ChetChase 2010 - The Week, The Poll

The race for governor, all cut up so you don't choke.

1. Congress, I can't quit ya --U.S. Rep. Steve King isn't going to run for governor, even though Iowa has gone to hell in a hand-basket, according to his statement this week:

Iowa is drowning in a pool of nearly a billion dollars of red ink. Seven activist supreme court judges have defied the will of Iowans while our state's taxes and regulations swallow so much production Iowa is at a competitive disadvantage in the Midwest and nationally. We are a rich state with poor leadership. Iowa needs a competent governor who will stick to principle and put us back on a prosperous and family friendly path.

But not me!

King is staying in Congress where he can save the country from falling headlong  into "into the abyss far to the left of liberalism." 

Don't go in there. It's dark. And everyone has health care.

Anyway, King is now "a vocal conservative leader, ranked by the U.S. News and World Report in the top five in the nation as an effective critic of President Obama's policies." (A  mixup also made him the no. 1 small college in the Midwest). And the governor of Iowa doesn't get to hang out with world famous pundits like Michelle Malkin (pictured with the King above). Hannity has King on speed-dial.

Still, this was a disappointing announcement. For one thing, a Culver-King match up would have been great political theater, offering Iowans a clear choice in leadership. Also, now I'm stuck with a thousand "Lugnut vs. Wingnut...We're All Screwed Either Way" T-shirts. Dang.

2. Where Have You Behn All My Life?-- State Sen. Jerry Behn formally announced his candidacy for governor this week. He immediately drew sharp distinctions from other GOP hopefuls by saying the government spends too much, taxes are too high and gays shouldn't get married. From Covering Iowa Politics:

“I think the whole thing is about jobs and job creation,” said Behn, 55, a Boone County grain farmer for 35 years and four-term state senator who Tuesday officially joined a growing field of candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor in 2010.

Behn, who previously served as a county supervisor, said he is running to restore fiscal restraint to state government, improve the business climate, bring “common-sense” solutions to issues facing Iowa, and change the direction first-term Democratic Gov. Chet Culver has taken the state since January 2007.

“Right now, the state is facing a massive deficit because of excess spending. The common sense answer is we need to cut spending,” he said. “If we continue to overspend, there will be little alternatives other than a tax increase.”

Radio Iowa's O. Kay Henderson notes that Behn gave interviews to her, The Gazette and a few other media outlets before sitting down with The Des Moines Register and suddenly remembering that he wants to eliminate the state income tax.

He also wants to get rid of Tom Vilsack's Grow Iowa Values Fund and Culver's Iowa Power Fund. He would then have any mention of both governors redacted from all state documents. Kidding about the last part.

On a related note, Behn finished last in a State Fair straw poll.

3. All the News That's Fit to Fong - In a glaring tactical error, GOP hopeful Christian Fong freely admitted to Republican primary voters Friday that he reads The New York Times.

The Times carried a story on its front page Friday detailing Cedar Rapids' continued struggle to recover from flooding.  Culver was apparently asked how the state is dealing with the feeling that Iowa's big disaster has been neglected by the powers that be:

“We're not making a lot of noise about it,” said Gov. Chet Culver, a Democrat, reflecting on a sense of Midwestern stoicism. “We're going about our business. That's a determination that's impressive, but it doesn't attract attention.”

No noise? What the Fong?

The Republican hopeful's campaign fired off a release:

Christian Fong, Republican Gubernatorial candidate and C.E.O. of Corridor Recovery in Cedar Rapids, said “I simply do not understand why Governor Culver would admit to “not making noise” about raising awareness and using his position as Governor to constantly be emphasizing to the Nation that Iowa was hit with the second largest natural disaster in U.S. history, and we'veyet to fully receive the help we need.”

Fongcontinued, “Governor Culver's words send the wrong message to flood families still living in FEMA trailers and small business owners trying to rebuild their livelihoods. In my role with Corridor Recovery, I worked with the New York Times to provide them background information for the story. We need to raise awareness because people are still hurting. Iowans deservea Governor who will be proactive and make things happen.”

So Fong not only reads The New York Times, he's in cahoots. Yikes.

Fong does have a point. Culver's quote sounds very odd, especially around these parts. Still, it would have been better had Fong waited for FoxNews or The Washington Times to pick up the story.

4. TerryWatch -- Branstad is still mulling, but he got a taste of what GOP primary politics is like nowadays. It ain't pattycakes.

Someone stuck shady fliers on vehicles in Des Moines smacking and smearing Branstad's record as governor. Price of Politics has a shot of the flier. Words such as "infanticide," "abortionists" and "perverts" were deployed to suggest displeasure with the prospect of a fifth Terry term.

Shocked, shocked GOP leaders want the state ethics board to investigate where it came from. Eventually, the perpetrators may be on the business end of a strongly worded letter of reprimand. I'd hate to be them.

Then, of course, Republican leaders forcefully stood up and told hard-core zealots to stop spouting outrageous garbage to trash fellow Republicans. Oh, well, guess not.

The fliers were followed up by a clandestine video that attacked Branstad's fiscal record. Krusty Konservative is on the case. He has his theories.

This is in the same mold as the angry rhetoric that's been thrown from the far right at Chuck Grassley and even King. Clearly, what these guys all have in common is that they've actually won elections, which is definite sign of squishy moderate tendencies.

And who knows, they just might win again. Can't let that happen.

5. ChetChase Poll

Last week's poll asked if you were pessimistic or optimistic about the state's economic prospects. Pessimism beat optimism 47-38, with 15 percent unsure.

This week, the topic is I-Jobs. Republicans are assailing the infrastructure funding pool filled by the sale of $830 million in bonds. And yet, Cedar Rapids is getting tens of millions of dollars from I-Jobs for flood recovery, along with many other communities.

So now that the money is being handed out,  is I-Jobs a boondoggle or a boon?

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