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Epic Fail

Deace and Jen wrap-up the just (mercifully) concluded 2011 session of the Iowa Legislature.

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  • Tomgeist

    Great analysis and review of a waste of 177 days.  I’m sure many members of the Iowas GOP leadership are breathing a sigh of relief that Steve and Jen are no longer broadcast on radio and they are thankful that Paulson (Hiawatha) and Schulte (Cedar Rapids) live in a metro that is so detached from the workings in Des Moines.

  • Gayle

    After serving 14 years as the House Journal editor, these are just a few of my experiences while working there: feces and blood smeared all over the toilet seat and bowl, a pile of mouse turds placed on a shelf behind my desk, a 5 foot penis scrapped into the wall above my desk (left there for a couple years) after the Capitol was flooded.  A staff that often screamed at me, and during a meeting with the Clerk said that she was about to “bust me one” and was forced to go to counseling with at state expense.  A boss that ordered me into a room, through a chair across the room and ordered me to sit, then asked what the f*ck was my problem.  I had reports held, that needed to be in the journal and games played with information I needed.  By the time they asked me to resign, I was an emotional mess.  Much to my surprise, when I went to Republican leadership, nothing was done.  I held high hopes that once they took back the House things would change and my job would be restored.  Not so, those same people are there….

  • Henry T.

    This sounds to me like what happened in 1994-1995.

    I sum it up this way.

    Listen to the words carefully.

    “This time you can trust me…”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddmXM-96-no

    • Henry T.

      But Deace I disagree with you on one thing.

      I do think the Republicans are totally justified in thinking we are stupid.  Because again we did last year “go up and run to kick the football” just like they knew we would.

      Okay, though you say the real test is next year. Okay, but see for those involved with politics they use politics as a social outlet.  And not supporting the incumbent means not being invited to their fancy fundraisers, being ostracized from the rest of the Republicans, and again, if this one of your main social outlets then that hurts.  I am not saying that’s how it SHOULD BE but I am just saying that’s how it is.

      The party structure is designed to REELECT INCUMBENTS.  That is the main, that is the Primary purpose of the Republican Party.  If along the way they pick up seats like they did last year then that is great but that’s not the primary purpose of the party. That’s more of a secondary purpose.  From a party position, from viewpoint of how the party operates and is structured, retaining all incumbents is much more important than gaining seats.

      And of course incumbents have money which unfortunately does have great effect.

      But we will see. It has been my experience that primaries rarely if ever, because of  what I have mentioned above, primaries rarely take out incumbents.  I am sure it has happened but I am also sure that there must in those cases have been extenuating circumstances.  So in most races the incumbent will win the primary and then you will be stuck with either voting for the RINO who stabbed you in the back or the Democrat just so you can hope to run a real Republican next time.

      I for one will always of course support anti incumbent Republicans in primaries but absent that or after that I believe that we MUST see things in a mult election cycle terms.  I have voted for Democrats when they were running against RINOS because I believe that RINOS pose the GREATER OF THE EVILS.

      • Henry T.

        Also say if you are a friend of one of the backstabbing Republicans. It is hard to go up to that person and tell them that what you just did was more important than our friendship.

        Again, we should be able to do that, we must be able to do that but I am just telling you how it is.  We blame these people as well we should but we need to also look at how our own behavior facilitates their behavior. In the end we have to say it really is the one in the mirror we must blame.

        It’s not fun going up against “your own team” and when you go up against a Republican incumbent that is exactly what you will be doing.  You will have friends turn against you.  You could be ostracized from your main social outlets.  Hey, some of these parties the incumbents throw can be quite fun.

        You wouldn’t think such stuff should make such a big difference, but unfortunately all too often it does.  People like to be liked and don’t like to not be liked, and the politicians use that to their advantage.

        By the way Steve, you really need to get in touch with Dean Gotcher.  He is strong Christian who has devoted a lifetime to studying how the Social Sciences have been used to promote an ungodly world view.

        http://authorityresearch.com

        http://authorityresearch.com/File%20Index%20page%20Speakers/IAR%20Schedule.htm

         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3CauWkSrRFQ

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