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Hungry Politicos Turn Eyes to Iowa

November 10, 2009 on 7:19 pm | In Iowa Political, National Political | No Comments

One of the best things about being a political observer in the State of Iowa is the National impact of intra-state and intra-Party matters. Case in point- the RPI’s Leadership for Iowa event in Des Moines Saturday night. I was invited to join Bloggers Row at the event and I do have a few insights to share. Readers from all quarters of the USA can find in Iowa valuable clues in the Treasure Hunt for the Reaganesque Hero who will save the day, the country and the world in 2012. I refer not only to the words of Presidential hopeful of Tim Pawlenty, event keynoter. Public opinion and attitude in Iowa will have a crucial role in that Presidential Treasure Hunt and how voters relate to gubernatorial, congressional and senatorial candidates will give us the clues we seek.

Pawlenty…

Pawlenty’s presentation was solid. He had a pleasant demeanor and seemed cool in the heat of the spotlight. His humor attempts were a bit stilted- a more natural approach should come in time. He hit all the major notes in the conservative scale and did seem to be right on key. I was pleased to see that. I understood his motivation for ending his remarks in a brief sermonette about the importance of Party unity following disputed Primaries. Any Republican activist has probably had occasion to preach such words but I think that leaving them as the final impression in Iowa may not have been his wisest choice. If Governor Pawlenty wants to be the next Party Chairman, the robes of a McCainlike peacemaker might be the perfect wardrobe choice. But if Governor Pawlenty wants to be considered for the job of President, he’d better start wearing the garb of a warrior. Americans are scared and Republicans are no different. They want a fire-breathing, powerful, persuasive, take-no-prisoners leader who speaks with a conviction that has no sign of faltering or weakness. Pawlenty certainly did not strike out, but he’ll have to grasp this if he wants to hit a home run on his next visit.

The Invisible Candidates

We bloggers had hoped to have a few moments with the gubernatorial hopefuls at Leadership for Iowa. It was somewhat disappointing that the candidates did not materialize (see the turgid but amusing Ballad of Bloggers Row following). Each candidate did address the crowd. One thing is clear- all the trains are headed to the same depot: The lower-taxes-less-government-growth-through-free-enterprise-conservative-social-values one. There are some differences in the route each would take, but in lieu of probing interviews, I’ll just assess the persona of each, as he appeared to me:

Rants: The Feisty, Fearless Pragmatist

Roberts: Dignified Conservative Leader

Fong: Business and Economy Powerhouse

Branstad: Iowa’s Seasoned Problem Solver

Vander Plaats: Christian/Conservative Firebrand

Behn: Solid, Main Street Conservative

I did have the opportunity to interview some congressional and State office candidates. Comments on those will appear in the next few days.- Sheila Murphy, Ed. www.thecoolconservative.com