The following is Republican Party of Iowa Chairman Matt Strawn’s most recent Chairman’s Report.

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A personal note from the Chairman: please keep Bob, Darla, and the Vander Plaats family in your thoughts and prayers over the Easter weekend as they continue to mourn the loss of Bob’s father who passed away this week.

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Governor Culver flips his position on Same Sex Marriage and sides with the Iowa Supreme Court.

After 100 hours of silence, Iowa Governor Culver finally broke his silence on the Supreme Court’s decision to strike down Iowa’s law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman. While his statement was carefully written and would have done Bill Clinton proud in its attempt to have it both ways, it nonetheless supports the Court’s decision and effectively flips the Governor’s previously held position to “do whatever it takes to protect marriage.”

Yesterday, Republican members of the Iowa House attempted to use a House procedural rule to force a potential vote on a proposed constitutional amendment that would let the people vote on the definition of marriage. Unfortunately, House Democrats refused to allow a vote [...]

Thursday morning (that’s tomorrow) at 8:30 there will be rally at the Iowa State Capitol West Lawn. Lots of information at letusvote.org. Please go there and read the information on parking, purpose, etc.

There are a number of legislators, along with Governor Culver, who are questioning the political safety of supporting this amendment. Between their fears and the outright obstinance of Democratic leaders to prevent the voice of the people from being heard, we are in dire need of people to take a stand now, to show the Iowa General Assembly that this matters to Iowans in a big way.

Some good information from letusvote.org:

WHAT CAN I DO TODAY?

You can continue to keep pressure on the Iowa House by calling the following Members who are still undecided as to how they will vote on the Iowa Marriage Amendment. Urge them to vote [...]

Just to give you an update on what’s been going on with the fallout after Friday’s Iowa Supreme Court decision to strike down the Iowa Defense of Marriage Act.

Iowa Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal (D-Council Bluffs) says he will not allow debate on the matter.

Gronstal, who lauded the Supreme Court decision handed down Friday overturning the state’s ban on same-sex marriage, was asked by Senate Minority Leader Paul McKinley, R-Chariton, if he would join with Republicans in crafting a bill to move an amendment forward.

“Eleven years ago, you voted in favor of protecting marriage as between one man and one woman,” McKinley said. “Will you pledge to work with me and craft a leadership bill on this important issue and bring it to the floor a vote by this body?”

In response, Gronstal shared a story about his daughter, Kate, telling a group of conservative men that opponents of same-sex marriage “have already lost” and that the younger generation doesn’t care.

“I learned something from my daughter that day. That’s what I see, Sen. McKinley,” Gronstal said. “I see a bunch of people that merely want to profess their love for each other and want state law to recognize that. Is that so wrong? I don’t think that’s so wrong.”

Senator Gronstal voted in favor of the 1998 Defense of Marriage Act before. No one is saying that it is wrong for homosexuals to want a state law [...]

Statement on Governor Culver’s Failure

to Keep Promise to Protect Traditional Marriage

Sen. McKinley: “ I believe Iowans should have the final vote on this very important and emotional issue. Governor Culver has chosen to stand with 7 elite justices and deny the 3 million people of Iowa the right to vote on this significant issue.”

DES MOINES, IA – Senate Republican Leader Paul McKinley (R-Chariton) issued the following statement today in response to Governor Culver’s failure to keep his promise to protect traditional marriage in Iowa:

“Governor Culver has failed to keep the promise he made just last year on January 18 after a filming of Iowa Public Television’s “Iowa Press” to ‘do whatever it takes to protect marriage as between one man and one woman’. He has failed to lead in creating a responsible budget during the last two years, he has failed to keep spending under control and he has failed to push legislation that will help get over 80,000 Iowans back to work and now he has failed to keep his promise to ‘do whatever it takes to protect marriage as between one man and one woman.’ I believe [...]

In terms of celebrations and tradition, this week is considered the biggest week of the year for most Christians. Growing up, it was a little confusing because I had understood that the actual days themselves were significant, when the reality is that what the days represent, what they celebrate, is the significance.

Despite that, this is a week when so many people are busy preparing to celebrate the most important thing that God has done for us, and it is sad that we will be desperately distracted with the impact of the Iowa Supreme Court decision that will allow same-sex partners to be recognized as “married”.

Marriage as an institution was designed by God for many good reasons. It is intended to honor Him by bringing two people together to fully give their lives over to create what God called “one flesh”… one man and one woman coming together to serve each other, encourage each other, fulfill each other. The fullness of that relationship results in the establishment of a family that results from that union. Spiritual and physical procreation is the plan of God, and is to the benefit of the family and the society. It ensures that there is an established pattern of love, growth, expansion, regeneration, and glorifying of the creator.

Same-sex marriage rejects these fundamentals of God and society and will lead not just toward the continued moral decaying of society, but by reducing the [...]

The good news is that you can stop holding your breath now. The bad news is that there is more work to do.

The Iowa Supreme Court today upheld Judge Robert Hanson’s 2007 decision in Varnum v. Brien. Today’s unanimous court decision (early rumors had indicated there was dissent on the court) strikes down Iowa’s Defense of Marriage Act.

Steve Sheffler of Iowa Christian Alliance hit on a very real financial impact today:

What this means for Iowa and perhaps for the forty-seven other states in the country that currently do not recognize same-sex marriage is, to say the least, a monumental mess. Because Iowa’s statutes pertaining to marriage do not restrict that privilege to Iowa residents, gay couples from any state may come to Iowa, get married, return to their state and demand recognition under the Full Faith and Credit (Article IV, Sec. 1) provision of the U.S. Constitution. “Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state.”

I have not [...]

Monday January 12 will be the opening session of the 2009 General Assembly. This year’s session timetable is here. As was the case the pass two years, both the House and the Senate have Democratic majorities.

We urge you, as the session progresses, to take the time to communicate with your elected representatives. Go to this link, and find your representative’s name, click on it, and you’ll get phone numbers, email addresses, information about committee assignments and links to bill sponsorships. I will be in contact with Peter Cownie and Pat Ward, the House and Senate members who represent me here in West Des Moines.

I exchanged emails with Peter last week. This is his freshman years in the Statehouse, and he managed to get assigned to Appropriations, Economic Growth, Educatio nand Labor committees, and on Appropriations, he is the ranking member of the Economic Development subcommittee. He told me that this year is pretty much all about the Budget.

Which leads me [...]