Radio Iowa

Round-up: GOPers in Des Moines on 6/30/07

Here's the Radio Iowa story of what was said at the Iowans for Tax Relief/Iowa Christian Alliance forum.  (FYI: the Iowa Christian Coalition changed its name to the Iowa Christian Alliance a while ago).

Here's the blog posts -- "sort of" live blogging -- from the event:  Tommy Thompson's appearance, Mike Huckabee's appearance, Sam Brownback's appearance, Mitt Romney's appearance, Tom Tancredo's appearance.  (I did not blog Duncan Hunter's campaign appearance.)

Here's the blog post about Romney's answer at a press avail about the Seamus episode.  Here's the Radio Iowa story about Seamus -- the Romney's dog -- and Romney being confronted about his Mormon faith.

Romney defends the '83 ride of Seamus, the family dog

A Boston Globe account of a 1983 Romney family vacation has drawn a lot of attention over the past few days. 

"Sometimes when the stories come out in the media they don't quite get it accurate," Romney said during a news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, when I asked him about the episode.  "The kennel that my family pet used to ride in is enclosed.  It's not an open air kennel.  It's enclosed and there are air vents, of course, at the back and my family pet used to climb up there and lie down on his own and we love our family pets, have always loved our family pets and have nothing but honor and pride in taking care of great dogs.  We've had quite a few."

The Romney campaign passed along this link to an account about Seamus, written by one of Romney's sons.

Tancredo at ITR/ICA forum

Most of the media (myself included) missed the opening couple of minutes of Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo because Mitt Romney held a media avail after his speech (and many of the people in the room left, skipping Tancredo's and Hunter's speeches).  (I'll post on Romney's avail later.)

Tancredo was praising people in the room for opposing the immigration reform bill in the Senate when we all returned.  Then, Tancredo criticized the tendency to market conservatism by marrying an adjective or prefix with the word conservative, as in "neoconservative" or "compassionate conservative."

Tancredo was especially harsh in his assessment of "compassionate conservative" George W. Bush. 

"A simple, inconvenint truth has emerged," Tancredo said, borrowing the title of the Al Gore movie. Tancredo criticized Bush not only for immigration reform, but for other initiatives, such as the prescription drug benefit for Medicare recipients.

Despite his previous statements, Tancredo then called himself an "unapologetic conservative," a declaration that got him applause from the crowd.

"...Genuine conservatism has nothing to apologize for," Tancredo continued.  "...It doesn't need an adjective. It needs a leader."

"It needs a leader that will oppose abortion not just because Iowa Caucus-goers oppose abortion...but because God said: 'I knew you when you were in the womb.'  He wasn't talking about a mass of cells.  He was talking about you and you and you," Tancredo said, pointing to people in the audience.  The applause rose.

Tancredo said the country needs a strong national defense "because our enemies are psycho and our allies are the French."

Tancredo returned to immigration.  "The first part of illegal immmigration is illegal," Tancredo said, to applause.

Romney at ITR/ICA forum: "I became a Democrat..."

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney brought his wife, Ann, and middle son, Josh, up on stage with him to being his appearance.  Romney joked that Josh "is the short, ugly one."  Josh has commited to visiting all 99 counties in Iowa, according to his dad.

Romney began by stressing his own commitment to Iowa.  "I believe in the Iowa process all the way from the Ames Straw Poll to the Caucuses....The people in Iowa perform a service to the people of America," Romney said.  While Brownback got applause for a similar declaration, there was no applause from the crowd to Romney's pro-Iowa statement.

Romney then launched into his standard stump speech, focusing first on runaway spending in DC.

"Every year we keep on spending more than we take in....We're spending too much money on oil...from other countries. .We must be energy independent."

Next up, the immigration bill in the US Senate.

"The guys in Washington got together...They were not in touch with the American people and thank heavens that bill went down to defeat," Romney said.  The crowd applauded.

"At a time like this is is essential for Washington to act but Washington is broken.  Washington is incapable of acting...It is essnetial that we have new leaders in Washington," Romney said.

Romney touched on his private sector biography. After briefly mentioning his work on the Olympics, he talked about running for office in Massachusetts. "Then I became a Democrat," Romney said, misspeaking.  Murmurs ran through the crowd, then some laughed.  As you may know, Romney's guiding poliical principles have been quesitoned by rivals who primarily point to his change of position on abortion.  Romeny continued:  "I became governor of the most Democratic state in the nation...."

Romney talked about his budget record as Massachusetts governor, then quoted Ronald Reagan:  "It's not that liberals are ignorant, it's just that what they know is wrong."  The crowd laughed and applauded.

Brownback at ITR/ICA forum

Kansas Senator Sam Brownback began by joking that if he had the money, he'd like to buy a farm in Iowa.  Brownback laid out his personal biography, then talked about his commitment to campaign in Iowa (in contrast to rivals Giuliani and McCain who have decided to skip "financial participation" in the Iowa Republican Party's Straw Poll August 11th).

"I'm not going to skip Iowa," Brownback said,  The crowd started applauding when Brownback said he would be "fully participating" in the Straw Poll.

Next, he launched into a discussion of tax policy.

"We don't need more taxes.  We need less spending.  Period," Brownback said, to applause. "...I've never voted for a tax increase in the house or the senate and I will certainly never sign one (as president)."

Brownback lamented federal spending levels. "We are out of control on spending and it's hurt the party and it's hurt the country," he said, suggesting Republicans in congress "got fired" -- AKA lost their majorities in the House and Senate -- because of the profligate spending.

Huckabee at ITR/ICA event

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee began by telling the crowd they'd be better off having any of the Republican candidates as president than having any of the Democrats win the White House in '08.  Th crowd applauded.

Huckabee began with a couple of jokes to warm up the crowd.  The jokes were about running for governor in Arkansas. 

"This is a great forum and we've been given actually a litle bit of time...If you've seen any of the debates...the format is more like a game show."  Huckabee lamented that there were no questions in the NH debate about taxes, or any questions about education at any of the three debates.

He ridiculed the questions at previous debates, epecially the one about "whether or not we believe the world was created in six days."

Huckabee said the next president must provide "strong, capable leadership" on issues that touch Americans every day, not only international issues but domestic ones.

"I want to be the President of the United States who nails the 'going out of business' sign on the IRS," Huckabee said to applause. "...I want April 15th to be just another beautiful spring day in America." 

Huckabee wove a little bit of his childhood into his speech, talking about the Lava soap his dad used.  (My dad used Lava soap, too.)

Then Huckabee said something about "Goober Pyle" and that spawned a brief discussion at our press table.  I am not as familiar with The Andy Griffith Show as others.  I thought there was only a Gomer Pyle on the show.  Apparently, Goober had the auto shop in Mayberry.

Tommy Thompson at ITR/ICA event

The hall is sparsely populated.  Apparently it's a nice summer day outside.

Each candidate has been given 20 minutes to speak and then if they don't answer all the questions the sponsoring organizations want them to have covered, they'll be grilled by a couple of people from the sponsoring organizations (Iowans for Tax Relief, Iowa Christian Allianace) for an additional 10 minutes.  Iowans for Tax Relief founder Dave Stanley is talking about all the rules right now.  (There are a fair amount of rules for a group of Republicans who normally rail against red tape.)

"I lower taxes.  I don't increase 'em."  That's how former Wisconsin Governor Tommy Thompson began. He's kind of yelling, so it's hard to understand all of his words with the huge echo.   

"I believe a marriage should be between a husband and a wife," TT said. The crowd applauded.

Next up:  immigration reform.  Thompson began by talking about secure borders.  "We will have that barrier completed within the first 100 days I am president," Thompson promised the crowd.

"I believe very much in that Fair Tax,: Thompson said.

After covering the key issues the sponsoring groups asked the candidates to cover, Thompson launched into his biography.  It includes an anecdote about buying underwear and toiletries for himself at Wal-Mart.

ITR/ICA event in DSM

If you're headed to Hy-Vee Hall in Des Moines to attend the presidential candidate forum featuring Romney, Huckabee, Brownback,Tancredo, Hunter & Tommy Thompson -- be prepared to wait in a long line.  Magnetometers are positioned at the entrance and everyone who attends the shindig must go through.  The room is a tad bit dark, so I see silhouettes of people filing into the hall.  (When I asked one of the reporters sitting beside me if he knew how to spell silhouettes, he said:  S-H-A-D-O-W-S.  I looked it up.)

Earlier today, Mitt Romney made a campaign stop in Pella and was asked by a woman in the audience whether he'd turn to the Bible or the Book of Mormon during moments of crisis in the White House? (Here is the AP story.) 

The event is three minutes away.  I'll be back when the candidates get on stage.  The first is due at 1:25 p.m.

M.E. Sprengelmeyer of the Rocky Mountain News snapped this photo of me and Todd Dorman of Lee Enterprises newspapers in Iowa sitting in the back of the room, huddled over our laptops [our web guy cropped most of Todd to draw your eye to my posture].  As you can see, it was very dark in the room and we had to move our table close to one of the electrical outlets along the far back wall in order to have power for our laptops.

Blurred line for Rudy on the line item veto?

Former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani spent a portion of his speech in DSM yesterday touting the idea of amending the constitution to give the president line item veto authority.  He did not mention his role in challenging then-President Clinton's use of the line item veto of some New York City-bound money.  Marc Ambinder has a nice round-up on this.

In other campaign news:

Paul Simon -- the singer -- will be campaigning with Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd in Iowa over the Independence Day holiday.  That's the same period of time when former President Bill Clinton will be campaigning in Iowa alongside his wife. 

Someone who claimed to be from the Obama campaign called the Radio Iowa newsroom this week.

More on "Rudy" in Des Moines

Just a few other random thoughts and observations on Rudy Giuliani's visit to Des Moines today.  (See previous post for more detailed info on his speech & the Q&A with reporters afterward.)

It's "Hillary" on most of Senator Clinton's campaign signs.  And it was "Rudy" today on the huge sign which hung on the north end of a Des Moines hotel ballroom in preparation for former Mayor Rudy Giuliani's speech.  As I was talking on the phone with one likely Iowa Caucus-goer recently, she asked me why the candidates are using their first names.  "It's not very presidential," is that voter's opinion.

Giuliani was nearly an hour late starting and then talked for 47 minutes. A few people in the crowd who were taking a "long coffee break" to attend the event left -- before Giuliani started.

Giuliani was ever-so-briefly introduced by State Senator Jeff Angelo, a Republican from Creston who is a Giuliani backer.  Former Secretary of State Paul Pate and former State Senator Maggie Tinsman were in the room, too.  Both are considered "moderate" Republicans and both are backing RG. 

Don't know if he checked with Trent Lott, but Giuliani did a couple of interviews with Iowa "talk radio" programs yesterday.  Giuliani was calling into WHO's Mickelson in the Morning & talked with KSCJ's Randy Renshaw from Texas.  Today, Giuliani sat down with Charlotte Eby of Lee Newspapers for a one-on-one interview.  (If you didn't get the Trent Lott reference, Lott recently said, in the context of the immigration reform battle: "Talk radio is running America.  We have to deal with that problem.")