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O. Kay Henderson - Radio Iowa

  • A few weekend left-overs

    An Iowa native is at the center of the controversy involving Montana Senator Max Baucus.  Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron, Iowa) made a trip to Afghanistan.  King got back to D.C. this morning. U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-New Hartford, Iowa) tweeted about being stuck in D.C. for the senate's health care debate this weekend. 3Times 2009 missed being in [...]
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    Fetched: December 07, 2009, 1:05pm EST

  • Sarah Palin has entered the building

    Former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin entered the Barnes & Noble book store here in Sioux City at about 1:30 p.m this Sunday afternoon, an hour and a half after her scheduled arrival.  A small group of adults and children stood huddling across the street from the door, hoping to get a glimpse, [...]
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    Fetched: December 06, 2009, 3:17pm EST

  • Camping out all night for Palin

    At 7 o'clock on Saturday night, I drove into the parking lot of the Barnes and Noble store in Sioux City and discovered a small group of hardy souls, ready to camp out all night in order to be first in line to get former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's autograph' [...]
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    Fetched: December 06, 2009, 2:05am EST

  • House speaker on “Iowa Press”

    House Speaker Pat Murphy, discussing GOP attacks on Governor Culver: "They're trying to say the emperor has no clothes when he's fully clothed -- and he has a hat on."  House Speaker Pat Murphy (D-Dubuque, Iowa) is the guest on this weekend's "Iowa Press" program on Iowa Public Television.  Murphy talked about' [...]
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    Fetched: December 04, 2009, 3:05pm EST

  • “Much to do about nothing”

    Governor Chet Culver spoke to the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation this morning and after his speech Culver spoke with reporters.  The first question was about the departure of his campaign manager.  The second question was from a reporter who asked the following: "Why shouldn't opponents seize on that as rats'" [...]
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    Fetched: December 02, 2009, 1:22pm EST

  • Holy Cow! Grassley uses “that word” again

    U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley (R-New Hartford, Iowa) was on C-SPAN yesterday.  A caller asked Grassley about his tenure as an elected official.  Here's the video.  (UPDATE:  here's another video -- a little Grassley's Greatest Hits remix, but I give you this link with the advice that this is not family friendly' [...]
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    Fetched: December 02, 2009, 8:14am EST

  • Iowa delegation reacts to Obama’s Afghan plan

    Both of Iowa's U.S. Senators and four of the five Iowans who serve in the U.S. House issued statements Tuesday night following the president's speech outlining his plan for Afghanistan.  Over the past two months, Radio Iowa has done a series of stories with the Iowa congressional delegation to check [...]
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    Fetched: December 02, 2009, 8:14am EST

  • UPDATED: Fong suspends campaign

    UPDATE:  Republican gubernatorial candidate Christian Fong exited the race this morning.  Read the Radio Iowa story here.  Fong's last blog post on his campaign website was interesting, in the context of today's news, as he reflects on the people he spent a lot of time with over the past five [...]
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    Fetched: December 01, 2009, 3:22pm EST

  • Latest report on state tax receipts

    The Legislative Services Bureau has released its latest report on state tax receipts.  It includes tax collections through November 30, 2009.  The three-member Revenue Estimating Conference will meet in mid-December to review this report (and other data) and establish an official prediction of state tax revenue for the 2011 state [...]
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    Fetched: December 01, 2009, 3:22pm EST

  • Fong suspends campaign

    News today in the race for the GOP's 2010 gubernatorial nomination: (Cedar Rapids, IA)  Christian Fong, Republican gubernatorial candidate announced that effective today he will suspend his campaign for Governor.  “Today, I announce the suspension of my campaign.  From this time forward, we will not be actively campaigning for the Republican [...]
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    Fetched: December 01, 2009, 10:28am EST

  • AFSCME 11-30-09 news conference

    AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan will be stepping behind a lectern in a few minutes to announce the results of voting among AFSCME members who work in the executive branch of state government.  The vote, held from November 19 through the 25, was whether AFSCME members would approve or [...]
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    Fetched: November 30, 2009, 10:05am EST

  • Thanksgiving week left-overs

    Read below for tidbits about John Carlson, Swati Dandekar, Ali Glisson, Michael Kiernan, (former Governor) Terry Branstad, (current Governor) Chet Culver, and others.  The Legislative Services Agency issued a financial analysis on Wednesday, outling the depth of the budget problems legislators and the governor face.  Read the story Rod Boshardt of The [...]
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    Fetched: November 27, 2009, 7:19pm EST

  • Linn County Auditor reflects on Tuesday’s “special”

    Linn County Auditor Joel Miller has a Twitter account. (Be sure to read his bio if you click.)  Miller's posted some interesting thoughts on Tuesday's special election in Cedar Rapids.  Here are those tweets: HD33 election may be 1st time # of absentee votes outnumber # of votes cast at the polls. Could this [...]
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    Fetched: November 25, 2009, 6:05pm EST

  • Democrat wins Iowa House seat

    Kirsten Running-Marquardt, the daughter of former state Representative Richard Running of Cedar Rapids, has won a seat in the Iowa House.  (According to KCRG-TV, Running-Marquardt received over 75 percent of the votes cast. Turn-out in the district was less than 10 percent.)   The seat opened up when former State Representative Dick Taylor (D-Cedar [...]
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    Fetched: November 25, 2009, 12:19am EST

  • 43 jobs saved; SPOC ratifies “understanding”

    A news release from the governor's office has the details: GOVERNOR CULVER’S STATEMENT ON STATE POLICE OFFICERS COUNCIL’S SUPORT FOR JOINT EFFORT TO SAVE 43 PUBLIC SAFETY JOBS DES MOINES— Governor Chet Culver released the following statement on the State Police Officers Council (SPOC) announcement that their members have voted to approve [...]
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    Fetched: November 24, 2009, 8:05pm EST

  • NRSC gets involved in US Senate race

    There's been a bit of tit for tat, via email, between the National Republican Senatorial Committee (on behalf of Republican Senator Chuck Grassley) and Democrat Roxanne Conlin, a Des Moines attorney who is running for the U.S. Senate.  Meanwhile, the other two Democrats who're running for the U.S. Senate stressed policies about Afghanistan' [...]
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    Fetched: November 24, 2009, 6:19pm EST

  • IDP’s JJ Dinner, the ‘09 Biden edition

    Vice President Joe Biden was the keynote speaker for this evening's Iowa Democratic Party Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner.  During his remarks, Biden credited the late Teddy Kennedy for tonight's senate vote on health care reform. Here's part of the live blog of the event: Biden said he was a bit late to' [...]
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    Fetched: November 21, 2009, 8:05pm EST

  • Gephardt on this weekend’s “Iowa Press”

    Former Missouri Congressman Richard Gephardt is the guest on this weekend's edition of "Iowa Press."  Here's the Radio Iowa story, about his appearance today at a forum in Des Moines to talk about the work of the Council for American Medical Innovation.  As you may remember, Gephardt won the 1988 [...]
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    Fetched: November 20, 2009, 2:06pm EST

  • Governor: review all state tax credits

    You may recognize that headline above.  It was attached to this September 23, 2009 Radio Iowa story.  Governor Chet Culver indicated during an interview with Radio Iowa and the Cedar Rapids Gazette that his new chief of staff, John Frew, would be talking with state agency directors, asking for a review [...]
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    Fetched: November 19, 2009, 5:27pm EST

  • Branstad on gay marriage

    Last night I put up phase one of my Wednesday afternoon interview with former Governor Terry Branstad.  Now, here's phase two, a focus on what Branstad had to say on the subject of same-sex marriage. On November 7, Branstad said in a speech at a GOP fundraiser that the legislature should [...]
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    Fetched: November 19, 2009, 2:16pm EST

  • U-of-I polling on health care reform

    The University of Iowa's latest "Hawkeye Poll" was conducted at the end of October, which means the results may not be that useful in terms of "shelf-life."  The House passed its health care reform plan a few weeks after the poll, for example and the Senate's Democratic Leader unveiled a (proposed) senate plan [...]
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    Fetched: November 19, 2009, 1:06pm EST

  • Ex-coach Gibbons now candidate Gibbons

    Former ISU wrestling coach Jim Gibbons is leaving his job as a financial advisor to launch a campaign for congress.  Gibbons, who grew up in Ames, now lives in Des Moines which is in the third congressional district.  Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines who is the district's current congressman, [...]
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    Fetched: November 19, 2009, 12:05pm EST

  • Talking with Branstad: DMU, gas tax and “the speech”

    This afternoon I had my first opportunity to interview former Governor Terry Branstad since he started flirting with the idea of running for a fifth term and announced his quest in October.  (To be clear, I made an interview request earlier, but it was just granted and scheduled for today.) I [...]
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    Fetched: November 18, 2009, 7:05pm EST

  • Democrats highlight GOP candidate dispute over gas tax

    The Iowa Democratic Party has posted video of a GOP event in eastern Iowa this past weekend.  It was an event at which State Representative Chris Rants of Sioux City, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, said he'd been accosted (verbally) by a group of road builders.  According to Rants account of' [...]
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    Fetched: November 17, 2009, 2:05pm EST

  • ITR idea: one president for UofI, ISU, UNI

    Iowans for Tax Relief president Ed Failor, Junior, has been writing a series of opinion pieces over the past few weeks.  He's floated ideas like privatizing the state's prison system, getting rid of the Iowa Department of Economic Development and a five-percent, across-the-board cut in the salaries of employees in [...]
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    Fetched: November 17, 2009, 2:05pm EST

  • “Iowa Poll” sparks discussion in GOP

    One thing candidates do in order to woo voters is lay out their "vision" for the country, the state, the city, or the district they hope to be given the chance to govern.  It's sort of a "to do" list and sometimes it includes a "not to do" list or a [...]
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    Fetched: November 17, 2009, 12:14pm EST

  • It’s House versus Senate

    Many of the battles at the statehouse are partisan in nature, pitting Republicans against Democrats.  But sometimes -- particularly in the close-down hours of a legislative session -- the battles feature one chamber against another, the House against the Senate.  Sometimes, there are no partisan lines and there's unanimity.  That seems [...]
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    Fetched: November 16, 2009, 2:22pm EST

  • Weekend wrap up

    A Des Moines Register's Iowa Poll conducted last week and released Saturday suggests Governor Chet Culver faces a tough reelection year in 2010.  The Register's headline used the word "vulnerability."  On Sunday, Iowa Poll data on Senator Chuck Grassley was released.  The headline on that story uses the words "hubbub" and "still popular."  Those [...]
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    Fetched: November 16, 2009, 10:05am EST

  • You callin’ me a trial lawyer?

    Congressman Bruce Braley, a Democrat from Waterloo, Iowa, was called upon to deliver the Democrats' response to a Republican alternative offered at the very close of the House health care debate last weekend.  As Braley talked, some of the Republicans yelled "trial lawyer" at him.  I just asked him about' [...]
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    Fetched: November 13, 2009, 1:20pm EST

  • Corning “robocall” on gay marriage

    Former Iowa Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning -- who describes herself as a "moderate Republican" -- has recorded a telephone message for One Iowa, a group that supports same-sex marriage. "Hi, this is former Lieutenant Governor Joy Corning," the recording begins.  "Iowa has a well-deserved reputation for being open-minded and fair. That's why I'm proud" [...]
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    Fetched: November 11, 2009, 6:22pm EST

  • A Friday the 13th announcement

    This Friday night in Ames supporters of Texas Congressman Ron Paul will be crossing paths with fans of Skillet, a Christian Band making a stop in Ames on their "Awake and Alive" tour.  It has prompted officials at the Iowa State Center to issue an advisory.  Read it below. Stephens Auditorium PARKING ANNOUNCEMENT Ames ¬ [...]
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    Fetched: November 11, 2009, 3:16pm EST

  • Group salutes Iowa voting process for soldiers

    The Overseas Vote Foundation has issued a report and Iowa is number one among the states when it comes to making it easy for active duty soldiers to exercise their right to vote.  Read the release below. REPORT NAMES IOWA TOP STATE IN MILITARY AND OVERSEAS VOTING DES MOINES – Secretary of [...]
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    Fetched: November 10, 2009, 8:16pm EST

  • Vilsack is headliner for Braley fundraiser

    Former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack, President Obama's Secretary of Agriculture, is coming back to Iowa this weekend to headline a fundraiser for a fellow lawyer.  I caught the end of a dust-up on the House floor and wrote a bit about Braley's role in the verbal fracas yesterday.  Today, Ed Tibbetts [...]
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    Fetched: November 10, 2009, 10:03am EST

  • Palin to stop in Iowa on book tour

    A news release posted on the Barnes & Noble website announces former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin will make her first book signing appearance in Iowa on Sunday, December 6, 2009.  The Barnes & Noble store she'll visit is in Sioux City. Mike Huckabee, winner of the 2008 Iowa Caucuses, visited three' [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 5:05pm EST

  • AFSCME news conference

    AFSCME Council 61 president Danny Homan is due to speak at a one p.m.  news conference to discuss details of the "understanding" between AFSCME and state managers that would avoid the layoff of 479 state workers.  The greatest concession would be a salary reduction of $22.7 million achieved by having 20,000 state workers take furlough [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 2:24pm EST

  • A deal!

    This just released from the governor's office (upstaging the 1pm news conference): GOVERNOR CHET CULVER AND DANNY HOMAN, PRESIDENT AFSCME/IOWA COUNCIL 61, ANNOUNCE TERMS OF AN UNDERSTANDING TO SAVE STATE JOBS DES MOINES -- The State of Iowa and AFSCME/Iowa Council 61 have reached an Understanding to protect 479 AFSCME state jobs [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 12:28pm EST

  • Deal or no deal?

    An announcement, early this afternoon, will reveal whether the union representing the largest share of state workers will agree to reopen its contract and agree to pay and/or benefit reductions in order to avoid massive layoffs among the ranks of workers in the Departments of Corrections and Public Safety.  The advisory [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 12:28pm EST

  • Conlin files paperwork for US Senate bid

    A news release was just issued this morning, confirming Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin will run for the Democraticy Party's 2010 U.S. Senate nomination. Conlin has recorded a video that's posted online to announce her move -- something Hillary Clinton did in January of 2007 to announce her bid for the [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 10:05am EST

  • Huckabee signs books in WDM

    "The reason I'm here is that it makes sense for me, on a book tour, to come to Iowa. I do not have any political plans for the moment.  I really don't. Everyone assumes I do, but if you looked at my schedule you'd know I don't have time right now to sit" [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 10:05am EST

  • Huckabee signs books in WDM

    "The reason I'm here is that it makes sense for me, on a book tour, to come to Iowa. I do not have any political plans for the moment.  I really don't. Everyone assumes I do, but if you looked at my schedule you'd know I don't have time right now to sit" [...]
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    Fetched: November 09, 2009, 11:21pm EST

  • Iowa delegate splits, 3-2, on health care reform bill

    Iowa's five congressmen voted along party lines this weekend on the health care reform plan debated in the U.S. House Saturday, with the three Democrats (Bruce Braley of Waterloo; Dave Loebsack of Mount Vernon & Leonard Boswell of Des Moines) voting yes and the two Republicans (Tom Latham of Ames [...]
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    Fetched: November 08, 2009, 2:06am EST

  • 2010 Iowa GOP gubernatorial candidates take stage

    The Iowa Republican Party's gubernatorial candidates for 2010 will share the stage this evening.  Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was the keynote speaker for this event and he finished shortly after seven o'clock.  Next, each of the gubernatorial candidates will be given 10 minutes behind the microphone. The first to speak: State Senator Jerry Behn of [...]
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    Fetched: November 07, 2009, 10:04pm EST

  • Pawlenty @ Iowa GOP event

    [caption id="attachment_2013" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty"][/caption] The crowd is entering a meeting hall on the Iowa State Fairgrounds at this hour.  Each ticket holder paid $25.  What do they get for $25?  A hot dog, a bag of chips, a cookie & a couple of hours-worth of political speeches.  [...]
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    Fetched: November 07, 2009, 6:20pm EST

  • Iowa Tea Party statewide convention

    Doors to the venue in Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines opened at noon today and "tea party" activists began trickling in for their state convention.  Attendance may have been dampened by the 11 o'clock kick-off of the Iowa/Northwestern game, the incredibly warm weather, the need to haul in the' [...]
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    Fetched: November 07, 2009, 6:20pm EST

  • Iowa Tea Party statewide convention

    Doors to the venue in Hy-Vee Hall in downtown Des Moines opened at noon today and "tea party" activists began trickling in for their state convention.  Attendance may have been dampened by the 11 o'clock kick-off of the Iowa/Northwestern game, the incredibly warm weather, the need to haul in the' [...]
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    Fetched: November 07, 2009, 3:03pm EST

  • (Not really a) Surprise? McKinley drops out

    State Senator Paul McKinley, a Republican from Chariton who serves as the Iowa Senate's Minority Leader, said in July that he would explore the idea of running for governor.  While other candidates appeared at numerous party events and forums over the past four months to advance their candidacies, McKinley did [...]
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    Fetched: November 06, 2009, 3:04pm EST

  • Conlin aide tells AP: next week

    The Associated Press is running a story indicating Des Moines attorney Roxanne Conlin has moved from "leaning heavily" to "will file" to run for the U.S. Senate.  Conlin, a Democrat, would face two other Democrats who announced this summer they'd run for their party's nomination for one of Iowa's U.S.' [...]
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    Fetched: November 06, 2009, 11:04am EST

  • Thursday Night Potpourri

    In no particular order, here are some items which bounce the "bloggable" meter: Wondering what announcement may come tomorrow (Friday, November 6, 2009) about state worker layoffs?  That's the deadline date Governor Culver issued for three state employee unions to make a decision about reopening their contracts or they'll face layoffs. Troy Price,' [...]
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    Fetched: November 05, 2009, 8:04pm EST

  • US Senate candidate “coming out” party

    Iowa Democratic Party officials say it's a "first" for the IDP.  The party plans an "after-party" following the Jefferson-Jackson Day Dinner on Saturday, November 21 event which will feature Vice President Joe Biden as keynote speaker.  This will be the event where IDP chairman Michael Kiernan's "first-round draft pick" will [...]
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    Fetched: November 04, 2009, 4:03pm EST

  • Pawlenty on running for president

    "I haven't ruled anything in and I haven't ruled anything out.  I really don't know the answer to what I'm going to be doing after I'm done being governor." -- Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty on 11/04/09. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty spoke with Iowa reporters by phone late this morning, previewing his' [...]
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    Fetched: November 04, 2009, 1:19pm EST

  • T-Paw on NY 23 race

    Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty spoke with Iowa reporters late this morning (in advance of his appearance at a Republican Party of Iowa gala on Saturday night) and he answered a couple of questions (from me) about the outcome in New York's 23rd congressional district.  As you may know, Pawlenty endorsed [...]
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    Fetched: November 04, 2009, 1:19pm EST

  • Welcome to the 24/7 world, Governor Branstad

    Former Governor Terry Branstad's last campaign was in 1994 -- way before weblogs -- blogs.  The modern day candidate must survive in the Electronic Age and Branstad may be getting his first dose of that reality:  a meeting he held with a small group of conservative leaders has been written about, in detail, [...]
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    Fetched: November 02, 2009, 8:21pm EST

  • ICYMI: Branstad’s 1994 annoucement

    You can listen to former Governor Terry Branstad's 1994 campaign announcement here.  If you're just joining us, Branstad has made it clear he's going to seek a fifth term as governor in 2010.  Branstad made three essential campaign promises on that cold winter day back in 1994: ”My plan for the future' [...]
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    Fetched: November 02, 2009, 3:14pm EST

  • Two Iowa pols get new communications directors

    Former Governor Terry Branstad has hired well-known Iowa political operative Tim Albrecht as his communications director for a (more than likely/almost certain/who has any doubts?) 2010 race seeking a fifth term as governor.  Congressman Bruce Braley (D-Waterloo, Iowa) has hired a new communications director to replace Iowa native Jeff Giertz.  The new [...]
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    Fetched: November 02, 2009, 3:14pm EST

  • State tax revenues dip again

    Read the Legislative Services Agency "Monthly Memo" on state tax receipts.  Personal income tax payments to the state were down 2.1 percent in October, 2009, compared to October, 2008.  Sales and use tax payments to the state were down 18.2 percent in the October, 2009, to October, 2008 comparison.  In the [...]
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    Fetched: November 02, 2009, 3:14pm EST

  • State rep falls ill in Turkey

    State Representative Paul Bell (D-Newton) fell ill while overseas and has returned to the US for tests. Radio station KCOB in Newton has the details. [...]
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    Fetched: November 02, 2009, 3:14pm EST

  • About that speaking fee…

    Here's the latest on the on-going discussion about the Iowa Family Policy Center and Sarah Palin: 10/30/09 Pleasant Hill, IA - Iowa Family Policy Center ACTION received word this morning that Governor Sarah Palin is unable to accept our speaking invitation due to her book tour contractual commitments, which cannot be [...]
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    Fetched: October 30, 2009, 2:05pm EDT

  • Palin in Iowa on 11/21? Um, not

    The Iowa Family Policy Center tried (in my estimation) to smoke Sarah Palin out this week, releasing a public statement about their quest to get the former Alaska governor to speak at a big deal political event in Des Moines, Iowa on Saturday, November 21. That's the same evening Vice President Joe Biden [...]
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    Fetched: October 29, 2009, 10:18pm EDT

  • Candidates for House District 33 in Cedar Rapids

    The two major political parties have chosen their candidates for the House seat in Cedar Rapids vacated by Representative Dick Taylor's resignation.  Democrats in Linn County have chosen 32-year-old Kirsten Running-Marquardt, who has been active in party politics and currently works in Congressman Dave Loebsack's second district congressional office in Cedar [...]
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    Fetched: October 29, 2009, 10:18pm EDT

  • UPDATE: about 180 layoff notices approved today

    Here's the latest information from Governor Chet Culver's staff regarding the budget reductions in the executive branch the governor approved today.  Click here to read the spreadsheets.  Short version:  about 180 layoff notices will go out as a result of today's action. The governor, as you may know, hopes to avoid [...]
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    Fetched: October 28, 2009, 7:23pm EDT

  • Culver’s latest budget announcement, the 10.28.09 version

    UPDATE:  Here's the Radio Iowa story. Below is the "live blog" of this afternoon's news conference. Governor Chet Culver is due to start a news conference in a few minutes to announce decisions related to the 10 percnet, across-the-board cut in the executive branch that he ordered earlier this month.  As [...]
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    Fetched: October 28, 2009, 4:15pm EDT

  • King questions NFL “Commish” about Rush

    From the office of Congressman Steve King (R-Kiron, Iowa): During today’s House Judiciary Committee hearing, Congressman Steve King questioned NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on comments he made regarding Rush Limbaugh. [...]
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    Fetched: October 28, 2009, 4:15pm EDT

  • Learn a new word

    The word is acrostic.  An acrostic poem is one in which the first letter of each line spells out a word or words.  California's governor (or his staff) used an "acrostic-style" on a veto message -- to send a message to a certain state legislator in California.  Read The Atlantic's take [...]
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    Fetched: October 28, 2009, 1:24pm EDT

  • Trying to smoke Palin out?

    At 11:05 p.m. last night, the Iowa Family Policy Center's Bryan English emailed a news release, revealing the IFPC's "ACTION" arm is trying to land former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as a speaker for an event in four weeks.  (You can read the news release below.)  For those of you [...]
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    Fetched: October 28, 2009, 1:24pm EDT

  • Film Office Flap, Part XIX

    "We're trying to piece the thing together and really doing the best we can to unravel what can be called a complete mess." -- Eric Tabor, 10-27-09. I'm not sure if this is, indeed, part 19 of the state film office flap, but today Eric Tabor, the Iowa Attorney General's chief of staff, delivered [...]
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    Fetched: October 27, 2009, 9:16pm EDT

  • Have accordion, will travel

    Former State Representative Ed Fallon (D-Des Moines) -- the 2006 candidate for governor and 2008 candidate for congress who now heads a group called "I'M for Iowa: an Independence Movement for Iowa" -- sent an email to supporters today.  The subject line was "Musician for Hire" and you can read the' [...]
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    Fetched: October 26, 2009, 8:05pm EDT

  • Culver a “huge fan” of the Cyclones, Panthers, Bulldogs…

    Former teacher and coach Chet Culver -- Iowa's governor -- today tried to figuratively remove the football from his mouth.  Late Saturday night his staff issued a written statement on Culver's behalf.  It extended the governor's congratulations to the Iowa Hawkeyes for their stunning victory over Michigan State, a victory which [...]
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    Fetched: October 26, 2009, 8:05pm EDT

  • Harkin on public option being “in”

    Senator Tom Harkin issued a statement this afternoon on a developing story in D.C. : Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says the senate health care reform bill will include a so-called "public option."   The White House issued a statement, too (and the statement seems to confirm Harkin is not involved in internal [...]
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    Fetched: October 26, 2009, 5:05pm EDT

  • Weekend round up

    Jennifer Jacobs of The Des Moines Register conducted a poll -- of state agency directors.  She discovered a couple who do not plan to take the 10 percent salary reduction their boss/the governor said they would be taking.  Read her story, with "poll results" listing who those two directors are. The [...]
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    Fetched: October 25, 2009, 4:15pm EDT

  • Culver pay flap, in three parts

    If you've been following this saga, here's stage one. The Des Moines Register estimates the pay cut for Governor Chet Culver outlined in the budget documents filed yesterday amounts to 5.4 percent. Here's stage two.  Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, issues a statement, suggesting Culver should keep' [...]
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    Fetched: October 22, 2009, 1:06pm EDT

  • 11-07-09

    Saturday, November 7, 2009. That's the date of the first Republican gubernatorial candidate forum in which the new entrant in the competition -- former Governor Terry Branstad -- will participate.  It's the night of the fall fundraiser for the Republican Party of Iowa.  It's also the night "T-PAW" -- Minnesota Governor Tim' [...]
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    Fetched: October 22, 2009, 10:15am EDT

  • The little things

    Todd Dorman of The Cedar Rapids Gazette poured through the budget documents state agency directors submitted to the governor's office yesterday and which were released to the public this afternoon.  He found, for example, the gift shop in the State Historical Building will be closed. (Dorman admitted that the shop [...]
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    Fetched: October 21, 2009, 7:18pm EDT

  • Executive branch budget cut details released

    At 12:21 p.m. this afternoon Governor Chet Culver's staff released details of the 10 percent budget cut directors of executive branch agencies have drafted for each agency.  Here's the link. Bottom line:  1321 positions eliminated, leading to 791 layoffs as the other 529 positions are currently vacant -- unfilled by a [...]
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    Fetched: October 21, 2009, 2:05pm EDT

  • Delay in Data Drop; governor’s website crashes

    Governor Chet Culver's staff was to release details of the budget-cutting plans state agency directors submitted yesterday "by 11 o'clock" this morning, but it's 11:27 a.m. and nothing has been released yet.  The governor's website seems to have crashed, too, as a "Service Temporarily Unavailable" due to "maintenance downtime or capacity problems" is [...]
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    Fetched: October 21, 2009, 11:21am EDT

  • Skip Iowa? McCain didn’t

    More typing today on that world wide web thing about 2012 presidential candidates skipping Iowa's Republican Party Caucuses.  Marc Ambinder's thoughts are here. Craig Robinson of The Iowa Republican posts his thoughts here.  Last week, Tom Beaumont of The Des Moines Register fueled the "Romney will skip Iowa in 2012" speculation [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 8:13pm EDT

  • Boswell in Rose Garden

    President Obama today awarded a rare citation to a group called the "Blackhorse Regiment."  Congressman Leonard Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines who flew helicopter rescue missions in Vietnam, was there for the event.  Boswell was a career military man who, upon retirement with the rank of lieutenant colonel, returned [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 7:12pm EDT

  • Ternus family issues statement

    The chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court has issued her first public statement about the summertime bonfire/drinking party a neighbor complained about and a deputy sheriff discovered on the family's propery.  Her husband has paid a $65 fine and will be on probation for six months on a charge of harassment of [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 7:12pm EDT

  • Iowa Guard announcement

    Iowa National Guard leaders are assembling at the Iowa Guard's headquarters in Johnson for a 3 p.m. news conference at which they will announce a mobilization of Iowa Guard troops that is the largest since WWII deployments.  A news release handed out just before the start of the event confirms [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 3:21pm EDT

  • A history of across-the-board state budget cuts

    The Legislative Services Agency has issued a report about across-the-board cuts in the state budget with lots of details, history and three charts.  Since 1980, Iowa Governors have issued ten executive orders directing across-the-board budget reductions of the State’s General Fund budget due to mid-year projected shortfalls. Read the entire report here. [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 2:17pm EDT

  • Culver to Manly

    That's right.  Culver is going to Manly, Iowa, today.  It's part of a train ride promoting wind energy.  No, the train doesn't have a propeller.  Details below. As you may know, state agency directors have until the close of business today to submit their plans for cutting 10 percent in their agency' [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 2:17pm EDT

  • Defense Dept: sending Iowa Guard unit to Afghanistan

    According to this news release from the U.S. Department of Defense, it appears hundreds of Iowa Guard soldiers will be deployed to Afghanistan next year.  It's unclear how many Iowa Guard soldiers are being called to active duty.  A news conference is scheduled at 3pm at Iowa National Guard HQ to [...]
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    Fetched: October 20, 2009, 12:07pm EDT

  • Two head scratchers

    1.  I was in a public bathroom last week.  Two stalls.  Two sinks.  Two dispensers full of soap.  A sign on the mirror to encourage you to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water as a means of preventing the spread of H1N1.  One pump bottle of "hand sanitizer" [...]
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    Fetched: October 19, 2009, 11:22am EDT

  • Reaction to Branstad 2010

    Democrats held a news conference immediately following Terry Branstad's media event at Des Moines University on Friday afternoon.  Tyler Olson, a state representative from Cedar Rapids, offered up this, describing his "trip" from Cedar Rapids to Des Moines on Friday: "I got in the car this morning and it was 2009  and'" [...]
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    Fetched: October 17, 2009, 3:05pm EDT

  • Branstad hears “bigger calling”

    I was going to "live blog" former Governor Terry Branstad's news conference at Des Moines University earlier this afternoon, but my cell card wouldn't work.  Instead, I'll be posting my notes far below, but FIRST, here's what happened right after someone said,"Last question," reporters Dave Price of WHO-TV and Tom Beaumont [...]
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    Fetched: October 16, 2009, 5:14pm EDT

  • “Perhaps” union contracts will be renegotiated

    Governor Chet Culver is the guest on tonight's "Iowa Press" program.  It airs at 7:30 p.m. on Iowa Public Television and is rebroadcast on Sunday at 11:30 a.m.  Culver addressed a variety of budget issues, the film office situation and Terry Branstad's reentry into politics. Here's the Radio Iowa story about what' [...]
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    Fetched: October 16, 2009, 4:13pm EDT

  • Branstad announcement @ 1pm Friday

    A news release issued moments ago by Des Moines University indicates DMU president Terry Branstad, the former, four-term Iowa governor, will make an announcement at 1 p.m. Friday. "Des Moines University President Terry E. Branstad will make an announcement related to his future with the University. He will take questions," the [...]
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    Fetched: October 15, 2009, 10:06am EDT

  • More details on 10% cut in legislative branch

    The governor's 10 percent across-the-board cut applies to the executive branch of state government.  There are two other branches, however.  The chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court, head of the judicial branch, plans a similar 10 percent reduction. Leaders of the legislative branch of state government said last week they'd cut' [...]
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    Fetched: October 14, 2009, 6:16pm EDT

  • Chief justice’s husband to go to trial on “interference” charge

    Charlotte Eby of Lee Enterprises Newspapers in Iowa gets the scoop.  Here's a link to Eby's story on The Cedar Rapids Gazette website, per Lee/Gazette sharing agreement. Dennis Drake is the husband of Iowa Supreme Court Justice Marsha Ternus.  A deputy went to the Drake/Ternus property this summer to investigate a complaint about noise [...]
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    Fetched: October 14, 2009, 5:05pm EDT

  • Governor cuts his own salary by 10%

    Governor Chet Culver used his authority to order a 10 percent, across-the-board cut in the state budget last week.  Today, Culver's announcing his own pay will be cut, too. GOVERNOR CULVER CUTS HIS OWN SALARY BY TEN PERCENT DES MOINES – Governor Chet Culver announced today that, as state government begins work [...]
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    Fetched: October 14, 2009, 5:05pm EDT

  • Mari Culver & Maria Shriver

    The first ladies of Iowa and California have met.  John Culver, Iowa First Lady Mari Culver's father-in-law, was a close friend of Ted Kennedy, the uncle of California First Lady Maria Shriver.  In 2000, for example, Mari & Chet Culver went to a party Maria Shriver threw when the Democratic National Convention was held in L.A.  Both [...]
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    Fetched: October 14, 2009, 1:04pm EDT

  • “The Fix” on two Iowa Republicans

    Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post puts Grassley on his "losers" list in this morning's Fix.  Cilizza (author of "The Fix") also focuses on Matt Strawn, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa, in this post. [...]
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    Fetched: October 14, 2009, 1:04pm EDT

  • Christie Vilsack: “I’m well-qualified.”

    UPDATE:  Here's the Radio Iowa story. Christie Vilsack, wife of former Governor Tom Vilsack, spoke with WHO-TV's Dave Price earlier this afternoon.  Price asked if she was the "mystery candidate" who would emerge to seek the Democratic Party's 2010 nomination for the U.S. Senate and the change to face-off against U.S.' [...]
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    Fetched: October 13, 2009, 7:16pm EDT

  • Health care bill advances, Iowa senators react

    The Senate Finance Committee passed its version of health care reform today.   It passed with 14 "yes" votes -- 13 came from the 13 Democrats on the committee. The 14th came from Senator Olympia Snowe, a Republican from Maine.  Senator Charles Grassley (R-New Hartford, Iowa) -- the top-ranking Republican on the [...]
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    Fetched: October 13, 2009, 7:16pm EDT

  • Date set for special election in Cedar Rapids

    The governor has set the date for the special election in the Cedar Rapids area to replace State Representative Dick Taylor, a Democrat who resigned yesterday.  The district is not considered a competitive one, but is seen as solid Democratic.  Rep. Taylor won reelection in 2008 with 70 percent of [...]
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    Fetched: October 13, 2009, 4:21pm EDT

  • Vilsack declines to answer “Christie Vilsack 2010″ question

    U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack, the former Iowa governor, made two public appearances in Des Moines this morning.  The first, at the 13th annual Community Food Security Coalition" convention, marked the first time an ag secretary has visited the event.  It also was remarkable for another reason: Vilsack got booed, as you" [...]
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    Fetched: October 13, 2009, 4:21pm EDT

  • Another Branstad sign: a campaign manager

    Former Governor Terry Branstad has a campaign manager, should he decide to run for a fifth term.   It's Jeff Boeyink, a former Iowans for Tax Relief executive who has been serving as executive director of the Republican Party of Iowa for the past eight months.  UPDATE: I just spoke with [...]
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    Fetched: October 13, 2009, 10:05am EDT

  • Iowa First?

    A post on FiveThirtyEight by Tom Shaller reviews the discussion of changes in the primary/caucus system at a weekend forum.  The discussion was sponsored by the Brookings Institution, which wrote a press release in advance but does not have anything on their website about the event itself.  I did a quick [...]
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    Fetched: October 12, 2009, 3:05pm EDT

  • State rep. from Cedar Rapids resigns

    Just into the newsroom:  a state legislator from Cedar Rapids has resigned.  Taylor's 46-year-old son, a Linn County deputy,  died tragically this summer.  The Cedar Rapids Gazette's James Q. Lynch talked with Taylor.  Taylor told Lynn Campbell of IowaPolitics.com that his wife has fallen ill, and he is the primary care [...]
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    Fetched: October 12, 2009, 3:05pm EDT

  • Latham on “bickering”

    Congressman Tom Latham (R-Ames, Iowa) was the guest on this past weekend's "Iowa Press" on IPTV.  He talked a bit about the "bickering" in Washington (a recurring theme for him).  At the top of the show, he answered questions from AP's Mike Glover about "FARM PAC" -- Latham's leadership PAC.  FARM stands' [...]
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    Fetched: October 12, 2009, 1:06pm EDT

  • A new state song?

    Maya Angelou spoke this evening at Drake University.  She recited two poems, one of which was "The Health Food Diner."  It is a celebration of meat -- steak, roast, breaded veal, etc. At the conclusion of her speech, Drake University president David Maxwell came on stage to formally thank Angelou and [...]
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    Fetched: October 08, 2009, 10:07pm EDT
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