Brownback Reporttag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://32007-10-22T23:07:39ZPoliReport.com Blog - Your Dashboard for the 2008 Presidential RaceMovable Type 3.34Primary chaostag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.3662007-10-22T23:01:05Z2007-10-22T23:07:39ZThe Republican and the Democrat National Committees are both taking stands to try to control their statewide committees that are currently trying to leap-frog each other in the nomination process. In return, several states are taking legal action in order...Brett B (IA)
taking stands to try to control their statewide committees that are currently trying to leap-frog each other in the nomination process. In return, several states are taking legal action in order to keep their delegates to the National Conventions.
The condensing of the state primaries does nothing but hurt the candidates with less in the bank. This is very detrimental to the American political process. It is already hard enough for an average American to run for the Office of the President and to place another impediment in their path will only solidify the Presidency as an office of the rich and increase the disconnect with the American people. Allowing a couple small states like Iowa and New Hampshire to go first allows the candidates with fewer resources a chance to gain momentum on a national stage that would not be possible if large states like Florida or Michigan jockey their way to the front. Also, the current system allows the candidates to be tested by a few small states with very different electorates that when together offer a great representation of the American people.]]>
Brownback to leave GOP race?tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.3602007-10-18T21:49:29Z2007-10-18T21:54:34ZBreaking news: An announcement from the Brownback campaign is expected tomorrow stating that he is leaving the 2008 GOP race. AP Report I expect a Brownback endorsement of either John McCain or Mike Huckabee, which could give a much needed...Brett B (IA)
AP Report
I expect a Brownback endorsement of either John McCain or Mike Huckabee, which could give a much needed boost to either campaign. Much of the evangelical vote appears to be spread among the three campaigns and many Brownback supporters are likely to jump to one of the two. ]]>
Huck resonates in Iowa / Giuliani visit to Iowa Citytag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.3582007-10-18T04:31:05Z2007-10-22T18:12:08ZRudy Giuiliani is the only Republican with an office east of Des Moines and the only candidate to stump in the college-town Democratic stronghold of Iowa City and it looks to be paying off. Rudy was well received by a...Brett B (IA)
well received by a ballroom full of cheering students; and on a night when the wet and stormy weather likely kept many away. With the exception of the Obama visit last spring, Rudy's event tonight was one of the largest and most energetic in this part of the state. On a side note, a small but aggressive band of Ron Paul supporters was ready to confront all the attendees (just like they have been at every other event in the area in recent months). I find the tactics ironic considering the word LOVE is very prominent in many of their campaign signs.
In other news, a new Rasmussen poll of likely Iowa Caucus-goers shows Governor Romney slipping slightly to 25% followed by Thompon and Huckabee in a statistical tie at 19 and 18% respectively. In the final tier of candidates is Rudy Giuiliani at 13% and everyone else in single digits. It is somewhat surprising when one considers the millions of dollars that the Romney campaign has spent on ads in the state of Iowa that the Governor has not seen an increase in support.]]>
Iowa Caucus Datetag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.3532007-10-17T04:17:04Z2007-10-17T04:23:52ZIn the latest jockeying of the nation's primaries, the Iowa GOP has elected to move the Iowa Caucus to January 3 in an effort to keep Iowa's importance as the first to vote. The Iowa Democratic Party is likely to...Brett B (IA)
Contact: Mary Tiffany For Immediate Release
(515) 282-8105 October 16, 2007
Republican Party of Iowa
Announces Caucus Date
Earlier tonight, the Republican Party of Iowa's State Central Committee voted to hold its first-in-the-nation caucus on the evening of January 3, 2008.
"With under 80 days to go, this is a huge help to our counties and county chairs to get the ball rolling and start organizing. They have 1,784 precinct caucus meetings to run, thousands of volunteers to recruit and our presidential candidates deserve a set date," said Executive Director Chuck Laudner. "This is a definitive year for Iowa, and it is crucial that RPI, the State Central Committee and our county organizations run a smooth, successful caucus."
The Republican Party of Iowa will continue to communicate and work with the Iowa Democratic Party over the coming months to plan the Iowa Caucuses and ensure we maintain our first-in-the-nation status.]]>
Senator Brownback and foreign policytag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2622007-08-17T04:44:29Z2007-08-17T04:52:58ZWhile Brownback's latest attacks on his rivals are a little more veiled and a lot more tasteful than of late, I still wonder whether they will gain him any traction. I count myself as one of many conservatives that was...Brett B (IA)
foreign policy this week, which is also a relief from the one trick dog and pony show he has been running around the abortion issue.
It will be interesting to watch as the Senator continues to react to the Iowa Straw Poll. While not exactly a death blow to his campaign, it was surely a disappointment and Brownback seems to have lost his spot as the social conservative front runner. ]]>
Can Huck raise the money?tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2602007-08-17T04:25:40Z2007-08-17T04:43:14ZThat seems to be everyone's question after Governor Huckabee's grass roots success in Iowa last weekend. Only time will tell, but articles are appearing all over the internet on this topic and Huckabee has addressed the topic extensively. Here is...Brett B (IA)
MSNBC.
Huckabee's efforts in Iowa seem to have paid off as more people across the country, including the mainstream media, take a closer look at his campaign. The Huckabee campaign has been reporting a boost in donations and I have a feeling the longer that Fred Thompson stays on the sidelines, the more people will continue to turn to Governor Huckabee.
While Huckabee continues to lag in New Hampshire, he recently picked up a major endorsement in Virginia. ]]>
More Straw Poll articlestag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2502007-08-12T12:57:17Z2007-08-12T13:00:41ZAs I come across interesting articles on the Iowa Straw Poll, I will link them. 1) Cedar Rapids Gazette - "Best quotes" 2) The Daily Iowan - "Huck of a day at the straw poll" 3) Captain's Quarters Blog -...Brett B (IA)
Cedar Rapids Gazette - "Best quotes"
2) The Daily Iowan - "Huck of a day at the straw poll"
3) Captain's Quarters Blog - "Ames poll produces winner -- and it may not be Romney"]]>
Iowa Straw Poll Results!tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2482007-08-12T04:37:33Z2007-08-12T05:04:51ZAs expected, Mitt Romney has emerged victorious in Ames. After millions of dollars spent, I don't think this will be a huge boost to his campaign. The true story lies in the results of the remaining candidates. I expect to...Brett B (IA)
The Des Moines Register
2) The Daily Iowan
3) The Ames Tribune
Votes Percent
1. Mitt Romey 4,156 31.5 percent
2. Mike Huckabee 2,587 18.1 percent
3. Sam Brownback 2,192 15.3 percent
4. Tom Tancredo 1,961 13.7 percent
5. Ron Paul 1,305 9.1 percent
6. Tommy Thompson 1,039 7.3 percent
7. Fred Thompson 203 1.4 percent
8. Rudy Giuliani 183 1.3 percent
9. Duncan Hunter 174 1.2 percent
10. John McCain 101 1.0 percent
11. John Cox 41 0.1 percent]]>
Social conservative slugfesttag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2292007-08-03T07:04:11Z2007-08-03T07:09:55ZI told everyone to stay tuned as the Iowa Straw Poll neared and now I can say, "I told you so." As things really start to heat up, it seems like Brownback has shifted some of his fire from Mitt...Brett B (IA)
exchange is much more interesting and even more humorous than the Michael Moore row. As the primary contributor for Brownback and Huckabee, I was very intrigued to run across the various articles on this spat. It'll be fun to see what the next few days before the Straw Poll bring.]]>
Huckabee versus . . . . Michael Moore?tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2282007-08-03T06:38:55Z2007-08-03T06:50:03ZThe latest in the recent war of words among the candidates now is branching out to Michael Moore. In a comment that highlights his trademark sense of humor, the Governor made the statement that the man who criticizes the US...Brett B (IA)
semi-interesting exchange that I find mildly humorous.
On an unrelated note, here is another article about the state of the campaigns in Iowa. ]]>
Candidates in the trenchestag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2242007-07-29T19:29:10Z2007-07-29T19:49:06ZWell, we all knew this phase of the campaign would come. The most noticeable squabble would probably be the Clinton - Obama boxing match across the state of Iowa that was started by a Clinton interview with the Quad City...Brett B (IA)
Quad City Times following the last debate.
Not surprisingly, the Republicans are also getting down into the trenches. Brownback was the first to attempt this strategy, but it appears that others are beginning to follow suit. A Trancredo add in Iowa accuses Thompson, Huckabee, and Brownback of being for "amnesty." I'm a little surprised at the amount of firepower being targeted at Governor Huckabee. In addition the expected attacks from fellow candidates, the Iowa Democratic Party has begun to heckle the Governor on a plethora of issues. There is also breaking news about a law suit filed against Huckabee in Arkansas. These recent developments are a sure sign that Huckabee is viewed as a legitimate threat. After Giuliani and McCain predictably plummeted in the Iowa polls after announcing their absence at the Straw Poll, it's now anyone's game. ]]>
Romney and Giuliani to skip out on next nationally televised GOP debate??tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2232007-07-28T22:40:05Z2007-07-28T22:57:06ZAccording to Fox News, two GOP frontrunners will be skipping out on the next debate. The Giuliani campaign seems to really be bucking the system by skipping both the Iowa Straw Poll and a nationally televised debate. He cites prior...Brett B (IA)
Fox News, two GOP frontrunners will be skipping out on the next debate. The Giuliani campaign seems to really be bucking the system by skipping both the Iowa Straw Poll and a nationally televised debate. He cites prior commitments, but I am forced to wonder what could pack more punch than a strong showing on a debate on national television. Then it donned on me: this debate is being sponsored by YouTube! It's no secret that many there are many skeletons in Romney's YouTube closet and Giuliani's is less than pristine. I was not able to watch the Democrat YouTube debate, but have read that many of the questions were generated by the YouTube community. It's no small wonder that Romney wouldn't touch this debate with a 10 foot pole. . . .
Speaking of YouTube skeletons, the Brownback campaign seems very intent on digging them up. It's clear who they consider the main competition with the social conservative constituency.
As for Mike Huckabee, he has been campaigning very heavily in Iowa and has really been making an impact. I run across favorable articles about him from newspapers all across the state. Here are two examples from The Hawk Eye and the Muscatine Journal. As August 11 approaches, things should get really interesting. Unfortunately, I will be out of state and won't be able to report live from the event. ]]>
Conservative credentials / grassroots campaigningtag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.2032007-07-15T18:32:47Z2007-07-15T19:10:31ZI'm going to switch my posts to focus a little more on the grassroots Iowa campaigning on the two candidates that are attempting to paint themselves as the true social conservative: Sam Brownback and Mike Huckabee. Both are working very...Brett B (IA)
recovered (unlike Senator McCain . . . ).
I had the pleasure of having a conversation with Governor Huckabee at a West Music store in Iowa. He was speaking on the importance of the arts in any public school curriculum, which is something he worked on as Governor of Arkansas. He even had a little jam session on the guitar.
The two seem to have separate, but similar strategies. Hit Iowa hard, have a good showing at the Straw Poll, and then gain the national media attention they desire / need.
Senator Brownback's latest strategy seems to have shifted slightly. Early on he spoke only of his own credentials, but after Governor Romney seemed to gobble up the social conservative, he has recently been trying to draw a contrast. Learning a lesson from Gilmore's Rudy McRomney, Senator Brownback has recently been coining the term "Mitt-amorphosis" in an attempt to show himself as the consistent conservative.
The next month leading up the Iowa Straw Poll should be interesting. Without Rudy or McCain making a showing, Romney is certainly the man to beat. I expect the rhetoric to step a notch. Unfortunately, I'll be out of state and won't be able to attend the Straw Poll. I will be interested to see how many more I calls I get in the next few weeks from the various campaigns asking me to travel to Ames with them.]]>
Immigration Reform - Yea and Nay?tag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.1832007-06-29T02:38:16Z2007-06-29T02:42:09ZToday, the Senate sent the Immigration Bill packing for a pigeon hole for quite a while... some even speculate until after the next election. However, Senator Brownback had a little John Kerry moment today trying to decide which way to...Elijah J (SC)
Today, the Senate sent the Immigration Bill packing for a pigeon hole for quite a while... some even speculate until after the next election. However, Senator Brownback had a little John Kerry moment today trying to decide which way to vote when the cloture vote came to the floor of the Senate. He voted for it before he voted against it. Sound familiar? Well, a lot of people apparently made up their mind and stuck with it. The bill was defeated in the Senate. Does reform equal amnesty? Not, in my book.
Hope everyone's been doing well. Been some time since my last post. Happy 4th all! Going to be gone much of July. I apologize if the posts are sporadic!
Consistently Pro-lifetag:brownback.polireport.com,2007://3.1692007-06-14T23:36:54Z2007-06-14T23:44:45ZSenator Brownback recently took a swipe at Mitt Romney for his stance on abortion that seems to be in state of flux from statement to statement. http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/176939.aspx One item that I would like to point out in this debate is...Elijah J (SC)
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/176939.aspx One item that I would like to point out in this debate is the unfailing stance that Senator Brownback has taken towards abortion. Even if you cannot agree with him, a politician these days firmly standing for what they believe is certainly a rarity. Another article came out of statements that the Senator made to a gathering of the National Catholic Men's Conference regarding his pro-life position even in the face of rape or incest. http://www.lifenews.com/nat3178.html I would like to applaud Brownback for standing on what he believes. He may waffle on other issues of which I am not fully informed, but in following his position on abortion, he appears to be very consistent. Brownback may be "too conservative" to get very far in the primaries, but it is refreshing for me to see a national figure standing for what they believe consistently. Thanks Senator. ]]>