This Saturday, the Republican Party will be holding their state convention in downtown Des Moines. While there will be speeches by officeholders and candidates and discussion of the party platform, one major event of interest will be the nomination of Terry Branstad’s choice for Lt. Governor.
Now, Iowans will know who the former Governor has selected before the convention on Saturday, but the question still remains: Who will it be?
As a lowly blogger for the Dallas County Republicans, I’m fairly confident that my thoughts and opinions have little to no bearing on Terry Branstad’s choice for Lt. Gov. However, I do have a few ideas as to who would make a good candidate in 2010.
So, here is my open letter to the former governor.
Dear Governor Branstad.
I’m told that you’re really excited to choose someone to be the next Lt. Governor of the great state of Iowa. I have a few ideas.
First, please choose someone younger. I think that you would like to live at Terrace Hill for at least the next 8 years, at which point, you can have a younger Lt. Governor that can carry the executive torch of Iowa. Furthermore, having a younger candidate will help the GOP reach out to younger voters, which needs to occur.
Second, choose someone with a personality, who has been fully vetted. Skeletons and unfortunate encounters with the media can quickly sour the public’s perception of a running mate, but having a strong, intelligent, and amiable personality will only help reinforce you and your personality. Terry…people really like you, so make sure you choose someone who you know Iowans will like.
Finally, please choose someone to your political right. There are tens of thousands of Iowans who are fired up and ready to vote for conservatives. During the primary campaign, Bob Vander Plaats levied charges at you, basically saying that you are not conservative enough. While I think those charges are somewhat unfair, I think that we’re going to be seeing a serious conservative resurgence in November. Why not choose a person who can help reinforce your conservative message?
I hope you take my suggestions to heart and I’ll see you at the convention. Best wishes!
Sincerely
ghbraves
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
We have a Commander-in-Chief
Today, news has been swirling around General Stanley McChrystal, the prominent military official directing the war in Afghanistan. As it turns out, there is a profile of McChrystal within the pages of this month’s Rolling Stone magazine. However, the profile reveals that that the general made several unflattering comments about the Obama administration.
From CNN
McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which the general and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general has also fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
How does President Obama feel about this? Also, from CNN.
President Barack Obama was "angry" after reading Gen. Stanley McChrystal's controversial remarks about colleagues in a Rolling Stone article, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
The "magnitude and graveness" of McChrystal's mistake in conducting the interview for the article were "profound," Gibbs said.
This much is clear: General McChrystal made a mistake in allowing Rolling Stone magazine (you know, that magazine devoted primarily to music) to have access to conversations that painted President Obama’s team as inexperienced (at best). At the very least, General McChrystal is guilty of poor judgment, taking action akin to slamming your boss on Facebook, which has actually gotten gotten several Iowans fired in recent times.
However, at worst, it brings back memories of the dispute between President Harry Truman and the very popular General Douglas MacArthur in the early 1950s.
In 1950, Harry Truman and “Mac” had very different ideas about the future of the Korean war, and General MacArthur publicly questioned his superior, the President, in Time Magazine. In the end, Truman fired the general, and would eventually have the lowest approval rating of any president in United States history. Recent years have vindicated Truman, and he is considered to be one of the top 10 Presidents in American history.
The point is, it's not uncommon for generals to disagree with their President. However, it is uncommon for generals to disagree with their President in a very public way, which is what General McChrystal did by criticizing the President's administration, and even Vice President Biden.
So, what does this mean for the man who, according to many, has done very impressive work for U.S. efforts in the Middle East? Chances are he’ll resign, ending a long, notable career on a sour note. However, President Obama may channel Harry Truman, and fire the general tomorrow, although this is doubtful. I would guess that the former will occur in the coming days.
One thing is clear, as much as we may disagree with the policies of President Obama, he certainly has every right to fire Gen. McChrystal. We have a civilian commander-in-chief for a reason, and if I were President Obama, I would be “angry” with the general too.
From CNN
McChrystal apologized Tuesday for the profile, in which the general and his staff appear to mock top civilian officials, including the vice president. Two defense officials said the general has also fired a press aide over the article, set to appear in Friday's edition of Rolling Stone magazine.
How does President Obama feel about this? Also, from CNN.
President Barack Obama was "angry" after reading Gen. Stanley McChrystal's controversial remarks about colleagues in a Rolling Stone article, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
The "magnitude and graveness" of McChrystal's mistake in conducting the interview for the article were "profound," Gibbs said.
This much is clear: General McChrystal made a mistake in allowing Rolling Stone magazine (you know, that magazine devoted primarily to music) to have access to conversations that painted President Obama’s team as inexperienced (at best). At the very least, General McChrystal is guilty of poor judgment, taking action akin to slamming your boss on Facebook, which has actually gotten gotten several Iowans fired in recent times.
However, at worst, it brings back memories of the dispute between President Harry Truman and the very popular General Douglas MacArthur in the early 1950s.
In 1950, Harry Truman and “Mac” had very different ideas about the future of the Korean war, and General MacArthur publicly questioned his superior, the President, in Time Magazine. In the end, Truman fired the general, and would eventually have the lowest approval rating of any president in United States history. Recent years have vindicated Truman, and he is considered to be one of the top 10 Presidents in American history.
The point is, it's not uncommon for generals to disagree with their President. However, it is uncommon for generals to disagree with their President in a very public way, which is what General McChrystal did by criticizing the President's administration, and even Vice President Biden.
So, what does this mean for the man who, according to many, has done very impressive work for U.S. efforts in the Middle East? Chances are he’ll resign, ending a long, notable career on a sour note. However, President Obama may channel Harry Truman, and fire the general tomorrow, although this is doubtful. I would guess that the former will occur in the coming days.
One thing is clear, as much as we may disagree with the policies of President Obama, he certainly has every right to fire Gen. McChrystal. We have a civilian commander-in-chief for a reason, and if I were President Obama, I would be “angry” with the general too.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Wednesday, June 02, 2010
A Wednesday Musing
Just imagine if George W. Bush was President right now.
Do you think he would be:
a) criticized more than President Obama (for the oil spill)
b) criticized less than President Obama (for the oil spill)
c) criticized the same as President Obama (for the oil spill)
d) criticized ridiculously more than President Obama (for the oil spill)
If you guessed b, I question your intelligence. If you guessed c, I think that's naively sweet. If you guessed a, I believe that you are an optimist. Which leaves those who answered question d, who are correct.
Do you think he would be:
a) criticized more than President Obama (for the oil spill)
b) criticized less than President Obama (for the oil spill)
c) criticized the same as President Obama (for the oil spill)
d) criticized ridiculously more than President Obama (for the oil spill)
If you guessed b, I question your intelligence. If you guessed c, I think that's naively sweet. If you guessed a, I believe that you are an optimist. Which leaves those who answered question d, who are correct.
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