More Vander Lincoln

Republican candidate for governor Bob Vander Plaats received anendorsement today from state Rep. Kent Sorenson or Indianola. This is a big deal, according to the Vander Plaats campaign.

Endorsement press releases usually include glowing praise of the endorsed by the endorser. But Sorenson is more enthusiastic than most:

Like Bob Vander Plaats I have had enough of renegade courts defining for us what is right and wrong and overturning our laws on fundamental issues like traditional marriage. Bob has vowed to fight them with a boldness not seen since Abraham Lincoln stood up against slavery and the Dred Scott opinion.

What is it with this Lincoln = Vander Plaats stuff? It's like a bad penny.

It's also funny, in a disturbing misunderstanding of history sort of way. Or maybe it's a how nuts do you have to be to think you're like Lincoln sort of way. Tough to say.

For one thing, it's a boneheaded read on history. Vander Plaats' fight against marriage equity does not make him Lincoln. It actually makes him a modern-day Stephen Douglas.

Douglas, who Lincoln famously debated and eventually beat in the 1860 presidential election, championed  "popular sovereignty," which sought to allow states to decide for themselves whether they would be free or slave, without federal interference. So, essentially, minority rights would be determined by majority rule. It was slavery appeasement that could be wrapped in fancy talk about power to the people.

Sounds a lot like what Vander Plaats would like to see happen on the question of marriage equity in Iowa - a majority vote on minority rights. And it's all about your right to vote. It is, as far as you know.

As for Dred Scott, the U.S. Supreme Court essentially declared that slaves and even their descendants were property ineligible for the rights of citizenship. Comparing that infamous, 152-year-old court ruling to a 2009 state court decision that provides gays and lesbians access to marriage rights is a ridiculous leap.

It's one thing to support Vander Plaats and his crusade. Fine. Dandy.

But please stop with the Lincoln comparisons. Next I suppose we'll find out Vander Plaats did his math homework as a boy on a coal shovel and loves to split rails. And hey, they're both tall!

Here's Vander Plaats' entire release:

SORENSON ANNOUNCES SUPPORT FOR VANDER PLAATS“If Branstad's record is the party establishment's idea of what being a 21st century Republican is then it's obvious they haven't learned anything from their losses in recent elections. If we want to beat Chet Culver, we have to offer voters something different than Chet Culver,” Sorenson wrote. “It's obvious based on Branstad's recent complaints about a ‘confrontational right' that his campaign is based on country club nostalgia for a bygone era. I take great offense at the idea that we should just roll over and play nice while (Senate Democratic Leader) Mike Gronstaldenies us the right to vote on a marriage amendment, local sheriffs try to deny our Second Amendment rights, and illegal immigrants drive down wages while driving up the cost of the welfare state. You're darn right we're confrontational when our freedoms, traditions, and liberties are being taken from us. We need a governor that understands that and will fight the good fight with us!”

Indianola lawmaker: “Under no circumstances will I vote for Terry Branstad or Chet Culver”

INDIANOLA – State Rep. Kent Sorenson today announced his support for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bob Vander Plaats, saying the Sioux City businessman epitomizes the American ideal of a citizen-servant who will take bold stands to defend Iowans against an overreaching, activist judiciary.

In an open letter to Iowans, Sorenson noted that he respects the three other Republicans running for governor but added, “What impresses me the most about Bob, and why I chose to endorse him, is that he is the candidate most willing to take on the system and stand up for our rights.”

He continued, “Like Bob Vander Plaats I have had enough of renegade courts defining for us what is right and wrong and overturning our laws on fundamental issues like traditional marriage. Bob has vowed to fight them with a boldness not seen since Abraham Lincoln stood up against slavery and the Dred Scott opinion. That's why Bob has also earned the endorsement of constitutional scholars like Michael Farris of Patrick Henry College and David Barton of Wall Builders.”

Sorenson, who unseated a long-term Democratic incumbent in House District 74 in 2008 with a remarkably effective grassroots campaign and little help from the GOP establishment, is running this year for the Iowa Senate in District 37. He quickly took on a high profile within the House GOP caucus in 2009, traveling the state to discuss issues such as the state budget, the right to keep and bear arms, traditional marriage, and the impact of activist judges.

“Some of you may have heard that the establishment in my own party has brought Terry Branstad out of retirement to run for a fifth term as governor. Terry Branstad has always been kind to me, and is a respected figure in our party. Yet I have probably traveled this state more recently than he has, and I've heard from so many of you that are tired of career politicians,” Sorenson wrote. “To a lot of you out there in the grassroots nothing smacks of elitism more than thinking anybody ought to be governor for 20 years. I fear that by nominating someone viewed by many as a career politician who hasn't run a race in 15 years, the Republican Party may end up snatching defeat from the jaws of victory next November.”

Sorensonurged his supporters to “resolve to never cast one more vote for career politicians who stay in power so long it's hard to tell which party they belong to.”

“The first step to doing that is on June 8, which is the primary election day in Iowa. In the past, too many of us have waited until the fall to get involved in elections, and then realize that we're not really satisfied with either party's option,” he wrote. “We need to look for candidates that share our values. … I believe Bob shares my convictions, and he's not a career politician. In fact, he's worked as a local high school principal and he ran a non-profit business that took care of people with disabilities. He's from Main Street, Iowa. He's not beholden to those who write big checks to both political parties hoping for a seat at the table no matter who wins, and he's Chuck Norris approved!”

Among Sorenson's concerns about Branstad's candidacy are the fact the former governor had signed the largest tax increase in state history, overseen the growth of state government while the state population had been static, appointed justices who ruled in favor of same-sex marriage and that he would not “stand up to the courts like Bob Vander Plaats has promised to, is willing to let the courts make law and have the final say and not we the people, just like Culver.”