TheIowaRepublican.com has learned that it is becoming more and more likely that Bob Vander Plaats’ name will be placed in nomination for Lieutenant Governor at the Republican State Convention this Saturday.
The effort is being spearheaded by a group of Vander Plaats supporters who are upset that Terry Branstad won the Republican nomination on June 8th. Branstad won 50% of the vote, while Vander Plaats garnered 41%.
Yesterday, supporters of a Vander Plaats nomination at the convention held a prayer meeting to consider the move. The meeting was conducted over the phone early last night. For Vander Plaats to be nominated at convention, it is likely that his supporters would have to build a coalition with the Campaign for Liberty organizers, who claim to have elected 200 delegates to the convention.
If Vander Plaats is nominated, he would then have to accept the nomination. Vander Plaats has been laying low since the primary. Whether or not he accepts the nomination, the move would badly damage Branstad as he enters into the general election campaign
If the delegates do nominate Vander Plaats, it will be an embarrassment to the Republican gubernatorial nominee, Terry Branstad. Instead of the convention serving as a spring board for the his campaign into the general election, it could turn into some sort of reality television program that could squander the Republicans’ opportunity to gain seats in this fall’s election.
The one thing that Branstad could do to prevent an embarrassing convention is nominate a solid pro-life, pro-family running mate that isn’t afraid to talk about those issues. Branstad is expected to name his pick for Lieutenant Governor at any moment.
Photo by Dave Davidson
The Iowa Republican 
Fake_Republican said:
“This state, like most the others, simply cannot continue financially, socially or morally on the old TEB “just make the trains run on time” crap that he is running on.”
That’s as opposed to the current fiscal path that your homeboy Chet has us on?
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Stacia, it’s been said a dozen times here that the platform is a document that changes every two years and can be manipulated by stacking delegates and horsetrading at convention. I have the proposed platform in front of me, and I have a whole host of things that I wouldn’t support if they passed.
My platform is and always has been the Constituiton, Bill of Rights, and Declaration of Independence. Everything else is interpreted thru that, including the GOP Platform.
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Observation: Fake_Republican, Stacia, et al are putting down the party’s nominee. They pretend it’s because they feel that the party should have nominated BVP, and they still have the ghost of a chance to get him on the #2 spot on the ballot at the convention.
I have a prediction: after the convention, they WON’T go away, or stop slamming the party’s nominees, even if by some legerdemain BVP ends up as the Lt. Why, you may ask? Because (sshh, don’t tell anybody….) they are really Democrat trolls!
Discuss….
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[crickets chirping]
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Gee Real, seems a little contradictory that the so-called RINO Establishment could be a minority guerilla faction at the same time. Somehow this small little group of the all-controlling Establishment are able to consistently win elections over the massively larger yet impotent Real Conservative majority. You sound like those Democrats that like to make George Bush the evil bumbling genius doofus.
This exactly what I’m talking about. Full of self-anointed, self-appointed, authoritative purity who wants to dictate to the Party, pigeonhole everyone into their Worth and Unworthy categories, but can’t seem to get folks to vote for their cause. Yet continue to prance around as if they are the authority and blame everything on the all-controlling evil bumbling genius doofus minority Establishment RINOs.
Thanks for illustrating to everyone my point.
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Let’s wait and see who Branstad selects this week. Let’s also wait and hear Branstad’s speech this weekend. I’m not the same republican I was in the 1980’s, and neither is Branstad. Branstad has been in the ‘private sector’ for 10 years and he’s seen the trouble we’re in. I’m confident Branstad will do a good job standing up to union bosses and left wing loonies.
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I agree, mainstreet merchant. All I am hearing from some of these others is a bunch of speculation with attitude. Wish they would drop the attitude and THINK! If they are not democrats, they certainly are NOT THINKING REPUBLICANS! Our goals need to be more Far reaching. We are where we are now, and if we are going to make any impact at all, we have to start here, afresh. Those who cannot put aside petty differences and personalities have not earned the right to attempt influencing others with their toxins. Maybe they should look at how bad it COULD be…with Chet in charge for another four years. Terry maybe isn’t the number one choice of most, but he is who we have, and we certainly can work with him.
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Spot – funny how there has been no denial of my speculation, hmm?
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what does dofwai stand for? Give us a hint at least.
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It’s a somewhat obscene acronym…. don’t worry about it….
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dofwai wrote:
“Why, you may ask? Because (sshh, don’t tell anybody….) they are really Democrat trolls! . . . . Discuss”
Ya know, I actually spent a bit of time thinking about this very issue, because I think it shows the desperation of the RINO-cons . . . so even though I clearly now am a “Democrat troll” in the words of the RINO-cons here, such as yourself, I will happily discuss this.
The obvious purpose of making these claims: It is an ad hominem attack to marginalize the positions of BVP supporters by making them out to be the same as Democrats, or simply Democrat operatives trying to submarine Bumstead in November. The premise IS supported by the fact that the IRG group, who clearly and unarguably were (are) Democrats, attacked Bumstead on his record as governor in EXACTLY THE SAME WAY THAT BVP SUPPORTERS HAVE AND DO. But . . . the problem with this whole strategy comes crashing down around the feet of the RINO-cons when considering one simple fact: IRG only published truthful, archived, well researched, footnoted information, that was generally publicly available, about Bumstead’s record. He has a record that no matter how much you protest isn’t so, is real and verifiable. In fact, much of what IRG used in their adds came directly from the website of Republican gubernatorial candidate Chris Rants. And I certainly hope that no one here will make the absurd contention that Chris Rants is a “Democrat.”
Ad hominem attacks aside, Bumstead has a record that he cannot run away from, so much so that one can actually make the case that, at least in certain historically “conservative” areas, Culver is actually SLIGHTLY more “conservative” than Bumstead. Case in point: Culver actually signed a fairly weak CCW reform bill into law, something that gun owners and second amendment advocates in this state have wanted for a long, long time. Bumstead went 16 years without taking any steps to eliminate the draconian “may issue” CCW law in this state . . . never even made a “peep” about it. Ipso facto, Culver, marginally so, is better than Bumstead on “second amendment protections.”
Bumstead did sign two income tax cuts: one in 1987 and one in 1998, for a net average decrease of 1.56% in the personal income tax rate (average -0.39% per term). However, while Bumstead shouldn’t be charged with the “sins” of his predecessors, Bumstead was actually slightly lowering the extreme income tax increases of “Republican” Governor Robert Ray, who raised personal income taxes by a whopping net average of 3.57% during his tenure! . . . and, as we all know, Ray is an “unabashed” supporter of TEB. Culver, on the other hand, signed no increases in the personal income tax rate. So, while TEB actually lowered income taxes slightly, it was to make up for huge increases by past “Republican” Governor Ray. I would also point out that Bumstead had to be coerced by Grandy into making at least one of these tax cuts . . . the Cedar Rapids Gazette has a pretty extensive archive of articles that clearly demonstrate this:
Newsbank
If one searches this site with “Branstad taxes,” it is easy to determine that Grandy pushed Bumstead hard to reduce taxes. Which brings us to the biggest whopper of them all: property tax increases . . . in his 16 year tenure as governor, property taxes went up a whopping 73%, or 18.2% per term! Total Iowa property tax receipts under Bumstead increased by $1.4 billion from $1.9 total in 1983 to $3.2 billion in 1999! Certainly this is the greatest source of the high corporate property tax rates that we suffer from today that serves only to drive business, and jobs, right out of Iowa . . . and it lies squarely at the feet of Terry E. Branstad.
So . . . there you have it . . . you, and all the RINO-cons here can call me a “Democrat troll” all you want; it really doesn’t matter a whit. These tax statistics, taken directly from the Iowa Dept of revenue website (thanks for the source suggestion Mr. “H. L. Hawkeye!”), belie any notion that TEB is a “fiscal conservative.” Would Vander Plaats have been better from a fiscal standpoint? We will never know now, but at least what can be said is that he actually knew this grotesque perversion of history that TEB continues to spew. There is of course, considerably more of TEB’s record that belies the notion that he is in any way a “conservative.” But what is the point? All you TEB groupies will continue to drink the Kool-Aid right up until the point that this guy runs us into the ground. Heck, former Polk County Republican Chair Ted Sporer said just a couple of weeks ago that Doug Gross has already been paying for push polls on people in Polk County to see if Iowans are ready to accept tax increases to fix the budget crisis. So to all you RINO-cons and Iowan’s in general: BOHICA Baby!
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Here is the “newsbank” link that didn’t come through . . . very interesting: http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives/?p_action=keyword&p_product=NewsLibrary&p_theme=newslibrary2&d_sources=location&d_place=Iowa&p_nbid=
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If Gross or Branstad even hint at tax increases, there will be hell to pay. Perhaps Branstad can clear up this claim of raising taxes; this weekend. I’ve never heard Branstad even hint at raising taxes; quite the contrary, he’s mentioned cutting government waste, fraud and abuse, and cutting even deeper. That should equate to a tax CUT> Unless the federal government runs out of money and severely reduces federal monies.
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Oh yes . . . just in case there is a temptation to try and make the case that the property tax increases under Bumstead were driven by inflation, these numbers are inflation indexed by the Iowa Dept of Revenue. See slide #4:
http://www.iowa.gov/tax/taxlaw/PTC-Feb5-04.pps
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mainstreet merchant wrote:
“If Gross or Branstad even hint at tax increases, there will be hell to pay. Perhaps Branstad can clear up this claim of raising taxes; this weekend. I’ve never heard Branstad even hint at raising taxes; quite the contrary, he’s mentioned cutting government waste, fraud and abuse, and cutting even deeper.”
Like I said, this is heresay, but Sporer isn’t exactly an “unreliable source.” If they do pull this crap, it will be long after Bumstead has won in November and is comfortable in his last term as governor, where he really won’t care too much about what people think prior to the “next election.”
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Real – property taxes are determined by local governments, not the state. They are composed of both the tax rate and the assessed value which are set locally with only limits imposed by the state not the actual values.
The Governor doesn’t set property taxes. How can that be Branstad’s fault?
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Well, “Real” – thanks for making my point with the Culver commercial there…
You don’t know anything about my politics, beyond the fact that I believe that a united Republican party is a good thing, but funny how my mere act of questioning your motivations makes me a “RINO-con”. I guess we should call you a RISNO – “Republican in Screen Name Only”!
In reality, it doesn’t matter what you call yourself, how you register to vote, or what you THINK your motivations are. You are either an “under cover” Dem operative, or you are a useful idiot. If you work against Branstad, the party’s nominee, you work TOWARD re-electing Culver. Plain and simple.
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By the way – the term “RINO” is ridiculous. I equate it to the Tea Party critics throwing “racist” terms around – the term is rendered meaningless by overuse. It’s just another name-calling.
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Matt, Who said I wanted BVP on the ticket? I do not. And as for me getting on the Branstad bus, why is it up to me to decide that? Branstad has done nothing to reach out to BVP supporters. NOTHING. It is his responsibility since he won. He says, “The party will be united.” Well, what is he doing to unite the party? Has he talked to key social conservatives? NO. And as Craig’s un-named source that said Bob asked for a spot on the ticket, it was a Branstad key advisor, not a BVP advisor.
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I heard a rumor about Bill Salier. Apparently he’s been replaced on Deace’s show for his Wednesday IA politics slot, with no send off or any word about it from Deace himself. Complete silence. Not at all certain about what is up here, maybe I missed something, but I know that Salier (while not the ideal candidate) was a BVP supporter, did garner 1.9% of the vote against Grassley on a write in basis, ran statewide against Harkin, and does have name recognition and clout with conservatives. So…
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@Matt Green
“Don’t lionize yourselves as ‘critical thinkers” Umm really? So you say that and then address nothing I actually said about any issues. Instead you go back on your diatribe about people supposedly setting themselves up as defenders of the social issues.
I had two specific things I mentioned and neither of them were addressed from a christian conservative social issue perspective.
You are doing precisely what you pretend to be upset about.
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I voted for BVP and every insult hurled at him hits me too. That’s okay, but I truly don’t understand the vitriol toward him. He is a principled, decent man with a great vision for Iowa and an understanding of constitutional governance. He recognizes the threat of an activist judiciary and is willing to take them on. Branstad is weak and uninspired. I will not vote for him just because he is an “R”, but I don’t hate him. Don’t want BVP to be on the ticket. It would diminish him.
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“Having people mistake critical thinkers for “The Religious Right” is just as tedious and shows a severe lack of maturity by many on this site.”
DeanFox, this is EXACTLY what I’m talking about. You’re doing the same stuff that the liberals do with the elitist, self-stylized ‘tolerant’ ‘compassionate’ ‘enlightened’ ‘progressive’ persona they project.
You start your statement off with something like that, and yes I’m going to ignore the rest, because you took yourself out of the debate right up front. You imply anyone who doesn’t agree with you isn’t a critical thinker and therefore anything they say has no value.
This is what I constantly run into the diehard social conservatives, that smug sense of superiority that no one can question and is above debate. I have no political use for people like that.
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Matt Green – Ummm no I never said anyone who disagrees is not a critical thinking or anything of the sort. What I mean is that it is possible to have concerns or be skeptical about Governor Branstad for legitimate reasons which is something you seem all too ready to dismiss.
Instead you seem to be addressing me with the attitude that anyone who disagrees about Brandstad is a type you can put in a box.
I have never at any time said anything even remotely like that. I accept that people may disagree with me for perfectly logical reasons, that is something you however seem to reject.
So how is your behavior here any different from what you are now pretending to dislike so much? You see I provided two very specific things that are concerning to me and you have ignored that and instead wan to make this about personalities. So how is THAT any different than what the “Liberals” do?
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Matt Green wrote:
“Real – property taxes are determined by local governments, not the state.”
And the constitutional ignorance continues:
Iowa Constitution: Municipal home rule. SEC. 38A. Municipal corporations are granted home rule power and authority, not inconsistent with the laws of the general assembly, to determine their local affairs and government, except that they shall not have power to levy any tax unless expressly authorized by the general assembly.
No wonder the “Republican” party can’t find its way . . . the “county officers” can’t even pass a 9th grade civics course! . . .
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dofwai wrote:
“You are either an “under cover” Dem operative, or you are a useful idiot. If you work against Branstad, the party’s nominee, you work TOWARD re-electing Culver. Plain and simple.”
And I ask you to show once again: exactly HOW is Bumstead so much “Better” than Culver? I answer your questions when directly confronted, so you answer this one.
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dofwai wrote:
“By the way – the term “RINO” is ridiculous. I equate it to the Tea Party critics throwing “racist” terms around – the term is rendered meaningless by overuse. It’s just another name-calling.”
That means a lot coming from a RINO . . . .
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Vinita wrote on 23 June, 2010, 7:03
Vinita, You really are a sorry old wench.
Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do. For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments, and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men. But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it. He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside of it may become clean also.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’ Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city; that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not! Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'”
Now listen closely Vinita.
You are a hypocrite, a blind guide, a blind fool, a blind Pharisee, you’ve swallowed a camel, you are a whited tomb, full of dead mans bones and uncleanness, full of hypocrisy and iniquity, you are a serpent !!!
You lie about Steve Deace voting for Obama, you lie about IFPC and their motivations. You invoke the name of Jesus Christ while lying, you hypocrite, you serpent, you are a stinking dead man’s tomb.
Your brand of christianity is the kind Jesus was referring to when He said,
Matthew 7:
20Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
21Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
Vinita, you are a hypocrite, you lie, then upbraid me for the words I use. You lie, and pretend that you do the truth, you lie, and arrogantly proclaim your own virtue. Vinita, you will face the Righteous Judge, who will hold you accountable for your words. Every single lie you’ve told on this website, misusing Steve Deace’s or IFPC’s name you will be held accountable for.
Depart from me you worker of iniquity!!!
Goodbye Vinita, see you in hell.
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I’m certain of one thing – if we all go fishing, we’re sure to catch a lot of worms!!
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Just received an e-mail saying that Vander Plaats will be nominated for Lieutenant Governor. I do not know the legitimacy, but thought I’d pass on the information anyway for whatever it’s worth.
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Fine. This will be election number five and Nov. will be election no. six. Some people are slow learners.
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I think Branstad needs to get specific on what he will do. I am a BVP supporter but could care less about putting him at LG. I would like to hear actual specifics from Branstad on cutting government. A pledge on “No tax increases at all” I don’t want a well “I increased it less than the Dims wanted to” . None on anything anywhere. Reducing is better but I don’t want any increase anywhere. Also what will he do to stop Judicial activism? He ignored the issue throughout the campaign. I will be there Sat and it is Branstad job to unite the party not my job to get behind him. I just received a call from one of his guys on wanting my support for tomorrow I said I need to hear specifics from him. Or he won’t get my vote. I was told “not voting for Branstad is the same as voting for Culver”. No it isn’t If Branstad thinks he can abandon the Right and run for the middle well he can but this will be my first election not pulling straight Republican since the Clinton impeachment Dim joke. I bit my tongue on McCain and pulled straight ticket after he ran for the middle. Never again… Branstad gets to run his calculations all he wants on running to the middle but he better not count on the Right then. As I told the Staffer I will spend my time and effort knocking on doors for Sorenson, Finley &Watts whom I can vote for, and Baltimore. But I will not Vote for Chucky the RHINO and Branstad need’s to convince me now that BVP is out that he is going to do something I care about!!!
Jeff
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Just received a follow up e-mail which says the last e-mail did not come from party headquarters, which is what I assumed despite the “from” address in the first.
So either it is someone not related to a hypothetical Vander Plaats campaign and is fraudulent, or this was sent out without Vander Plaats’ blessing, or Vander Plaats is being a bit deceptive. We may know more in 45 minutes, or we may have to wait until tomorrow.
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I confess, I listened to this hour of Deace with BVP because someone called and asked me to do it as a favor so I can give a report.
What a waste of one hour. VP wants “Respect” and “Authenticity”. This sounds just as specific as “Hope” and “Change”.
They’re hoping that BVP voters tomorrow (If they nominate him from the floor) will be as impressed with VP empty slogans as Obama voters were with his empty slogans.
To summarize. they said almost nothing. If anyone didn’t hear it, you missed–nothing!!
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Just listened to the first caller. Turned it off. She thinks BVP can save the country. How? This is only a Lt. Gov. He would be powerless to change anything as Lt. Gov. It’s time for people to start thinking.
They were insinuating that with Branstad you’re going to get more baby killing and more gay marriage but if you can get VP as Lt. Gov., all that can be changed. Ha!! Get real, folks.
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Say whatever you want about Branstad but this state is going to be a heck of a lot better off with Branstad than with Culver. Those are the choice. There is no other.
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I listened. Both BVP and Deace were trying very hard to convince us that they were just random travelers who have nothing to do with the draft BVP for LG movement. I ain’t buying it.
Also, BVP’s definition of “uniting the party” is for Branstad to adopt BVP’s positions. If BVP had rec’d 50% of the vote and Branstad had rec’d 41%, would BVP agree to adopt Branstad’s positions in order to “unite the party?”
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