To all the Republican muckety-mucks in Des Moines: Nice Going
Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2025 10:43 am
An editorial in the Burlington Hawkeye states:
Gross should have won the three–way race with Vander Plaats and Steve Sukup rather handily. As a former top aide to two Republican governors, Robert Ray and Terry Branstad, Gross had the backing of the party establishment.
The writer of that remark needs to bone up on some recent history. Candidates that are foisted on the Republican rank-n-file by the party establishment often lose, such as Bob Franks in New Jersey and Richard Riordan in California. It seems that the average Republican voter doesn’t appreciate the party elders trying to dictate what is best for him. Republicans are funny that way.
In fact, that is what probably would have happened to Doug Gross if either Steve Sukup or Bob Vander Plaats had not been in the race. Nevertheless, Gross still finds himself in a pickle. Given that almost 65% of Republican primary voters voted for someone other than Gross, Gross still has to appeal to the right. And he has to do it while running in a general election where he also has to appeal to the center.
MIKE SWEET EMBARRASSES HIMSELF
Not that it is unusual. But this time he seems to have outdone himself. No commentary is necessary. I’ll just post some of the choicer parts of his column in the Hawkeye:
-If Bill Clinton or Al Gore were in office and running the government the shop way George W. Bush is, Republicans would be demanding another impeachment.
-Bush has spent years decrying global warming as a myth propagated by tree huggers to deny wealth to stockbrokers, oil barons, coal burning electric utilities and the manufacturers of gas–guzzling SUVs.
He refused to sign or even renegotiate the Kyoto treaty that seeks to reduce the carbon dioxide and other toxic emissions that are gradually suffocating the Earth.
-His contempt for bureaucracy is absurd given that he is the nation's chief bureaucrat.
Gross should have won the three–way race with Vander Plaats and Steve Sukup rather handily. As a former top aide to two Republican governors, Robert Ray and Terry Branstad, Gross had the backing of the party establishment.
The writer of that remark needs to bone up on some recent history. Candidates that are foisted on the Republican rank-n-file by the party establishment often lose, such as Bob Franks in New Jersey and Richard Riordan in California. It seems that the average Republican voter doesn’t appreciate the party elders trying to dictate what is best for him. Republicans are funny that way.
In fact, that is what probably would have happened to Doug Gross if either Steve Sukup or Bob Vander Plaats had not been in the race. Nevertheless, Gross still finds himself in a pickle. Given that almost 65% of Republican primary voters voted for someone other than Gross, Gross still has to appeal to the right. And he has to do it while running in a general election where he also has to appeal to the center.
MIKE SWEET EMBARRASSES HIMSELF
Not that it is unusual. But this time he seems to have outdone himself. No commentary is necessary. I’ll just post some of the choicer parts of his column in the Hawkeye:
-If Bill Clinton or Al Gore were in office and running the government the shop way George W. Bush is, Republicans would be demanding another impeachment.
-Bush has spent years decrying global warming as a myth propagated by tree huggers to deny wealth to stockbrokers, oil barons, coal burning electric utilities and the manufacturers of gas–guzzling SUVs.
He refused to sign or even renegotiate the Kyoto treaty that seeks to reduce the carbon dioxide and other toxic emissions that are gradually suffocating the Earth.
-His contempt for bureaucracy is absurd given that he is the nation's chief bureaucrat.