Smokey and the Branstad -- Guv's SUV caught on Highway 3

Sep. 27, 2013 1:46 pm

The governor's Tahoe has once again become entangled in velocity-based malfeasance.

Hey, at least it wasn't a "hard 90," this time. Usually, warnings go for less than 10 m.p.h. over the speed limit. No speed was noted on the warning.

So the governor's SUV was tooling through my old neck of the woods. Years ago, I got stopped for speeding on a county road very near that stretch of Highway 3. I also was let go with a warning. And Linn Larson used to be the police chief in my hometown. Small world.

Anyhoo, this isn't great news for Branstad, who was probably really, really hoping that all this speeding nonsense was behind him with an election year approaching fast. Like a Tahoe with the hammer down. Now, he gets a bunch more stories recounting that fateful incident back in April, when Branstad's vehicle was clocked at 84 in a 65-zone but wasn't stopped. The mess that followed left some dents in the governor's image.

In July, the governor said he didn't want anything like that to happen again. Imagine what he was thinking when the flashing lights popped on in Franklin County. Or maybe he was too busy working in the back seat to pay attention, again.

And then, politics. Democratic candidate for governor Tyler Olson swiftly sent out a statement today:

OK, as someone who writes for a living, I feel the need to say this is not good. We've got a run-on sentence with way too many clauses in a clear English zone. Don't worry Rep. Olson, I'll let you go with a warning.