Six Degrees of Terry Branstad

Socialist health care reform is Terry Branstad's fault. So says Branstad's rival for the GOP gubernatorial nomination Bob Vander Plaats.

He's so connecting dots and stuff. And it's not just some rediculous stretch, as far as you know:

The Nebraska Democrat who cast the deciding vote Saturday quashing GOP efforts to block the proposed $1 trillion government takeover of America's health care system won his seat in 2000 with vocal backing from former Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.

“Ben Nelson gave Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid the vote he needed to get the 60 votes to steamroll Republican opposition. It means the Democrats will be able to proceed with legislation that will effectively destroy our private health care system while saddling businesses and working families with hundreds of billions of dollars in new taxes and limiting our access to care,” said Vander Plaats, who is seeking the 2010 Iowa Republican gubernatorial nomination. “Whatever happens from here on out, Terry Branstad is going to have to accept some responsibility because he was a very active supporter of Ben Nelson in his first campaign for the Senate.”

So the Branstad-Nelson Axis of Health Care Evil has been exposed. It's about time.

 I also think it's high time for Branstad to come clean on how his actions led directly to Chet Culver becoming governor in the first place. It's true.

Branstad declined to seek a fifth term in 1998, even though we now know he clearly wanted No. 5. That led then-Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, to seek the open governor's seat.

Pate's decision left the secretary of state's office wide open for the taking. And who took it? That's right, Chester Culver.

He then used that lofty office to train notaries, celebrate the heck out of voting and become (gulp) governor of the whole freaking state!

Thank you Terry Branstad.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, dot-connecting wise. Stay tuned.