by Art Smith | Nov 7, 2009
Iowa Republicans are holding their Leadership For Iowa event this evening, which will feature Tim Pawlenty, governor of Minnesota, and all of the remaining candidates for Iowa governor.
New for me tonight is the Press Pass. Even though I would have planned to attend anyhow, I was invited to be part of Bloggers’ Row, with the opportunity to speak with all of the candidates prior to the event. Sharing the table with Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican, and Albert Bregar of Iowa Defense Alliance, Grant Young of Questions, Comments and Insults,  Shane Vander Hart of Caffienated Thoughts, and some others.
Looks like we get to interview a bunch of politicians. Should be interesting.
by Art Smith | Oct 13, 2009
Note: Art Smith is Communications Director for the Polk County Republican Party. His views as expressed here are not necessarily those of the Polk County Republican Party.
Just an observation but if the Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI)leaves this key position to work on the Branstad campaign, is that not sufficient reason to confirm that Branstad is going to run?  Well, Jeff Boeyink did. RPI has benefited greatly from Jeff’s work, and will certainly be a challenged in finding a comparable replacement. Matt Strawn had this to say today:
“I hope all Iowa Republicans join me in thanking Jeff for a job well done. The Iowa GOP is better off because of his service and tireless advocacy for principled, conservative government. I’m personally grateful for his wisdom and guidance and wish him well.â€
This is a major coup for the Branstad campaign, due to Boeyink’s strong skills, relationships, experience, and the level of credibility he adds to the campaign.
From Terry Branstad’s campaign comes this statement:
Richard Schwarm today announced the hiring of Jeffrey Boeyink to lead the Terry Branstad 2010 Committee as it continues to explore a possible gubernatorial run by former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad.
Schwarm said, “This is the next natural step in our exploratory process as we move from a volunteer effort to the acquisition of professional staff and financial resources to take Terry Branstad 2010 to the next level of effectiveness.â€
Boeyink has served as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Iowa (RPI) since last February and resigned yesterday to accept this new position. Prior to joining RPI, Boeyink served as President of Iowans for Tax Relief where he worked for more than two decades.
Schwarm also noted, “This appointment does not signal any change in Terry Branstad’s status as a potential gubernatorial candidate. He continues in his role at Des Moines University and will make his plans known at a future date.â€
Others commenting today included Polk County GOP Co-Chair Will Rogers:
“Jeff has a tremendous amount of experience and will bring a level of talent to the race that is unparalleled by any of the other campaigns including Culver’s.”
The story broke this morning at The Iowa Republican web site (although I first found out about it from David Chung’s Hawkeye GOP site via Facebook).  As David stated, finding a new Exective Director is going to be job one for Matt Strawn.
For all of the other candidates for Governor, I think the time has come to acknowledge that Branstad is in the race, despite Schwarm’s comments about the campaign being “exploratory”. For some, that might mean cutting off the campaign and for others it means being more direct in speaking about Branstad’s record and ability to beat Culver. Either way, the elephant in the room should be visible now.
We will be talking about this today on The Bean Walker Live! internet radio show during the first hour. Email me or chat me your comments today!
by Art Smith | Oct 12, 2009
This week, once again, I will be hosting the internet rafio show The Bean Walker Live at Des Moines Local Live! The show airs Tuesday from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM. During the first hour we will be talking about the Iowa Gubernatorial Candidate Forum this past weekend, the situation with the Iowa state budget, and Friday’s CBO report on the benefits of Tort Reform. During the second hour, we will have Pastors Quintin Stieff and Dan Wentworth from Valley Church in West Des Moines to talk about a new program at Valley Church called “Love You Des Moines!”.
Join us!
by Art Smith | Oct 8, 2009
I’ve heard this week some suggestions that having the individual states administer reforms to provide improved health care might be a better way to accomplish what is needed. Paul McKinley, Senate Minority Leader and candidate for the Republican nomination for Iowa Governor, released one of his insightful memos today on this very topic.
“Iowans are overwhelmingly in favor of making health care more affordable, accessible and portable. Most Iowans are also happy with their health care coverage, they just want their elected officials to institute some reasonable and responsible market-based revisions to the current system to make health care less expensive, more accessible and more portable.
“The direction some in Washington D.C. want to pursue will not make health care more affordable, accessible or portable and instead amounts to a government take over of nearly one-fifth of the country’s economy. Instead of empowering patients and physicians, the direction D.C. is headed will strip away personal liberties and empower government bureaucrats. Now is not the time to throw out the entire system we utilize today and replace with an expensive, rigid and confusing bureaucrat controlled government takeover. The plans being discussed in Washington would add hundreds of billions in debt and do nothing to improve affordability, accessibility or portability.
“Instead, Iowa Senate Republicans are proposing a set of initiatives and reforms that can be implemented at a state level within the market-based health care system already in place. They are carefully crafted to make health care in Iowa more affordable, more accessible and more portable.
“First, Iowa Republicans propose to establish a statewide online information hub that brings together both cost and outcome quality data in a searchable format for consumers. We believe the information age provides a tremendous opportunity to compare cost and quality in the delivery of health care services. Competition and comparisons save employers, families and individuals money.
“Younger Iowans in the 18-30 age, given their relative age and better health, often do not make purchasing health insurance a high priority. As a result, when they do have to seek medical treatment it is often for a serious condition and therefore very expensive. In fact, there are 106,000 Iowans in this age group who do not have health insurance and account for roughly half of all the uninsured in the entire state. Therefore, Senate Republicans propose legislation that will encourage the development of low cost market-based catastrophic insurance products that will provide base care for younger Iowans.
“Third, no serious attempt at reducing rising health care and insurance costs can move forward without an honest attempt to address the issue of medical malpractice reform. We have continually championed the need to pass legislation that raises the burden of proof for malpractice claims and places reasonable limits on payment for damages. Those hefty costs are passed on to consumers like you.
“Next, current law allows large employers the opportunity to deduct health care costs “above the line†– meaning a dollar for dollar reduction in their taxable income equal to the employer share of health insurance costs. This is a tremendous incentive for employers to provide health insurance to their employees. Thus, it should be no surprise an independent study shows 94 percent of employers who have 50 or more employees provide health insurance, whereas 36 percent of employers who have 10 or fewer employees only offer health benefits.
“Because a significant portion of our population now work for small businesses or for themselves, we believe such “above the line†deductions for health insurance costs should be extended to all businesses and individuals. Some estimates suggest an above the line deduction for health insurance costs may provide a 30 percent savings on such costs and provide a significant incentive to offer health insurance benefits to their employees. If it’s good enough for Wall Street, it ought to be good enough for Main Street.
“Prevention programs that encourage long-term commitment to wellness practices are proven to reduce demand for expensive health services and curb future growth in health care spending. However, our current system chooses to focus on imposing penalties on those who practice less healthy lifestyle through higher insurance rates rather than rewarding good health practices with lower rates.
“Consequently, we propose legislation to encourage insurers to offer “prevention credits†to individuals and businesses that can be used to reduce health insurance rates for those that demonstrate a commitment to wellness and prevention. “Prevention credits†will allow an average Iowa family to save upwards of 15 percent on their health insurance premium or $1,635 on an average family policy. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services there is a return on investment of up to $4.91 for every dollar spent on wellness.
“Finally, we favor a bill that prohibits the denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions if you change policies within a health insurance company. Simply changing policies within a company does not mean you should lose your coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.
“I know we can make a real difference in lowering the cost of health care without turning our entire health care system and a large segment of our economy over to the government. We must utilize common sense reforms that can be done right here in Iowa. We can be a leader in showing the rest of the country how to achieve market based health care reforms that make health care more affordable, accessible and portable without adding hundreds of billions in generational debt and putting the government in charge of our health care.
 “As always, I welcome hearing from you and can be reached by phone at 515-281-3560 or by e-mail at [email protected].”
I think there is a lot to be said for focusing many of these efforts at a state level instead of federal. Some states, like Florida, have implemented some tremendous solutions to help reduce costs and ensure that patients help participate in controlling those costs. In some cases, both the challenges and solutions may more regionally specific and better solved regionally.
One area that will likely require some federal oversight will be cross-state portability. Some states might be resistant to such portability (and admittedly, due to influence by Insurance Lobbiests), but it would still be beneficial to make this a joint effort between the states under the herding of Congress.
I like where Iowa Republican leadership is headed.
by Art Smith | Oct 6, 2009
The Polk County Republicans present “A Barn-burner at Living History Farms†where you can hear all declared GOP Gubernatorial Candidates speak out. Click the image at right to view the invitation!
This fundraising event will be held at Living History Farms Flynn Barn (11121 Hickman Road in Urbandale) on Sunday, October 11, 2009 at 5:30p (buffet dinner catered by The Iowa Machine Shed starts at 6:00p). Parking will be available at the Visitor Center, and a shuttle will take you to the barn. Handicapped assistance will be provided.
Tickets cost $30/single, $50/couple and $65/family
If you would like to RSVP, purchase a ticket, or have a question please contact: