The primary that will decide the Republican nominee to challenge Governor Chet Culver is still eleven months away. That didn’t stop The Iowa Republican from commissioning a poll to determine who the frontrunner is at this early date. As I had predicted last month Bob Vander Plaats is the clear frontrunner in the race for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination. In fact Vander Plaats is clearly dominating the rest of the field by more than thirty percent. In the wake of this poll I had the opportunity to have a conversation with Vander Plaats. During the interview he very clearly took aim at Culver and never let up.

Vander Plaats clearly articulated that there will be many issues in play over the next year and a half, but that without a doubt the single biggest issue facing Iowa at this time is the impending budget deficit that by most accounts could top $1 Billion. Contrary to what some may be saying, Vander Plaats is not ignoring economic issues in his campaign. In fact during our conversation Vander Plaats went right after the Governor’s continued assertions that there are no problems with the state budget. Culver’s most recent solution to last year’s budget crunch was to use one time revenue to help balance the budget, clearly a solution that resulted from a lack of leadership. Rather than focusing on across the board cuts, Vander Plaats would utilize targeted cuts where essential services would be less affected than non-essential services. Furthermore he has indicated that he would implement statewide government reforms with the goal of increasing efficiency allowing the state to get the best bang for the buck.

Vander Plaats also took aim at Governor Culver’s train trip to promote high speed rail service from Des Moines to Chicago. He stated that Culver can promote high speed rail all he wants, but the fact remains that he continues to ignore more pressing concerns such as the looming budget crisis. He also pointed out that by continuing to push for high speed rail at a time when the state is facing massive budget shortfalls is irresponsible further illustrating the failure of leadership in the Culver administration.

Our conversation next turned to Iowa’s business climate. As we are all no doubt aware by now Iowa has one of the worst business climates in the nation. Taxation and regulation of businesses large and small inhibit the engine that promotes economic growth. Vander Plaats feels that one of the keys to reversing this is as stated above, reforming Iowa government to run more efficiently and less obtrusively. The state government must tie this together with a more competitive, fairer tax rates, and common sense regulations in order to attract and encourage growth of the Iowa economy.

I asked Bob what were the common themes that he has been hearing around the state from the people attending his events. The number one issue that he mentioned was the lack of leadership at the statehouse. The Culver administration has , from all appearances, been AWOL on the issues that the citizens of Iowa care about. Whether it be the bottle bill that they tried to pass, the lack of courage on the Supreme Court ruling, the decrepit state of Iowa’s education system, or the denial of budget problems. As Vander Plaats pointed out during our conversation, Governor Culver seems to have adopted a modified form of President Obama’s campaign philosophy of “Hope and Change.” When it comes to the problems facing the state Culver appears to be practicing the philosophy of “Hope and Wait.”

Finally after what has seemed like ages I am finally able to get back online to opine about the comings and goings of the political world. I won’t bore you with the trials and tribulations of the last two weeks of my cyber absence and instead dive right into the meat of why you come here. Today I will opine on the battle in the U.S. Senate regarding the confirmation hearing of President Obama’s pick to replace Justice David Souter on the U.S. Supreme Court, Sonia Sotomayor.

I have previously opined that President Obama’s nominee Souter’s seat on the bench is unaccceptable for many reasons. I have pointed out that President Obama’s criteria for selecting a Supreme Court nominee contains no reference to adherence to the U.S. Constitution. What I didn’t point out is that this philosophy tramples all over the history of this great nation and is extremely disrespectful of the founding fathers. If a nominee chosen by this criteria were to be confirmed and elevated to the highest court in the land it would not be inconceivable that more of our rights would be bled away in the name of empathy.

I also pointed to several comments made by Ms. Sotomayor that should without question disqualify her. They would if she had been a white heterosexual male, but instead Obama and his minions continued to make excuses for her. Comments like her infamous “wise Latina” comment indicate that she feels far superior to others. Under heavy questioning by Senators at her confirmation hearing this week Sotomayer repeatedly shied away from her comments. She tried to explain her comments away by claiming that she was attempting to inspire and encourage women and latino’s to pursue a career in the legal field. For the most part I believe she failed.

Then there is the sheer number of her rulings that have been overturned by the very court that she is attempting to be confirmed to.  The most notable and most recent was the case of Ricci vs. New Haven, CT. The basics of that case was that in order to receive a promotion the firefighters of that city must score highly on an exam. When not enough minorities scored high enough to receive a promotion the city threw out the exams. The white firefighters in turn sued the city on the basis that their civil rights were violated as was their right of equal protection. You can read more about the case here. After the lower court that heard the case sided with the city the firefighters appealed the ruling. It was at this point that Judge Sotomayor heard the case. In the subsequent ruling, once again the court sided with the city. Sotomayor happened to be one of the judges that ruled in favor of New Haven. The firefighters then appealed to the Supreme Court where the court ruled in favor of the firefighters. The fact that this case was overturned should give some indication of the quality of her rulings.

The information that is out in regards to Ms. Sotomayor should be more than enough to disqualify this woman from serving on the U.S. Supreme Court, but inexplicably some of our Senators seem to be blind to the truth. It is up to us to help them see the truth in front of them. Contact your Senators and tell them that Sotomayor is unacceptable.

Governor Culver says the Iowa budget is fine. He claims the $161 million shortage isn’t there. He said he believes in marriage between one man and one woman and would do everything he could to protect it. He thinks I-Jobs will save Iowa but what will we do when the money is no longer there? He’s a high school teacher but our education system is in the toilet while continuing to receive more and more money. He thinks bankrupting our kids is a way of paying for today. No wonder with sixteen months to go before the election and one full legislative session left 53% of Iowans already want a new Governor.

This past weekend I attended what I would call “Bobfest.” I was in a parade with Team Vander Plaats and attended two house parties for Bob in Polk County.  I suggest that everyone who wants to know more about Mr. Vander Plaats or is on the fence about him do things like this.  This is the way to learn about him as a candidate for Iowa Governor instead of listening to the RINOs or anti-Christian bigots.

I also suggest those who like to shoot thier mouth off about BobVander Plaats being a single issue candidate attend one of his house parties or events.  Maybe then they will realize that he is a well rounded social and fiscal conservative with many plans for Iowa's failing education system, health care system, and economy.  And while Vander Plaats is an outspoken supporter of traditional marriage, that has not been the focus of his campaign.  The focus, along with many other issues, has been on stopping the tyranny of the courts and putting the power back in the hands of the people where it belongs.  (By the way, almost 70% of Iowans from all political affiliations believe that the power belongs to the people and not the courts.)

During one the house parties Bob Vander Plaats was asked if he is a "one trick pony."  Bob replied that he has more experience in education, business, health care, and human services than Governor Culver or any other Republican candidate.  He then said, "If that's a one trick pony than that's the pony I want to ride."  These are the types of things Bob Vander Plaats brings to the table as a candidate for Iowa Governor.  If you need more proof, please watch this.

Independence Day

On this day we pause to celebrate our nation’s independence from tyranny and oppression. Some 233 years ago a brave and courageous people stood up and declared they were taking back their God given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. These men not only forged the greatest nation man has ever seen, but too, they believed We the People was the best course shape their world, and it still works today. Many correlations can be drawn between 1776 and 2009.

In 1776 our fore fathers stood up against Taxation Without Representation. They believed it was unfair to be taxed and over-taxed on goods and services they consumed without ample representation in England. Similar to today’s Congress, Parliament crossed the line with taxation. Today, we find an ever growing number of American’s who feel their voice is not being heard in Washington and they are not being represented fairly. Evidence of this can be found in the numerous symbolic ‘Tea Party’s’ that will take place this Fourth of July around our nation. Recently, a filibuster-proof Congress narrowly passed the single largest tax increasing bill known as Cap and Trade. This bill was passed under the guise of good intentions for our future. Make no mistake, this is nothing more than a power grab by a power hungry, out of control Government.

In 1776 our fore fathers longed for freedom and liberty from an oppressive, dictatorial regime that no longer represented their values and desires. They were smaller in number, weaker in arms and less organized as a citizenry. However, their will to be freed from bondage was only bested by their belief that God gave them their liberties and not the empirical leader. In the years to come as the war was not going well, an autonomous, sovereign nation decided to get involved. The French believed our cause was just and it was right to intervene. Today, we find a tyrannical Iranian regime oppressing its people. Some of our leaders say we shouldn’t meddle in their conflict, they feel it is not our place to relieve suffering and bondage around the world. If the French had taken the same stance, where would the United States be today? What of the millions we have liberated around the world over the past 233 years. Are we honoring those who died for their freedom?

In 1776, our fore fathers suffered under a tyrannical, oppressive leader that imposed egregious taxes, unfriendly legislation and general disregard of their people’s desires. Under the guise of caring for their needs and safety, the far away Empire fast became more and more over-bearing and pursued all angles to tax the citizenry and inflict heavy-handed decisions that were counter productive to the citizens’ freedoms and liberties. The men of the time decided enough was enough and stood up in the face of overwhelming odds and decided to be free men and rid themselves of tyranny. Today we find ourselves with leaders in a far-away Washington who, under the guise of caring, are inflicting us with legislation that is counter-productive to individual success and personal initiative. Our leaders today, like those of our fore fathers, believe they know better than the rest of us and are better suited to care for our needs than are we.

Today is Independence Day. We do not need a radical uprising, civil revolt, nor do we need a war of revolution. What we do need today is an evolution. We need the collective citizenry to stake a claim in their own independence. We need people to decide today that they are best equipped to tend to their own pursuit of happiness. We have a unique opportunity on this day to decide that yet again, we will not accept Taxation Without Representation. Our next great Independence Day will come in November, 2010 when we have a chance to say no to potential tyranny and oppressive leadership in Washington. We have a chance to be bold and elect leaders that will stand up for what is right and remember that the government that governs best, is the government that governs least.

Christopher Reed

Marion, Ia.

Now that the race for the Republican Gubernatorial nomination if finally beginning to heat up I decided that I was going to do a quick comparison of the announced candidates. As it stands right now we have three officially announced candidates for the office with a fourth supposedly close to announcing his candidacy. Because we only know the intentions of the three that have entered the race they will be the only ones included in this comparison.

Bob Vander Plaats

Vander Plaats finds himself in a position that he had never occupied in his previous campaigns, the frontrunner. He has achieved this with the help of his friend and Iowa caucus winner Mike Huckabee. Huckabee announced his endorsement of Vander Plaats at an event held at Arnold’s Park on the shores of Lake Okoboji. Just one day later he received another key endorsement, Hollywood legend Chuck Norris. It is yet unclear just how far this endorsement may carry him, but it has given him the front runner status in this race.

Vander Plaats does have some hurdles that he needs to overcome if he is to win not just the Republican nomination but also the general election. There is a perception that he is a perennial loser because this is his third attempt at the states highest office. He must convince many that he can indeed win this race.

Another hurdle that he has in his effort to win Terrace Hill is the perception that he is a one issue candidate. Many people feel that Vander Plaats is campaigning solely on the social issues and that he is ignoring the fiscal issues. People that follow politics closely know that this is not the case, but in the world of politics quite often perception is often reality at the ballot box.

Christopher Rants

Christopher Rants is a name well known to Republican activists across the state. He has the potential to be the frontrunner in this race, but he will have several hurdles to overcome before he can achieve this feat. While he has tremendous name recognition, this can be both a blessing and a curse. Like Vander Plaats, Rants has some hurdles that he must overcome if he wants to win the Republican nomination for governor.

The first hurdle that he must overcome is his apparent oust as House Minority leader. At the beginning of this years session of the Iowa General Assembly his colleagues in the Iowa House of Representatives felt the need to replace him with Kraig Paulsen. Through the laws of perception this replacement could be an indictment of his leadership skills. It now Rants to address this issue and alleviate the concerns of the people across the state. Perhaps his best bet to overcome this obstacle is to secure the endorsement of current House Minority leader Kraig Paulsen.

Another challenge to Rants gubernatorial aspirations is the number of bad bills passed during his tenure as House Minority leader. This includes legislation such as the smoking ban and the model core curriculum bills. Under his leadership Republicans failed to stop these bills. I really don’t know how he is can overcome this hurdle. As I have stated before, this is something that he must overcome if he is to achieve the Republican nomination.

Christian Fong

Fong is really an unknown in the race. He is the newest candidate to announce his candidacy, but he has never run for office before. Of the few things that we do know about Fong is the fact that he is serves on the board of Generation Iowa, a state program designed to entice Iowa’s young professionals to remain in the state and he blogs at the Hawkeye Review.

Like Vander Plaats and Rants, Fong has some hurdles that he is going to need to overcome if he wants to win the Republican nomination for governor. First and foremost is his lack of name recognition. While he is undoubtedly well known in his home town, he is a virtual unknown across the state. He will need to rectify this situation quickly if he wants to have a chance in June 2010.

Another hurdle has popped up for the young candidate due to the thorough research of the blogger known as Constitution Daily. In his research for some background information on Fong CD has uncovered some questionable political donations. It would appear that Fong has donated to the campaign of two Democrats in Eastern Iowa; Elesha Gaymen and Tyler Olson. And then to top it off Fong also donated to the Democrat PAC known as ActBlue. These contributions are going to be the biggest hurdle of Fong’s campaign. Can he adequately convince Iowa Republicans that his donation to liberal Democrats was justifiable? If he can’t his candidacy is over before it even begins.

All three of these candidates have to prove that they can overcome the challenges set before them. Some of the challenges are rather large, such as Christian Fong’s donations, Christopher Rants ouster from House Minority leader, or Vander Plaats perception of being a one issue candidate. The first candidate to really do that will most likely be our nominee for governor.

When the public elects an individual to serve as their representative in the government they have some expectations of those officials act. With few exceptions we expect our elected officials to serve us with honor, dignity, honesty, and wisely. There are times however when our elected officials fail to live up to those expectations. For the most part we forgive them their inadequacies; after all they are just human beings. However there comes a time when forgiveness is not enough.

Last Friday the United States House of Representatives narrowly passed a piece of legislation in which the body had little opportunity to review the bill. According to some of the accounts that I have read; at the time of the vote there was just one copy of the bill available for review. To further stifle review of the legislation House leadership managed to successfully limit debate on the bill in order to rush it through. These actions should have served as warning signs to the Representatives that something was wrong with this bill. If the legislation was of such a great value House leadership should have allowed adequate time to review and debate the measure. Instead they ran it through the House with a speed that would make Dale Earnhardt, Jr. jealous.

Seriously folks, the sheer speed with which this legislation was rammed through the House should have set warning bells. It should have indicated that someone was trying to hide something and that the bill could not withstand any extended scrutiny. Unfortunately three of Iowa’s Representatives failed to recognize this. At the end of the vote the bill was passed with a 219-212 difference with Braley, Loebsack, and Boswell voting for the bill.

Iowan’s deserve an explanation of why they supported the bill from these three and yet in the wake of this disastrous vote those three have remained strangely silent. They have not inundated the media with press releases. They have not released statements full of flowery descriptions of the bill. The failed to respond to repeated emails and phone calls to their offices. Essentially they have refused to inform us, the public of the reasoning behind their vote. So while we can forgive our elected officials their inadequacies, we cannot forgive the betrayal of our trust.