By State Senator Kent Sorenson
Representative John Dingell, one of the most powerful Democrat Representatives in the United States Congress, once said, “I’ll let you write the substance…you let me write the procedure, and I’ll screw you every time,” when talking about legislation.
Liberal Democrat Senator Mike Gronstal lives by these words. And there’s one other code that Gronstal lives by, something we should take note of and apply to ourselves.
Gronstal never (and I mean NEVER) compromises his core principles.
His strict adherence to his core principles combined with the fact that he is the architect of the rules of the Iowa Senate makes him almost a mini-deity in Iowa politics.
Almost.
You see, Gronstal orchestrates everything to come together to give himself and the weak and vulnerable members of his caucus the cover they need to go back home and avoid paying the political price they should be required to pay.
Ridiculous as it may seem, they actually have the gall to blame the fact that they use rules and procedure to kill legislation ON THE RULES AND PROCEDURE! “It didn’t make it through committee,” or “it didn’t have enough support,” is just a false way of saying “we used our numerical advantage in committee to kill the bill and retain political cover,” or “we pretend we are concerned about this issue, but we’ll use the rules that we wrote to keep the bill from coming to a vote, thus giving us political cover.”
In this instance, they want political cover for allowing baby butchering slaughterhouse operator Leroy Carhart to set up shop in Iowa.
Gronstal says that he “reels at the thought of abortion.” But does he tell the rest of the story to the public and that it’s his SOLE prerogative to either call up HF 657 (fetal pain bill) for debate or kill it?
NO! Instead, he shoves it in our face and lays out a new plan to let Carhart set up a death factory at his leisure and from multiple locations across the state!
So here’s what happens. Gronstal puts Senator Joe Bolkcom on point (Bolkcom’s ex-wife is the former director of the Emma Goldman baby slaughterhouse in Iowa City). He anoints Bolkcom as floor manager of the fetal pain bill, HF 657. This way he can say that he’s doing his part and going through the motions following “procedure.” Bolkcom, in return, doesn’t pressure Gronstal to bring it up for debate.
So now “process” is to blame, Bolkcom takes the heat (Bolkcom is safe in his district), and Gronstal issues his sound-bites to the media back home saying how he tried to protect the health of women and children, but Republicans voted it down.
The bill dies.
Bolkcom, in turn, introduces the bill intended to give them political cover, SF 534, which allows Carhartt to set up his infanticide center as long as it’s near a hospital that’s able to handle late-term-abortions-gone-wrong.
This bill was scheduled for debate last Thursday, but as was my right as a Senator, I refused unanimous consent to call it up. That forced them to come back on Monday to debate their “political cover” pro-abortion bill.
On Monday before Gronstal could be recognized to call up the bill, I invoked Rule 19. Rule 19 of the Senate Rules allows any senator to make a motion that the Senate go to “committee of the whole” to consider a bill (in this case HF 657), take a roll-call vote on what action the “committee of the whole” recommends the Senate pursue regarding a bill and have that vote recorded in the Senate Journal. This is a procedural vote designed solely to identify who stands for life and who stands for murdering the innocent.
At first, the majority leadership ignored my “point of order.” I actually had to raise my voice to an elevated level to force the thugs in charge to recognize me for my perfectly legitimate request!
In the end, we got a vote on the fetal pain bill and it failed, 26-23 (one Republican was excused for the day). But I was able to accomplish my mission of separating the wheat from the chaff.
I have to admit that it felt good to use their own rules to force them to expose their true colors!
This goes back to what I was saying up at the beginning of this email. Gronstal and his minions’ true colors are portrayed in the blood of the babies they murder through their direct actions and direct inaction. They aren’t willing to compromise their core principles and belief that murder is acceptable.
My recommendation? I’d say that contacting guys like Gronstal and Bolkcom is a waste of time if your intention is to persuade them to do the “right thing.” Only God and prayer can accomplish that. Rather, continue to barrage them with emails and phone calls to get them on record. Put it in your minds and remember the blood on their hands.
And when the election season comes around, show them no mercy, and give them no quarter. They don’t. I can personally say that in the political arena, they sure don’t. And the babies who pay with their precious lives are an eternal testament to that fact.
Go to their forums and call them to the carpet for their lies.
Tell them you know they hide behind the cover of procedure to prey on the lives of innocent babies.
Talk about what they’ve done at your local coffee shop.
Donate to the principled fighters who decide to run for office against them.
Get your friends to do the same.
Pound the pavement for them.
Knock on doors. Go to town hall meetings.
Go to civic events and talk about it with your family and friends.
Work a few hours extra at and donate that income to your local incumbent-removal campaign.
Folks, I can’t tell you how much we need everyone to stand up right now and start fighting. If now isn’t the time, when will it be?
State Senator Kent Sorenson (R-Indianola) is serving his first term in the Iowa Senate after serving a term in the Iowa House. He represents Iowa Senate District 37 which includes Warren County, Madison County and Southwest Dallas County.