Ted Cruz’s imported volunteers

Recently, we found out from the Ted Cruz for President campaign that they are renting a bunch of apartments in Des Moines to 'house volunteers it is importing from outside of Iowa to work on the campaign.'

They say that 500 some volunteers, mostly from Texas, will come to Iowa and work for Cruz.

'Iowa HATES carpetbaggers, Steffen,” texted a prominent, smart, Republican campaign expert who happens to be a friend of mine.

'The question is, doesn't he have enough actual, 'real” Iowa volunteers to canvass and campaign for him?” queried a Republican legislator, a former student of mine at Iowa State University. 'Stef, this is an easy bull's-eye for Marco Rubio or Trump because 'busing in people to Iowa” is the WORST thing a candidate can do - remember the Ames Straw Poll!?”

Some of these out-of-towner candidates don't seem to know Iowa very well. I agree that busing in people leaves a very bad taste in Iowan's mouths. It's typical of the condescending attitude of many folks outside of the state that we are a 'bunch of rubes who just fell off the turnip wagon” as they used to say. The reporting from 'Caucusland” reflects this theme - cornfields, hay bales, butter cows, meats on a stick, and deep-fried Fair Food are the image of Iowa that outsiders seem to like. Even we Iowan's reinforce that with theme political ads of politicians castrating hogs something which may be cool in the Hawkeye State but is definitely repulsive in many other parts of the country.

A second astonishing thing about Cruz's 'ApartmentGate” is that the Texan seems to think that Des Moines is the only place in Iowa worth staying. The apartments are in the defunct campus of AIB College. Does that spell bad karma, as a friend of mine very familiar with Iowa caucus campaigns has noted?

I mean there is Cedar Rapids, Sioux City, Council Bluffs, Davenport, to mention only a few important Iowa destinations. There are 947 incorporated cities in Iowa and they all expect to be part of the action. Oh sure, I heard Cruz say he will do a Full Grassley, now also known as a Full Santorum, and hit all 99 Iowa counties. But somehow setting up residency in the 'River of the Monks” - the origin of the name - seems tone deaf.

Some of my focus group members (they are all Iowans but many live in other states) have said that it's surprising Trump has not waved Cruz's official, government-issued and certified, birth certificate. Remember Cruz was not born in the United States but born in Calgary, Alberta.

Yes Cruz can run for president it seems, because his mom was American. That's not the point. The birth certificate show's he's Canadian born. If Trump can conjure up thousands of Muslims dancing on New Jersey rooftops and he can call for ban of all Muslim immigrants, he should be able to easily conjure up the idea that Cruz is not constitutionally qualified to run for president because he's not 'natural born.”

Section 1, Article two of the U.S. Constitution says 'No person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President.”

Most Americans don't think someone born in Canada with a Cuban father is 'natural born.” The Supreme Court has never directly addressed the question so it's a perfect political football.

' Steffen Schmidt is professor of political science at Iowa State University and CEO of SEAS LLC consulting. Comments: steffenschmidt2005@gmail.com