Category: Fear and Loathing in Iowa

Iowa Notebook: Romney Coming to Town; Pawlenty and the ‘Plausible Chance’ Trick

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DES MOINES, Iowa
Mitt Romney will be the featured guest at a “Road to the White House Republican House Party” in Des Moines this evening. That starts at 5 p.m. and then at 7 p.m. Tim Pawlenty has a rally in Ames. It’s a 45-minute drive from Des Moines to Ames, so as long as I leave the Romney event by 6, I’ll have plenty of time to get to the Pawlenty event. So those are my campaign events for today. ABC News notes Romney’s long absence from Iowa:

Romney has not spent the summer attending an endless series of campaign events like many of his fellow contenders (he’s been concentrating on fundraising) and he’s taken heat for staying a little too above-the-fray on important national issues. (He didn’t take a position on the debt ceiling deal, for example, until the last-minute.)
He’s also largely avoided the highways and dusty country roads of Iowa that candidates like Tim Pawlenty, Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Herman Cain have been crisscrossing for weeks. Romney’s last visit to Iowa was in May.

If you want know why Americans hate journalists, look no further than this story by Alexander Burns and Maggie Haberman in Politico:

He’s spent a seven-figure sum and the bulk of his time on the campaign trail courting the Iowa grassroots. Operatives call his expansive Iowa organization the best in the state.
As the only mainstream Republican candidate actively competing in the Ames straw poll — thanks to Mitt Romney’s decision to skip the event and Rick Perry’s presidential race slow-walk—Tim Pawlenty may never have a better opportunity to break through in the 2012 campaign than this Saturday.
With so much firepower behind Pawlenty and so few candidates who have a plausible chance at coming out ahead, Hawkeye State politicos say Ames will be a potentially campaign-changing test of the Minnesotan’s strength.
But if Pawlenty fails to deliver, it will be a grim — and possibly fatal — omen for his underfunded presidential bid.

Who anointed Burns and Haberman with the authority to declare which Republicans are “mainstream” and “have a plausible chance”? Is it their place to decide that, e.g., Michele Bachmann is not a “mainstream Republican” and therefore doesn’t “have plausible chance”? There will be many thousands of Iowa Republicans at the Ames Straw Poll who will cast their ballots for candidates who evidently don’t merit the “mainstream” sobriquet which Burns and Haberman consider themselves uniquely fit to bestow.

And this “plausible chance” trick would not be nearly so insulting if we didn’t know in our hearts — and we do know it, don’t we? — that both Burns and Haberman (like practically everyone else at Politico) voted for Obama in 2008 and intend to vote for Obama again in 2012, so that we have partisan Democrats telling us which Republicans are “mainstream” and “plausible.” Meanwhile, here’s the lead of my latest column:

DES MOINES — Tim Albrecht likes to tell a joke about an Iowa Republican being asked whether he’s going to support a certain presidential candidate in the Ames Straw Poll. “I don’t know,” the Iowan replies. “I’ve only met him twice.”
The joke by Albrecht, spokesman for the state’s popular Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, refers to how accustomed Iowans are to being personally solicited for their support in this state whose first-in-the-nation caucuses have long been a crucial proving ground for presidential candidates. While most Americans go their entire lives without ever meeting a serious candidate for the nation’s highest office, campaigning here is a face-to-face business where voters expect to shake hands and talk directly with those who seek their votes.
That tradition of old-fashioned politicking is what the Ames Straw Poll is all about, which explains why some Iowa Republicans seem a bit miffed by Texas Gov. Rick Perry’s long-rumored entry into the 2012 presidential field. Last week I began calling him the “Phantom Menace” of Iowa because, like the sinister Sith of the “Star Wars” series, he seems omnipresent even though he is far away.  Ads promoting Perry’s candidacy have been running in fairly heavy rotation on Iowa TV recently, and his shadow campaign has been soliciting write-in votes for Saturday’s straw poll. However, the governor himself hasn’t yet stumped here, while the other GOP candidates have been frenetically crisscrossing the state imploring Iowans to “join me here in Ames,” as Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann says in  her own TV ads. . . .

Read the rest at The American Spectator. And while I make no claim to rate as a “mainstream Republican” on the Burns-Haberman Scale, I think there is a “plausible chance” you’ll hit the tip jar.





Just as a final note: I’m meeting today with Will Upton of Americans for Tax Reform, who flew into Des Moines today to attend a Wednesday morning meeting of Iowa conservative leaders. Will called me after he landed at the Des Moines Airport and reports that Mitt Romney was on his American Eagle commuter flight into town: “He was in coach with the rest of us!”

Oh — and Ladd Ehlinger Jr. is coming to town to meet with a potential client.


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Meanwhile, on the Cain Campaign …

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DES MOINES, Iowa
Because of my late return from Monday’s event in Council Bluffs — I didn’t get back here until nearly 3 a.m. Tuesday morning — I decided to skip the road trip today, and only made one brief outing to the state capitol where I saw the Rick Perry supporters. So I missed the Herman Cain campaign’s Tuesday travels, but my former Washington Times colleague Susan Ferrechio, now with the Washington Examiner, caught up with the “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour:

Cain attracted a large crowd in Cedar Falls, with more than 100 people crowding into a hotel conference room to hear the former Godfather Pizza CEO talk about his plans to turn the economy around and create jobs by cutting taxes and reversing some of the policies put in place by the Democrats, including the health care reform law. . . .
These days, Cain is doubling his efforts here, campaigning non-stop across the Hawkeye State this week with three and four stops each day. . . .
“Some of the other folks may outspend me,” Cain pledged, “but they are not going to outwork me.”

Ferrechio’s story is mainly a harsh bummer, full of doom-and-gloom poll numbers purporting to show Cain’s Iowa support in the single digits. Meanwhile in Davenport, Ed Tibbetts of the Quad City Times reports:

Saying his rivals are trying to “stack the count,” Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain urged supporters in Davenport to “crank it up a notch” before the straw poll Saturday.
“Some of the other candidates, they’re going to be busing folk in, having them parachute in, anything they can do to try to stack the count,” Cain said in a speech outside the Masonic Temple in Davenport. “We’re more concerned about the intensity of our supporters. We want you to be there because you want to be there.”
The straw poll, a fundraiser for the state GOP, has long been seen as an organizational effort for presidential candidates, with campaigns, particularly those that are well-funded, paying for the tickets of supporters and busing them to Ames for the event.
Cain later told reporters he wasn’t suggesting the other candidates were doing anything illegitimate but that his approach is different.
“If they want to do it that way, that’s fine,” he said. “I prefer for my supporters to be there because they want to be there. And I happen to believe they’re going to turn out in big numbers.”

And in Cedar Rapids (not to be confused with Cedar Falls) there was a reunion of sorts:

Cain was introduced to a crowd of about 80 people by Keith Lacie and his son, Gunnar. Lacie began working for Godfather’s Pizza, the company Cain once owned, more than two decades ago. Lacie started sweeping the restaurant floors, and now, owns two Godfather’s Pizza stores in Cedar Rapids.
“I used to work for Herman Cain. Now, I want him to work for me,” Lacie said, endorsing Cain’s candidacy for president.

Wednesday the “Common Sense Solutions” tour continues across the north side of the state, with stops in Clear Lake, Rock Rapids and Okoboji. I’m still trying to catch up with Tim Pawlenty’s campaign, and he’ll have a rally in Ames at 7 p.m. Wednesday, so I’ll figure to go to that. During the day, I’ll probably drop by Iowa GOP headquarters and do some research leading up to Thursday’s Fox News debate.

Today’s most eye-catching Iowa headline is from Craig Robinson of TheIowaRepublican.com: “Perry’s South Carolina Announcement Is A Slap In the Face to Iowa Republicans.” Some readers have been upset by my use of “The Phantom Menace” to describe Perry’s campaign strategy, but as Robinson explains, many Iowans feel that the Texas governor has dissed them.

Young Minions of the Sith Lord of Texas UPDATE: Perry Coming to Iowa Sunday

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DES MOINES, Iowa
For the past several days I’ve been referring to the prospective Rick Perry 2012 candidacy as the “Phantom Menace” looming over the Ames Straw Poll. Today I unexpectedly encountered the menace in the form of perky Texas coeds in burnt orange “Americans for Rick Perry” T-shirts:

While I’m usually very much pro-coed — especially the perky Texas kind — the appearance of these girls in Des Moines clearly represents a disturbance in The Force. Don’t doubt my Jedi senses on this one, folks. I’m getting spooky vibes. Readers will remember that I wrote Friday:

My phone just rang with a tip from a source who says his Texas sources tell him that Rick Perry is going to unofficially announce this weekend that he’s going to make an official announcement next week.

That tip was just slightly off as to the timing: The unofficial announcement came Monday via a Politico story. Now, let me ask you something: Why would a Republican save a big exclusive like that for Politico, while a conservative journalist like me was left to rely on secondhand (if quite accurate) rumors?

This is just one of those tiny little things, perhaps utterly insignficant, but perhaps an ill omen. Yeah, I know political journalists aren’t supposed to believe in “omens.” Still, there’s something vaguely . . . hinky about the way Perry’s stealth campaign has been operating here in Iowa.

Call me crazy. Attribute my forebodings of doom to irrational prejudice. Say what you will, and I don’t care, but I felt a need to put on the record my instinctive sense that there’s something fundamentally wrong about the Perry campaign. And if Jan. 20, 2013, brings the joyous inauguration of President Perry, then you can say my fears were mistaken. Yet I can’t shake my gut hunch is that it won’t work out that way. Some kind of catastrophe will result, one way or another.

Anyway, my apologies to any Rick Perry fans whose mellow has been harshed by these gloomy reflections. Here’s my video inteview of the perky Texas coeds Minions of the Sith Lord:

Oh — almost forgot: They were on hand for what had been billed as an event at the state capitol featuring Tim Pawlenty. I showed up a few minutes late, and Pawlenty had already split the scene, having refused to answer questions from reporters. But these Texas girls were still there and, after I finished getting them on video, I couldn’t resist the temptation to tell them: “We killed your quarterback. Roll Tide!”

UPDATE: Be afraid. Be very afraid!

Texas Governor Rick Perry will make a his first trip to Iowa Sunday, Perry’s campaign confirms.
Perry will speak at a fundraiser hosted by the Black Hawk County Republicans in Waterloo, Iowa, just one day after he gives a speech in which intends to make clear he will seek the presidency.
The Texas governor’s trip to the Hawkeye state will round out a tour of key early primary and caucus states for the 2012 election. He begins the weekend in South Carolina, speaking at the RedState Gathering, a conference for conservative bloggers and privately meets with GOP leaders in South Carolina.
Perry will then fly to New Hampshire for a house party hosted by state Rep. Pamela Tucker to meet Granite State Republicans in Greenland.

Which means that I’ll need to stay here through Sunday. Which means you’ll need to hit the tip jar.


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The Cain Train Keeps Rolling

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Herman Cain speaks at Monday’s rally in Council Bluffs.

Last night there was no time to blog about the late-afternoon Herman Cain rally at Bayliss Park in Council Bluffs. Dave Weigel, who had been there for Michele Bachmann’s earlier event, said Cain actually drew a slightly larger crowd than Bachmann. But I didn’t have time to blog it, because I was working on my American Spectator column:

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — Lois Vanderbur drove 30 miles from her home in Mapleton to attend Herman Cain’s event Monday in Denison. When the event was over, she went to eat at a nearby McDonald’s, where I overheard her tell her friend Rose Wolden: “Obama was an hour late for his speech and promised to raise taxes, and then the Dow fell 550 points.”
Mrs. Vanderbur, 68, is a very well-informed grandmother. When I asked her about the stock market tumble, she whipped out her iPhone, called up the latest numbers and told me that the Dow Jones Industrial Average had, in fact, closed at 10,809.85 for a one-day loss of 634.67 points. Forget all that stereotypical talk about Iowans being a bunch of ignorant hicks from flyover country. Their state’s most famous product is still corn — and the cornfields here are better measured by the square mile than by the acre — but the first-in-the-nation Iowa Caucuses have made politics at least the state’s second-most important export, and few Americans are more civic-minded than a politically active Iowan.
Mrs. Vanderbur and Mrs. Wolden were among more than 60 area residents who crowded into Cronk’s Café in downtown Denison for Cain’s mid-afternoon event, the second stop on his statewide “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour. . . .

Please read the whole thing at The American Spectator. And here are a couple more photos from the Council Bluffs rally:


I’m in Des Moines today, and am taking the day away from the Cain campaign to catch up with Tim Pawlenty, who will speak at the state capitol this morning. Please hit the tip jar!

Denison: Overflow Crowd Hears Herman Cain Slam Obama: ‘That’s Not Leadership!’

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DENISON, Iowa
Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain today denounced as “pathetic” the response of President Obama and other Democrats to the recent downgrade of U.S. credit.

“Today, the president, Senator [John] Kerry and other Democrats now want to blame somebody for the credit downgrade – other than themselves,” Cain told a standing-room only crowd at Crunk’s Café here. “They control the Senate. They control the White House. Obama’s Treasury secretary [Tim Geithner] is in charge of the Treasury. Now they are trying to blame the Tea Party movement for the downgrade. How pathetic is that? That’s not leadership, folks – that’s not leadership.“

Cain’s campaign team was pleased with the strong attendance for the event here on the second stop of the Atlanta businessman’s “Common Sense Solutions” tour of Iowa leading up to the Aug. 13 Ames Straw Poll. After filling up the banquet room where Cain spoke, attendees sat outside the door of the room in the main dining area of Crunk’s, a local landmark here in Denison. Cain’s Iowa campaign director, Larry Tuel, credited Crawford County coordinator Gwen Eckland for the overflow crowd.

A longtime restaurant executive and former CEO of Godfather’s Pizza, Cain’s remarks at Denison echoed criticisms of the Obama administration he made in his latest column:

Immediately following the debt ceiling debacle, the White House announced that the president will take a three-day bus tour through the Midwest to hear people’s concerns about the economy, and talk about measures to boost economic growth and job creation.
Is President Obama that out of touch? . . .
After the president’s tour, we will get another speech. He will once again promise his laser-like focus on economic growth and job creation. We have heard this speech many times before only to get the same results. More talk, talk, talk.
I have been traveling the country and listening to people for the last year, and I can tell you their concerns and fears. Namely, the economy is stuck in neutral and the president’s policies of spend, spend, spend are not working. Since the president has not put forth any new ideas to boost economic growth and job creation, people also know that nothing is going to change simply because he is going to do another tour and give some more speeches.
Mr. President, speeches do not fuel the economic engine of this economy, which is the business sector. And speeches are not going to reduce the latest unemployment rate of 9.1 percent, nor will they ease the pain of the nearly 15 million people who can’t find jobs because your administration wants to raise taxes and continue your regulatory onslaught on American businesses. . . .

Cain will speak this evening during a rally at Bayliss Park in Council Bluffs. The complete schedule for his “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour is here.

Sioux City: Herman Cain Begins Iowa Bus Tour With Noon Speech to Jewish Group

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa
Herman Cain just arrived at Eldon’s Restaurant aboard his spiffy new tour bus:

This event is sponsored by the Sioux City Jewish Coaliton. I asked one of the staffers, “Do they have a significant Jewish population in Sioux City?” But the answer was a mystified shrug. Anyway, here is a video tour of the Cain “Common Sense Solutions” bus, inside and out:

I’ll have a report on Cain’s speech later. Right now, he’s meeting backstage with local supporters. Here are a few photos:

Dale Petersen, Cain’s agriculture issues adviser, and Larry Tuel, Cain’s Iowa state director, in the parking lot of the hotel before the start of the bus tour. The hotel was actually in South Sioux City, Nebraska, so you could say that Cain is the first 2012 Republican candidate to visit Nebraska.

Cain’s chief of staff Mark Block behind the scenes at the Sioux City event. I said, “Mark, you look worried.” He said, “The’s just my game face.”

Volunteers staff the welcome table at the Sioux City event.

The compelete schedule for the “Common Sense Solutions” Iowa bus tour is here.

UPDATE: Cain was greeted with a standing ovation by the 60-70 people in attendance. Discussing the tour schedule — which takes a day off Thursday for “debate prep” for the Fox News debate in Ames — Herman Cain said, “You know what I do when I prepare for a debate? I pray.”

You can support Herman Cain at “A Real Leader.”

UPDATE II: Some more photos:

The attendance at the Jewish Coalition luncheon was impressive.

Cain starts his speech. While he was discussing his opposition to the 2009 financial regulation legislation, sponsored by Sen. Chris Dodd and Rep. Barney Frank, Cain said: “Here’s two other problems I have with the Dodd-Frank bill — Dodd and Frank.”

Cain talks to an Iowa newspaper reporter while, at left, his campaign staffer Nathan Naidu waits. The speech ran long and dozens of people wanted to have their photo taken with the candidate, which had the staff slightly panicked about keeping on schedule to their next event in Denison.

Speaking of schedules, I’m running late myself, so that’s it from Sioux City. Hit the freaking tip jar!

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Fear and Loathing: From Sioux City to Council Bluffs With the Herman Cain Bus

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SIOUX CITY, Iowa
OK, no more messing around. Time to get seriously into gonzo as I hit the road following Herman Cain’s “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour across the state. Three stops today, covering 150 miles:

11 a.m. Eldon’s Restaurant
3322 Singing Hills Blvd., Sioux City, Iowa
Sioux City Jewish Coalition meeting

2:45 p.m. Cronk’s Cafe’
812 4th Ave. South, Denison, Iowa

5:15 p.m. Bayliss Park
530 1st Ave., Council Bluffs, Iowa

You can read the complete schedule here. My opportunities for Internet access may be limited, so just in case I don’t have the opportunity to say it again today: Hit the freaking tip jar!

Are You Ready for Tonight’s ‘CainCast’?

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Press release from the Herman Cain campaign:

“CainCast,” a weekly Internet radio show offering an inside look at Herman Cain’s presidential campaign, will premiere at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Sunday, August 7, 2011.
“CainCast” will be hosted by Friends of Herman Cain Communications Director Ellen Carmichael and Director of New Media Michael Johnson. The hosts will be joined by special guests, and the program will run for 30 minutes. Listeners can submit questions through the “chat-room” function.
“Our aim is to be an extension of Mr. Cain using a dynamic platform that engages supporters and press,” Johnson said. “This is yet another fun and innovative approach to utilizing new media in our campaign.”
This week’s “CainCast” will broadcast live from Sioux City, Iowa, as the Herman Cain campaign prepares to embark on its “Common Sense Solutions” bus tour throughout the state, leading up to the FOX News debate and straw poll in Ames. Listeners can tune in Sunday evening by visiting http://www.blogtalkradio.com/caincast

OK, so that’s 7:30 p.m. ET — something new and different and I’ll be interested to see how it works. The call-in number is 714-816-4675, although I think they’re mainly expecting listen input via their online chatroom. Me? I’ll be here in my cheap motel room pounding away on deadline, so readers should go check it out tonight and then tell me how you think it went.

Listen to internet radio with CainCast on Blog Talk Radio