Here are this week’s items of interest… sometimes randomly thrown together, some times not.
1. Texas Governor Rick Perry put out some feelers in Iowa. From The Des Moines Register:
Linn County Republican Joni Scotter got a surprise phone call Friday afternoon from Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who wanted her opinion on whether he should run for president.
“And I said, ‘Of course,’ ” Scotter told Politico.
Perry also rung up state Rep. Stewart Iverson, R-Clarion, but the legislator was out water skiing and missed the call, Iverson told The Des Moines Register on Friday.
Perry told Scotter he hadn’t made up his mind about running. In his voicemail to Iverson, he said he intends to visit Iowa soon.
Signs are stacking up that Perry is growing serious about jumping into the 2012 race. Politico reports that a meeting of national donors convenes in Austin this month to discuss financing a potential Perry campaign.
“He said, ‘I’m probably coming to Iowa in the near future,’ and he’d love to talk to me,” Iverson said after listening to the message. “And I’d love to talk to him. I don’t know much about him, but I think he’d be worthwhile to visit with.”
If Governor Perry’s people are reading this, he can give me a call too… you can find my number here. For that matter I’d welcome a call from former Governor Sarah Palin too. Shoot I’d take a phone call from anyone, I’m lonely (just kidding). Seeing that Governor Perry is making phone calls into the state the obvious analysis is that he is seriously considering running. I have a knack for the obvious.
2. Herman Cain’s new Iowa staff… after reporting on the Cain meltdown in Iowa they came out with a list of new staff hires. Yes I’m sure they did this in response to my post. In a presser they said:
- Larry Tuel- State Director
- Lisa Lockwood- Field Staff
- Zach Dalluge- Field Staff
- Steven Hensler- Field Staff
Along with this he’s opening his Iowa office on Monday at 5:00p over by Panera Bread in Urbandale. Anyway, when he said Goff and Hall had already been replaced “almost immediately”… well yes I guess he could say that. The problem with saying that though is that these people with the exception of Hensler were hired in early June I’ve been told. Spin, spin, spin, spin… and Cain says he isn’t a politician. His staff consists of a state director who I’ve been told is a real estate attorney, a college student, and a legislative clerk. Doesn’t really inspire confidence. Not to put those hired down, but what experience do they have?
Probably because the experienced staff know a sinking ship when they see one.
3. Newt Gingrich continues to hawk movies instead of campaigning.
The Iowa Conservative Union said in the presser that they sent out about the Gingrich event on Monday:
Mr. Gingrich is scheduled to depart Iowa City at 06:00 P. M. and come directly to our event. Mr. Gingrich will speak for a short time with a video to follow. Following the video, Mr. Gingrich will meet and mingle with those in attendance.
I wonder if showing the video was a precondition to him coming? Callista doesn’t seem to be privy to having him come out to campaign unless there is a movie screening somewhere. Maybe they’ll show a movie during the Ames Straw Poll too. That would be so full of win.
I think he’s still in the race in order to pay off campaign debts and sell some videos.
4. The FAMiLY Leader’s Pledge
Jumping on the pledge bandwagon, The FAMiLY Leader issued their own pledge for Presidential candidates. Signing it is a requirement for their endorsement. Here’s the audio of the press conference they held… I couldn’t make it. I thought it odd though after getting the press advisory, I later received a mass email from Bob Vander Plaats inviting supporters to attend. Strange.. is it a press conference or rally? Since I didn’t go so I have no idea who showed up.
Here’s the “Marriage Vow” the main points are below:
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Personal fidelity to my spouse.
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Respect for the marital bonds of others.
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Official fidelity to the U.S. Constitution, supporting the elevation of none but faithful constitutionalists as judges or justices.
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Vigorous opposition to any redefinition of the Institution of Marriage – faithful monogamy between one man and one woman – through statutory-, bureaucratic-, or court-imposed recognition of intimate unions which are bigamous, polygamous, polyandrous, same-sex, etc.
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Recognition of the overwhelming statistical evidence that married people enjoy better health, better sex, longer lives, greater financial stability, and that children raised by a mother and a father together experience better learning, less addiction, less legal trouble, and less extramarital pregnancy.
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Support for prompt reform of uneconomic, anti-marriage aspects of welfare policy, tax policy, and marital/divorce law, and extended “second chance” or “cooling-off” periods for those seeking a “quickie divorce.”
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Earnest, bona fide legal advocacy for the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) at the federal and state levels.
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Steadfast embrace of a federal Marriage Amendment to the U.S. Constitution which protects the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman in all of the United States.
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Humane protection of women and the innocent fruit of conjugal intimacy – our next generation of American children – from human trafficking, sexual slavery, seduction into promiscuity, and all forms of pornography and prostitution, infanticide, abortion and other types of coercion or stolen innocence.
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Support for the enactment of safeguards for all married and unmarried U.S. Military and National Guard personnel, especially our combat troops, from inappropriate same-gender or opposite-gender sexual harassment, adultery or intrusively intimate commingling among attracteds (restrooms, showers, barracks, tents, etc.); plus prompt termination of military policymakers who would expose American wives and daughters to rape or sexual harassment, torture, enslavement or sexual leveraging by the enemy in forward combat roles.
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Rejection of Sharia Islam and all other anti-woman, anti-human rights forms of totalitarian control.
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Recognition that robust childbearing and reproduction is beneficial to U.S. demographic, economic, strategic and actuarial health and security.
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Commitment to downsizing government and the enormous burden upon American families of the USA‟s $14.3 trillion public debt, its $77 trillion in unfunded liabilities, its $1.5 trillion federal deficit, and its $3.5 trillion federal budget.
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Fierce defense of the First Amendment‟s rights of Religious Liberty and Freedom of Speech, especially against the intolerance of any who would undermine law-abiding American citizens and institutions of faith and conscience for their adherence to, and defense of, faithful heterosexual monogamy.
For the most part the pledge is fine and should be reflective of a social conservative’s position. Brian Myers, a contributor here, said to me via email that some of the language is ambiguous, “what is meant by ‘uneconomic’? Or what ‘safeguards’ are contemplated?”
So far two candidates have signed – Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.
My only problem with this pledge is that I get the sense it’s more about Bob Vander Plaats than it is about the issue. Perhaps I’m off base, I’d just hate to see articles like these go to Bob’s head. Endorsements this cycle are pretty much worthless.
5. Can Richard Doak just fade away into retirement?
Like he has any clue what the Founders would think about events today. That would actually require him to read the founding documents and the founder’s writing. If he did so then perhaps his perspective might change.
One can only hope. John Bloom has a nice takedown of Doak’s op/ed.
Cain photo by Dave Davidson.
