Senate backs $1 cig tax

Senate backs $1 cig tax

The Gazette has a nice play by play of unsuccessful GOP maneuvering to back away from the dollar. They tried raising the minimum price, they tried 62 cents, they even tried the killer tactic of five bucks a pack. I gotta admire the overkill of that one. Almost as good as the failed amendment to Steve King's English Only law in `02 that would have changed the name of Cerro Gordo county to Fat Pig County.

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Also under the dome, the Overrated One gives snarky but ultimately OK commentary to Joe Bolkcom:

Sen. Joe Bolkcom, an Iowa City Democrat, is proposing an additional solution: He wants to start turning off some of the lights at night.

He's even proposed hiring someone to do nothing but walk around the buildings on the Capitol complex and flick the off switches. Other state workers apparently can't do that when they leave work.

Imagine that. Turning off the lights when nobody is around. (Those radicals from Iowa City can always be counted on for their far-out ideas.) Bolkcom figures that even after paying the salary and nice benefits of an additional state employee, the government could save money in reduced energy costs. He's got a point.

Yepsen forgets to mention the latte. He also fails to note that while Bolkcom was a supervisor here in Johnson County, he got some automated light switches installed in the administration building's restrooms. We got a new bike rack, too.

Kos To Yepsen: Hogwash

Kos To Yepsen: Hogwash

Well, the headline says hogwash but the copy is better:

David Yepsen, the dean of the Iowa political press (sic), writes:

Tom Vilsack's withdrawl from the 2008 race for president is bad news [...] For those offering the most strident anti-war messages. (They also didn't go the distance for Howard Dean four years ago.) [...]

Vilsack's departure is also evidence a strong anti-war message isn't enough. Today, everybody wants out of Iraq and bashes the war. The question is finding a credible way to do it, and Democrats are having trouble agreeing on a plan.

Bullshit. Vilsack was never a credible anti-war voice.

In reality, Vilsack's departure is bad news for 1) those without credibility on Iraq, and 2) for no-name obscure candidates easily overshadowed by the Democratic titans slugging it out at the top.

Glad to see that the dean of the blogosphere sees through the "dean" of the Iowa press corps. Maybe everyone will soon figure out Yepsen's The Overrated One and start going to Mike Glover for their meta-interviews.

Yepsen: Comedian or Republican Staffer?

Yepsen: Comedian or Republican Staffer?

I thought last week's Roy Nielsen (the independent against Steve King) has a chance column was just color and flavor. But this makes it official. David Yepsen has gone completely around the bend:

Write-in Tom Vilsack. That's right. Let's keep the governor we've got. Draft Vilsack.

He squeezes a gratuitous Iowa City slam in, too.

I almost decided not to publicize this crap by writing about it, but in the end my Yepsen contempt - this is the man who singlehandedly led me to quit a promising career in journalism - outweighed my Democratic strategy inner filter.

Inside each party, there's a tangible lack of excitement about each candidate. Some social conservatives and those on the far right are still troubled about Nussle's divorce and his plans to spend a lot more state money on things like higher teacher salaries.

(He's actually promising higher ones than Culver, a sign Nussle's still got the vote-buying addictions common in Washington.) And GOP moderates - what few that remain - don't like his hard-line stance on abortion.

On the Democratic side, most activists wanted someone besides Culver in the primary. The far left isn't happy that he'd sign a death penalty. And the public-employee unions think he wants to tinker with the IPERS pension system. He can't give a policy speech on his own; he has to read them so he doesn't make mistakes or talk too long.

So Yepsen is bored. But that's hardly insight worthy of recurring "Hardball" guest slots every four years. Why do national people even listen to this guy at caucus time? Any fifth grader in the state could sum up the race as Nussle Hustle vs. Chet Not Dumb.

Nussle's divorce is ancient history. The Dems had their shot in 1996 when it was fresh and when we had a good year - and we blew it with a weak candidate who still almost pulled it off. And the vintage 1991 bag on the head bit is a cute trick for rallying the Democratic troops, but no one under about my age (42) really remembers political events from that era much beyond the fall of the Soviet Union and "read my lips."

As for Chet, the recent Democratic events I've been at are talking trifecta, trifecta, trifecta - that elusive combination of governorship, House and Senate that Democrats last had in 1965-66 - the Harold Hughes era after the LBJ landslide. The implication seems to be: OK, maybe Chet's not the sharpest tool in the shed. But Mike Gronstal and Pat Murphy are smart enough to run the show: sign here, Governor.

And I can live with that. Ed Fallon would have been exciting. Mike Blouin would have been an interesting curveball and more interesting for a political columnist to write about. But the voters had their say and they decided to vote the name you know. And David Yepsen is grumpy about that.

For the sake or argument, let's pretend to take "draft Vilsack" seriously. What if Vilsack HAD run again?

Democrats pleaded, begged, screamed at Vilsack to give it another go. He had his chance.

Vilsack has his sights set - unrealistically - on bigger things.

If he HAD decided to run for a third term Yepsen would certainly have written a "Vilsack violates term limits pledge" rant.

More to the point: who does this help? The old time pols used to run no-chance candidates to split the vote. Tip O'Neill wrote about it: you're an Irish guy running against an Italian, you get some other Italian with a similar sounding name into the race to confuse people. (The Bay State even elected one of these buffoons state treasurer in the 50's, because he happened to have the name John F. Kennedy.)

This is a little different, but who is more likely to write in Tom Vilsack: a moderate Republican or a disgruntled Democrat? With the polls tied 44-44, with the state decided by 4000 votes in the 2000 presidential, even a tiny handful of votes wasted on an incumbent who doesn't want the job anymore could be decisive. I read the article three times scanning it for a "Paid For By Nussle For Governor" disclaimer - he couldn't BUY a story this beneficial.

I's suggest a nice little joint appearance with each man in character: Culver laughs it off, Vilsack looks serious, makes a Sherman statement and re-endorses Chet.

Yepsen gets it half right

Yepsen gets it half right

The Overrated One is expecting a low turnout primary. He's probably right but he's got a few things wrong. In mock tribute I'll do this in bullet points:

He's blaming the CITEC scandal, but to me that seems like inside the Des Moines Beltway stuff. Out here in the People's Republic of Johnson County it's a nonentity.

"If a dispirited Democratic base stays home in November what should be a great year for the party in Iowa may prove to be one Republicans can survive." That would be true if it were even remotely applicable. But everyone I talk to in the Blouin, Culver and Fallon camps is united on one thing: the need to beat Jim Nussle. Some indecisiveness in June is no indicator of a weak November.

Yepsen does acknowledge the spirited 1st CD primary but doesn't apply the old Tip O'Neill "all politics is local" wisdom to other spots. Maybe that's because of his Polk County perch; if I'm right the only contested local race they have is the primary for Fallon's House seat. (I stand corrected but I'll bet it's nowhere near as hot as Newport Road) Here in Johnson County this isn't the "governor's primary", it's the "county attorney and supervisor election." Despite an apparant tendency to undervote by crossovers (my oft-repeated historic stat: in 1998 we had 1000 more votes for county recorder than for governor) this magnifies Johnson County's influence in a state primary. In 2004 we had the highest turnout in the state. I don't mean percentage; I mean more voters than Polk County.

Who does that help? Blouin's organization? Fallon's committeds? Culver's name ID? Sal's tenacity?

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Didn't write about the Friday Night Concert yet; it was more of the same faces. Crowd was a bit smaller due to the holiday weekend and the different music. Instead of high school jazz and the parent rich crowd we had blues rock and a verrrry attractive and talented lead singer. Interesting: a couple of my friends in the Culver camp who read last week's post went out of their way to tell me they'd be there. Attempts were made to interpret my green and gold hat as Culver support but it was really intended as Packer support. I'm being scrupulously chicken on public support but will stick my neck out for Dave Loebsack, Mike Mauro, and all other uncontested Dems. Gutsy, I know.

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Speaking of Mauro, the Underrated One, Mike Glover, picks up on the real issues in the Secretary of State race:

Polk County Auditor Michael Mauro, unopposed for the Democratic nomination, points to his role in boosting voter turnout in the state's largest county, and takes pride with expanding the absentee ballot effort by making request forms available online.

Republicans Chuck Allison and Bob Dopf say they are worried about ballot security and argue that the dramatic expansion in the use of absentee balloting should be slowed or stopped.

Or: Democrats want to help you vote. Republicans want to keep you from voting.

Yepsen on Blouin, AFSCME

Yepsen on Blouin, AFSCME

The overrated one opines on yesterday's big endorsement. But he gets it wrong near the end:

The next big development in the campaign may also be Blouin's to make. It comes when he chooses a running mate. He's expected to do that before the June primary, and when he does, he'll enjoy a nice boost of publicity, just as his rivals have. He's also expected to name a pro-choice woman, a move that may finally get the abortion issue behind him.

No. For all the buzz about Judge and Vander Plaats, the reality is that running mates don't make a damn bit of difference. (Two words: Dan Quayle.)

What would get the choice issue behind Blouin would be a statement along these lines:

"While I personally oppose abortion, I will not impose my personal beliefs on the women of Iowa. I will veto any legislation which restricts choice, and I will support and sign any legislation that enhances choice."

In other words he needs to become fully pro-choice politically, and if he personally does not like abortion he should not get one. Blouin is trying to have it both ways; if he's going to play games with a core Democratic issue like choice in order to win over some "moderate" votes that aren't really there, he needs to pay a price with progressives.

Right now I'd rank Blouin fourth in my choices for governor, behind Fallon and Culver (not necessarily in that order!) and Welty.

Yepsen spins the fundraising

Yepsen spins the fundraising

Main bullet points: Good for Culver and Nussle. Bad for everyone else. A nightmare for Judge.

A relatively coherent, rant-free column today. Maybe a little obvious, but influential because it's Yepsen.

Iowa Taxes: Regressin' With Yepsen

Iowa Taxes: Regressin' With Yepsen



The Overrated One on the school sales tax today:



The 1-cent local-option sales tax for local schools should be made a statewide tax. Only two counties don't have it...



Johnson County being one. We've never voted on it, but in `99 when we voted on the local option sales tax, it was overwhelmingly rejected.



...so it's clear the vast majority of Iowa voters support the need for school construction.



As do the vast majority of Johnson County voters. Witness the huge YES votes for school construction bonds in Iowa City (2003), Solon (2000), and Lone Tree (2001).



This tax is one way to do that without raising Iowa's already-high property taxes. Districts that don't need buildings could lower their property taxes.



In other words, shift the tax burden from property owners to lower income folks.



How about local option INCOME tax instead?

IA Gov: Yepsen states several obvious things

IA Gov: Yepsen states several obvious things



The Overrated One reads a poll, which matters mostly because it's Yepsen. Most interesting bon mots:

Blouin appears to be in reverse gear... proving the rule that you can be a big shot inside the Statehouse, but you're still a statewide election loser because no one outside the building knows who you are. (See former House Speaker Donald Avenson for details.)



And Blouin's been tripped up by the abortion issue. He's pro-life but now says he wouldn't sign any pro-life bills into law. In other words, Blouin is still a pro-lifer but won't do anything because of it. It looks wishy-washy.

This poll didn't measure the respective primary contests, but the results square with what Culver's strategists have long thought — that Patty Judge, not Mike Blouin or Ed Fallon, is the person they've got to watch.

A quick look at the poll numbers themselves: Nussle is pretty steady against the four main Dems, between 42 and 45. But look at how the Dems fare:

Culver: 38

Judge: 31

Fallon: 21

Blouin: 18. That's not a typo, that's eighteen.



Blouin loses over HALF the Democratic support, even more than the "extreme" Fallon. You can't write all that off to "lower name ID than Culver."

Yepsen: Stem-cell law is hurting Iowa

Yepsen: Stem-cell law is hurting Iowa

The over-rated pundit actually makes sense today:

Already, the 2002 stem-cell law is one reason a top scientist left the U of I, and it may be a reason why some of them don't bother to come to the state in the first place.

Patty Judge seems to have succeeded in putting this issue on the map. It's a nice way of exposing Mike "let's talk about anything except choice" Blouin for what he is: an extremist. Even most conservatives seem to support stem-cell research. It's the issue that separates the zygote lobby from the real world.

Rare agreement with Yepsen

Rare agreement with Yepsen

Think about voting a straight ticket.



That's right, vote for all Democrats or all Republicans. We elect a new governor and a new Legislature, and it's time one party or the other be given control of the whole shebang. Why? To get something done.



For years, Iowans have been good ticket-splitters. "I vote for the candidate and not the party," many voters proudly boast. Unfortunately, that's often a recipe for deadlock and infighting at the Statehouse...

Yepsen: Throw out pledge and run again, guv

Yepsen: Throw out pledge and run again, guv



Who didn't see THIS coming?

As Democrats flop around looking for a winning candidate for governor, it's becoming clearer by the day that (Vilsack) may be the only one capable of holding onto the job. Many Democrats have reservations about Secretary of State Chet Culver, which is why there's all this talk about Mike Blouin or Mike Gronstal or Tom Miller entering the race. Hardly a day goes by that someone doesn't float another name. Democrats know that any of the GOP candidates - Jim Nussle, Doug Gross or Bob Vander Plaats - will be a tough adversary for Culver.

When David Yepsen writes a column like this it means someone's passed him the helium so he can float a trial balloon.



While we're at it, when is Christie Vilsack going to run against Jim Leach?



Politics | Iowa

Rare Agreement With Yepsen



"For years, economists and demographers have reported that we need more people in Iowa - over 310,000 by the end of the decade just to maintain our current economy. We need these newcomers to fill jobs, particularly ones we natives don't want to do. They'll also make Iowa a more varied and interesting place. Well, it's 2004 and we're not going to make that population goal. So most of Iowa will continue to be a colony state that exports everything from corn to kids.



One reason we'll fall short is because politicians do demagogic things to win votes - like bash gays, metal-music fans and Latinos. It's an appeal to the darker angels of our nature, and it's disgusting because it often works..."

Gratuitious Espresso-based Dean bashing



And it wasn't even David Yepsen!



"'Dean has a profile that works with the biscotti and latte-sipping crowd but is a much tougher sell for the biscuit and gravy crowd,' said Chris Lehane, a senior adviser to General Clark, as he previewed the kind of attack that would be used against Dr. Dean..."



I happen to like lattes. And biscuits n' gravy. But if it gets too rough, you might not see them on the same table...

I hate to blog David Yepsen, but...



"Howard Dean may well be the next president of the United States because of something called the "Dean Corps" in Iowa... they are taking politics back to the future by organizing campaign work around community-service projects..."



Makes me want to toast him with a $3 latte.

Yepsen Watch



The latest gratuitous slam on Johnson County and espresso-based beverages in today's Des Moines Register by the over-rated David Yepsen:



Traditionally, the Dubuque poobahs host a "Dubuque Night" during each legislative session, an excuse for a beer and brats bash. Well, this year, to the dismay of many, they upscaled it. Yepsen ends his item with: "If people want lattes and bean sprouts, let them find an 'Iowa City Night' somewhere.



Note to any national media types who may have stumbled onto this: The only time Yepsen scoops anyone is when he's spoon fed. If you want the real story, talk to Mike Glover of the AP.



For the record, I really do like lattes but I'm not much on bean sprouts.