by Art Smith | Oct 20, 2010
After sitting through what was probably the most painful debate I’ve ever watched two weeks ago, I think it’s time to demand the Branstad campaign implement the Mercy Rule. Mostly to show mercy to those of us who feel obligated to watch these debates… and a little mercy for Governor Culver.
It seems unfair to continue to let Governor Culver get up in front of TV cameras and make a fool of himself. Why put a sitting governor through the embarrassment of having to respond to questions about state government, policy, and the future of Iowa when the only answers he has are scary predictions of what he thinks Terry Branstad will do as governor? Even when he has what many would say is a great story to tell about early childhood development programs, he flounders and spews out that Branstad will take preschool access away from children.
But overall, Chet does not have much of a story to tell, and he is desperate. He will continue to criticize his opponent until election day. It seems to be the only weapon his campaign team has in their arsenal to try to snatch victory from the jaws of utter failure.
I was surprised, however, by Culver’s announcement this week of a middle-class tax cut. It’s amazing how such a blatantly political attempt to bribe the middle-class in Iowa to vote for Culver, after a contentious two years trying to resolve our budgetary crisis, is treated as a legitimate proposal. Where will the money to pay for this tax cut come from? Don’t get me wrong, I support cutting taxes when it makes sense, but we must cut spending first to support it.
I suspect that most Iowans who have been watching the debates are frustrated with the fact that the overall content of the debates has not changed much (and I don’t expect any improvement tomorrow), that the animus has gotten worse on both sides, and that the sitting governor is looking more and more like an angry leader fending off attacks with little more than a pea-shooter. It’s like being at the gruesome scene of a fatal auto accident… you just want to look away from it all.
I expect tomorrow’s debate to have one area of meaningful (but not necessarily valuable) discussion, and that will be the new tax cut proposal. Other than that, we will just have more snipes about DeCoster, about IJOBS, about Marriage, about the Budget, about Mismanagement, and all of it will be what we’ve already heard before.
At least it will be the last Gubernatorial Debate of this election. I don’t know if I could stomach much more.
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Regardless of how I feel about the debate, I will not only be watching it live (starting at NOON), but I will be live-blogging along with several other of the Guest Political Bloggers here at the Des Moines Register’s web site as we have for both of the previous debates. I think it’s a great chance to hear some of our comments live and to respond yourself during the debate. I hope you’ll join us!
by | Oct 10, 2010
The Dave Funk Campaign announced that Former Governor Terry Branstad is working to help the candidate for Polk County Supervisor in District 3. At Funk’s website:
The race for supervisor in Polk County’s third district is described as one of the most important races in Iowa. Former Gov. Terry Branstad (and current candidate) works to raise support for Republican supervisor candidate Dave Funk.
Funk, Branstad and event organizer Jeff Lamberti speak to constituents.
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It should say a lot that as a Gubernatorial Candidate, Branstad took the time to attend the Lamberti event and speak on Funk’s behalf. There’s no question that this campaign, to end over 60 years of Democrat control in Polk County, will have a significant impact on Iowa’s capitol city. Since any candidate for governor does not have time to support every individual candidate in their party, clearly Funk’s campaign is seen as critical to making a difference in Iowa as a whole and that this district is important to the Governor’s race as well.
![Republicans Lead In Polls, ObamaCare Progresses, And Other Dangerous Things]()
by | Sep 28, 2010
Running with scissors, bungy-jumping, lion-training don’t hold a candle to these two items…
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Republicans appear to be doing well, very well, scary well. So what’s to be done about it? Republicans need to work harder, get more engaged, get more yard signs up, knock on more doors!
Why, you may ask, would I think that?
Because early poll successes:
- Are deceiving. In Politics, scientific polling lacks integrity because there are so many factors and inconsistencies, including the fact that they reflect a point in time, which is not election day
- Are open to interpretation. The complexities and meaning behind poll answers can be interpreted multiple ways… sometimes the answers mean something different than what we think.
- Can lead to complacency. Accepting that your candidate is going to win hands down can lead to voter apathy and before you know it, everyone that said they were going to vote decides to stay home election day or just forgets to vote.
It’s great to feel good about these polls… I’m very enthused about our prospects here in Iowa. But polling can cause us to take our eye off the ball… we need to stay focused on the message, on getting it delivered to the people that need to hear it most, and make sure we get everyone out to vote come election day.
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Did you think that maybe ObamaCare wouldn’t impact you directly for a while? Think again.
New rules from the IRS issued earlier this month, based on the Affordable Care Act now require that those who pay for over-the-counter (OTC) medications (such as Claritan, Robitussin, etc.) FSAs or HRAs, beginning January 1, 2011, to get a prescription for these medications to get the reimbursements. Flexible Spending Account (FSAs) Health Reimbursement Accounts (HRAs) setup for medical expenses not normally covered by insurance, using untaxed dollars. On top of this, patients will have to submit the prescription information along with the receipt to their account program adminstration instead of using the more convenient (and appropriate) debit cards most of these accounts now provide.
It may seem like a small thing, but doctors don’t typically hand out prescriptions of any kind without a visit, which will cost the patient and/or their insurance provider. Add to that the new paperwork burden, and you’ve impacted many Americans enough that they will (rightfully so) choose to abandon the use of the untaxed (or pretaxed) dollars and instead reduce their FSA/HRA use (or eliminate it) and just pay for these medications with taxed dollars.
Yes this is for real, and yes I think it’s stupid. This is the result of just a small piece of the gargantuan legislation passed by a Congress bent on making us miserable. I’m convinced of that now. Give them 2 more years and they will find a way to ensure that the Government will simply pay for these medications (with an appropriate prescription) instead of just going back to a system that worked fine, therefore making us even more dependent on the government.
And the best part is, you can still use these accounts like you always did for any other medical supplies that don’t require a prescription. You will have to get a prescription to get a, frankly small, tax advantage.
Government savings, none… I can pretty much guarantee that the new taxes recovered will barely pay for the paper used to print this stupid bill. More likely we will see substantive costs go up, either in government or for insurance companies, to support this idiotic requirement.
Sometimes it just seems dangerous to get up in the morning.
by Art Smith | Sep 14, 2010
Art Smith (“From The Right”) will be live chatting along with Conner Anderson (“From The Left”) at The Des Moines Register’s web site on September 14, 2010 from 7:00 to 8:00 PM. Come and follow the conversation!
by Art Smith | Aug 10, 2010
The following was released by the Polk County Republican Party:
The Polk County Republican Party commissioned a poll in Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District that shows Republican Brad Zaun leading by 7.3% points in a head to head match-up with incumbent Leonard Boswell.
“These numbers are very encouraging for Senator Zaun and Republicans across the board. Â It is clear voters in central Iowa are looking for new, principled leadership,” said Chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa Matt Strawn.
Other highlights in the survey include:
- Zaun beats Boswell in Polk County, 46.5% to 38.4%
- Among Independent voters, Zaun again leads Boswell, 41.3% to 31.7%
- Boswell hard re-elect is only at 24.7% with a total re-elect of 34%, but 51.3% of voters say it’s time for a new person
- 25.4% of Democrats say it’s ‘definitely time’ for a new person
- Zaun earns support from 26.2% of Democrats
“Polk County Republicans are more organized and energized than ever before. These numbers confirm what we’re seeing on the ground.  We’re going to do our part to support candidates like Brad Zaun both financially and organizationally and help them to victory in November,” concluded Chairman of the Polk County Republican Party John Bloom.
The survey consisted of 300 likely general election voters and has a margin of error of +/- 5.6%.  The 300 completes were comprised of 21% independent voters, 42% Democrats and 37% Republicans with 66% of the respondents being from Polk and the rest geographically proportioned from the remainder of the 3rd District. The survey was conducted by Victory Enterprises out of Davenport, Iowa.
After sitting through what was probably the most painful debate I’ve ever watched two weeks ago, I think it’s time to demand the Branstad campaign implement the Mercy Rule. Mostly to show mercy to those of us who feel obligated to watch these debates… and a little mercy for Governor Culver.