Rants Hits His Stride
- Monday, July 6, 2009, 4:39
- Iowa, News Center, Top Story
- 728 views
- 12 comments
Despite an abbreviated week due to the Fourth of July holiday, last week was important to those hoping to win the Republican gubernatorial nomination. While the issue of gay marriage will continue to be a major issue in next year’s elections, the state budget is most likely to be the number one issue on the minds of the voters when they enter the ballot box next November.
Governor Culver’s budget took center stage again last week when the fiscal year 2009 budget came to a close on June 30th. The Legislative Services Agency, a non-partisan government agency that provides reporting and analysis of state revenue information, reported that the FY 2009 budget ended with a $161 million deficit. Governor Culver chose to dismiss LSA’s report, even though the House, Senate, and Governor’s office have agreed for the last few decades to abide by the numbers provided by the agency.
A number of Iowa Republicans were quick to echo the LSA’s findings, however, out of the potential candidates for governor, Chris Rants was able to rise above the rest. Rants hit his stride last week, and in doing so, he was able to display the positive attributes that he brings to his gubernatorial campaign.
Long before the 2009 fiscal year came to a close, Rants had been sounding the warning that Governor Culver’s budget would not balance. He also indicated that, unless Iowa’s economy picked up substantially in June, the Governor wouldn’t have the necessary funds at his disposal to cover the gap, meaning he would have to ask the legislature for more money. Rants was correct on both counts. However, instead of calling for an immediate special session, which Rants called on him to do, Governor Culver has opted to wait until the books officially close in September to make any modifications to the current state budget. Rants also identified a number of areas where the state could cut in order to save money during the legislative session.
Rants was the only Republican who called on Culver to respond to the FY 2009 budget deficit by demanding a special legislative session. Republican leaders in the House and Senate, as well as Rants’ opponents for the gubernatorial nomination, lashed out at Culver’s budgeting practices, but none called on him to immediately act. Some of the gubernatorial candidates even failed to even weigh in on the issue all together.
Christian Fong, the AEGON employee who officially entered the race for the Republican nomination for governor this past Tuesday afternoon, failed to respond to the news about the FY 2009 budget the following day. Fong wasn’t the only GOP hopeful to pass on weighing in on Culver’s budget. State Representative Rod Roberts and State Senator Jerry Behn both opted not to issue a statement on the LSA’s end-of-the-fiscal-year report.
Bob Vander Plaats was quick to send out a statement following the news of Governor Culver’s budget deficit. Vander Plaats called on Culver to make a fiscal new year’s resolution to control his out-of-control spending. The following day, Vander Plaats called on Culver to freeze state workers’ pay and work with legislative Republicans who proposed more than $300 million in budget cuts during the legislative session. While Vander Plaats was quick to respond, he also got sidetracked when he called on South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford to step down after admitting an affair with a woman from Argentina. Vander Plaats’ statement on Sanford in the midst of the debate on Culver’s budget deficit was odd and not necessary for him to do.
On the other hand, Rants was able to stay on message and go after Culver and his budget mess without having to use a quick or funny line. Rants stuck to the facts and was rewarded by being featured on Jan Michelson’s radio show on WHO and in newspaper articles across the state.
Rants was also able to pit Governor Culver against his Democrat predecessor Tom Vilsack. Rants pointed out that when faced with a budget similar situation in 2001, then-Governor Vilsack called the legislature back in session to correct the course the state was on. Rants also was critical of a Republican administration when he said that he was “worried that we are backsliding to those days in the late 80’s when the governor and legislature fudged the numbers to look good for an election.”
It is interesting that Rants is the only one to forward these sorts of criticisms. Former State Auditor Richard Johnson is the co-chair of the Vander Plaats campaign and was very outspoken over the budget games that Rants is speaking of, yet Vander Plaats has not yet voiced that type of criticism of Culver.
It was easy to see that Chris Rants was in his comfort zone last week, but it’s inexcusable for any quasi-gubernatorial candidate to pass on making a statement regarding the state budget last week. Rants was on message. He called for a special session, he offered areas of the budget that should be cut, and most importantly, he pitted Governor Culver’s actions against what Governor Vilsack did in 2001.
The attention Rants was able to garner last week should help him to continue and grow his campaign around the state. While Rants still has some major obstacles in his path to the nomination, it is clear his campaign is off and running.
About the Author
Craig Robinson has written 505 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.
12 Comments on “Rants Hits His Stride”
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There is no doubt that Rants is the best campaigner in this field. He has a very good message and can articulate it like no one else. I think what Christopher needs to do is stay on message and reveal some of his character. I really like him but I don’t know if I can trust him. I am certain that he will out smart, out speak, and out wit Culver. I am just leary of him after hw gets in office. Folks like CHris are a rare commodity. He led the republicans in a majority fashion but don’t have much to show for it. He will talk about the marriage amendment but failed to get it done. Passed the house but failed in the Senate. He is not solely to blame, but Gronstal would have got it done…he don’t want to be inferior to Gronstal. I like him but need to be able to trust him…and it takes time.
I agree with Mr. Robinson assessment. This shows that Rants is the only real candidate out there. While the others may have local support or in Vander Plaats’ situation nothing better to do Chris Rants has the understanding of the issues that this state really needs.
A former legislator who served many years with Rants told me that he could enthusiastically support Rants as he trusted him.
Given that we don’t know who DVFO is, and he/she/it won’t tell us who this former legislator is, that endorsement doesn’t have a whole lot of weight.
We don’t know the identity of anyone on this site. We don’t know who you are, either.
I can tell you, I also know Rants from work and I also trust him.
That’s not to say we don’t have many good candidates because we do. Anyone of our is far superior to Culver. I’ll take any of them.
Considering the economic mess Culver and the Democrats have created, we may be foolish to not use the talent and expertise of the one person who probably knows more about the economic mess and what to do about it. That person is Rants.
I wouldn’t be so quick to criticize Culver on this move. I believe he said that because a few areas brought in more revenue than expected, the budget is actually only about 57 million in the red. If that is actually true, we may want to ask ourselves if this can be addressed in the next session rather than calling for a special session and costing the tax payers more money than need be right now.
ConservativeThinker you need to read the entire LSA report. While revenues were off $57.7 million, tax refunds came in $72.3 million higher than the REC estimated, and school infrastructure refund transfers also exceeded REC estimation by $31 million. That means the state budget isn’t off $57.7 million Culver’s office claims. The budget is off by $161 million.
Culver is only telling Iowans a thrid of the true story.
C Thinker: Why would you be willing to believe a liar like these Democrats we have destroying us right now rather than Rants? I’ll take Rants’ word any day.
Craig,
Thats exactly what im talking about though. Tax refunds came in higher than expected and school infrastructure refunds came in higher than expected. So by your own word we’re not Actually 161 million in the red.
All im saying is, yes you and Rants are exactly right, we CANNOT continue down this path. At the moment though, we got lucky and have the funds available to address the problem…right now. Next session we should hammer this issue and tell folks that unless we just get lucky every single year, we’re going to go bankrupt as a state.
For now though, I would ask this question. Do we really need to call a special session to address it right now. Or will the extra money that came in over expectations help cover it for now, so we don’t have bring everybody back?
I think that Culver is more clever than he typically gets credit for. It would be incredibly stupid for him to do what Republicans are accusing him of doing. If the budget ends up as bad as the LSA says, he’s going to look absolutely clueless on the most essential issue in the upcoming election.
I don’t think he’s that stupid. I think he really believes “his” numbers. And if his projections come true, this issue will rebound back into the face of Rants et.al., and they will end up looking like hysterics.
I also think it’s interesting that Fong, with his apparently sophisticated understanding of Iowa’s economy, has remained silent. Perhaps he sees the same thing Culver is seeing
That is just the theory of this armchair conspiracy theorist. I haven’t looked at LSA’s numbers (and I couldn’t make sense of them if I did.) This post is only made on the off-chance that sometime in the future I can tell y’all “I told you so”.
Craig,
Upon further thought, I believe you’re right. I hadn’t thought of it in terms of this next year. I do think though, that Rants and others need to explain it better so folks don’t make the same mistake I just did.
I might phrase it this way, last year’s budget deficit was covered by the extra money that came in over projections. The same thing is not likely to happen again this year. As a result, at the end of next fiscal year we are going to be deep in the red to the tune of 161 million dollars.
Am I close on that or do I still not get it?
Mike C..
There is no WAY that his projections are going to come true unless somehow magically, Iowa experienced a massive economic turnaround in the past two months and revenues start coming in like pennies from heaven…
Plus, Mike C…since 1992, the Governor’s office and the Legislature have agreed to use LSA’s numbers when it comes to budget projections…Culver relying on “his” numbers as the final word goes against that agreement.
The fact that the state is even a PENNY in the red is a clear violation of our state’s Constitution…and so far..Culver hasn’t taken a SINGLE action to balance this year’s budget…and isn’t going to do a THING until September at the earliest..
That alone that Culver isn’t being clueless…he’s being downright negligent here….Culver and the Democrats are trying to pull the wool over Iowans eyes here.. They’re going to deflect the blame..They’re going to try to say that they’re not to blame to spending more money than what we’re taking in….
Its the typical Democratic Party playbook when it comes to the economy….”its not our fault”…”we inherited this problem”…etc…
I’ve seen emails from Democratic Party state legislators actually telling their constituents that the state budget “is balanced”….and that they’re actually “proud” of the job they’re doing in Des Moines….
They’re trying to delude us into thinking that everything is just hunky-dory…