

Jason Clayworth wrote in his report for the Des Moines Register,

Iowa's governor has the power to appoint dozens of top positions in state government and there is generally a large turnover when a new administration is elected.
However, there are purposely a handful of positions appointed by a governor and confirmed by the Senate that have terms that often carry into multiple administrations. Such positions are better sheltered from political influence, especially important in positions such as workers' compensation claims, noted Sen. Bill Dotzler, D-Waterloo.

I will say this: Branstad delegated his hatchet work to the right people. Boeyink spent most of his career on the staff of Iowans for Tax Relief, a pro-business lobby group. Findley made clear during her 2010 campaign for Iowa attorney general that she supports less regulation of business and less enforcement of current regulations on business.

In a written statement yesterday, Representative Bruce Braley slammed Branstad for interfering in a historically non-partisan agency: "It's highly unusual for the Governor to pressure a Commissioner of this type into resignation. It's one thing to surround yourself with staff of your choosing, it's another to conduct a clearly political witch hunt against a qualified and competent employee."

Share any relevant thoughts in this thread.

Catch-up thread on Branstad transition news (updated)

desmoinesdem — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 16:40:09 GMT

Debi Durham's appointment as economic development leader was the big news of the week from Governor-elect Terry Branstad's camp, but he and his close advisers continue to lay the groundwork for his administration.

After the jump I catch up on stories about the state budget, inauguration plans, and top Branstad donors from the past year.
Branstad and his advisers continue to complain publicly about the two-year contract Governor Chet Culver recently approved with AFSCME, the largest union representing state workers. To avoid letting the new governor negotiate the contract, AFSCME proposed a draft almost identical to the current contract, and Culver accepted the deal with no haggling. AFSCME members have not yet voted on the contract terms. Branstad wants AFSCME to reopen negotiations, and his future head of the Department of Management told journalists this week that the state cannot afford the modest pay increases in the proposal Culver accepted.

[David] Roederer will be Branstad's budget director and he says it's "unfortunate" that Branstad may open his fifth term as governor with a confrontation with state workers over their pay and benefits.
"What's unfortunate when you get in these discussions is that it boils down to whether you think somebody deserves a pay raise or whether they don't. That's not the issue ... The question is whether or not you have the resources to do it," Roederer says. [...]
Roederer says the state has a "structural deficit" and a $100 million package for state employee pay raises adds to the red ink. [...]
Roederer says both management and labor consider providing essential state government services their mutual, "number one" goal. "Now there's always a dispute or a disagreement I should say about what are the necessary services that need to be provided to Iowans," Roederer says, "and that's what we're looking at."

Roederer is hinting at cuts to the state workforce. Incoming Iowa House Speaker Kraig Paulsen has also warned that layoffs will be needed if AFSCME members approve a contract including automatic pay increases. But House Republicans have wanted to slash state government for years, and Branstad promised during his campaign to reduce the size of government by at least 15 percent if elected. That can't be done without some layoffs, even if AFSCME did agree to a pay freeze.

By the way, Branstad is using President Barack Obama's dumb idea for the week to score points against AFSCME:

"The president is now asking that the federal employees accept a freeze. I guess my feeling would be to ask the union to reopen negotiations and consider doing something similar. I think it's only fair," Branstad said in an interview this morning [November 30].
"We believe in the Obama plan," added David Roederer, who will head Branstad's Department of Management.

I can't imagine AFSCME reopening the contract negotiations unless the union's members vote down the deal on the table, which seems unlikely. Not only does Branstad want to block raises, he has made clear that he would like to cut state workers' benefits package. If negotiations were reopened, the process might end up in arbitration. Culver has claimed that would be costly to the state and would probably result in a wage increase comparable to the one he approved.

Roederer will take a lead role in drawing up a draft budget for fiscal year 2012. He said this week that the work "may take longer" than he'd anticipated, because he'd found it "cumbersome" to get some of the financial details from Culver's administration.

Roederer is one of only three Branstad staffers being paid a salary during the transition period. The others are Jeff Boeyink and Tim Albrecht, who will serve as chief of staff and communications director in the new administration. Everyone else assisting the transition team is reportedly volunteering their time.

During the campaign, Branstad promised he would carefully review all state regulations and economic incentives, such as tax credits. So far few details have emerged about which programs Branstad would axe, but this week he confirmed that he wants to eliminate the film tax credit program. That's an easy target given the mismanagement of the Iowa Film Office, which has led to criminal charges. Other tax credits and state incentives have more powerful interest groups ready to fight to keep them.

On the other hand, if Branstad wants to cut corporate taxes, he'll need to make the money up somewhere in the budget. Some policy analysts have argued convincingly that corporate tax cuts won't stimulate the state economy, but those voices won't have the governor's ear. Durham is the board chair of the Iowa Chamber Alliance, and that group's legislative agenda calls for reducing corporate income tax rates. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry's legislative priorities also include a more favorable tax climate for business, and ABI's President Mike Ralston applauded Durham's appointment this week.

Branstad's campaign revealed some details on December 1 about the upcoming inauguration. The will take place January 14 in Des Moines' Hy-Vee Hall. Margaret Hough will direct the event; she did the same job for Branstad's 1991 and 1995 inaugurations and worked as Branstad's executive assistant and office manager when he was president of Des Moines University. Co-chairs of the inaugural committee will be Bruce Rastetter and Teresa Wahlert. Here are the official bios provided by the Branstad camp:

- Rastetter, of Iowa Falls, founded a small feed management business and eventually became a leader in the pork and renewable fuels industries. He currently manages Hawkeye Energy Holdings LLC and Summit Farms, a northern Iowa farming operation. Rastetter is an active philanthropist, supporting local and state efforts focused on education and entrepreneurship, and serves on a number of agricultural boards.
- Wahlert, of Waukee, is a longtime business executive, including work at AT&T, Qwest and Mid-Ameria Group. In 2003, she served as president and CEO of the Greater Des Moines Partnership. Wahlert serves on a number of civic and business boards and is a 2004 inductee to the Iowa Business Hall of Fame.

In this piece on Branstad's "inner circle" published a few months ago, the Des Moines Register's Thomas Beaumont named Rastetter as "Branstad's top fundraiser and one of his newer advisers." Rastetter was the largest individual donor to Branstad's campaign, giving at least $164,000. His brother Brent Rastetter contributed at least $30,000, according to campaign finance disclosure documents. Some Iowa politics-watchers speculated in early 2009 that Rastetter might run for governor himself, but he ended up being one of the business leaders who recruited Branstad to run.

Beaumont reported that Wahlert "has played a lead role in Branstad's economic development agenda." Let's hope she and others involved with the Greater Des Moines Partnership advise the new governor not to reject federal money for passenger rail in Iowa.

Rastetter's connection to the American Future Fund was conspicuously absent from the bio provided by the Branstad campaign. Many major donors have become trusted advisers to Iowa governors, but I am not aware of any other governor being so close to people affiliated with a secret donor network. The American Future Fund raised and spent millions of dollars to influence elections around the country. Nick Ryan, who runs the 501(c)4 group, was among the top 10 individual donors to Branstad with more than $67,000 in contributions. Ryan has worked for Rastetter's companies in various jobs since 2007. This New York Times feature on the American Future Fund discussed some of the Rastetter-Ryan connections:

Mr. Rastetter began his corn-based ethanol company, Hawkeye, in 2003, after making his fortune with a pork production company, Heartland Pork. Hawkeye quickly became one of the nation's largest ethanol producers, and Mr. Rastetter became an outspoken advocate for ethanol, helping to start a new trade group, Growth Energy, that supports its increased use at fuel pumps and tariffs on foreign producers. As his stature grew, so did his position as a Republican donor, and potentially as a candidate himself.
Speculation of a candidacy increased in 2007, when Nick Ryan, who managed former Representative Jim Nussle's losing 2006 campaign for Iowa governor, registered with the state as a lobbyist for four Rastetter businesses, including Hawkeye.
After Mr. Ryan helped establish a political committee called Team Iowa, Mr. Rastetter was the largest donor in federal tax records, listed as giving $100,000. After Mr. Rastetter started his family foundation, Mr. Ryan became one of four board members.
And when Mr. Ryan started the American Future Fund, Mr. Rastetter provided "seed money," but nothing more, said Mr. Rastetter's lawyer, Mr. Stockdale. He declined to name an exact figure but put the amount at less than 5 percent - or less than $374,025 - of the nearly $7.5 million the group collected in 2008. [...]
Mr. Stockdale said Mr. Ryan had not received any compensation from Mr. Rastetter since the first quarter of 2009, though they remain "good friends."

Tim Albrecht worked with Ryan as the American Future Fund's communications director before Branstad hired him to handle press relations for his gubernatorial campaign. Branstad hired former American Future Fund president Nicole Schlinger to run his campaign's fundraising; it's not yet clear whether she will have a position in the next administration.

Since 501(c)4 groups do not have to disclose their donors, the public and press have no way to find out who donated to the American Future Fund. Whoever they are, I suspect they won't have trouble getting access to Branstad through Rastetter, Ryan or Albrecht. The Federal Elections Commission has not yet ruled on a complaint alleging the American Future Fund functions like political committees that have disclosure requirements.

The Iowa Republican posted the 20 largest individual donors and the five largest PAC contributors to Branstad's campaign. The Iowa First Foundation, co-chaired by longtime Branstad associates Doug Gross and Richard Schwarm, was the largest PAC donor, giving $70,000. I would argue that the two polls that foundation commissioned in 2009 were even bigger gifts to Branstad. The first poll (for which I was a respondent) sparked the Branstad comeback rumors:

The survey also gave respondents descriptions of potential gubernatorial candidates and asked them to rank how appealing each sounded. The highest approval numbers, nearly 90 percent, went to "A widely-respected former statewide elected official who has managed Iowa through troubled times before." Presumably, the description is referring to former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, was also mentioned in another question asking respondents if they would like a gubernatorial candidate who was "a lot like Terry Branstad, somewhat like Terry Branstad, somewhat different than Terry Branstad or very different than Terry Branstad."

The Iowa First Foundation's second poll, taken in July 2009, indicated that Culver would win against all potential challengers except Branstad. I still think Culver would have been re-elected if he had faced Bob Vander Plaats, and I doubt any Republican but Branstad could have beaten Vander Plaats in the primary.

UPDATE: Branstad's aides have claimed that in 1998, Branstad worked with the Republican legislature to provide $125,000 for transition costs, but Vilsack remembers things differently:

Former Gov. Tom Vilsack's porridge was too cold when he was taking the reins from the first Branstad administration. He recalls being given a tiny office behind the legislative dining room, about $37,000 in state money and not nearly enough detailed information to satisfy his wonky heart. [...]
"When I transitioned to Governor Culver, we had offices, we gave them multiple offices, we had computers, we had books - significant books that outlined all of the budgets, all of the problem areas that we were still dealing with," Vilsack said. "So there was a very smooth transition. We learned from the experience that I had, how to do a transition."

According to Kathie Obradovich, Branstad's team will be able to use the Culver Department of Management's budget analysts.

Silver linings of a Branstad candidacy

desmoinesdem — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 16:48:01 GMT

Terry Branstad is kicking off his "official" candidacy for governor today, launching a tour around the state. His campaign announced fairly strong fundraising numbers last week and just leaked an internal Republican primary poll showing Branstad leading Bob Vander Plaats by 63 percent to 18 percent.

It's conceivable that Vander Plaats' campaign could take off in the coming months. Right-winger Marco Rubio is now considered likely to defeat Florida Governor Charlie Crist in that state's U.S. Senate primary, despite commanding leads Crist had in polls a few months ago. However, I assume Branstad will lock up the Republican nomination with little trouble.

Branstad will undoubtedly be a tough general-election opponent for Governor Chet Culver. The biggest hurdles for a challenger are usually name recognition, fundraising, and getting voters to imagine the challenger doing the job he's seeking. Branstad is well-known, has done the job before, and has wealthy donors behind him. Frankly, I'd rather not have him in this race.

But my mother taught me not to focus too much on the negative. After the jump I offer some silver linings of a Branstad candidacy.
1. Branstad's candidacy will exacerbate tensions within the Republican Party.

Branstad's major supporters are elite business Republicans. They are happy to use social conservatives as foot soldiers to win elections, but delivering on issues of concern to the religious right isn't their priority. When Danny Carroll of the Iowa Family Policy Center denounced the "people who sit in high buildings downtown and tell you what you ought to think and how you ought to vote," he was talking about the people who recruited Branstad back into politics.

If Branstad stumbles and loses the primary, his supporters and major donors may be so disgusted that they close their wallets to Republican candidates.

If Branstad wins the primary, some conservative Republican activists will feel angry and disenfranchised. A few will follow Kent Sorenson's advice and refuse to support Branstad in the general election. A depressed Republican base could hurt the party's candidates up and down the ticket.

Even if Branstad beats Culver, the stage will be set for long-term resentment and frustration in the Republican base. Branstad can't deliver on most of the promises he'll make to social conservatives, especially if Democrats retain control of the Iowa House and Senate.

2. A win for Branstad in the primary would indicate that Iowans don't consider overturning same-sex marriage rights an urgent issue.

Vander Plaats is the only candidate who has pledged to issue an executive order halting same-sex marriage on day one if he is elected governor. That's a central argument behind his campaign, and the main reason the Iowa Family Policy Center endorsed him last week. If Vander Plaats can't ride that horse to victory in a Republican primary, where more conservative candidates usually prevail, then it will be clear that only a small minority of Iowans demand to ban same-sex marriage immediately.

Some commenters on the right, like Craig Robinson and Shane Vander Hart, have already expressed fears that the religious right has tied itself too closely to Vander Plaats, which could set back self-styled "traditional marriage" defenders if Vander Plaats loses the primary.

Additionally, I expect the Iowa Family Policy Center to lose some long-time donors who support Branstad for governor. They will be angry that the IFPC won't support Branstad in the general election campaign.

3. Branstad's campaign has drained talent from the Republican Party of Iowa.

Jeff Boeyink, who has 20 years of experience in Iowa politics, was getting some things done as the Iowa GOP's executive director, but he left that position after less than a year to manage Branstad's gubernatorial bid. Boeyink's replacement is Jim Anderson, who has much less experience here and in politics generally. Iowa GOP chairman Matt Strawn can talk up Anderson's skills all he wants, but Anderson's only previous job in Iowa was helping with John McCain's GOTV effort in 2008. We all saw how well that worked out. The GOP's turnout operation this fall may be weaker under Anderson's leadership than it would have been under Boeyink's.

4. Branstad's candidacy short-circuits efforts to develop a new generation of Republican leaders.

It's obvious that Branstad had no strong desire to get back into politics. He even ruled out running for governor last May. Recruiting him was an act of desperation by Republican elites who knew that no one on the party's bench had a chance to beat Culver. The message to Iowans is that the GOP has no credible new faces or new ideas, unless you count Branstad's 180-degree turn away from policies he supported when he was governor.

Branstad may be able to win this year in a bad environment for incumbents, but at some point Republicans have to find new leaders. Current members of their Iowa House and Senate caucuses haven't gotten traction in the governor's race and don't seem to have a lot of future potential.

5. Greater risk can yield greater rewards.

If Culver had faced Bob Vander Plaats or Chris Rants and won, Republicans could have consoled themselves by saying their problem was a flawed candidate. That's what they did after Doug Gross lost to Tom Vilsack in 2002.

But this year they are putting up someone with four terms as governor under his belt. If Branstad can't beat Culver (and remember, Democrats still have a fairly large voter registration edge in Iowa), Republican morale will be crushed. Republican ideas will have been repudiated. The Iowa GOP will be consumed by anger and finger-pointing for quite some time.

6. In the worst-case scenario, if Branstad wins, it won't take long for his flaws to be revealed (again).

It still blows my mind that as a three-term incumbent governor, Branstad nearly lost his own party's primary in 1994, with various elected Republican officials backing Fred Grandy. That just does not happen, especially in the absence of a personal scandal. You have to be really incompetent to have your own party nearly abandon you. Branstad's not the strong leader his advocates are making him out to be; if he wins and faces bumps in the road, some Republicans will regret putting him back in charge.

Feel free to argue with me or add to my list in this thread.

Year in review: Iowa politics in 2009 (part 2)

desmoinesdem — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:13:59 GMT

Following up on my review of news from the first half of last year, I've posted links to Bleeding Heartland's coverage of Iowa politics from July through December 2009 after the jump.

Hot topics on this blog during the second half of the year included the governor's race, the special election in Iowa House district 90, candidates announcing plans to run for the state legislature next year, the growing number of Republicans ready to challenge Representative Leonard Boswell, state budget constraints, and a scandal involving the tax credit for film-making.
July 2009

I reviewed some of the important laws that went into effect on July 1.

I encouraged Bleeding Heartland readers to get to know Bob Krause, the first Democrat to announce plans to challenge Chuck Grassley in 2010.

Debate raged over whether Governor Culver should call the legislature into special session to amend the fiscal year 2009 budget. Culver said he was "very confident" the budget was balanced.

A video of Chuck Grassley went viral after he told a questioner at a town-hall meeting to "go work for the federal government" if he wanted a health insurance plan like the one Grassley enjoys.

Iowa's smoking rate declined during the first year after the public smoking ban went into effect.

The Iowa Farm Bureau expressed confidence that the climate change bill would die in the Senate. It seems that they were right.

The Iowa Attorney General's office advised the Iowa Department of Public Health that a married lesbian who gives birth cannot list her spouse on the child's birth certificate.

After Christian Fong declared his candidacy for governor, I was struck by the way he borrowed from Barack Obama's playbook. I still wonder whether Fong could have gotten any traction in the GOP primary if Terry Branstad had stayed out of the governor's race.

The parent company of a firm that allegedly exploited mentally disabled workers claimed not to be subject to Iowa labor laws.

Chet Culver hired John Frew to be his new chief of staff and brought on Teresa Vilmain as a senior consultant to his re-election campaign. Meanwhile, a poll commissioned by The Iowa Republican blog found that Culver had decent approval and favorability ratings.

Iowa fully utilized federal stimulus funds aimed at extending unemployment benefits thanks to some steps taken during the 2009 legislative session.

The Government Accountability Office examined how 16 states were handling federal stimulus funds. Iowa got good marks for its "foundation of safeguards to help ensure the funds are being spent in the way that they were intended and to minimize the fraud, waste and abuse."

The Des Moines Register reported on a Mount Vernon grocer's lawsuit against the industry's top two wholesalers, charging they had conspired to keep food prices artificially high.

A Dubuque assisted living center exploited a loophole in order to evade government regulations for care of the elderly.

Bill Northey confirmed that he will not run for governor in 2010, but will run for re-election as Iowa secretary of agriculture.

Health Care for America Now and the Iowa Citizen Action Network created a "job application" for Iowans wanting to take Chuck Grassley's advice to "go work for the federal government" if they want good health insurance coverage.

A poll commissioned by The Iowa Republican blog showed Bob Vander Plaats with a commanding lead over other Republicans running for governor.

Strong investor interest and Iowa's high credit rating drove down the interest rate for the I-JOBS bonds, reducing future repayment costs.

The Des Moines rumor mill said Terry Branstad was thinking about getting back into politics, but I was still skeptical.

A report named State Representative Kerry Burt among a group of parents who didn't pay tuition fees to the University of Northern Iowa's Malcolm Price Laboratory School.

John Whitaker resigned as state representative in Iowa House district 90 in order to take a position with the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A bunch of teenagers got busted for underage drinking at the home of Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Ternus.

Christian Fong found a politically-correct Republican way to advocate discrimination against same-sex couples while sounding respectful and inclusive.

Governor Culver set September 1 as the date for the special election in Iowa House district 90.

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation started looking into allegations that State Representative Kerry Burt failed to pay $37,000 in tuition costs for his children.

State Representative Rod Roberts joined the Republican race for governor.

I compared Chet Culver's and Terry Branstad's records on state budgets and flood recovery. I still think a central event in Branstad's tenure as governor was his 1994 Republican primary battle against then Congressman Fred Grandy.

The Iowa Board of Pharmacy refused to reclassify marijuana as a medication doctors can prescribe, but voted to hold public hearings on the issue.

Democrats and Republicans selected candidates for the special election in Iowa House district 90.

CNBC named Iowa the fourth best state for doing business.

The I-JOBS board awarded the first grants for infrastructure projects amid controversy over how many jobs would be created.

Representatives Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell helped negotiate new language in the House health care reform bill to change Medicare reimbursements.

Central Iowa business Republicans continued to search for a new candidate to enter the gubernatorial race.

Governor Culver rode a train through eastern Iowa to promote the expansion of passenger rail. Meanwhile, Representative Tom Latham tried but failed to replace $3 billion in high-speed rail funds with more money for roads in a transportation appropriations bill.

The RNC ran radio ads against Leonard Boswell on health care.

The Iowa GOP and Iowa Democratic Party agreed to hold the 2010 caucuses on Saturday, January 23 at 1 pm. I still think the caucus system needs serious reform.

Reports emerged that State Representative Kerry Burt dropped the governor's name in an effort to avoid a drunk-driving arrest.

Paul McKinley complained about Democrats blocking his time-wasting "state sovereignty resolution."

The Iowa Pharmacy Association filed a disclosure report on its February legislative reception five months late.

I dodged a teachable moment when Fred Phelps brought his Westboro Baptist Church clan to protest Jewish sites in central Iowa.

August 2009

Terry Branstad told the Des Moines Register that he was "not ruling out" running for governor in 2010.

The state Environmental Protection Commission considered new rules that would limit public input during the permit approval process for confined animal feeding operations (CAFOs).

Christian Fong announced ten campus coordinators to help attract the youth vote.

The Iowa GOP outsourced the House district 90 special election campaign to Iowans for Tax Relief and the Iowa Family Policy Center.

The National Republican Congressional Committee included Leonard Boswell (IA-03) on its list of 70 Democratic-held districts to be targeted in 2010.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement discovered numerous late-filing disclosure violations by lobbyist groups during the 2009 legislative session, indicating that the Iowa legislature is unable or unwilling to enforce its own rules.

Iowa Republicans grew increasingly worried that Chuck Grassley might help Democrats pass health care reform, but I knew he wasn't working to improve the bill or its chances of passing.

The Senate confirmed Leach for that position in August.

I concluded that Iowa atheists have amazing power to make other people act like idiots.

I agreed with Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement about the need to stop subsidizing factory farms and overproduction of meat. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack denied the pork industry's request to buy excess pork in August but allocated money for that purpose later in the year.

Chris Rants bashed the Power Fund and missed the point.

Chuck Grassley played the "pull the plug on grandma" card.

Bleeding Heartland user blueback reminded us of the tv ads corporations funded through the Iowa Leadership Council in 2008. The ads targeted several Iowa House Democrats.

Iowa got the highest marks in the Work Loss Data Institute's 2009 state report cards on workers' compensation.

Bleeding Heartland user iowademocrat attended a Tom Harkin health care forum and declared, "Now I understand why war happens."

Leonard Boswell was vague about what he considered essential elements of a health care reform bill.

Republican Stephen Burgmeier's first tv ad in the House district 90 campaign focused on Governor Chet Culver and the I-JOBS state bonding initiative. The ad repeated the usual misleading Republican talking points against the I-JOBS borrowing.

Bleeding Heartland user iowademocrat posted some ideas on how to "defeat the health care forum bullies".

Bleeding Heartland user hei posted a first-person account from one of Representative Dave Loebsack's town-hall meetings.

The Iowa Democratic Party ran a tv ad in House district 90 focusing on how Republican candidate Stephen Burgmeier voted to raise his pay as a county supervisor four times in six years.

Guest poster Senate Guru advocated drafting Bruce Braley to run against Chuck Grassley, an idea I opposed.

Christian Fong promised that if elected governor, he would balance the budget every year without touching Iowa's reserve fund, prompting this post on the purpose of rainy day funds and the danger of cutting spending too deeply during a recession.

As some Senate Democrats floated regional health insurance co-operatives as an alternative to the public option, the New York Times noted that health insurance co-ops had already failed in Iowa.

Paul McKinley didn't even go through the motions of campaigning for governor.

The Republican Party and its candidate Stephen Burgmeier decided to downplay social issues during the special election campaign in House district 90, prompting an angry social conservative to run as a third-party campaign. A second social conservative also joined the race, and the two fringe candidates received more than 200 votes in the special election, which the Democrat won by 107 votes.

Iowa's budget picture continued to look bleak, with spending cuts increasingly likely to keep the current-year budget in balance.

Bob Vander Plaats bizarrely advocated taking Iowa out of the federal government-run Medicare and Medicaid programs.

The Iowa Civil Rights Commission voted unanimously "to formally support the Iowa Supreme Court's decision allowing gay marriage, and to formally oppose any constitutional amendment that would overturn the decision."

State Representative Kerry Burt received a fine and a year of probation after pleading guilty to drunk driving.

Rumors continued to circulate about a high-profile Democrat joining the race against Chuck Grassley.

Bleeding Heartland user iowavoter posted a first-hand account of a Grassley town-hall meeting.

I never did understand why State Senator Jerry Behn joined the Republican race for governor.

Christian Fong started running a statewide radio ad that made false claims about the I-JOBS bonding program as well as an ill-advised promise to "end the use of taxpayer money to fund lobbyists."

Bleeding Heartland user iowademocrat shared a personal story that fuels his commitment to health care reform.

Guest poster dopper0189 cross-posted a diary from Swing State Project on the concept of "Party Brand Index" applied to Iowa.

IowaPolitics.com published a disappointing "he said she said" piece on the story instead of investigating whether the ad's claims were true.

Anonymous hit pieces attacking Terry Branstad from the right popped up on Des Moines windshields and on YouTube.

Francis Thicke praised legislation in Illinois aimed at increasing local food production.

Steve King finally ruled out running for governor in 2010.

I chose not to attend an Organizing for America rally on health care reform.

Bleeding Heartland user iowademocrat, an early Obama supporter, lost patience with the president: "I refuse to work for his version of health care reform when he has no clear goal other than to pass something - anything - that may get through Congress, regardless of content."

Senator Ted Kennedy passed away, and his friend John Culver (former U.S. Senator, father of Chet Culver) made memorable remarks at the funeral.

The special election campaign in Iowa House district 90 heated up. The National Organization for Marriage spent heavily on television ads to help elect the Republican Burgmeier. Interest groups supporting Curt Hanson relied primarily on the ground game.

Fred Hubbell quickly quashed speculation that he might run against Chuck Grassley next year.

September 2009

Curt Hanson's narrow victory in the Iowa House district 90 special election was a pleasant surprise. When will Iowa Republicans learn how to run an absentee ballot drive?

I-JOBS grants were announced for 16 public shelters.

Survey USA found record low approval numbers for Chet Culver and Chuck Grassley.

The U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee released a report on how quickly states are turning around stimulus road funds, and Iowa scored quite well.

Attempts by marriage equality opponents to spin the House district 90 election as a success amused me.

I never believed the rumors that social conservatives were considering a primary challenge against Chuck Grassley.

The Iowa Policy Project concluded that "the state of working Iowa" is not good.

The year's school board elections brought no big upsets. I gave readers five reasons to vote in school board elections.

I discussed revised House race ratings by Larry Sabato, which put Iowa's second and third Congressional districts in the "likely Democratic" column.

Francis Thicke announced plans to run for Iowa Secretary of Agriculture in 2010 and responded to Republican name-calling.

Environment Iowa estimated that strong energy efficiency policies would create more than 6,000 jobs in Iowa while saving the average family $282 per year.

Chet Culver hired Andrew Roos to run his re-election campaign and Jesse Harris as deputy campaign manager.

Christian Fong claimed Culver hadn't done enough on flood relief, which struck me as odd since Fong (like fellow Republicans) opposed the I-JOBS infrastructure state bonding program. I-JOBS included $45 million in flood recovery funds for Linn County and about $100 million to help rebuild the University of Iowa campus.

Bob Vander Plaats promised not to balance his ticket with a less-conservative running mate.

Several Republican candidates for governor spoke at the Iowa Family Policy Center's fall event, but Terry Branstad was a no-show.

Tom Harkin held his annual steak fry, featuring Senator Al Franken of Minnesota. Harkin promised that health care reform containing a public option would pass by Christmas.

Jan Bauer, Sandy Opstvedt and Michael Kiernan gained new posts at the Democratic National Committee.

The Iowa Department of Transportation was developing new guidelines on passenger transportation. Meanwhile, the Des Moines Area Metropolitan Planning Organization moved toward adopting a 25-year plan that, if completed, would increase vehicle miles traveled in our region by 33 percent.

I was disturbed by the failure of any prominent Republican to denounce political rhetoric of armed rebellion.

Ed and Lynn Fallon got a radio show on 98.3 FM in Des Moines.

The Des Moines Register's Iowa poll showed Culver's approval rating at 50 percent, down for the year but still in net positive territory. Terry Branstad had higher favorability ratings, but respondents were mixed on whether he should run for governor again.

The same poll indicated that Iowans are not eager to overturn marriage equality.

I was impressed by Dubuque's commitment to being a "sustainable city."

Iowa Department of Economic Development director Mike Tramontina resigned as news broke of major problems with Iowa's state film tax credit. Within days, Governor Culver fired the manager of the Iowa Film Office and named Fred Hubbell interim director of the Iowa Department of Economic Development.

Republican State Representative Kent Sorenson announced that he will challenge State Senator Staci Appel next year instead of running for re-election in House district 74. The campaign in Iowa Senate district 37 will be a race to watch, but I think Appel has a good chance to win re-election. Side note: Appel's husband, Brent Appel, is one of the Iowa Supreme Court justices who struck down our Defense of Marriage Act in the Varnum v Brien case.

Steve King decided same-sex marriage would lead to a "socialist society."

Rasmussen released an Iowa poll showing Chet Culver trailing Terry Branstad by 20 points and Bob Vander Plaats by 4 points.

The film tax credit scandal continued to make the news.

Iowa Democratic Party chair Michael Kiernan prominsed that a high-profile recruit would give Chuck Grassley "the race of his life" in 2010.

President Obama nominated Stephanie Rose and Nick Klinefeldt for the U.S. attorney positions in Iowa's northern and southern districts.

Asked about the Congressional vote he most regrets, Steve King said he couldn't think of any and pivoted to bragging about what he considers his "best vote": against the $1.5 billion aid package for Hurricane Katrina victims.

The growing questions surrounding Strategic Vision made me wonder whether their 2007 Iowa polls were fabricated.

In the wake of the film tax credit fiasco, I discussed some other bad bills that passed the Iowa legislature with little or no opposition.

Bleeding Heartland user American007 went home for Centerville's pancake day and shook Bob Vander Plaats' hand.

October 2009

Bleeding Heartland user BJazz sized up strong Democratic prospects for holding the Iowa Senate and concluded that "marriage equality is here to stay."

Francis Thicke argued that "we need to look beyond corn for biofuels."

Iowa Independent and ProPublica reported on high-end travel Representative Tom Latham enjoyed on the dime of his For America's Republican Majority PAC.

Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal said legislators see few benefits from the film tax credit.

I remembered Pope John Paul II's visit to Iowa 30 years ago.

With Terry Branstad looking increasingly likely to run for governor, I examined whether he might choose pro-choice former State Representative Libby Jacobs as his running mate.

Francis Thicke, Democratic candidate for Iowa secretary of agriculture, praised U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack for becoming a champion for local foods.

Terry Branstad formed an exploratory committee for his gubernatorial campaign, shaking up the Republican field.

The Iowa Democratic Party responded that "some things should stay in the past."

I discussed the most likely lines of attack Branstad will face during the GOP primary.

Governor Culver ordered a 10 percent cut in fiscal year 2010 spending, and more details about the cuts emerged later in the month.

The Draft Branstad PAC, which is really a 527 group, apparently violated election law by advocating for Branstad after he filed paperwork forming an exploratory committee.

I wondered whether Iowa Republicans would seek out Sarah Palin's endorsement next year.

Dubuque conservative businessman Rod Blum announced plans to run against Bruce Braley in Iowa's first Congressional district (D+5).

Reverend Keith Ratliff, the head of the NAACP in Iowa and Nebraska, endorsed Bob Vander Plaats for governor.

I noted that by failing to pass campaign contribution limits during the past three years, Iowa's Democratic leaders enabled what is likely to be huge fundraising by Terry Branstad.

I was saddened to learn that State Representative Mark Kuhn won't seek re-election in Iowa House district 14.

Terry Branstad filed paperwork to explore a gubernatorial campaign and hired Iowa GOP Executive Director Jeff Boeyink as his campaign manager.

The Community Food Security Coalition held its annual conference in Des Moines for the first time ever, which inspired this post advocating that Governor Culver bring back the Iowa Food Policy Council.

On Blog Action Day I linked to a list of Iowa-based non-profit organizations helping to fight global warming.

Research 2000 polled Iowa for Daily Kos and found Chet Culver slightly trailing Terry Branstad but crushing Chris Rants and Bob Vander Plaats. The same poll showed Chuck Grassley barely above 50 percent against Christie Vilsack, Roxanne Conlin, Bob Krause and Tom Fiegen.

Terry Branstad announced plans to "fully explore" a gubernatorial bid and started hiring staff, as Chet Culver launched the first television commercial of his re-election campaign.

The same week that Steve King joined the right-wing crusade against White House "safe schools" official Kevin Jennings, Mike Denklau became the first Democrat to announce plans to run against King in Iowa's fifth Congressional district in 2010.

Christian Fong was the most prominent speaker at a rally of the Iowa Minuteman Civil Defense Corps.

I previewed the case Bob Vander Plaats will make against Terry Branstad in the GOP gubernatorial primary.

Inspired by ads New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine ran against overweight Republican Chris Christie, Bleeding Heartland user American007 pondered whether Chet Culver might be too big to win re-election.

I took another guess at how the likely Republican presidential candidates will do in the 2012 Iowa caucuses.

Roxanne Conlin told the Des Moines Register that "more likely than not" she will run against Senator Chuck Grassley.

State Senator Dennis Black's weak comments to an opponent of same-sex marriage inspired this post urging Iowa Democrats not to cop out when their conservative constituents press them on the issue.

Christie Vilsack ruled out running for U.S. Senate in 2010. She said, "never doubt I am committed to a life of service and to Iowa," leading me to suspect she plans to run for Congress someday when Leonard Boswell retires.

State Senator Brad Zaun and former Iowa GOP chairman Mike Mahaffey confirmed that they were thinking about running against Congressman Leonard Boswell.

I previewed what is likely to be a highly competitive race in Iowa Senate district 9 next year. First-term incumbent Democrat Bill Heckroth will face former Republican State Representative Bill Dix.

The governor announced more details about his mid-year budget cuts.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources formulated new rules on protecting Iowa's highest-quality waters.

State Representative Dick Taylor, a Democrat, announced his resignation, forcing a special election to be scheduled in Iowa House district 33. Later in the month, Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in special nominating conventions.

The Iowa Christian Alliance faced an FEC complaint over contributions allegedly run through West Hill United Methodist Church of Burlington.

November 2009

Democrats in Iowa and nationwide should not resort to sexist insults when mocking Sarah Palin.

I discussed the persistent rumor that Terry Branstad plans to pick insurance company executive Doug Reichardt as a running mate and analyzed what Reichardt might bring to the ticket.

I argued that it's a waste of time for journalists to speculate on whether Steve King will run for president in 2012.

I argued that Iowa Republicans must make their tent bigger in order to regain ground they've lost statewide and in former GOP strongholds like Scott County (Quad Cities area).

Chet Culver's re-election campaign started running a second television commercial, which I thought was quite good.

I reviewed some reactions to the off-year elections in Iowa, Maine, New Jersey and Virginia. In general it was a tough night for Iowa incumbents.

Some Iowa Republican bloggers talked down Brad Zaun for Congress.

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Stephanie Rose and Nick Klinefeldt's nominations for U.S. attorney in Iowa's northern and southern districts.

Iowa Senate minority leader Paul McKinley officially dropped out of the governor's race.

Steve King falsely claimed that the Democrats' proposed health care reform would cancel every private insurance contract in the country. King also missed a House Judiciary Committee hearing in order to participate in Michele Bachmann's Capitol Hill rally against health care reform. In so doing he helped doom several GOP-sponsored amendments to the PATRIOT Act.

The U.S. House narrowly approved a health care reform bill, and Iowa's representatives split on party lines.

Roxanne Conlin started putting together a campaign infrastructure and announced her candidacy for U.S. Senate with a two-minute biographical video.

I posted highlights from the Iowa GOP's big fall fundraiser, featuring an underwhelming debut by candidate Terry Branstad.

Leaders of AFSCME, the largest union representing state employees, reached a tentative deal with Governor Culver on concessions to avoid layoffs. The deal went to a vote of AFSCME members.

The Iowa-based conservative advocacy group American Future Fund asked the Federal Election Commission to overturn state bans on political robocalls.

Republican gubernatorial candidates Chris Rants and Terry Branstad continued to make misleading and hypocritical attacks on the I-JOBS infrastructure bonding initiative.

Republican Ross Paustian announced plans for a rematch against State Representative Elesha Gayman, who defeated him in 2008 in Iowa House district 84.

Iowa got good marks in a report by the Pew Center on the States on state budget problems. You'd never know that from listening to Iowa Republicans, however.

Crisitunity's Swing State Project post about vulnerable Democratic-held House districts suggested to me that the National Republican Congressional Committee is unlikely to invest heavily in Leonard Boswell's GOP opponent next year.

A feature article about Christian Fong got me thinking about ostensibly well-meaning bigotry in the Midwest.

The Des Moines Register's Iowa poll had very bad news for Chet Culver.

The Des Moines Register's Iowa poll indicated that Roxanne Conlin would have an uphill battle against Chuck Grassley.

Democrat Ed O'Neill stepped forward to run in Iowa Senate district 13 after two-term State Senator Roger Stewart announced plans to retire next year.

I viewed the upcoming GOP primary in Iowa's second Congressional district as a sign of the shrinking Republican tent. In a D+7 district long represented by Jim Leach, none of the potential GOP candidates is a social moderate.

Republican hypocrisy regarding the Obama administration's plans to try some terrorism suspects in the U.S. inspired this post.

Former Iowa State wrestling coach Jim Gibbons and State Senator Brad Zaun announced plans to run against Leonard Boswell in Iowa's third Congressional district. I wondered why so many Republicans are interested in this race. Even if a Republican defeats Boswell in 2010, he is likely to be thrown into a 2012 primary against Tom Latham in a redrawn IA-03.

After reading a report from Physicians for Social Responsibility, "Coal's Assault on Human Health," I suggested that it's misguided for some politicians to claim that climate change legislation would be "unfair" to residents of coal-dependent states.

Governor Culver announced more details about the planned review of Iowa's tax credits in the wake of the film tax credit scandal.

The U.S. Senate confirmed Stephanie Rose and Nick Klinefeldt to be the U.S. Attorneys in Iowa's northern and southern districts, respectively.

Several Iowa metro areas improved their rankings in the 2009 Milken Institute/Greenstreet Real Estate Partners Best-Performing Cities Index.

I enjoyed the Iowa Democratic Party's Jefferson-Jackson dinner, where Vice President Joe Biden gave the keynote speech. Before dinner I had a chance to meet Bill Maske, candidate for Iowa's fourth Congressional district. The same night I learned that two Democrats have announced plans to run against Steve King in Iowa's heavily Republican fifth district.

The USDA named five Iowa Farm Service Agency committee members, two of whom have strong ties in the sustainable agriculture community.

Bruce Braley said his constituents overwhelmingly support using the Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois to house some former prisoners from Guantanamo Bay. Iowa Republicans continued to hammer Braley on the issue.

Bob Vander Plaats said Terry Branstad shares responsibility for helping Democrats pass health care reform because he backed Nebraska Democrat Ben Nelson in his 2000 campaign for U.S. Senate.

Democrat Kirsten Running-Marquardt easily won a special election to replace retiring State Representative Dick Taylor in Iowa House district 33.

State Senator Brad Zaun filed FEC paperwork to run for Congress in Iowa's third district.

Chris Rants and Jonathan Narcisse announced plans to hold a series of public debates around the state in December. It struck me as bad news for Governor Culver, since Narcisse had supported him in the 2006 Democratic primary. The debates didn't receive as much media attention as I had anticipated, however.

Former Iowa Senate Majority Leader Stew Iverson, who is also a former chairman of the Iowa GOP, announced that he may run in Iowa House district 9 next year against two-term Democrat McKinley Bailey. I was intrigued that Iverson doesn't seem to be considering running for his old Iowa Senate seat, which Democrat Rich Olive won by a narrow margin in 2006.

Two of Iowa's RNC members supported the so-called "purity test" designed to cut off GOP support for any candidate who strays too far from conservative dogma.

AFSCME and a smaller labor union representing state employees approved concessions in order to avoid layoff during the current fiscal year.

Democratic State Representative Wes Whitead announced that he will not seek re-election in House district 1. Next November Democrat Rick Mullin will face Republican Jeremy Taylor, who nearly upset Whitead in 2008.

Democratic Senate candidate Bob Krause, who chairs the Iowa Democratic Veterans Caucus, spoke out strongly against escalating the war in Afghanistan, while rival candidate Tom Fiegen called for a series of debates between the three Democrats competing to run against Chuck Grassley.

Mariannette Miller-Meeks announced plans to run against Dave Loebsack again in Iowa's second Congressional district. She faces more conservative Republicans Christopher Reed and Steve Rathje in the GOP primary.

Bruce Braley endorsed Roxanne Conlin in the Democratic primary to face Senator Chuck Grassley.

December 2009

December 1 was a bad day for incumbents as many Iowa cities held runoff local elections.

Christian Fong quit the Republican race for governor, citing "practical financial hurdles."

Andrew Roos departed as campaign manager for Chet Culver.

Governor Culver called for reforms to Iowa's budget process in a speech to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation.

Iowa Senate minority leader Paul McKinley revealed his ignorance about special-needs education.

I previewed next year's campaign in Iowa Senate district 41, where a Republican and a Democrat intend to challenge GOP incumbent Dave Hartsuch.

State Senator Brad Zaun formally announced his candidacy in the GOP primary for Iowa's third Congressional district.

The executive director of Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement published a good piece in the Des Moines Register about ending USDA loans that encourage construction of more factory farms.

Jim Gibbons' Congressional campaign's first attack against Leonard Boswell was pathetic, even by the standards of modern Republican campaigns.

Bruce Braley's House Populist Caucus and Tom Harkin advocated new Wall Street transaction fees to increase revenue and discourage "reckless speculation."

I speculated on whether Christian Fong should agree to be Branstad's running mate and whether Branstad should choose him.

I noticed that Iowa RNC Committeewoman Kim Lehman is still heading Iowa Right to Life, even though she promised a year ago to hand over the reins at that organization to someone else.

The Iowa GOP hired a new executive director to replace Jeff Boeyink, who left to manage Branstad's gubernatorial campaign.

The Des Moines metro area was rated the fourth-best U.S. city in terms of "bang for the buck."

Terry Branstad's campaign and its supporters engaged in some ridiculous revisionist history regarding his handling of the state budget.

A group of economists proposed reforms to Iowa's budget process.

Leonard Boswell turned up on a list of 17 House Democrats that the NRCC hopes to pressure into retirement.

I discussed the absurd overreaction by Iowa Republicans to former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning's support for marriage equality.

I found confirmation of the rumor that ethanol baron Bruce Rastetter was backing Jim Gibbons for Congress in IA-03.

Cedar Rapids attorney Mark Seidl announced that he plans to run in Iowa House district 37, which Republican Renee Schulte carried in 2008 by just 13 votes.

The Iowa Legislature's Administrative Rules Review Committee unanimously approved new rules on regulating abuse and negligence in nursing homes, but I predict an attempt to overturn these rules during next year's legislative session.

Moderate Mark Rees became the fourth GOP candidate in the race against Leonard Boswell. Later in the month conservative Pat Bertroche would bring the GOP primary field to five.

The Obama administration announced its intention to move some prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to the Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois, but it may be years before the plan goes ahead.

Bill Maske declared his candidacy in Iowa's fourth Congressional district. He faces an uphill battle against eight-term Republican incumbent Tom Latham.

Jim Gibbons secured the backing of many heavy-hitter Republican donors in his race for the GOP nomination in IA-03.

Self-styled constitutional historian David Barton, a prominent conservative activist based in Texas, endorsed Bob Vander Plaats for governor.

I noticed that Terry Branstad has a big accountability problem.

After seeing the weak November fundraising numbers from the National Republican Congressional Committee, I predicted the NRCC will not spend heavily in IA-03 next year.

The Des Moines Rotary decided to review its approval process after 11 members rejected an application by a Planned Parenthood employee.

Second-tier candidate Jerry Behn quit the governor's race and endorsed Terry Branstad. I speculated on whether Chris Rants or Rod Roberts would be the next to go.

The National Republican Congressional Committee started a new robocall against Leonard Boswell three days before Christmas.

I launched a holiday haiku contest, and Bleeding Heartland readers submitted some good haikus inspired by the governor's race and the campaign in Iowa's third Congressional district.

A judge ordered a new trial for David Flores, who has spent more than 13 years in prison for murder.

The Census Bureau's last population estimates before the 2010 census confirmed that Iowa will lose a Congressional district during the next reapportionment.

Citing official statements by Mariannette Miller-Meeks, Grassley and Harkin, I previewed next year's campaign messages on health care reform..

Terry Branstad recorded a phone appeal targeting Iowa Democrats.

Steve King kept scaremongering about health care reform and the threat posed by moving terrorist suspects from Guantanamo Bay.

Culver appointed Bret Mills to run the Iowa Department of Economic Development and moved a housing program from IDED to the Iowa Finance Authority.

A review of state tax credits continued ahead of the 2010 legislative session.

Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement was named most valuable grassroots advocacy group by John Nichols of The Nation.

I took issue with Environment Iowa giving Tom Harkin and Leonard Boswell perfect scores for their activities during the year.

Iowa GOP hires new executive director

desmoinesdem — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 14:36:05 GMT

After becoming chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa in January, Matt Strawn "hired one of Iowa's most seasoned GOP organizers," Jeff Boeyink, as executive director. Boeyink didn't last long in the position, though, because Terry Branstad lured him away to run his upcoming gubernatorial campaign.

On Saturday the Republican State Central Committee hired Boeyink's replacement. Jim Anderson worked in Iowa last year, running the Republican National Committee's "Victory" program. Most recently Anderson was deputy political director at the RNC. Earlier this year he was a media contact person for the American Issues Project. Ed Failor, Jr., head of Iowans for Tax Relief, is a board member of the American Issues Project, a political advocacy group that ran controversial ads against Barack Obama during the presidential campaign.

I can't say I was too impressed by the Republican turnout operation in Iowa last year. It remains to be seen whether Anderson has the skills to continue the organizational work started by Boeyink at the Iowa GOP.

Branstad campaign news roundup (w/poll)

desmoinesdem — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 21:36:37 GMT

"Sources close to [former Governor Terry] Branstad" tell WHO-TV's Dave Price that Branstad will announce his candidacy for a fifth term as governor this Friday. Whatever the date, it's obvious Branstad has committed to the race.

Join me after the jump for recent news and unintentional comedy from the Branstad camp. You'll also find a Bleeding Heartland reader poll at the bottom of this post.
On Monday Jeff Boeyink resigned as executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa in order to head the exploratory committee Branstad created last Wednesday. Representing the Branstad campaign, Richard Schwarm said Boeyink's hire "does not signal any change in Terry Branstad's status as a potential gubernatorial candidate." However, everyone knows Boeyink would not quit his full-time position with the GOP without assurances that Branstad will enter this race.

From Tom Beaumont's article for the Des Moines Register:

Boeyink, 46, had been with the influential Republican-leaning Iowans for Tax Relief more than 20 years, where he worked his way up to president before becoming the state Republican Party's executive director in February.
Boeyink said his work with fundraising, policy, lobbying and political advocacy for the group would serve him well, should Branstad continue on his path toward a comeback campaign.
"This campaign is going to have tens of thousands of active supporters. Mobilizing them will be very important, should Governor Branstad move forward," Boeyink said.

Boeyink confirmed today that Branstad will hold a public media availability later this week. He also told Iowa Politics

it was hard to leave the party, but described his new job as a phenomenal opportunity and a dream come true.
"The opportunity to be involved in what potentially will be the most significant campaign in our state's history -- somebody in my profession, it's something you cannot say 'no' to," Boeyink said.
"Governor Branstad...is somebody that I truly believe in; he's the first person I ever voted for," said Boeyink, a father of three who's the former president of Iowans for Tax Relief. "This is kind of a dream come true, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity...I'm a true believer, always have been."

Over at The Iowa Republican blog, Craig Robinson speculates about likely candidates to replace Boeyink as executive director of the Iowa GOP.

These past few days, the Iowa Democratic Party noticed that the Draft Branstad PAC has continued to advocate for Branstad, in apparent violation of Iowa law:

"Breaking the law at the start of your campaign" said [Iowa Democratic Party Chair Michael Kiernan] "really sends an awful message to Iowans about what kind of leadership you will offer going forward."
Screen captures indicate the 527 organization group continues to advocate for Branstad by name, even after he filed to become a candidate for Governor six days ago. Iowa election law prohibits so-called "527" groups from engaging in express advocacy on behalf of any candidate or candidate's committee.
Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure Board executive director Charlie Smithson, in media reports Tuesday, indicated his agency is on notice of Draft Branstad's violation of Iowa law and is recommending corrective action be taken.

By the time Smithson acts, the Draft Branstad PAC will be no more. Sandy Greiner announced plans to wind down the organization in a press release on Tuesday:

"Just last week, an exploratory committee was formed for Governor Branstad to possibly seek the governorship.
Today, we have learned that Governor Branstad has asked Jeff Boeyink, a seasoned political operative to join his exploratory committee in an important managerial role.
These two pieces of news are very exciting, and we believe that Governor Branstad will not only be an official candidate for governor, but will also be the next Governor of the State of Iowa.
Thousands of Iowans have joined the Draft Branstad Facebook page, signed the Draft Branstad petition on our website and followed us on Twitter, and Governor Branstad has clearly listened.
With today's news about Mr. Boeyink, Draft Branstad is officially announcing our draft efforts are complete - a real grassroots mission accomplished!
I have enjoyed meeting and working with young Iowans from all around the state - you are truly the future of Iowa.
Thank you to the thousands of Iowans who have been instrumental in making this effort a success. While Draft Branstad PAC will draw to a close, our efforts will not cease; instead we will continue this movement for change here in Iowa.
Please follow our new organization- NextGenPAC- that will work day in and day out to perfect the change Iowans desire.
We will release more information soon about this exciting new organization that will be focused on bringing about the change so many Iowans want right now in our state."

In terms of dishonest image construction, "grassroots mission accomplished" is impressive. The Draft Branstad PAC operation was textbook "astroturf" (fake grassroots) fueled by big money. There's nothing grassroots about the way Republican heavy-hitters wooed Branstad this summer. By the time the Draft Branstad PAC hit the scene in early September, the former governor had probably already decided to run.

Then again, The Daily Show's writing crew couldn't have come up with a more hilarious name for Greiner's new organization than "NextGenPAC." Branstad last gave off a "nextgen" vibe about three decades ago.

Christian Fong offered himself up as a next-generation candidate for governor, complete with campaign coordinators on Iowa campuses. Republican insiders and money men placed their bets on yesterday's man instead. That's understandable, but don't pretend it's forward-looking.

Please share your view of the Branstad campaign in this thread. I added a poll to this post based on a recent conversation with a friend. I think Culver is more likely to defeat Branstad than a Democrat is to defeat Grassley next year. My friend thinks the eventual Democratic nominee for U.S. Senate has a much better chance of beating Grassley than Culver has of beating Branstad. Take the poll and, if you like, explain your vote in the comments.

P.S.- Radio Iowa has the latest Christie Vilsack comments that have fueled speculation she's ready to take on Grassley.

Iowa GOP building new machine to sell old ideas

desmoinesdem — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 05:00:00 GMT

Thomas Beaumont wrote about the Republican Party of Iowa's revamped outreach strategy in Monday's Des Moines Register. GOP chairman Matt Strawn is working on several fronts to bring the party back to power after three consecutive losses in Iowa gubernatorial elections and four consecutive elections in which Republicans lost seats in the Iowa House and Senate.

Strawn's strategy consists of:

1) meeting with activists in numerous cities and towns

2) using social networking tools to spread the Republican message

3) building an organization with a more accurate database

After the jump I'll discuss the strengths of this approach as well as its glaring flaw.
First, Strawn deserves credit for getting out there and meeting Republican activists face to face. The GOP base is demoralized, and it's smart for Strawn to reach out to them in person. Beaumont notes,

Strawn has spoken in 34 cities since becoming chairman, including several with populations smaller than 5,000. Just last week, Strawn added Mount Ayr in southern Iowa to the list of towns smaller than 2,000 people he has visited.

Second, Strawn is right to communicate frequently with local activists via e-mail and social media like Twitter, and to nudge state legislators to do the same.

Third, to lay the groundwork for a better turnout effort in 2010,

[Strawn] hired one of Iowa's most seasoned GOP organizers. Jeff Boeyink, the party's new executive director, spent 20 years with Iowans for Tax Relief, a politically influential anti-tax advocacy and lobbying organization.
Strawn and Boeyink have begun building a voter database and centralizing the party's financial accounting practices, and they are finishing an audit of likely Republican voters.
Previous chairmen should have done these tasks, but they were focused more on surviving the next election than building a lasting party structure, Boeyink said.
"You make too many decisions based on that short term, you end up with what we had when we got here," Boeyink said, such as incomplete records and few functioning computers.

Republicans will need a better database in order to improve their GOTV next year. Iowa Democrats saved several Democratic state legislators in last year's election by identifying supporters and banking their votes early.

So, full steam ahead for the Republican comeback?

There's just one problem:

"I believe our principles and solutions are consistent with where Iowa voters are," Strawn said. "What we need to do is do a better job of identifying those no-party or independent voters that share our beliefs and our principles, do a better job of talking to them and then find out what we need to do to turn them out." [...]

That's great if Republican ideas and proposals are in line with the majority, but I'm skeptical. Exit polls from the last election showed, for instance, that Americans are inclined to think government should do more, not less. Also, Barack Obama won the election despite the fact that a majority expected their taxes to go up if he won.

Like Americans in general, Iowans are less likely to identify with the Republican Party these days:

In April, The Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll showed about 26 percent of Iowans identified themselves as Republican, down from its 10-year high of 32 percent in 2004.
The shift in Iowa parallels findings in a poll published by the Pew Research Center in May.
That poll, taken in April, showed 23 percent of Americans identified themselves as Republican, down from 30 percent in 2004.

Republicans may be tempted to take comfort in the knowledge that as Republican ID falls, Democratic ID is also slightly down, while the number of self-identified independents is up significantly. It's worth noting, however, that self-identified independents increasingly line up with Democrats on various issues. For instance, the Pew Center found:

[Independents] continue to more closely parallel the views of Democrats rather than Republicans on the most divisive core beliefs on social values, religion and national security.

Strawn and Boeyink have been talking about taxes and the state budget a lot lately. In fact, some conservatives have criticized Strawn for not speaking out more forcefully against the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling in Varnum v. Brien.

I guarantee that no matter what tone Strawn sets, a lot of Iowa Republican candidates will stake their 2010 campaigns on divisive social issues like same-sex marriage. Not only will Governor Chet Culver and Democratic state legislators be attacked for not "protecting" Iowans from marriage equality, the religious right will target the three Iowa Supreme Court judges up for retention next year. In addition, some Republicans may encourage Iowans to vote for the ballot initiative that would call a constitutional convention.

Iowa Republican leaders are using social media to appeal to young voters, and Strawn has planned an event in late June to highlight "rising stars" in the state party. Unfortunately for Republicans, conservative ideology is not a good fit for most young voters, who tend to support a larger role for government and civil marriage rights for same-sex couples, for example.

Yesterday Steve Benen posted about national Republican leaders' confidence that social media will fuel their comeback:

It's all very silly. For one thing, party leaders continue to confuse the technology with the substance behind it. College Republicans can have a Twitter account with plenty of followers, but if the group doesn't have a compelling message to share, it won't make any difference. It's not the tool, it's what you do with it.

I agree with Benen. The Republicans' problem is what they say, not how they say it.

Final note: it would be foolish for Iowa Democrats to get overconfident about next year's elections. Democrats may have a head start on organizing, but we still need a coherent message to take to voters, preferably a message based on big accomplishments thanks to Democratic control at the statehouse and Terrace Hill. I'll have more to say on that in the near future.

Everything old is new again

desmoinesdem — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 14:00:00 GMT

As you've probably heard, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in Des Moines Saturday to raise money for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (minimum donation $2,500). She also tacked on a public event to discuss stimulus spending on education in Iowa.

The occasion gave us a glimpse of cutting-edge Republican strategery.

First, there was the obligatory cheap shot comment to the press:

Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Jeff Boeyink said he's surprised any Iowa congressional Democrats would want to appear with her. [...]
"We don't think her values are Iowa values," Boeyink said.

True to state party chairman Matt Strawn's promise to get the Republican message out using social media, the Iowa GOP highlighted the report with Boeyink's quote on their Twitter feed.

Trouble is, Democrats still have a wide lead on the generic Congressional ballot. Since Iowa votes fairly closely to the national average, I'll bet the Republican House leadership is more out of touch with Iowa values than Pelosi.

On Saturday, GOP chairman Strawn claimed Pelosi is for a "national energy tax", which would have a "devastating impact" on farmers. Not surprisingly, this sound bite doesn't reflect the content of the American Clean Energy and Security Act. (Click here for detailed bullet points on the draft bill to address climate change.) But who cares, if scare-mongering about tax hikes can lead Iowa Republicans out of the wilderness?

Meanwhile, the National Republican Congressional Committee paid for robocalls bashing Pelosi in the three Democratic-held Congressional districts in Iowa. Scroll to the bottom of this post at Iowa Defense Alliance to listen to all three versions of the call. Or, you can read the transcript that Blog for Iowa's Trish Nelson posted after receiving the Loebsack version on Friday night. Its warnings about taxes, Pelosi's "liberal agenda" and "San Francisco values" give it a "back to the future" flavor.

Wake me up when the Party of No comes up with some message that's not 25 years old.

Events coming up the next two weeks

desmoinesdem — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:33:30 GMT

There's a lot going on, especially this weekend in the Des Moines area. I've posted event details after the jump, but please post a comment or send me an e-mail (desmoinesdem AT yahoo.com) if you know of anything I've left out.

If $2,500 is burning a hole in your wallet, you can meet House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today (Saturday) at the fundraising luncheon for the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee at Roxanne Conlin's house in Des Moines. Representatives Bruce Braley, Dave Loebsack and Leonard Boswell are co-hosting the event. I am not giving to the DCCC until they graduate Boswell from the "Frontline" program for vulnerable incumbents. He is not threatened in 2010 and should pay his DCCC dues like the other safe Democratic incumbents.

I was amused by the boilerplate Republican cheap shot regarding Pelosi's visit:

Republican Party of Iowa Executive Director Jeff Boeyink said he's surprised any Iowa congressional Democrats would want to appear with her. [...]
"We don't think her values are Iowa values," Boeyink said.

I guess Boeyink hasn't seen recent nationwide polls showing Democrats still have a wide lead on the generic Congressional ballot. Since Iowa votes fairly closely to the national average, I'll bet Republican House leaders are less in line with Iowa values than Pelosi.

UPDATE: Blog for Iowa reports on a National Republican Congressional Committee robocall using Pelosi's visit to bash Congressman Dave Loebsack. If you live in the first or third Congressional districts and have received a similar call attacking Braley and Boswell, please post a comment or send me an e-mail.
Saturday, June 6

Senator Tom Harkin will appear at a National Forum on Health Reform hosted by AARP and Divided We Fail at 10:30 am in the North Liberty Recreation Center.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Congressman Leonard Boswell will appear at Hiatt Middle School (1214 E. 15th St in Des Moines) to discuss the impact of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act on Iowa's schools. Set-up starts at 1:45 pm.

There's a Health Care Organizing Kickoff Event at a private home in West Des Moines at 1 pm. Click here for details.

From I'M for Iowa:

Really, Really Free Market
A huge, free yard sale the first Saturday of every month at Drake Park, 24th Street and Cottage Grove Avenue in Des Moines. It runs from 11:00 - 2:00, or so. People are invited to come and shop or bring things to donate. Face painting and kids' crafts, too. Contact tracy.robson@gmail.com or visit http://desmoinesmutualaid.info/.

From the Iowa Environmental Council newsletter:

National Trails Day Ride - Wabash Warm-Up
June 6, Western Iowa
Ride from Malvern to Shenandoah in western Iowa's Loess Hills. This National Trails Day ride is a fundraiser for the Wabash Trace, and also marks the 30th anniversary of Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and 20th year of the rail-banking of the Wabash Trace. Ride starts at 10 a.m. at Bowley's Bistro, (formerly Latte Da), located on Main St. in Malvern, just off the trail. Ride 22 miles of gentle grade at your own pace on the way to the Depot Deli in Shenandoah, where there will be evening entertainment. Stops for interpretation, live music and refreshments. Bus transportation provided at 9 a.m. Sat. morning from Shenandoah to the start in Malvern. $10 minimum donation requested. Get more details at the BikeIowa website http://www.bikeiowa.com/. Look on the calendar at or contact Becca at 515-210-0269.

The Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield is hosting the 2009 Eco-Fair:

Put on your walking shoes or hop on your bike to get to the 9th Annual Eco-Fair June 6 & 7 at Maharishi University of Management. This year's Eco-Fair will take a look at the role of transportation and ways to get around car-centric mobility. The Eco-Fair will feature outstanding speakers, practical workshops, inspiring films, a pedestrian mall with vendors, an organized bike ride and the popular Eco-Jam fashion show and dance party.
The tradition of the MUM Eco-Fair began in 2001 with a student-driven desire to educate and inspire people about sustainable living. The 2009 Eco-Fair continues in that tradition, and this year features an emphasis on alternative sustainable transportation and community planning.
The 2009 Eco-Fair is brought to you by the students, staff, and faculty of the Maharishi University of Management. MUM affiliates have free admission. Regular admission is $25 for the entire weekend or $8 per event. For students with ID it's $5 per event or $10 for the entire weekend. The fair is open to the public.
Contact Diana Yepez (641) 919-0201 for more information, or visit:
http://www.mum.edu/ecofair/

Sunday, June 7

The 2009 Eco-Fair continues at Maharishi University in Fairfield.

I learned from the Iowa Bicycle Coalition that there will be a bike ride in Des Moines to mark National Cancer Survivors Day:

Cancer survivors, caregivers, family members, friends and healthcare professionals will unite to show that life after a cancer diagnosis can be meaningful and productive.
The Greater Des Moines Area Livestrong Chapter is hosting the LIVESTRONG UNITE AGAINST CANCER RIDE JUNE 7TH., AT 8:00AM BEGINNING IN WATERWORKS PARK, and ending at PRINCIPAL BALL PARK, Des Moines Iowa to commemorate NCSD, and everyone is invited.
Call 515-720-0869 for more information.

A Gay Wedding Expo will take place from 5:30-8:00 PM at Top of the Tower, Downtown Holiday Inn, Des Moines. A portion of the proceeds go to One Iowa.

Tuesday, June 9:

June 9, 2009 7:00 PM
The Ames PFLAG Meeting will be at 7 pm at Youth and Shelter Services, Paul Room, 420 Kellogg Ave.

Wednesday, June 10:

From the Iowa Environmental Council newsletter:

Transforming Business: Ray Anderson
June 10, Des Moines
The third in a series of speakers on corporate sustainability, Ray Anderson is a global hero. Founder and Chairman of Interface Global and named TIME's "Greenest CEO", their Mission Zero campaign has saved over $300 million and counting for the company and catapulted them to the forefront of industrial ecology. Author of "Mid-Course Correction" with his new book out in September. Polk County Convention Complex at 6:00 PM. Cost $40/$50 at the door. Sponsored and introduced by Silent Rivers Design. To register, please visit http://www.iowaeventscenter.com
Submitted by Urban Ambassadors
Local Food Commerce Planning Workshop
June 10, Cedar Falls
Local government, school, and community leaders are invited to a statewide workshop to explore their role in expanding local food commerce through planning. The workshop will be held Wednesday, June 10, 8:30 a.m. 12 noon at the UNI Center for Energy and Environmental Education (CEEE). Presenters from Iowa cities, counties, and schools will share first-hand experience in local food planning. The event is free, but registration is required by emailing Kamyar Enshayan, director, CEEE, at kamyar.enshayan@uni.edu For more information, visit www.ceee.uni.edu, News & Events.

Thursday, June 11:

Columnist Clarence Page will speak about marriage equality at the State Historical Museum Auditorium at 600 E. Locust Street in Des Moines at 7 pm:

Page is the 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner for Commentary and has been a columnist and a member of the Chicago Tribune's editorial board since 1984. He is a regular contributor of essays to "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" and "News and Notes with Ed Gordon" on National Public Radio.
The event is free and open to the public. It is organized by I'M for Iowa and Marriage Equality USA (Iowa Chapter). The list of sponsoring organizations includes Interfaith Alliance of Iowa; One Iowa; Equality Iowa; Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (State Council of Iowa); Iowa Department of Human Rights - Division on the Status of African Americans; Progressive Coalition of Central Iowa; and, Des Moines Human Rights Commission.

The Culver-Judge Summer Party will raise money for Governor Chet Culver's re-election campaign. The event will take place from 7 to 9 pm at the All Play Forte Banquet and Conference Center, 615 3rd St in Des Moines. Tickets are $250 each. To RSVP, call 515-288-2287 or e-mail chris AT chetculver.com.

A Queer Youth Discussion Group will meet at 6 pm at 515 28th St., Suite 106 in Des Moines. Contact One Iowa for more information.

Friday, June 12:

One Iowa's Happy Hour is at 5:30 pm at Dos Rios, 316 Court Ave., Des Moines.

Saturday, June 13:

From the Iowa Environmental Council newsletter:

Iowa River Cleanup
June 13, Begins in Iowa City
"Take Me From the River," an Iowa River Cleanup begins at 8 a.m., Saturday June 13 (Rain Date June 14). We need experienced canoe paddlers and jon-boat captains to participate in removal of trash left from recent flooding on the Iowa River. Canoes will be launched from the Iowa City Sturgis Ferry boat ramp on Old HWY 218 South at 8 am. The length of the paddle is 9 miles and about 6 hours, landing at the Hills Access. The garbage will be unloaded from the canoes & boats at the Hills Access boat ramp. Please contact Carol Sweeting for more information and to register for the "Iowa River Cleanup" event. Phone: 319-356-5164; or e-mail: carol-sweeting@iowa-city.org . Sponsored by: City of Iowa City, Johnson County Conservation, IDNR, Mid American Energy, Touch the Earth Outdoor Recreation and Education, Fin and Feather, and Durham School Services.
Iowa River Paddle & Picnic
June 13, Steamboat Rock
Celebrate the beauty and history of the scenic Iowa River. Join Iowa Representative Annette Sweeney and the Southfork Watershed Alliance on Saturday, June 13th for a community paddle and river program highlighting the conservation and water quality efforts taking place in the watershed, the recreational opportunities along the river and ways we can work towards enhancing the river conditions and water quality in the area. Registration starts at 10 a.m. in Steamboat Rock. Paddle participants will be shuttled to Eagle City to start the river tour at 11 a.m. River conditions will determine tour pace. The tour will end at the Boat Club in Steamboat Rock with a picnic and river program. The tour and program are free and open to the public and will take place rain or shine (rain cancels the tour only). Canoes, safety equipment and meals are available upon reservation and at no additional cost to participants. There is limited registration - RSVP with event coordinator as soon as possible. To RSVP or for more information, visit: www.southforkwatershed.org or contact Dave Sweeney, event coordinator, 641-373-4340 (cell); dsweeney@iowatelecom.net.

There are also some Capital City Pride Events scheduled in Des Moines on June 13 and 14. Contact One Iowa for more details or to volunteer.

There's a benefit for Whiterock Conservancy in Coon Rapids from 6-9 pm:

All the way from Pittsburgh, PA, Gypsy Dave and the Stumpjumpers will be teaming up with Whiterock Conservancy and the town of Coon Rapids, IA to play some authentic American roots music that combines folk, bluegrass and country. So bring your family for a night of good music and celebration at Riverside Park. Free will donations are encouraged. Proceeds benefit Whiterock Conservancy's restoration efforts in the Middle Raccoon River Watershed. Visit www.whiterockconservancy.org for more information.

Friday, June 19:

The Interfaith Alliance of Iowa is hosting its monthly Crossroads luncheon from 11:45 - 1 p.m. at Plymouth Congregational Church, Des Moines (42nd Street & Ingersoll Ave). The lunch costs $9, and reservations are required. Please call (515-279-8715) or email (events@interfaithallianceiowa.org) by Tuesday, June 16. This month's speaker is Lori Rinehart, Executive Director of GeezLouise! (Growth, Education and Empowerment Zone) is a feminist agency working with women of all ages. Her topic:

Feminism is for everybody!
Feminism is political, economic and social equality between women and men. Feminism means women and men have access to the political process and their voices are heard. It is especially important that we teach and model this to our young women and men.
What is the faith community's role to make sure this happens?

From the Iowa Environmental Council:

"Embracing Iowa Dirt" is a workshop focused on the design, construction and management of sustainable, natural trails. It will be held Friday, June 19, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at Lake Ahquabi State Park in Indianola. Cost is $15 and includes lunch and materials. Open to the public, join Iowa's city, county and state land managers for a discussion led by the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew and supported the Iowa Department of Natural Resources on best practices in natural trails. Online registration for the event is open at http://www.iowadirt.org now. In short, this workshop is for anyone who wants to learn about design, construction and management of dirt trails. For more information, contact Ryan Hanser, 515.229.3737, http://www.centraliowatrails.org.

From the Center on Sustainable Communities:

COSC will be hosting a series of workshops starting Friday, June 19, at the West Des Moines Affordable Green Demonstration Home in Valley Junction. There will be an on-site workshop at every phase of construction to illustrate affordable sustainable steps that can be taken in new home construction. The West Des Moines Affordable Green Demo Home is located at 927 Maple St. in West Des Moines. Visit our website for the tentative schedule and curriculum, and sign up early to reserve your spot! www.icosc.com

Also on June 19th, there will be a PRIDE Patio Party at 6 pm at the Sheraton Hotel, 210 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City.