Strawn Takes Center Stage At Night of the Rising Stars
- Friday, June 26, 2009, 8:32
- Iowa, News Center, Top Story
- 1,048 views
- 45 comments
Nearly 800 people turned out last night for the Republican Party of Iowa’s “Night of the Rising Stars” event at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines. The event was billed as the coming-out party for RPI under the new leadership of Chairman Matt Strawn and Executive Director Jeff Boeyink. Strawn told the audience that the event helped raise $100,000 for the state party.
Strawn has made a concerted effort to change the perception of the party by altering the types of events the organization holds. Gone are the big, stale convention centers, the plated dinners, and the long programs. In April, RPI held an event to honor long time GOP activist and former party co-chair Leon Mosley. That event was casual, and people were encouraged to wear their boots and jeans.
Last night’s event was business casual, the event was held in a historic auditorium in one of the most liberal parts of Des Moines, and instead of the same old chicken dinner we have all grown tired of, there was music, lights, videos, and a program that stayed on time.
While the event featured Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour who now finds himself as the chairman of the RGA sooner than he expected, as well as our young and upcoming legislators, if the event showcased one person, it was Chairman Strawn. Strawn was praised by almost everyone who took the stage.
Strawn was introduced via video by RNC chairman Michael Steele who spoke very kindly of the new chairman. Strawn spoke at length about the condition of the party, the excitement he sees when out traveling the state, and the horrific job Governor Culver is doing leading our state.
After Strawn’s speech, there were four sets of videos which featured the “rising stars.” Kraig Paulsen, Paul McKinley, Mary Mosiman, and former Governor Branstad each introduced a video segment featuring four of the rising stars.
The video segments showcasing these legislators in their home environment were the best part of the event. Having this part of the program on video kept the event moving, and, as we all know, some people, even political candidates, have a difficult time giving a good speech in front of a large audience under the spotlight. You also never know how long someone will talk. The videos were all short (about two minutes), but they really showed off the unique attributes each of these candidates possess.
Some of the videos were better than others. That is to be expected, but all were impressive in their own right. I’m told that new RPI communications director Danielle Plogmann was responsible for shooting and editing the videos. You can obviously tell that she has experience behind a news camera, and thus, this was a great use of her unique talents. If they post the videos to YouTube, I would gladly post them here for people to see and comment on.
Governor Barbour focused on party building in his speech, but not before taking a couple of shots at Governor Culver. When being introduced by RPI Co-Chair Jim Kurtenbach, he mentioned that Barbour had defeated a two term incumbent governor. Barbour quickly corrected him by saying it was only a one term governor like Chet Culver, because if it would have been a two term governor, the state would have been bankrupt. Barbour also said that Culver is floating bonds to pay for on-going expenses.
Barbour had a little fun with his recent ascension to RGA chair. He said, “As you make know, I’m the chairman of the RGA.” People applauded, he then added, “Just yesterday I was the vice chairman.” Barbour then explained that he was in Iowa because the RGA thinks that Republicans can win in Iowa, and he pledged that the RGA will be by our side working to defeat Chet Culver.
Barbour then focused on how the Republican Party must rebuild. He first said that Republicans are a better party when we build from the bottom up, and that you have to go to the grassroots not to just knock on doors, but for policy development. In addition to the building from the bottom up, he also said that Republicans must build up their small donor base and use cutting edge communication tools to reach people.
Barbour also talked at length that the party needs to grow and be more inclusive. He said, “Party building is about addition and multiplication, not subtraction and division.” He said will the issue set changes with every election cycle, we must find ways to apply our principles to all the issues of the day.
Barbour also used the line, “If someone agrees with me 80% of the time they are my ally, not my enemy.” He went on to say that, while he is pro-life and has signed a number of anti-abortion bills in his home state of Mississippi, not everyone is a Haley Barbour Republican. Knowing that, Barbour believes that it is the state party’s responsibility to manage all of the coalitions to make sure they are working in concert together.
Barbour also told a story about how the most liberal Republican Governor in American was challenged and defeated in a convention in the state of Minnesota. That governor came back to win the primary and become the party’s nominee. That governor, Arne Carlson, went on to win, and while he was pro-choice and a liberal Republican, he also helped elect conservatives down the ballot. Barbour’s point was that, at the end of the day, pro-lifers need to vote for pro-choice candidates and vise-versa if we are to win elections.
While I understand what Barbour is getting at, I think that the only people who can operate in that type of fashion is a party person. Most people are not involved in politics because of the party anymore. They are motivated by a number of issues, and asking them to compromise on their values and principles simply will not happen. Furthermore, Barbour’s conclusion also didn’t mesh with some of the legislative videos that talked explicitly about the life issue.
While Barbour’s party building speech contained some excellent ideas, strategies, and ideas that the Republican Party should work to implement, his comments on the life issue will only exacerbate the on-going debate within the party about whether or not Republican need to moderate to win elections.
Instead of focusing on that part of Barbour’s speech, we would be wise to focus on his message about applying our constant principles to the issue set of the day and using the state party to manage and grow the coalitions within our party.
Youtube from the Vander Plaats Campaign
About the Author
Craig Robinson has written 454 stories on this site.
Craig Robinson serves as the founder and Editor-in-Chief of TheIowaRepublican.com. Prior to founding Iowa's largest conservative news site, Robinson served as the Political Director of the Republican Party of Iowa during the 2008 Iowa Caucuses. In that capacity, Robinson planned and organized the largest political event in 2007, the Iowa Straw Poll, in Ames, Iowa. Robinson also organized the 2008 Republican caucuses in Iowa, and was later dispatched to Nevada to help with the caucuses there. Robinson cut his teeth in Iowa politics during the 2000 caucus campaign of businessman Steve Forbes and has been involved with most major campaigns in the state since then. His extensive political background and rolodex give him a unique perspective from which to monitor the political pulse of Iowa.
45 Comments on “Strawn Takes Center Stage At Night of the Rising Stars”
Trackbacks
- Iowa GOP Night of the Rising Stars | Caffeinated Thoughts
- Principled vs. Party-line Voting | Caffeinated Thoughts
- Barbour In 2012 Morning Roundup (6/26) « Majority In Mississippi
Write a Comment
Gravatars are small images that can show your personality. You can get your gravatar for free today!
You must be logged in to post a comment.
“The event was billed as the coming-out party for RPI” I am sorry, but this made the 6th grader in me snicker.
Craig, enjoyed the coverage of Barbour in Iowa. I have a feeling this wasn’t his last visit to the state.
Barbour never once indicated Republicans need to moderate to win elections and the very idea is silly. That is far different from voting for the most conservative Republican we can get.
There is NOTHING that can get me to abandon my pro-life position. I am answerable to a far greater entity than the Republican party.
However, I may at some point be called upon to vote for a Republican in a general election who does not share my 100% prolife position and I will gladly do it to prevent a Democrat from gaining the office and have what we have now.
Remember, a pro-life Democrat (if there is such a thing) is useless unless they are in the minority. If Democrats have the majority there will be NO pro-life legislation–NONE!!!
With Democrats in control there will be not be a vote on a marriage amendment.
With Democrats in control we will be digging ourselves a deeper and deeper economic hole and there wil be fewer and fewer jobs.
With Democrats in control, our very existence is in jeopardy as they have no sense of protecting the citizens.
With Democrats in control, we may eventually be going back to horse and buggies but then what are the Democrats going to do about the green house emissions from all the horses.
These Democrats are DANGEROUS. They’re voting on tax-and-no trade” today. Do all you purists have the extra 2-$3,000 per year to pay in additional taxes if they get this passed?
You must look at the entire picture. Democrats have absolutely NOTHING to offer the people of America. Republicans are the last best hope.
DVFO – My point is that you are a party person, much like I am. What Barbour spoke about last night makes a lot of sense to people like us, but it makes no sense at all to people who care less about the party label or brand.
Let me explain this in another way by talking about the tea party movement. There was a lot of talk about how these people have a natural home in the Republican Party. I plan to write about this next week, but I don’t think we can simply expect these people to support Republican candidates.
Do you think a tea party activist is going to vote for someone who votes for socialized health care, and one or more of the bailout bills? Of course not. They are not going to vote for the lesser of two evils, its counter to everything they believe. Doing so would make their movement meaningless. The same holds true for the people who feel strongly about life and marriage. People don’t compromise on these issues, and asking them to do so only makes matters worse.
So just like we can’t expect the tea party activist to vote for candidates who support the bailouts, and those who voted against the bailouts because of the greater good of the Republican Party, we can’t expect pro-life voters to do the same.
There is a huge difference between party activists and issue activist. If Iowa Republicans want to win elections they need to understand the difference between the two.
The Republican party is the pro-life party. There is not one single pro-life Democrat who has a prayer of accomplishing ANYTHING with Democrats in control and if there is a Democrat out there who really cares about this issue, they must vote Republican.
Frankly, I question the pro-life credentials of anyone who votes Democrat. The Democrat party is the party of death.
So what is your solution? The Republicans we have elected are a pretty darned good solid block of conservatives so what are we arguing about?
If we would like to have the same success as Barbour, maybe we should follow his advice.
“If Iowa Republicans want to win elections they need to understand the difference between the two.”
And do what about it?
DVFO~ listen to your comments: 1)There is NOTHING that can get me to abandon my pro-life position. I am answerable to a far greater entity than the Republican party
2) I may at some point be called upon to vote for a Republican in a general election who does not share my 100% prolife position and I will gladly do it to…Make up your mind already. No wonder why you don’t like Deace. He actually exposes people that are like you, talking out both sides of your mouth. Good Grief!
Iman Christian: You need to start your own Christian Taliban party. I admire the views you have as a Christian. However, using politics as a forum to witness your faith is foolish and will ensure we are a minority party. Render unto Caesar what is his.
Christian: I am advancing a prolife agenda and I may have to use some pro-choicers somewhere along the way to get there but it is a numerical fact we may need them.
If we exclude everyone who does not fit our ideas 100 % we are retreating. This is what we are doing now. How is this plan working out for you?
I’ll take the Barbour plan thank you. The Deace plan gets us Obama and Democrats.
I have a clear conscience while those who will go the Deace way are advancing an agenda of death.
Why do we care about Deace, anyway? The guy is not a Republican. To follow him is to follow him over a cliff.
Barbour gave us the model to follow last night. It is fool hardy not to follow it.
Don’t talk to me about talking out of both sides of my mouth when you are a Deace follower and he actually voted for Obama and he does everything within his power to prevent Republicans from gaining power and they can actually do something about this but he doesn’t want to do anything about these issues.
He wants to feel morally superior and there is a segment he has convinced that he is more pure. Go the Obama route if you want. I think it’s stupid.
DVFO–well put.
The more I think about Barbour’s message, the more I appreciate what he said. He laid out the road to victory. I want to take it.
DVFO, great points. Let’s do a little civics lesson, but not the one that we teach in government courses as much as maybe we should. The majority party controls the agenda. (If in doubt, look at what’s happening in DC today.) This means they have the committee gavels, determine which bills get hearings, and which bills make it to the floor.
A pro-choice republican will vote for the republican leadership. Since most republicans, especially leadership, tend to be pro-life, this means that the pro-life bills get hearings in committees and will make it to the floor for votes. If democrats have the majority, those bills have no chance of seeing the light of day. The only way you can get that legislation through is if you can get an amendment to the floor.
So yes, while it may be difficult at times to support a pro-choice republican, by getting them elected over a democrat you can sometimes have a better choice of getting bills up to the floor and passed. It’s not talking out of both sides of your mouth, it’s moving your views forward. If some can’t do this out of principle, I understand, but then don’t whine or complain that you can’t get bills heard or passed.
“So yes, while it may be difficult at times to support a pro-choice republican, by getting them elected over a democrat you can sometimes have a better choice of getting bills up to the floor and passed”
No, it’s more than only a “better chance”, it’s the ONLY chance.
This is one reason I have lost patience with the so-called pro-life Democrats. Obviously, they’re only giving lip service to the issue or they would be Republicans. They know full well that if they are in the majority, they have zero chance of advancing any pro-life agenda.
They are hypocrites.
A pro-life Democrat is as phony as Deace when it comes to caring about these issues. Neither one will do anything to advance a pro-life agenda.
How did Deace win the election for Obama? I know its fun rhetoric when you disagree, but it all comes down to McCain. The moderate Republican lost the election. You can vote for as many pro-choice Republicans as you want, but they will not get elected. In a general election, I understand where you’re coming from (although I disagree), but why not support a pro-life Republican till we get to that point.
DVFO wants pro-life causes to be advanced, but is a “Party person” first. MIE is a pro-life supporter, but is primarily focused on fiscal conservatism. I am an issue first guy who supports fiscal conservatism and the Republican Party. Why can’t we all agree that we want someone who protects life, family, the budget, and the Party? Now, instead of whining about whether to be a big tent or a small tent, let’s send the person who fits ALL our ideals the best.
I don’t know if Bob Vander Plaat’s solution is the best (or the worst), but I bet he wants the same things MIE, DVFO, and me all want. I don’t know if Rants is the best (or worst) candidate, but I bet he wants the same things MIE, DVFO, and me all want. I know for a fact that a pro-choice candidate does not meet my criteria. I know for a fact that a big government candidate does not meet MIE’s criteria. Why can’t we have a candidate that reflects all of us. That allows us to win elections instead of pandering to the “moderates” (who seem to be anything but moderate in their strong opinions).
Does Craig have something against the current team at RPI? That’s a good question to ask.
Why do I ask?
He says in the first sentence…”Nearly 800 people turned out last night for the Republican Party of Iowa’s “Night of the Rising Stars” event at Hoyt Sherman Place in Des Moines.”
Uh…the liberal Des Moines Register put it at over 1000.
People should be asking themselves some questions…what does Craig Robinson have in trying to deflate and arguably mis-report (I was there rooting for my bud Chris Rants) what was clearly an attendance over 1000. Deflate your own party’s crowd size? Sad. That’s really pathetic.
Craig, either correct your error or come clean. Love ya Christine <3.
Thinking: I pretty much agree with what you said.
Unless we have too many conservatives running for governor and splitting the vote, we will have a good solid candidate for governor but I’m predicting right now that unless that candidate is VP, Deace will do everything within his power to reelect Culver.
If King is the candidate, King will not be good enough, either.
Remember, Deace’s way has given us Loebsack, Boswell, Culver and Obama.
Remember, Barbour has made Mississippi the most pro life state in the country.
I choose to follow Barbour’s way.
“Unless that candidate is VP, Deace will do everything within his power to re-elect Culver.” Let’s elect VP then! He believes in everything I believe in, everything DVFO believes in, and everything MIE believes in. I understand why you don’t like Deace, but why work against him on this? I don’t know that VP is my choice, automatically, but I have no problem with where he stands on any of the issues. In fact, the only knock against him, is that he believes too much in the Republican ideals. Sorry, but I want someone who is a leader…and will stand up for conservatism through and through!
Are you willing to allow a non Republican choose the Republican candidate?
We can use a poll shortly before the primary as to who polls the best against Culver and go with that one.
MIE~ I am not using the party to advance my Christian witness. I am preserving the freedoms that we have had for many years by standing on firm principles. The political arena touches the lives of every human being alive, as God intended it. If we do not lead by faith in this circle, we are led by ungodliness. I will not tolerate nor vote for those advocating for child murder. If your philosophy worked, John Mc Cain would be our president…or better yet when we had control under Moderate Republican majority we would have passed laws that were pro-life. We get these moderates in by voting for them and the main thing to us is no longer a priority. The greatest indicator of the future is the past, we should learn from it.
DVFO: See Above
Christine,
I don’t have anything against the folks at RPI. Having been at the party before I know it’s a thankless job.
I did see that the Register estimated attendance at 1000, but that number is simply wrong. Having spent over 8 years putting on events I’m pretty good a crown estimation. Here is how I came to the 800 number.
The main floor at Hoyt Sherman seats 776 people. While the mail floor was pretty full, there were empty seats to be had. I actually sat in a balcony before making my way down stairs for Barbour’s speech. The balcony had 70-80 people tops, form my estimation those people could have probably found seats in the main seating area if they had wanted.
Still, turning out 800 people on a Thursday night is very impressive thing to accomplish. There is absolutely nothing to be ashamed about, especially considering they brought in $100,000 for the party.
Craig
Christian: The problem is that there are God-fearing people of good will who feel differently than you. Embrace them rather than reject them.
Are you willing to allow a non-Republican to choose the Republican candidate? I don’t care who told VP to run, or who endorses him. If he’s a strong candidate that believes in the same things I do, and is principled in those beliefs, I don’t care if Barack Obama picked him. Don’t let your dislike blind you.
MIE
You said “the problem is that there are God-fearing people of good will wo feel differently than you. Embrace them rather than reject them.” Just wondering if you have considered embracing me instead of rejecting me. I distinctly remember you calling me an “idiot,” “wacko,” and “christian taliban.” Who is really rejecting who here?
Christian: of course you’re not using the party to advance your witness. Truth be told, you’re not advancing any of your ideas, period. At least not in a way that will have any effect. You’re willingness to lose on principle has the same effect as losing for any other reason. Losers don’t make policy, and you are obviously committed to a loser strategy. Good luck with that.
Remember how many times Obama and other democrats have tried to reassure gun-owners that they do not want to take away their guns? Now whether you believe that or not is another story. The point is that they are smart enough to realize that people do not react well to having their rights stripped. Responsible gun owners do not want to be penalized for the actions of irresponsible gun owners. I know it isn’t the strongest analogy, but many women feel the same way about abortion. We want to be able to make our own reproductive decisions and don’t want to lose our rights because of irresponsible women. Just like many people hope to never have shoot someone with their gun, many people hope to never have to make a heartbreaking reproductive decision. Just as gun owners see gun laws as slowly taking away their rights, women worry about the same thing. If abortion gets banned, what next: fertility treatments, birth control? Do you have any idea how many women in this country have been victims of sexual assault, non-viable pregnancies, missed miscarriages, infertility issues, etc.? I don’t, but I think it is A LOT. Now a step further, if a woman has experienced any of these things, even if she is pro-life, starts to see how Roe v. Wade is or can be important. Possibly just as someone who thinks guns should be banned changes her tune when she personally feel the need to defend herself. Republicans need to loosen their pro-life stance to attract more women to the party. Let the flames begin.
Thinking: I am not rejecting you. Like I have told you a million times (so it seems), I suspect you and I agree on most issues pertaining to faith. Yes, I go overboard with my language on occasion out of frustration. If I have offended you, I apologize. However, I have learned the very hard and bitter lesson that politics is an exercise in inclusion. The only way we win is to grow. By using politics to advance religious beliefs will only result in alienating those that feel differently. End result: our party shrinks (as it is doing right before our eyes).
I believe it would be a mistake to remove the prolife plank from the platform. First, it’s the right thing to do for the Republican party to be the party of life.
Secondly, there are people who leave the Democrat party because of the issue. For us to abandon the issue would be wrong.
That doesn’t meant that if a person is not as hard line pro-life as they should be, we should not vote for them because to not vote for the Republican is saying the Democrat is at least just as good and that is NEVER the case.
We must build a majority. Right now we are in very good shape. We have an excellent base on which to build. Now we must build.
These RATS must be stopped. They are destroying this country and this state. Please, let’s hang together to stop the destruction of the Democrats.
Cycho Killa,
You have no idea who I am or what I do. If my principled stance is a losing strategy, that is beyond my control. I am not going to change my principles to win. That is what you suggest. If your strategy works so well, how come we are in the minority?
DVFO~ What fellowship has light with darkness?
Christine, what does the “Kingdom on the Left” have to do with the “Kingdom on the Right”?
Ooops, I meant Christian!
Iman Chrisitan–no one is asking you to change your principles. From what you say your principles are admirable. What I say is look for what is common among conservatives and go from there: fiscal restraint, personal responsibiltiy, strong defense, promotion of the markets and restraint in foreign affairs. You set forth unrealistic litmus tests to determine who can be a Republican and who can not. As far as pro-life, of course we want to be the party of life. However, we must realize there are conservatives who feel differently. They should not be excluded.
“it all comes down to McCain. The moderate Republican lost the election. ”
I respectfully disagree. George W. Bush lost the election. Sarah Palin put the nail in the coffin. If a non-moderate Republican had been running, Obama would have won in a landslide of historic proportions.
I suspect ones take on the cause of the 2008 electoral defeat informs ones opinion on this issue of purity vs. big tent-ism.
Mike C wrote: “I respectfully disagree. George W. Bush lost the election. Sarah Palin put the nail in the coffin. If a non-moderate Republican had been running, Obama would have won in a landslide of historic proportions. ”
As a person who voted for dubya the first time (and who’s regretted it ever since) I wholeheartedly concur with Mike’s assesment of the cause of President Barak Hussein Obama’s election win. I also believe Mike’s last sentence sums up the gap between the two major Republican Parties currently.
Hmm..who wants to bet Deace is going to rip Barbour a new one on Monday about his talk about being more inclusive?
Who wants to bet that Deace is going to piously chirp into his microphone about Barbour using the “if they agree with me 80% of the time, they are my ally, not my enemy” line..
Who cares that Barbour has signed a number of anti-abortion bills in Mississippi…who cares if says he’s “pro life”…
That’s not going to be enough for Deace…and as such we all know he’s going to go off about how Strawn and RPI “just dont get it”…etc etc…and he’ll spend the course of the next week publicly ripping the Republican Party of Iowa after one of the most successful events in the last few years…
Craig…i know you’re friends with Deace..but cmon.. at some point you have to call him out on the BS.
We’ve got one hellva chance here in 2010..the Democrats are screwing the pooch..and what do we have? We have a knucklehead here in Iowa on a 50,000 watt radio station screaming about that the GOP isn’t pure enough for him…
Con Dem: So how’s Obama working out for ya? The guy is set out to destroy this country. Give me McCain, any day.
dvfO squeeks from his perch: “Con Dem: So how’s Obama working out for ya? The guy is set out to destroy this country.”
Our President Barak Hussein Obama is doing just fine as far as I’m concerned m’boy.
And then dvfO adds:”Give me McCain, any day.”
‘Fraid you’re not going to be given McCain any day, dubya, sarah, boehner, delay, abramhoff, craig, rummy, darth vader, rove, haggard, bennett, limbuggerer, et al saw to that.
Con Dem: If you think Obammy is doing just fine, then you are the stupidest poster here on TIR.
You’re also no “conservative” Dim. You’re just dim.
Obammy can’t make up his mind if he’s more Marxist or more Muslim. He certainly does not have protecting the safety of Americans a priority. ConDim, your neck is just as much of the line as mine. The mushroom cloud is just as likely to consume you as me.
This guy ought to scare you to death.
People are so fearful of this guy and the destruction he’s causing the economy they are ready to put all their money under their mattresses.
Obammy thinks he’s a dictator. You see nothing wrong with taking over the banking industry, the auto industry, the insurance industry, the health care industry and destroying the energy industry and in the process destroying the private sector?
You obviously get your paycheck from a government job and you care not one twit about the private sector and those whose jobs are being destroyed because Obama and the Democrats are destroying the private sector through excessive growth of government.
Pelosi and Reid are idiots. Obama and the RATS are returning us to the stone age. They think they know how to run (and destroy) every aspect of our lives.
Why the heck are you posting on a Republican website.? You’re more suited to DU.
‘Bout two-thirds down in a C-grade rant, dvfO spurt: “You obviously get your paycheck from a government job and you care not one twit about the private sector and those whose jobs are being destroyed because Obama and the Democrats are destroying the private sector through excessive growth of government.”
That’s _WHIT_ m’boy, from the Middle English and meaning “an amount”. A _TWIT_ refers to “a foolishly annoying person”, coincidentally also from the Middle English.
Each properly used as in: Twits care not one whit that they annoy others.
As for President Barak Hussein Obama, look in the mirror and thank the twit there for enabling the election of Anyone But A Republican.
Wait until your job goes down the drain or are you on welfare?
They’re killing the goose that laid the golden egg but Democrats know NOTHING about economics and they don’t care. Just keep them welfare checks coming.